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98-516: Powys Wenwynwyn and Gwynedd became bitter rivals in the years that followed, with the former frequently allying itself with England to further its aims of weakening the latter. Gwenwynwyn seized the cantref of Arwystli in 1197, when he was aligned with England. Following the marriage of Llywelyn the Great and Joan of England in 1208, warfare broke out once more between Gwenwynwyn and Llywelyn. In 1212 Gwenwynwyn's ancient royal seat at Mathrafal

196-661: A long house excavated from 6000 years ago. Further examples of human activity in Gwynedd and Anglesey are involved in places such as Bryn Celli Ddu on Anglesey, which was built in phases starting 5000 years ago. Archeological findings from the Bronze Age , millennia ago, include findings such as the Arthog cauldron , a bronze cauldron from 1100 BC found near the Merioneth border, also named 'The Nannau Bucket' (similar to

294-635: A Norse fleet from a settlement in Ireland to patrol the Menai and prevent the Norman army from crossing; however, the Normans were able to pay off the fleet to instead ferry them to Môn. Betrayed, Gruffudd and Cadwgan were forced to flee to Ireland in a skiff . The Normans landed on Anglesey, and their furious 'victory celebrations' which followed were exceptionally violent, with rape and carnage committed by

392-628: A campaign against the Normans was launched from Gwynedd in revenge for the execution of Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd ap Cynan , the wife of the King of Deheubarth and the daughter of Gruffudd. When word reached Gwynedd of Gwenllian's death and the revolt in Gwent, Gruffudd's sons Owain and Cadwaladr invaded Norman controlled Ceredigion, taking Llanfihangle , Aberystwyth , and Llanbadarn . Liberating Llanbadarn, one local chronicler hailed Owain and Cadwaladr both as "bold lions, virtuous, fearless and wise, who guard

490-557: A commote in the Dyffryn Clwyd cantref, and Hywel ab Ithel , lord of Rhufoniog and Rhos , brought Powys and Chester into conflict in the Perfeddwlad. Powys brought a force of 400 warriors to the aid of its ally Rhufoniog, while Chester sent Norman knights from Rhuddlan to the aid of Dyffryn Clwyd. The bloody Battle of Maes Maen Cymro , fought 1 mile (1.5 kilometres) northwest of Ruthin, ended with Llywarch ab Owain slain and

588-621: A company of English knights, she returned to Powis Castle anticipating that her uncles may choose to fight to defend their rights under Welsh law. Charleton led the English troops and captured three of her uncles, only Griffith Vychan escaping. She subsequently became known as Hawys the Hardy, the Powerful, and the Intrepid. Hawys became known for investing in monasteries , including beginning

686-535: A cousin of Maglos the magistrate". The use of terms such as "citizen" and "magistrate" may be cited as evidence that Romano-British culture and institutions continued in Gwynedd long after the legions had withdrawn. The background involving the Kingdom of Gwynedd starts with the history of Wales . After the last ice age, Wales was settled during the prehistoric times. Neolithic sites have been discovered with tools made from flint , such as near Llanfaethlu ,

784-510: A failed plot to murder Prince Llywelyn in collusion with his rival's brother, Dafydd ap Gruffydd . His forces, commanded by his son Owain ap Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn , mobilised during the Welsh War of 1282–1283 with those of John Le Strange and Hugh le Despenser and it was their soldiers who ambushed and killed the last native Prince of Wales near Builth in 1282. Owain ap Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn (alias Owen de la Pole) allegedly surrendered

882-545: A long time, and resolving to cut off all the race of the English within the borders of Britain. Despite the war and 14 battles undertaken by the allied forces of Gwynedd and Mercia against Northumbria, of which the chief one was the Battle of Cefn Digoll in 632, an alliance was concluded when Cadwallon married Alcfritha, daughter of Pybba of Mercia . However, the effect of these tumultuous events would come to be short-lived, for he died in battle in 634 close to Hadrian's Wall , at

980-547: A more stable realm than had hitherto existed in Gwynedd for more than 100 years. No foreign army was able to cross the Conwy into upper Gwynedd. The stability of Gruffudd's long reign allowed Gwynedd's Welsh to plan for the future without fear that home and harvest would "go to the flames" from invaders. Settlements became more permanent, with buildings of stone replacing timber structures. Stone churches, in particular, were built across Gwynedd, with so many limewashed that "Gwynedd

1078-517: A new era; the Romans founded towns with churches and installed governors . During the centuries of sub-Roman Britain , new political structures were established. The Brythonic Kingdom of Gwynedd was established in the 5th century, and it proved to be the most durable of these Brythonic states, surviving until the late 13th century. Boundaries and names emerging from the 1st millennium AD onwards are still being used today to define towns and counties of

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1176-426: A series of their kings. In this furious campaign, his armies devastated Northumbria , captured and sacked York in 633 and briefly controlled the kingdom. At this time, according to Bede , many Northumbrians were slaughtered, "with savage cruelty", by Cadwallon. [H]e neither spared the female sex, nor the innocent age of children, but with savage cruelty put them to tormenting deaths, ravaging all their country for

1274-476: A situation which led Cunedda , his sons and their entourage, to migrate in the mid-5th century from Manaw Gododdin (now Clackmannanshire ) to settle and defend North Wales against the raiders and bring the region within Romano-British control. Whether they were invited to keep out the invaders or were raiders themselves, however, is unknown. According to traditional pedigrees, Cunedda's grandfather

1372-405: A title used to "denote a less archaic form of kingship ," according to Professor John Davies. Genealogical lists compiled around 960 bear out that a number of these early rulers claimed degrees of association with the old Roman order, but do not appear in the official royal lineages. "It may be assumed that the stronger kings annexed the territories of their weaker neighbours and that the lineages of

1470-535: Is believed to be a borrowing from early Irish (reflective of Irish settlement in the area in antiquity), either cognate with the Old Irish ethnic name Féni , "Irish People", from Primitive Irish * weidh-n- "Forest People"/"Wild People" (from Proto-Indo-European * weydʰ- "wood, wilderness"), or (alternatively) Old Irish fían "war band", from Proto-Irish * wēnā (from Proto-Indo-European * weyh₁- "chase, pursue, suppress"). Ptolemy in

1568-509: Is now South and Central Scotland . The long distances these armies travelled suggests they were moving across the Irish Sea , but, because almost all of what is now northern England was at this point (c. 550) under Brittonic rule, it is possible that his army marched to Strathclyde overland. Rhun returned to Gwynedd, and the rest of his reign was for the majority uneventful until the relatives of Elidir renewed their aggressions against Rhun who

1666-664: The Battle of Heavenfield . On account of these deeds, he and his son Cadwaladr , (who fought at the Battle of the Winwaed ) appear to have been considered the last two High Kings of Britain . Cadwaladr presided over a period of consolidation and devoted much time to the Church, earning the title " Bendigaid " for "Blessed". As a monk in later life, he was involved with Clynnog's abbey , and St Cadwaladr's Church, Llangadwaladr on Anglesey. The Tudors of Penmynydd and Henry VII of England in particular claimed descent from Cadwaladr in

1764-703: The Battle of Mynydd Carn in 1081 over his Mathrafal rivals then in control of Gwynedd. However, Gruffudd's victory was short-lived as the Normans launched an invasion of Wales following the Saxon revolt in northern England , known as the Harrowing of the North . Shortly after the Battle of Mynydd Carn in 1081, Gruffudd was lured into a trap with the promise of an alliance but seized by Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester , in an ambush near Corwen . Earl Hugh claimed

1862-469: The Conwy , defeating Hugh, Earl of Chester. In 1101, after Earl Hugh's death, Gruffudd and Cadwgan came to terms with England's new king, Henry I , who was consolidating his own authority and also eager to come to terms. In the negotiations which followed Henry I recognised Gruffudd's ancestral claims of Anglesey, Llŷn, Dunoding ( Eifionydd and Ardudwy ) and Arllechwedd , being the lands of upper Gwynedd to

1960-725: The Dowris bucket ). And the Moel Hebog shield which is also 3,000 years old (similar to the Rhyd-y-gors example), and more recently the Trawsfynydd tankard, which was used to drink mead and beer between 100 BC and 75 AD. Examples of early settlement in Gwynedd are Bryn Eryr near Llansadwrn, Anglesey , now found at the St Fagans National Museum of History , and Garn Boduan , a Celtic hillfort on

2058-676: The House of Aberffraw restored by Gruffudd ap Cynan slowly recovered and Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd was able to proclaim the Principality of Wales at the Aberdyfi gathering of Welsh princes in 1216. In 1277, the Treaty of Aberconwy between Edward I of England and Llywelyn's grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffudd granted peace between the two but would also guarantee that Welsh self-rule would end upon Llywelyn's death, and so it represented

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2156-590: The Irish Sea to Dublin , – a place which would come to host many royal refugees from Gwynedd. All must have seemed lost but Cadwallon ( Welsh : Meigen ) raised an enormous army and after a brief time in Guernsey he invaded Dumnonia , relieved the West Welsh who were suffering a Mercian invasion and forced the pagan Penda of Mercia into an alliance against Northumbria. With new vigour Cadwallon returned to his Northumbrian foes, defeated their armies and slew

2254-807: The Llŷn Peninsula . Iron Age forts were being adapted until after the Roman conquest of Britain , 'Castle of Buan' (Garn Boduan) in Llŷn was recorded as being fortified until the 7th century. During the Roman period, new roads and forts were constructed throughout the Roman empire and for centuries in Wales and England, Welsh examples include Caer Gybi (fort) on Anglesey , and Segontium in Caernarfon , Gwynedd. The establishment of Christianity in Wales also gave rise to

2352-631: The Mathrafal dynasty of Powys , Gruffudd's maternal half-brothers, came to terms with Harold and took over the rule of Gwynedd and Powys. Shortly after the Norman conquest of England in 1066 the Normans began to exert pressure on the eastern border of Gwynedd. They were helped by internal strife following the killing of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn in 1075 by his second cousin Rhys ap Owain King of Deheubarth. Another relative of Bleddyn's Trahaearn ap Caradog seized

2450-538: The Scandinavian York mercenaries. These raids no doubt had a seriously debilitating effect on the country but fortunately for Gwynedd, the victims of the Vikings were not confined to Wales. The House of Cunedda – as the direct descendants of Cunedda are known – eventually expired in the male line in 825 upon the death of Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog and, as John Edward Lloyd put it, "a stranger possessed

2548-490: The age of majority , she was placed under the guardianship of her uncles. Because she was a woman, four of her uncles disputed her claim on the grounds that she could not inherit property, and sought to split the land between themselves. The law of Wales prevented inheritance by a woman, but her father had placed her as a subject of the crown of England in his will . According to the nineteenth century historian Llywelyn Prichard, her uncles informed her that they would be taking

2646-527: The cantrefs . On the death of Einion ap Cadwgan, lord of Meirionnydd , a quarrel engulfed his kinsmen on who should succeed him. Meirionnydd was then a vassal cantref of Powys , and the family there a cadet of the Mathrafal house of Powys. Gruffudd gave licence to his sons Cadwallon and Owain to press the opportunity the dynastic strife in Meirionnydd presented. The brothers raided Meirionnydd with

2744-458: The "twenty-second degree". During the later part of the 9th and 10th centuries, the coastal areas of Gwynedd, particularly Anglesey, were coming under increasing attack by the Vikings . Wales had also been at war with the neighbouring English Kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex who were assisted by Anglo-Saxons and Danes (Vikings). But it was the kings of Welsh kingdoms who were protected by

2842-803: The 1st century marked the Llŷn Peninsula as the "Promontory of the Gangani ", which is also a name he recorded in Ireland. It is theorised in the 1st century BC some of the Gangani tribe may have landed in what is now the Llŷn Peninsula and had driven out the Deceangli or the Ordovices tribe from that area either peacefully or by force. In the late and post-Roman eras, Irish from Leinster may have arrived in Anglesey and elsewhere in northwest Wales with

2940-582: The 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain . Based in northwest Wales , the rulers of Gwynedd repeatedly rose to dominance and were acclaimed as " King of the Britons " before losing their power in civil wars or invasions. The kingdom of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn —the King of Wales from 1055 to 1063—was shattered by a Saxon invasion in 1063 just prior to the Norman invasion of Wales , but

3038-500: The Aberffraw line from Gwynedd making himself ruler there, and by 1055 was able to make himself king of most of Wales. He became powerful enough to present a real menace to England and annexed some neighbouring parts after several victories over English armies. Eventually, he was defeated by Harold Godwinson in 1063 and later killed by his own men in a deal to secure peace with England. Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and his brother Rhiwallon of

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3136-418: The Britons of southern Scotland and northern England and it is very likely that Merfyn Frych brought many of these legends as well as his pedigree with him when he came to north Wales. It appears most probable that it was at Merfyn's court that all the lore of the north was collected and written down during his reign and that of his son. Rhodri the Great (844–878), son of Merfyn Frych and Nest ferch Cadell,

3234-588: The Conwy which were already firmly in Gruffudd's control. Cadwgan regained Ceredigion , and his share of the family inheritance in Powys, from the new earl of Shrewsbury, Robert of Bellême . With the settlement reached between Henry I and Gruffudd, and other Welsh lords, the dividing of Wales between Pura Wallia , the lands under Welsh control; and Marchia Wallie , Welsh lands under Norman control, came into existence. Author and historian John Davies notes that

3332-562: The Empire retreated from Britain, particularly with the use of Latin in writing and sustaining the Christian religion. The ruling classes continued to emphasise Roman ancestors within their pedigrees as a way to link their rule with the old imperial Roman order, suggesting stability and continuity with that old order. According to Professor John Davies , "[T]here is a determinedly Brythonic, and indeed Roman, air to early Gwynedd." So palpable

3430-440: The English king as the Norman army advanced. There were no battles or skirmishes fought in the face of the vast host brought into Wales; rather, Owain and Gruffudd entered into truce negotiations. Owain ap Cadwgan regained royal favour relatively easily. However, Gruffudd was forced to render homage and fealty and pay a heavy fine, though he lost no land or prestige. The invasion left a lasting impact on Gruffudd, who by 1116

3528-484: The House of Aberffraw was restored. Nonetheless, surviving manuscripts of Cyfraith Hywel recognise the importance of the lords of Aberffraw as overlords of Wales along with the rulers of Deheubarth . Between 986 and 1081 the throne of Gwynedd was often in contention with the rightful kings frequently displaced by rivals within and outside the realm. One of these, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn , originally from Powys, displaced

3626-545: The House of Cunedda and the new House of Aberffraw, as Merfyn's descendants came to be known, shared Coel Hen as a common ancestor, although the House of Cunedda traced their line through Gwawl his daughter and wife of Cunedda. Merfyn married Nest ferch Cadell , the sister or daughter of Cyngen ap Cadell , the King of Powys of the Gwertherion dynasty , and founded the House of Aberffraw , named after his principal court on Anglesey. No written records are preserved from

3724-486: The Intrepid, and Hawise de la Pole, (1291 – c.  1353 ) was the daughter of Owen de la Pole and the heir to Powys Wenwynwyn in Wales. She was married to John Charleton after seeking the intervention of Edward II of England to support her inheritance against the schemes of four of her uncles to take her lands. Hawys Gadarn was born on 25 July 1291 to Owen de la Pole , also known as Owain ap Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn, and Joan Corbet. Her mother died while Hawys

3822-457: The Lord of Powys as important there as he was in the Perfeddwlad. However, it would not be until 1136 that the cantref was firmly within Gwynedd's control. Perhaps because of their support of Earl Hugh of Chester, Gwynedd's rival, in 1124, Cadwallon slew the three rulers of Dyffryn Clwyd, his maternal uncles, bringing the cantref firmly under Gwynedd's vassalage that year. And in 1125 Cadwallon slew

3920-577: The Mathrafal house of Powys, their traditional dynastic rivalry notwithstanding. Gruffudd and Cadwgan led the Welsh resistance to the Norman occupation in the north and mid-Wales. However, by 1098 Earl Hugh of Chester and Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury advanced their army to the Menai Strait , with Gruffudd and Cadwgan regrouping on defensible Anglesey , where they planned to make retaliatory strikes from their island fortress. Gruffudd hired

4018-521: The Mathrafal ruler of Powys, known as Owain Cyfeiliog . Cadwaladr, Gruffudd's youngest son, inherited the commote of Aberffraw on Ynys Môn (now Anglesey), and the recently conquered Meirionydd and northern Ceredigion-- i.e. , Ceredigion between the rivers Aeron and the Dyfi. Hawys Gadarn Hawys Gadarn (Hawys ferch Owain ap Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn) , also known as the Hardy , the Powerful ,

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4116-460: The Norman army left unchecked. The earl of Shrewsbury had an elderly priest mutilated and made the church of Llandyfrydog a kennel for his dogs. During the 'celebrations' a Norse fleet led by Magnus Barefoot , King of Norway , appeared off the coast at Puffin Island, and in the battle that followed, known as the Battle of Anglesey Sound , Magnus shot dead the earl of Shrewsbury with an arrow to

4214-661: The Normanised surname "de la Pole" instead of Welsh patronymics. The name derives from Pool (now called Welshpool ), his principal town. After the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 all of the other old princely titles in Wales also ceased to exist; and henceforth, except the Kingdom of Scotland after 1344, the English Crown did not recognise the title of "prince" or "king" in any native dynasty other than their own. However,

4312-600: The Perfeddwlad up to the River Clwyd (the commotes of Tegeingl and Rhufoniog ; the modern counties of Denbighshire , Flintshire , and Wrexham ) as part of Chester, and viewed the restoration of the Aberffraw family in Gwynedd as a threat to his own expansion into Wales. The lands west of the Clwyd were intended for his cousin Robert of Rhuddlan , and their advance extended to the Llŷn Peninsula by 1090. By 1094 almost

4410-508: The Perfeddwlad, particularly from Rhos , at the time harassed by Richard, 2nd Earl of Chester . Alarmed by Gruffudd's growing influence and authority in north Wales, and on pretext that Gruffudd sheltered rebels from Rhos against Chester, Henry I launched a campaign against Gwynedd and Powys in 1116, which included a vanguard commanded by King Alexander I of Scotland . While Owain ap Cadwgan of Ceredigion sought refuge in Gwynedd's mountains, Maredudd ap Bleddyn of Powys made peace with

4508-626: The Scot , Bishop of Bangor , between 1120 and 1139. Gruffudd's remains were interred in a tomb in the presbytery of Bangor Cathedral. Owain ap Gruffudd ( Owain Gwynedd c.  1100  – 23 or 28 November 1170 ) succeeded his father to the greater portion of Gwynedd in accordance with Welsh law , the Cyfraith Hywel , the Laws of Hywel; and became known as Owain Gwynedd to differentiate him from another Owain ap Gruffudd,

4606-584: The Welsh parishioners remained hostile to Hervey's appointment, and the bishop was forced to carry a sword with him and rely on a contingent of Norman knights for his protection. Additionally, Hervey routinely excommunicated parishioners who he perceived as challenging his spiritual and temporal authority. Gruffudd escaped imprisonment in Chester and slew Robert of Rhuddlan in a beachside battle at Deganwy on 3 July 1093. Gruffudd recovered Gwynedd by 1095, and by 1098 Gruffudd allied with Cadwgan ap Bleddyn of

4704-481: The Welsh of Gwynedd to concentrate on those martial skills necessary for their very survival, and the Romano-Britons of western Britain did offer stiffer and ultimately successful resistance. The region of Venedotia, however, had been under Roman military administration and included established Gaelic settlements, and the civilian element there was less extensive, perhaps facilitating technological loss. In

4802-711: The Welshman Maredudd ap Tudur , Ednyfed Fychan being his famous ancestor, his family were seneschals to the Kings of Gwynedd. The Tudor dynasty became ancestors to the House of Stuart , and the Stuarts formed the European Jacobite family , they include direct descendants in United Kingdom , Ireland , France , Germany , Italy and other countries on the continent of Europe, and all around

4900-528: The border shifted on occasion, "in one direction and in the other", but remained more or less stable for almost the next two hundred years. After generations of incessant warfare, Gruffudd began the reconstruction of Gwynedd, intent on bringing stability to his country. According to Davies, Gruffudd sought to give his people the peace to "plant their crops in the full confidence that they would be able to harvest them". Gruffudd consolidated royal authority in north Wales, and offered sanctuary to displaced Welsh from

4998-402: The challenge of survival they faced: "Militarized tribal societies, despite their political fragmentation and internecine strife, seem to have offered better protection against Germanic invasion than exclusive dependence on a professional Roman army (that in the troubled years of the fifth century was all too prone to melt away or mutiny)." Reverting to a more militaristic tribal society allowed

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5096-457: The churches and their indwellers, defenders of the poor [who] overcome their enemies, affording a safest retreat to all those who seek their protection". The brothers restored the Welsh monks of Llanbadarn, who had been displaced by monks from Gloucester brought there by the Normans who had controlled Ceredigion. By late September 1136, a vast Welsh host gathered in Ceredigion , which included

5194-467: The combined forces of Gwynedd, Deheubarth, and Powys, and met the Norman army at the Battle of Crug Mawr at Cardigan Castle . The battle turned into a rout, and then into a resounding defeat of the Normans. When their father Gruffudd died in 1137, the brothers Owain and Cadwaladr were on a second campaign in Ceredigion and took the castles of Ystrad Meurig , Lampeter ( Stephen's Castle ), and Castell Hywell ( Humphries Castle ) Gruffudd ap Cynan left

5292-593: The completion of the first stage of the conquest of Wales by Edward I . Welsh tradition credited the founding of Gwynedd to the Brittonic polity of Gododdin ( Old Welsh Guotodin , earlier Brittonic form Votadini ) from Lothian invading the lands of the Brittonic polities of the Deceangli , Ordovices , and Gangani in the 5th century. The sons of their leader, Cunedda , were said to have possessed

5390-413: The death of Llywelyn and when he was invested with the lordships of Arwystli , Cyfeiliog , Mawddwy , Caereinion , Ystrad Marchell and Upper Mochnant by Henry III. At some time before this, he married Hawise, daughter of John Le Strange , Lord of Knockin Castle . He transferred his allegiance back to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1263 before returning to England's protection again after 1276, following

5488-406: The defeat of his ally Trahaearn ap Caradog in 1081, a move which earned him the epithet Bradwr "the Traitor" ( Welsh : Owain Fradwr ), among the Welsh. In late 1098 Gruffudd and Cadwgan landed in Wales and recovered Anglesey without much difficulty, with Hervé the Breton fleeing Bangor for safety in England. Over the course of the next three years, Gruffudd was able to recover upper Gwynedd to

5586-439: The defeat of Dyffryn Clwyd. However, it was a pyrrhic victory as the battle left Hywel ab Ithel mortally wounded. In the last of his line, when Hywel ab Ithel died six weeks later, he left Rhufoniog and Rhos bereft. Powys, however, was not strong enough to garrison Rhufoniog and Rhos, nor was Chester able to exert influence inland from its coastal holdings of Rhuddlan and Degannwy. With Rhufoniog and Rhos abandoned, Gruffudd annexed

5684-448: The eldest son, is said to have died in Manaw Gododdin, but his son Meirion (Marianus) comes into the picture as lord of Meirionydd . Einion Yrth completes the number". Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion one of his grandsons, was the final leader to defeat the Irish on Anglesey. However, this overly neat origin myth has been met with skepticism, "Early Welsh literature contains a wealth of stories seeking to explain place-names, and doubtless,

5782-420: The eye. The Norse left as suddenly and as mysteriously as they had arrived, leaving the Norman army weakened and demoralized. The Norman army retired to England, leaving a Welshman, Owain ab Edwin of Tegeingl , in command of a token force to control Ynys Môn (now Anglesey) and upper Gwynedd, and ultimately abandoning any colonisation plans there. Owain ap Edwin transferred his allegiance to Chester following

5880-407: The grandsons of Edwin ap Goronwy of Tegeingl , leaving Tegeingl bereft of lordship. However, in 1132 while on campaign in the commote of Nanheudwy , near Llangollen , 'victorious' Cadwallon was defeated in battle and slain by an army from Powys. The defeat checked Gwynedd's expansion for a time, "much to the relief of the men of Powys", wrote historian Sir John Edward Lloyd (J.E Lloyd). In 1136

5978-429: The greater part of Wales. When Rhodri died in 878 AD (battle against Ceolwulf I of Mercia ) the relative unity of Wales ended and it was once again divided into its component parts each ruled by one of his sons. Rhodri's eldest son Anarawd ap Rhodri inherited Gwynedd and would firmly establish the princely House of Aberffraw . His son Merfyn ap Rhodri was given the Kingdom of Powys to rule and Cadell founded

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6076-406: The land between the rivers Dee and Teifi . The true borders of the realm varied over time, but Gwynedd proper was generally thought to comprise the cantrefs of Aberffraw , Cemais , and Cantref Rhosyr on Anglesey and Arllechwedd , Arfon , Dunoding , Dyffryn Clwyd , Llŷn , Rhos , Rhufoniog , and Tegeingl at the mountainous mainland region of Snowdonia opposite. The name Gwynedd

6174-517: The land she had inherited, and that she would live out the rest of her life in a nunnery , however Prichard does not give a primary reference, and there is no evidence of this. She travelled to the Parliament of Shrewsbury and petitioned Edward II of England in person. She met with him twice, and on the second occasion he asked her to nominate someone to act on her behalf as the champion of her rights. She named John Charleton , whom she subsequently married, in July 1309. Together with Charleton and

6272-526: The late 12th century, the family asserted its rights as the senior line of descendants from Rhodri the Great who had conquered most of Wales during his lifetime. Gruffudd ap Cynan 's biography was first written in Latin and intended for a wider audience outside Wales. The significance of this claim was that the Aberffraw family owed nothing to the English king for its position in Wales and that they held authority in Wales "by absolute right through descent," wrote historian John Davies . The House of Aberffraw

6370-444: The lordship of Mawddwy , comprising that parish and most of Mallwyd . When Griffith de la Pole died without heirs in 1309, the lordship was then inherited (according to English law) by his sister Hawise "Gadarn" ("Hawise the Strong", often simply referred to as "The Lady of Powis"), rather than to the male heirs (as prescribed by Welsh law). She died in 1349 and on the death of her husband John Charleton, 1st Baron Cherleton in 1353,

6468-429: The lordship passed to their children and thence out of native Welsh hands. His heiresses were: The Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 abolished the feudal rights of the Lords of Powis and saw the territory of the Lordship of Powis almost entirely incorporated within the new county of Montgomeryshire . However, the lordship continued to exist as a great landed estate. The estate then descended to successive holders of

6566-484: The medieval Welsh Royal House of Dinefwr in Deheubarth , this divided Wales into North Wales , Mid Wales and South Wales respectively. Gwynedd and the Aberffraw dynasty thrived with but a few interruptions until 1283. From the successes of Rhodri and the seniority of Anarawd among his sons the Aberffraw family claimed primacy over all other Welsh lords including the powerful kings of Powys and Deheubarth . In The History of Gruffudd ap Cynan , written in

6664-420: The name Llŷn derived from Laigin , an Old Irish form that means "Leinstermen, or simply Leinster." The 5th-century Cantiorix Inscription 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

6762-424: The name and tenure of the free baronage of England, by resigning together with his heirs to the Lord the King and the Crown of England the princely name and coronet") The date should be accepted with reserve because Owen did not succeed his father in possession until 1286: it is possible that Owen was acting on behalf of his father, who was by then an old man. From about that time, the former princely family began using

6860-522: The neighbouring Kingdom of Powys acted in concert to rebuff the Anglian advance but were defeated at the Battle of Chester in 613. Following this catastrophe, the approximate borders of northern Wales were set with the city of Caerlleon (now called Chester ) and the surrounding Cheshire Plain falling under the control of the Anglo-Saxons. Beli's grandson was Cadfan ap Iago from the line of Maelgwn, his tombstone in Gwynedd wrote in Latin : "Catamanus rex sapientisimus opinatisimus" (most renowned), he

6958-399: The other hand, miracles performed against him by Christian saints. He is attributed in some old stories as hosting the first Eisteddfod , and he is also one of five Celtic British kings castigated for their sins by the contemporary Christian writer Gildas (who referred to him as Maglocunus, meaning 'Prince-Hound' in Brittonic), written in the De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae . Maelgwn

7056-416: The plague in 547, leaving a succession crisis in his wake. His son-in-law, Elidyr Mwynfawr of the Kingdom of Strathclyde , claimed the throne and invaded Gwynedd to displace Maelgwn's son, Rhun Hir ap Maelgwn . Elidyr was killed in the attempt, but his death was then avenged by his relatives, who ravaged the coast of Arfon . Rhun counter-attacked and exacted the same penalty on the lands of his foes in what

7154-601: The post-Roman period, the earliest rulers of Wales and Gwynedd may have exerted authority over regions no larger than the cantrefi ( hundreds ) described in Welsh law codified centuries later, with their size somewhat comparable in size to the Irish tuath . These early petty kings or princelings (Lloyd uses the term chieftain ) adopted the title rhi in Welsh (akin to the Irish Gaelic rí ), later replaced by brenin ,

7252-521: The principality continued as a marcher lordship . The ruling family of Powys survived in the children and remoter descendants of Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn , henceforth known as the de la Pole family, who lived in the newly built Powis Castle . In 1293 Owen de la Pole died and was succeeded by his son Griffith de la Pole. Owen also had several brothers, whom he enfeoffed as his feudal tenants with lordships within his lordship. However, none of them left children except William de la Pole (of Mawddwy) , who had

7350-681: The principality of Powys to Edward I at the Parliament held in Shrewsbury in 1283 (Dafydd ap Gruffudd, his rival in Powys Fadog was tried at the same Parliament, he was deposed for fighting on the wrong side and executed for treason against Edward). In return for surrendering the principality, he received it again from the king as a free Baron of England " sub nomine et tenura liberi Baronagii Angliæ, resignando Domino Regi heredibus suis et Coronæ Angliæ nomen et circulum principatus. " ("Under

7448-639: The realm during the time of relative peace following the Battle of Badon , where the Anglo-Saxons were defeated. During that peace, he established a mighty kingdom. After Cadwallon, Gwynedd appears to have held a pre-eminent position among the petty Cambrian states in the post-Roman period. The great-grandson of Cunedda, Maelgwn Hir (Maelgwn the Tall), was regarded as an able military leader, impetuous and generous. There are several legends about his life concerning either his own trickery and craftiness or, on

7546-563: The region. Noteworthy descendants from the Kingdom of Gwynedd include royalty such as Owain Glyndŵr , and the titular Prince of Wales , also the Salusbury family via Katheryn of Berain . The people mentioned can be associated with the Anglesey based Tudors of Penmynydd family. The Tudors were ancestors and namesake to the former English Royal House of Tudor , they were descended from

7644-496: The source either son or husband of Essyllt daughter of Cynan Dindaethwy a former King of Gwynedd. The most ancient genealogical sources agree that Merfyn was the son of Essyllt, heiress and cousin of the aforementioned Hywel ap Caradog, last of the ruling House of Cunedda in Gwynedd, and that Merfyn's male line went back to the Hen Ogledd to Llywarch Hen , a first cousin of Urien and thus a direct descendant of Coel Hen . Thus

7742-479: The south to the Dee in the east, and incorporating Anglesey. Other evidence supports Nennius 's claim that a leader came to North Wales and brought the region a measure of stability although an Irish Gaelic element remained until the mid-5th century. Cunedda's heir Einion Yrth ap Cunedda defeated the remaining Gaelic Irish on Anglesey by 470, while his son, Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion , appears to have consolidated

7840-618: The story is propaganda aimed at justifying the right of Cunedda and his descendants to territories beyond the borders of the original Kingdom of Gwynedd. That kingdom probably consisted of the two banks of the Menai Straits and the coast over towards the estuary of the River Conwy, the foundations upon which Cunedda's descendants created a more extensive realm." The inhabitants of Gwynedd remained conscious of their Romano-British heritage, and an affinity with Rome survived long after

7938-710: The throne but was soon challenged by Gruffudd ap Cynan , the exiled grandson of Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig who had been living in the Norse–Gael stronghold of Dublin . In 1081 Trahaearn was killed by Gruffudd in battle and the ancient line of Rhodri Mawr was restored. The Aberffraw dynasty suffered various depositions by rivals in Deheubarth, Powys, and England in the 10th and 11th centuries. Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055–1137), who grew up in exile in Norse–Gael Dublin , regained his inheritance following his victory at

8036-506: The throne of Gwynedd." This "stranger" who became the next King of Gwynedd was Merfyn "Frych" (Merfyn "the Freckled"). When, however, Merfyn Frych's pedigree is examined – and to the Welsh pedigree meant everything – he seems not a stranger but a direct descendant of the ancient ruling line. He was the son of Gwriad, the contemporaneous King of Mann from the Isle of Man and depending on

8134-429: The titles Baron Powis, Marquess of Powis , and Earl of Powis . 53°14′N 4°1′W  /  53.233°N 4.017°W  / 53.233; -4.017 Kingdom of Gwynedd United Kingdom The Kingdom of Gwynedd ( Medieval Latin : Venedotia / Norwallia / Guenedota ; Middle Welsh : Guynet ) was a Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in

8232-470: The victors are the only lineages to have survived," according to Davies. Smaller and weaker chieftains coalesced around more powerful princelings, sometimes through voluntary vassalage or inheritance, though at other times through conquest, and the lesser princelings coalesced around still greater princelings until a regional prince could claim authority over the whole of north Wales from the River Dyfi in

8330-550: The whole of Wales was occupied by Norman forces. However, although they erected many castles, Norman control in most regions of Wales was tenuous at best. Motivated by local anger over the "gratuitously cruel" invaders, and led by the historic ruling houses, Welsh control over the greater part of Wales was restored by 1100. In an effort to further consolidate his control over Gwynedd, Earl Hugh of Chester had Hervey le Breton elected as Bishop of Bangor in 1092, and consecrated by Thomas of Bayeux , Archbishop of York . However,

8428-586: The world. The region became known as Venedotia in Latin . The name was initially attributed to a specific Irish colony on Anglesey but broadened to refer to Irish settlers as a whole in North Wales by the 5th century. According to the 9th-century monk and chronicler Nennius , North Wales was left defenceless by the Roman withdrawal and subject to increasing raids by marauders from the Isle of Man and Ireland,

8526-597: Was Padarn Beisrudd , Paternus of the red cloak , "an epithet which suggests that he wore the cloak of a Roman officer", and perhaps it was evidence of a high-ranking officer. Cunedda ( fl.  5th century ) brought order to North Wales and after his death, Gwynedd was divided among his sons: Dynod was awarded Dunoding , another son Ceredig received Ceredigion ," Afloeg by Aflogion in Lleyn , Dogfael by Dogfeiling in Dyffryn Clwyd , and Edern by Edeirnion ... Osfeilion of Osfael has not yet been located; Tybion,

8624-477: Was able to add the Powys to his realm after its king (his maternal uncle) died on a pilgrimage to Rome in 855. Later, he married Angharad ferch Meurig , the sister of King Gwgon of Seisyllwg . When Gwgon drowned without an heir in 872, Rhodri became a steward over the kingdom and was able to install his son, Cadell ap Rhodri , as a subject king. Thus, he became the first ruler since the days of Cunedda to control

8722-562: Was an ancestor of the future Kings of Gwynedd. The Battle of Chester did not end the ability of the Welsh to seriously threaten the Anglo-Saxon polities. Among the most powerful of the early kings was Cadwallon ap Cadfan (c. 624 – 634), grandson of Iago ap Beli . He became engaged in an initially disastrous campaign against Northumbria where following a series of epic defeats he was confined first to Anglesey, and then just to Puffin Island , before being forced into exile across

8820-532: Was bespangled with them as is the firmament with stars". Gruffudd had built stone churches at his royal manors, and Lloyd suggests Gruffudd's example led to the rebuilding of churches with stone in Penmon , Aberdaron , and Towyn in the Norman fashion . Gruffudd promoted the primacy of the Episcopal See of Bangor in Gwynedd, and funded the building of Bangor Cathedral during the episcopate of David

8918-405: Was curiously described as "the dragon of the island" by Gildas which was possibly a title, but explicitly as the most powerful of the five named British kings. "[Y]ou the last I write of but the first and greatest in evil, more than many in ability but also in malice, more generous in giving but also more liberal in sin, strong in war but stronger to destroy your soul." Maelgwn eventually died from

9016-499: Was destroyed and he was evicted from his territories. He changed allegiance again and was restored to his realm in 1215, making a new capital at Welshpool . In 1216 he was defeated in battle with the forces of Llywelyn and fled to England, where he died shortly afterwards. He was succeeded by his son. Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn spent his youth in England, maintained by King Henry III of England . He did not return to Wales until 1241 after

9114-594: Was displaced in 942 by Hywel Dda , a King of Deheubarth from a junior line of descent from Rhodri Mawr. This occurred because Idwal Foel , the King of Gwynedd, was determined to cast off English overlordship and took up arms against the new English king, Edmund I . Idwal and his brother Elisedd were both killed in battle against Edmund's forces. By normal custom Idwal's crown should have passed to his sons, Ieuaf and Iago ab Idwal , but Hywel Dda intervened and sent Iago and Ieuaf into exile in Ireland and established himself as ruler over Gwynedd until his death in 950 when

9212-440: Was in his 60s and with failing eyesight. For the remainder of his life, while Gruffudd continued to rule in Gwynedd, his sons Cadwallon , Owain , and Cadwaladr , would lead Gwynedd's army after 1120. Gruffudd's policy, which his sons would execute and later rulers of Gwynedd adopted, was to recover Gwynedd's primacy without blatantly antagonising the English crown. In 1120 a minor border war between Llywarch ab Owain , lord of

9310-503: Was killed in the conflict. He was succeeded by his son or in some accounts nephew Beli ap Rhun in c. 586. On the accession of Beli's son Iago ap Beli in c. 599, the situation in Britain had deteriorated significantly. Most of northern England had been overrun by the invading Angles of Deira and Bernicia , who were in the process of forming the Kingdom of Northumbria . In a rare show of common interest, it appears that Gwynedd and

9408-448: Was lost as the Romano-Britons shifted towards a streamlined militaristic near-tribal society that no longer included the use of coinage and other complex industries dependent on a money economy, architectural techniques using brick and mortar, and even more basic knowledge such as the use of the wheel in pottery production. Ward-Perkins suggests the Welsh had to abandon those Roman ways that proved insufficient, or indeed superfluous, to meet

9506-523: Was the Roman heritage felt that Professor Bryan Ward-Perkins of Trinity College, Oxford , wrote, "it took until 1282, when Edward I conquered Gwynedd , for the last part of Roman Britain to fall [and] a strong case can be made for Gwynedd as the very last part of the entire Roman Empire, east and west, to fall to the barbarians ." Nevertheless, there was generally quick abandonment of Roman political, social, and ecclesiastical practices and institutions within Gwynedd and elsewhere in Wales. Roman knowledge

9604-583: Was young, and she was brought up and educated by her father at Powis Castle . Owen was the heir to the Powys Wenwynwyn , but had renounced his claim and was given the Barony under the crown of King Edward I of England . He died shortly afterwards, leaving Hawys an orphan at a young age. On the death of her father, Hawys's only brother, Gruffydd, inherited his land in Powys. Gruffydd died in 1309, leaving Hawys as his heiress. As she had not yet reached

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