Kingdom of Gwynedd: Difference between revisions
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The Wynn family of Gwydir proved their royal ancestry, some say by manipulating ancient pedigrees in order to consolidate their legitimacy, in the 16th Century and Sir [[John Wynn, 1st Baronet]] and his descendants was recognised across north Wales as the ''de jure'' Princes of Gwynedd until the male line died out, probably in the late 18th Century. Another claim could come from any surviving male descendants of [[Dafydd Goch]] the acknowledged [[bastard]] son of [[Dafydd ap Gruffudd]] who avoided detection during the royal purges and continued the line. |
The Wynn family of Gwydir proved their royal ancestry, some say by manipulating ancient pedigrees in order to consolidate their legitimacy, in the 16th Century and Sir [[John Wynn, 1st Baronet]] and his descendants was recognised across north Wales as the ''de jure'' Princes of Gwynedd until the male line died out, probably in the late 18th Century. Another claim could come from any surviving male descendants of [[Dafydd Goch]] the acknowledged [[bastard]] son of [[Dafydd ap Gruffudd]] who avoided detection during the royal purges and continued the line. |
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==List of Kings |
==List of the Kings of Gwynedd==<!-- This section is linked from [[Hywel Dda]] --> |
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* [[Cunedda|Cunedda ''Wledig'' ap Edern]] ('''Cunedda the Imperator''') (''c.''[[450]]-''c.''[[460]]) |
* [[Cunedda|Cunedda ''Wledig'' ap Edern]] ('''Cunedda the Imperator''') (''c.''[[450]]-''c.''[[460]]) |
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* [[Einion Yrth ap Cunedda|Einion ''Yrth'' ap Cunedda]] ('''Einion the Impetuous''') (''c.''[[470]]-''c.''[[480]]) |
* [[Einion Yrth ap Cunedda|Einion ''Yrth'' ap Cunedda]] ('''Einion the Impetuous''') (''c.''[[470]]-''c.''[[480]]) |
Revision as of 12:34, 20 August 2007
History of Wales |
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Gwynedd (pr. /'gwɪnɛð/) was one of the kingdoms or principalities of medieval
Gwynedd covered part of the territory of the Ordovices, but tradition traced the kingdom's foundation to Cunedda, who migrated with his sons and followers from what is now southern Scotland. The name Gwynedd is probably derived from Brythonic *Ueneda and is akin to Goidelic (ancestor of Irish) Fenia (which gives fiana, "war-band" in Old Irish - e.g. Finn and his warriors). Thus the probable meaning is "Land of the Hosts" or "Land of the Warrior Bands"[1]. The territory was called Venedotia in Latin[2]. It is sometimes suggested that Gwynedd is a mutated form of Cunedda, thus the Kingdom of Cunedda, but there is no etymological basis for this. Whatever the exact etymology of the name, a gravestone from the late 5th century now in Penmachno church seems to be the earliest record of the name. It is in memory of a man named Cantiorix and the Latin inscription is: "Cantiorix hic iacit/Venedotis cives fuit/consobrinos Magli magistrati", ("Cantiorix lies here. He was a citizen of Gwynedd and a cousin of Maglos the magistrate"). The references to "citizen" and "magistrate" suggest that Roman institutions may have survived in Gwynedd for a while after the legions departed.
The heart of Gwynedd was originally at Deganwy, where Maelgwn Gwynedd (died 547) had his stronghold, but later moved to Aberffraw on Anglesey. The ruler of Gwynedd was often described as "Prince of Aberffraw" or "Lord of Aberffraw".
History
Among the more powerful of the early kings of Gwynedd were
Shortly after the
On Gruffydd's death his son Owain Gwynedd took over the throne and continued to build up the kingdom's power and extend its boundaries. Although both Deheubarth and Powys were led by very able rulers in Owain's time, Gwynedd was the dominant force in Wales and Owain was the undisputed leader of the coalition of all the Welsh rulers who opposed King Henry II of England's invasion in 1165. The invasion failed, and Owain's position was not threatened for the remainder of his reign. On Owain's death in 1170 war broke out between his sons. His designated heir, Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd was killed in battle the same year, and the kingdom was split between three of Owain's other sons. For a while Gwynedd lost its position as the most powerful of the Welsh kingdoms to Deheubarth under Rhys ap Gruffydd.
By 1188 one of Owain Gwynedd's grandsons
From 1200 until 1283 the home and headquarters of the Princes was
Administration
The extent of the kingdom varied with the strength of the current ruler. Gwynedd was traditionally divided into "Gwynedd Uwch Conwy", "Gwynedd Is Conwy" (with the River Conwy forming the dividing line between the two) and "Môn". The kingdom was administered under Welsh custom through thirteen Cantrefi each containing, in theory, one hundred settlements or Trefi. Most cantrefs were also divided into cymydau (English Commote).
Ynys Môn
- Aberffraw
- Cemais
- Rhosyr
Gwynedd-Uwch-Conwy
- Arfon
- Eifionydd
- Arllechwedd
- Llŷn
- Ardudwy
- Meirionnydd
Perfeddwlad (also known as Gwynedd-Is-Conwy)
- Rhôs
- Rhufoniog
- Dyffryn Clwyd
- Tegeingl
End of Independence
Following the death of
. This administrative model would last until the re-organisation of 1974.There were many Gwynedd based rebellions after 1284 with varying degrees of success with most being led by members of the old royal house. In particular the rebellions of
The Wynn family of Gwydir proved their royal ancestry, some say by manipulating ancient pedigrees in order to consolidate their legitimacy, in the 16th Century and Sir
List of the Kings of Gwynedd
- Cunedda Wledig ap Edern (Cunedda the Imperator) (c.450-c.460)
- Einion Yrth ap Cunedda (Einion the Impetuous) (c.470-c.480)
- Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion (Cadwallon Long Hand) (c.500-c.534)
- )
- Rhun Hir ap Maelgwn (Rhun the Tall) (c.547-c.580)
- Beli ap Rhun (c.580-c.599)
- Iago ap Beli (c.599-c.613)
- Cadfan ap Iago (c.613-c.625)
- Cadwallon ap Cadfan (c.625-634)
- )
- Cadwaladr Fendigaid ap Cadwallon (Cadwallader the Blessed) (c.655-c.682)
- )
- )
- Caradog ap Meirion (c.754-c.798)
- )
- )
- )
- )
- Anarawd ap Rhodri (878-916) (establishes the Aberffraw dynasty, the senior branch of descendants from Rhodri Mawr)
- Idwal Foel ab Anarawd (Idwal the Bald) (916-942)
- Hywel Dda ap Cadell (Howell the Good) (942-950) (Dinefwr dynasty of Rhodri Mawr's descendants usurp from Aberffraw.)
- Iago ab Idwal (950-979) (returns to the Aberffraw branch)
- )
- )
- Cadwallon ab Ieuaf (985-986)
- Maredudd ab Owain (986-999) Dinefwr dynasty seizes Gwynedd
- Cynan ap Hywel (999-1005) Returns to the Aberffraw dynasty briefly
- Aeddan ap Blegywryd (1005-1018) (usurpes Gwynedd from the Aberffraw dynasty))
- Llywelyn ap Seisyll (1018-1023) (cadet branch of Mathrafal dynasty from Powys usurps from Aeddan ap Blegywryd)
- Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig (1023-1039) (Aberffraw dynasty returns)
- Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (1039-1063) (Llywelyn's son Gruffydd usurps from Aberffraw dynasty)
- Bleddyn ap Cynfyn (1063-1075) (Mathrafal dynasty of Powys "receives" Gwynedd from the English King)
- Trahaearn ap Caradog (1075-1081)
- ) (Aberffraw dynasty returns)
- Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd (1137-1170) (After Owain rulers of Gwynedd are styled Prince of Aberffraw and Lord of Snowdon)
Princes of Aberffraw & Lords of Snowdon
- Maelgwn ab Owain Gwynedd (1170-1173)
- Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd (1170-1195) (in the east)
- Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd (1170-1190) (in the west)
- )
- Dafydd ap Llywelyn (1240-1246) (First acknowledged Prince of Wales)
- Owain Goch ap Gruffydd (Owen the Red) (1246-1255)
- ) (Second acknowledged Prince of Wales)
- Dafydd ap Gruffydd (1282-1283) (not crowned but claimed the title)
- Madog ap Llywelyn (1294-1295) (not crowned but claimed the title)
- Owain ap Tomas ap Rhodri (Owen the Red Hand) (1372-1378) (in exile but claimed the title)
Fictional reference
The
Edith Pargeter has written two sets of historical novels set in medieval Wales, the 'Brothers of Gwynedd' saga and the 'Heaven Tree Trilogy'.
Sharon Kay Penman wrote of the Aberffraw dynasty from Llywelyn the Great to his grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in her trilogy Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, and The Reckoning.
Hungarian author Antal Szerb's novel The Pendragon Legend is set partially in Wales, at the fictional castle of the "Earl of Gwynedd".
Notes
- ^ Going further back etymologically the root *uen- is akin to Latin vena- and suggests "to struggle; to desire, to like" (the root of Latin venus, "love", and also venari "to hunt"). See Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru (University of Wales Dictionary), vol. I, page 1773
- ^ Christopher A. Snyder (2003), The Britons, Blackwell Publishing
References
- John Edward Lloyd (1911) A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest (Longmans, Green & Co.)
- David Stephenson (1984) The governance of Gwynedd (University of Wales Press) ISBN 0-7083-0850-3
- Gwynfor Evans Cymru O Hud , Abergwyngregyn
- Y Traethodydd (1998) Tystiolaeth Garth Celyn