Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: King of Dyfed
• FSID: LDKP-YG6

Notes:

Vortiporius
Vortiporius or Vortipor (Old Welsh: Guortepir, Middle Welsh Gwrdeber or Gwerthefyr)[1] was a king of Dyfed in the early to mid-6th century. He ruled over an area approximately corresponding to modern Pembrokeshire, Wales. Records from this era are scant, and virtually nothing is known of him or his kingdom. The only contemporary information about Vortiporius comes from the Welsh ecclesiastic Gildas, in a highly allegorical condemnation from his De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (English: "On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain"). At the time the work was written (c. 540), Gildas says that Vortiporius was king of Dyfed, that he was grey with age, that his wife had died, and that he had at least one daughter.[2][3]
As a legendary king in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century treatment of the Matter of Britain, the Historia Regum Britanniae, Vortiporius was the successor of Aurelius Conanus and was succeeded by Malgo. He is not mentioned in the 9th-century Historia Brittonum attributed to Nennius. Vortiporius appears in the Irish genealogy given in the 8th-century work The Expulsion of the Déisi, in which his name is given as Gartbuir.[4] The pedigree given in the Harleian MS. 5389, written c. 1100, is nearly identical, with his name given as Guortepir.[5] In the Jesus College MS. 20, he is called Gwrdeber.[6] The genealogy in Expulsion says he was a descendant of Eochaid Allmuir (English: "Eochaid the Foreigner" [literally (from) Overseas]),[7] who is said to have led a sept of the Déisi in their settlement of Dyfed c. 270.[8]
A memorial stone was discovered in 1895 near the church of Castell
Dwyran in Carmarthenshire bearing a Christian cross and with inscriptions
in both Latin and in ogham.[9] Dedicated to Voteporigis in the Latin
inscription and Votegorigas in ogham, it was immediately assumed that this referred to Vortiporius. However, this assumption is refuted by modern linguistic analysis, which notes that the missing 'r' in the first syllable of 'Voteporigis'/'Votegorigas' is significant, and so the stone must be dedicated to a different person.[10]

Map showing Dyfed, after the late 7th century, showing its seven cantrefi.

Map showing the location of Dyfed in southwesternmost Wales.

Contents
Gildas
Possible monument stone

Geoffrey of Monmouth Family
See also
Citations
References

Gildas
In his De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (English: On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain), written c. 540, Gildas makes an allegorical condemnation of 5 British kings by likening them to the beasts of the Christian Apocalypse as expressed in the biblical Book of Revelation, 13-2: the lion, leopard, bear, and dragon.[11] In the course of his condemnations, Gildas makes passing reference to the other beasts mentioned in the Apocalypse, such as the eagle, serpent, calf, and wolf. Vortiporius is called "the spotted leopard" and the "tyrant of the Demetians", where Demetia is the ancient name of Dyfed.
Gildas restricts his attention to the kings of Gwynedd (Maelgwn Gwynedd), Dyfed (Vortiporius), Penllyn (probable, as its king Cuneglasus/Cynlas appears in royal genealogies associated with the region),[12] Damnonia/Alt Clud (Constantine), and the unknown region associated with Caninus. These are all Welsh kingdoms except for Alt Clud, which had a long and ongoing relationship with Gwynedd and its kings.
The reason for Gildas' disaffection for these individuals is unknown. He was selective in his choice of kings, as he had no comments concerning the kings of the other British kingdoms that were thriving at the time, such as Rheged, Gododdin, Elmet, Pengwern/Powys, or the kingdoms of modern-day southern England. Gildas claims outrage over moral depravity, and begins the condemnation of the five kings with an attack against the mother of one of the kings, calling her an "unclean lioness".[13][14]
Of Vortiporius Gildas says little other than offering condemnation for "sins" and providing the few personal
details previously mentioned. He is alleged to be the bad son of a good father. Gildas also attacks his
daughter, calling her "shameless",[2][3] and implies that Vortiporius raped or had a sexual relationship with her.[15]
Possible monument stone
A c. 5th-6th century monument bearing both Latin and Irish ogham inscriptions is known from Castell Dwyran, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Its Latin inscription reads Memoria Voteporigis Protictoris (English: Monument of Voteporix Protector). The ogham inscription carries only the Goidelic form of his name in the genitive: Votecorigas. Protector (spelled here Protictoris, in the genitive) in the Latin inscription may imply a Roman-era honorific bestowed upon his ancestors, retained as a hereditary title into the 6th century. However, linguist Eric Hamp questions whether this is truly a title, suggesting that Protector may rather be a Latin translation of Uoteporix (which has essentially the same meaning as the Latin), a "sort of onomastic explanatory gloss".[16] The ogham inscription in Goidelic shows that the Irish language was still in use at that time, and had not yet died out in South Wales.[17][18]
The stone's original location at the church is next to a meadow known locally as
Parc yr Eglwys. Local tradition carries the admonition that plowing must not be done near the church. Examination of the meadow showed evidence of large hut-circles.

The Latin inscription on the 'Monument of Voteporigis the Protector', from a rubbing of the stone.

There remains a substantial question
as to whether the stone refers to
Vortiporius or to a similarly named
individual, 'Voteporigis', as the 'r' in
the first syllable would give the name
different meaning. Rhys argued that
the two individuals were the same
person, saying that the 'r' had been
added at a later date, and offering
several suppositions as to how this
might have happened.[18] However, he was working before the twentieth century advancements in the study of ancient Celtic languages, and his philological conclusions are suspect. More recently, Patrick Sims- Williams[19] notes that the two names cannot refer to the same individual due to differences in their etymologies, adding that dating the stone to the time of Vortiporius may not be valid because it relies on the inexact dating of manuscripts and their transcriptions.[10]
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey's mention of Vortiporius is contained in a brief chapter titled "Uortiporius, being declared king, conquers the Saxons". He says that Uortiporius succeeded Aurelius Conan, and after he was declared king, the Saxons rose against him and brought over their countrymen from Germany in a great fleet, but that these were defeated. Uortiporius then ruled peacefully for four years, beings succeeded by "Malgo" (Maelgwn Gwynedd).[20] Geoffrey's fertile imagination is the only source of this information.
The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales, an early 19th-century collection of Welsh histories, repeats Geoffrey's account, referring to him as 'Gwrthevyr' (though Vortiporius' proper Modern Welsh spelling is Gwrdebyr; here the name has been confused with that of Vortimer, the son of Vortigern).[21] In his Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates, James Ussher also repeats the account, attributing the information to Geoffrey.[22]
Family
Vortipor was a son of Aergol Lawhir,[23] so a grandson of Triffyn Farfog.[24] He had a son named Cyngar.
See also
Vortimer, also known as Gwrthefyr in Welsh sources
Citations
1. Koch, John, Celtic Culture: a historical encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, 2006, p. 864: "In Old Welsh sources, the name Guortepir, corresponding to the Vorteporius of Gildas...is kept distinct from Guorthemir, but in Middle Welsh texts the two tend to fall together as Gwerthefyr, the former unhistorically taking the form of the latter."

2. Giles 1841:27–28, De Excidio, section 31 (in English)

3. Giles:246–279, De Excidio, section 31 (in Latin)

The ogham inscription on the 'Monument of Voteporigis the Protector', translated by John Rhys, reading from bottom to top (image was rotated 90 degrees clockwise).

4. Meyer 1901:112–113, The Expulsion of the Dessi. The Irish form is given as "Tualodor mac Rigin maic Catacuind maic Caittienn maic Clotenn maic Naee maic Artuir maic Retheoir maic Congair maic Gartbuir maic Alchoil maic Trestin maic Aeda Brosc maic Corath maic Echach Almuir maic Arttchuirp". Meyer's translation is "Teudor son of Regin, son of Catgocaun, son of Cathen, son of Cloten, son of Nougoy, son of Arthur, son of Petr, son of Cincar, son of Guortepir, son of Aircol, son of Triphun, son of Áed Brosc, son of Corath, son of Eochaid Allmuir, son of Artchorp".
5. Phillimore 1888:171, Harleian MS. 3859, "... Teudos map Regin map Catgocaun map Cathen map Cloten map Nougoy map Arthur map Petr map Cincar map Guortepir map Aircol map Triphun ...".
6. Phillimore 1887:86, Pedigrees From Jesus College MS. 20. "... Teudos M. Gwgawn M. Cathen M. Eleothen M. Nennue M. Arthur M. Peder M. Kyngar M. Gwrdeber M. Erbin M. Aircol lawhir M. tryphun M. Ewein vreisc M. Cyndwr bendigeit ...". Ewein vreisc is given here for Áed Brosc given elsewhere, and Erbin is inserted between Gwrdeber and Aircol, where he is not listed elsewhere.
7. Dictionary of the Irish Language, Compact Edition, Royal Irish Academy, 1998; allmuir, p. 37, column 289, line 078

8. Meyer, Kuno (1896), "Early Relations Between Gael and Brython" (https://books.google.co m/books?id=m1kJAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA4-PA55), in Evans, E. Vincent (ed.), Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, Session 1895–1896, I, London: Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, pp. 55–86

9. Laws, Edward (1895), "Discovery of the Tombstone of Vortipore, Prince of Demetia" (https://b ooks.google.com/books?id=EgFPAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA303), Archaeologia Cambrensis, Fifth Series, XII, London: Chas. J. Clark, pp. 303–306

10. Sims-Williams, Patrick (2003), The Celtic Inscriptions of Britain: Phonology and Chronology, c. 400 – 1200, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, pp. 342, 346–347, ISBN 1-4051-0903-3
11. *Anonymous (1884), "Revelation 13-2" (https://books.google.com/books?id=ypcNAAAAYAA J&pg=RA6-PA219), The Holy Bible, New York: American Bible Society, p. 219 — "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." (underlining added)
12. Lloyd 1911:133, A History of Wales, Vol. I

13. Giles 1841:24–25, De Excidio, sections 28 and 29 (in English)

14. Giles:244–245, De Excidio, sections 28 and 29 (in Latin)

15. Gildas, De Excidio, Chapter 31, "by the violation of a shameless daughter" (impudentis filiae quodam ineluctabili)
16. Hamp, Eric P."Voteporigis Protictoris", in Studia Celtica, 30, 1996, p. 293.
17. Lloyd 1911:132–133, A History of Wales, Vol. I

18. Rhys, John (1895), "Notes on the Inscriptions on the Tombstone of Votipores, Prince of Demetia" (https://books.google.com/books?id=EgFPAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA307), Archaeologia Cambrensis, Fifth Series, XII, London: Chas. J. Clark, pp. 307–313

19. Sims-Williams, Patrick, The Celtic Inscriptions of Britain: Phonology and Chronology (Oxford, 2003), pp. 346-47.

20. Giles, John Allen, ed. (1848), "Geoffrey of Monmouth's British History" (https://books.google. com/books?id=6GQNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA272), Six Old English Chronicles, London: George Bell and Sons (published 1900), pp. 89–294

21. Jones, Owen; Morganwg, Iolo; Pughe, William Owen, eds. (1801), "Brut G. Ab Arthur" (http s://books.google.com/books?id=E94KAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA359), The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales (Prose), II, London: Jones, Morganwg, and Pughe, p. 359

22. Ussher, James (1639), "Caput IV" (https://books.google.com/books?id=solLAAAAMAAJ&pg =PA56), in Elrington, Charles Richard (ed.), Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates (caput XIV-XVII), Dublin: Hodges and Smith (published 1847), p. 56

23. Harleian MS 3859, "Guortepir map Aircol"

24. Harleian MS 3859, Aircol map Triphun

References
Davies, John (1990), A History of Wales (First ed.), London: Penguin Group (published 1993), ISBN 0-7139-9098-8
Giles, John Allen, ed. (1841), The Works of Gildas and Nennius (https://books.google.com/b ooks?id=3R1mCE7p44MC), London: James Bohn — English translation
Giles, John Allen, ed. (1847), History of the Ancient Britons (https://books.google.com/book s?id=XX3TAAAAMAAJ), II (Second ed.), Oxford: W. Baxter (published 1854) — in Latin
Lloyd, John Edward (1911), A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest (https://books.google.com/books?id=NYwNAAAAIAAJ), I (2nd ed.), London: Longmans, Green, and Co (published 1912)
Meyer, Kuno, ed. (1901), "The Expulsion of the Dessi" (https://books.google.com/books?id= pbm3KK8EsaAC&pg=PA101), Y Cymmrodor, XIV, London: Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, pp. 101–135
Phillimore, Egerton, ed. (1887), "Pedigrees from Jesus College MS. 20" (https://books.googl e.com/books?id=HlUrAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA83), Y Cymmrodor, VIII, Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, pp. 83–92
Phillimore, Egerton (1888), "The Annales Cambriae and Old Welsh Genealogies, from Harleian MS. 3859" (https://books.google.com/books?id=aFMrAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA141), in Phillimore, Egerton (ed.), Y Cymmrodor, IX, Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, pp. 141– 183
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Family/Spouse: ap Aergel, N.N.. N.N. was born in 477 in Wales; died in DECEASED in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LR14-JRZ

Family/Spouse: N.N., N.N.. N.N. was born in 530 in Wales; died in DECEASED. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Dyfed, Wales; King
• FSID: LTXW-HYW

Family/Spouse: N.N., N.N.. N.N. was born in 560 in Wales; died in DECEASED. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: GWTW-2HF

Notes:

Buried in "Bedd Arthur", Preseli Hills, Garn Bica, Cymru

Arthwyr married ap Pedr, N.N. in 605 in Breconshire, Wales. N.N. was born in 587 in Wales; died in DECEASED in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: GMN9-PR3

Nowy married ap Arthwyr, N.N. in 630 in Breconshire, Wales. N.N. was born in 607 in Dyfed, Wales; died in DECEASED in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: L1W1-XHQ

Family/Spouse: ap Beli, King Gwylog. Gwylog (son of ap Eiludd, King Beli and N.N., N.N.) was born in 660 in Powys, Wales; died in 725 in Powys, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Powys, Wales; King
• FSID: LD3L-WWN

Notes:

Elisedd, King of Powys
(c.695-773)
(Latin: Elisetus; English: Ellis)
Elisedd is best known for his memorial stone: Eliseg's Pillar standing in Llantysilio-yn-Ial in Northern Powys. It was once topped by an enormous cross, and was erected by his great grandson, King Cyngen, some one hundred years after Elisedd's ascendancy in the early 8th century. Its inscription praises his victories against the Saxons and includes an exceptional record of the Powysian pedigree, stretching back through his father King Gwylog ap Beli's line to Vortigern and Magnus Maximus. Elisedd lived at nearby Castell Dinas-Bran, which is also associated with the Celtic ancestor god, Bran, and King Arthur's Quest for the Holy Grail.

EBK: King Elisedd of Powys. (2017). Earlybritishkingdoms.com. Retrieved 30 May 2017, from http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/elisepw.html

BIO: from British Kings and Queens (Mike Ashsley) p 155
Elisedd (or Eliseg) Powys, 725-?
Elisedd was remembered by his great grandson, Cyngen ap Cadell, a century later, for having rebuilt Powys and recovered lands from the English. He erected a stone column, now known as "Eliseg's Pillar" which commemorated his descent, tracing it all the way back to Vortigern. The genealogy provides us with some dating problems, but we must assume that Elisedd lived sometime in the early/mid eighth century. This coincides with the reign of the Mercian king Athelbald, a turbulent period where the Mercians generally had the upper hand but where some victories went to the underdogs. We can image the Elisedd succeeded in regaining lands along the Welsh/Mercian border from this powerful king, which made his victories all the more significant. It is possible the Elisedd ruled (or was active as a battle leader) earlier, because there are Welsh border incidents recorded during the reign of the Merican king Cenred, around the year 708. The fact that the Pillar was erected at Llangollen, well inside the later Welsh border, shows that these territorial gains were not permanent.

** from Wikipedia listing for Elisedd ap Gwylog
Elisedd ap Gwylog (died c. 755), also known as Elise, was king of Powys in eastern Wales.

Little has been preserved in the historical records about Elisedd, who was a descendant of Brochwel Ysgithrog. He appears to have reclaimed the territory of Powys after it had been overrun by the English. His great-grandson, Cyngen ap Cadell erected a column in his memory which stands not far from the later abbey of Valle Crucis. This is known as the Pillar of Eliseg, but the form Eliseg which appears on the column is thought to be a mistake by the carver of the inscription.

The Latin inscription on the pillar is now very hard to read, but was apparently clearer in the time of Edward Lhuyd who transcribed it. The translation of the part of the inscription referring to Elisedd is as follows:

+ Concenn son of Catell, Catell son of Brochmail, Brochmail son of Eliseg, Eliseg son of Guoillauc.
+ And that Concenn, great-grandson of Eliseg, erected this stone for his great-grandfather Eliseg.
+ The same Eliseg, who joined together the inheritance of Powys . . . out of the power of the Angles with his sword and with fire.
+ Whosoever repeats the writing, let him give a blessing on the soul of Eliseg.

Some old poems refer to Elisedd and assert he had a "special crown, a chain of twisted gold links, and armlets and anklets of gold which were the badges of sovereignty of Powys".[1] These artifacts have disappeared from history but perhaps resurfaced briefly during the coronation of Owain Glyndŵr in 1400.

Elisedd was succeeded by his son Brochfael.

References
^ Pre Welsh History

John Edward Lloyd (1911) A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest (Longmans, Green & Co.)

** from Wikipedia listing for Pillar of Eliseg
The Pillar of Eliseg also known as Elise's Pillar or Croes Elisedd in Welsh, stands near Valle Crucis Abbey, Denbighshire, Wales, at grid reference SJ204442. It was erected by Cyngen ap Cadell (died 855), king of Powys in honour of his great-grandfather Elisedd ap Gwylog. The form Eliseg found on the pillar is thought to be a mistake by the carver of the inscription.

The Latin inscription not only mentions several individuals described in the Historia Britonum, but also complements the information presented in that text. A generally accepted translation of this inscription, one of the longest surviving inscriptions from pre-Viking Wales, is as follows:

† Concenn son of Cattell, Cattell son of Brochmail, Brochmail son of Eliseg, Eliseg son of Guoillauc.
† And that Concenn, great-grandson of Eliseg, erected this stone for his great-grandfather Eliseg.
† The same Eliseg, who joined together the inheritance of Powys . . . throughout nine (years?) out of the power of the Angles with his sword and with fire.
† Whosoever shall read this hand-inscribed stone, let him give a blessing on the soul of Eliseg.
† This is that Concenn who captured with his hand eleven hundred acres [4.5 km²] which used to belong to his kingdom of Powys . . . and which . . . . . . the mountain

[the column is broken here. One line, possibly more, lost]

. . . the monarchy . . . Maximus . . . of Britain . . . Concenn, Pascent, Maun, Annan.
† Britu son of Vortigern, whom Germanus blessed, and whom Sevira bore to him, daughter of Maximus the king, who killed the king of the Romans.
† Conmarch painted this writing at the request of king Concenn.
† The blessing of the Lord be upon Concenn and upon his entire household, and upon the entire region of Powys until the Day of Judgement.

The Pillar was thrown down by the Roundheads during the English Civil War and a grave under it opened. Edward Lhuyd examined the Pillar and copied the inscription in 1696. The lower half disappeared but the upper half was re-erected in 1779. The original inscription is now illegible.

External links
Rhys, John (1908), All around the Wrekin, "Y Cymmrodor: The magazine of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion", Y Cymmrodor (London: Honorable Society of Cymmrodorion) XXI: 1–62 – the pillar and the etymology of "Eliseg" are discussed in this article, which includes Edward Lhuyd's translation.
Project Eliseg - 2010 Archaeological Excavation of the Pillar and Surrounding area
On the castlewales website
"Ancient British Pillar, Valle Crucis Abbey, South Wales", Table-book

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LD3L-7RM

Notes:

BIO: from British Kings and Queens (Mike Ashley) p 155
Broachfael ap Elisedd Powys, fl 760s
The son of Elisedd, little is known of his reign, except hat it would have paralled that of Mercia's greatest king, Offa. Whatever lands Elisedd had gained in the first half of the century, Brochfael probably lost in the second half. Offa undertook many raids into Wales during his reign, some as far west as Dyfed, and Powys was little more than a doorstep to his mighty army. Although the dates of Brochfael's reign are not known, it is possible he reigned for a considerable period. It was during his reign that Offa's Dyke was constructed, a remarkable feat of engineering which must have taken many men many years. It is a sign of Offa's power that it could be achieved at all, and it is probable that it was the men of Powys and of Glywysing who were pressed into service to complete the work. It served as much as a line of demarkation as a defence, and as such shows that Offfa effectively agreed a border between the Welsh and the English would help sustain peace. Brochfael would therefore have benefitted from the Dyke in the short term, though in the long term it spelled the end for Powys. Brochfael was succeeded by his son Cadell.

Gender:Male
Birth:circa 715
Ysgithrog,Brenin,Powys, Wales
Death:773 (54-62)
Wales
Immediate Family:
Son of Elisedd Ap ap Gwylog
Husband of N.N. Pabo
Father of Cadell, King of Powys and Cyngen ap Brochwel
Brother of St. Enghenedl ab Elisedd and Cyngen ab Elisedd
Added by:Jon Brees Thogmartin FTDNA Mcclendon on January 2, 2008
Managed by:Ofir Friedman and 44 others
Curated by:Erin Spiceland

MyHeritage Family Trees
Ellingson Web Site, managed by John Ellingson
Birth: Circa 715 - Place
Death: 773 - Place
Parents: Names of both parents
Siblings: Enghenedd Verch Elisedd and name of one more sister
Wife: Name of wife
Children: Cadell Ap Brochwel and name of one more son

Family/Spouse: verch Pabo, Queen Arddyn Benasgel. Arddyn was born in 710 in Powys, Wales; died in 746 in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: King of Ceredigion
• Appointments / Titles: King of Powys
• FSID: LD3L-7ZN

Notes:

BIO: from http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/WALES.htm#TewdrMawrA
CADELL ap Brochwell (-[804/08]). The Gwentian Chronicle names "Cadell of Derrnllwg, son of Brochwel Ysgithrog" when recording his daughter´s marriage[591]. King of Powys. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records the death in 808 of "Cadell king of Powys"[592]. The Gwentian Chronicle records that "Arthen king of the Ceredigiawn, Rhydderch king of Dyved, and Cadell king of Teyrnllwg now called Powys" died in 804[593]. m ---. The name of Cadell´s wife is not known. Cadell & his wife had two children...

** from British Kings and Queens (Mike Ashley) p 155
Cadell ap Brochfael Powys, ? - 808.
Ruler of Powys during the oppressive reign of the Mercian Cenwulf. Cadell died before Cenwulf's main drive into Wales, and he may have benefitted from the comparative peace that followed the construction of Offa's Dyke. However, in the last year of Offa's reign, the Mercian penetrated into Rhuddlan, and this was a signal of the fragile relationship that would exist between Welch and Mercians for the next thirty years.

Cadell ap Brochfael (English: Cadell, son of Brochfael; died c. 808), also known as Cadell Powys, was an 8th- and 9th-century king of Powys.

He was the son of Brochfael ap Elisedd, whom he succeeded to the throne c. 773.

The Annals of Wales mention his death, and Phillimore's reconstruction dates the entry to AD 808. His name also was inscribed (as "Cattell") in the Pillar of Eliseg.

Children:
1.) Nest ferch Cadell, b. Abt 770, of Powys gwlad, Wales, d. 842 (Age ~ 72 years)

2.) Cyngen ap Cadell, Brenin of Teyrnllwg, b. Abt 770, of Powys gwlad, Wales (Age ~ 85 years)

Family/Spouse: N.N., N.N.. N.N. was born in 750 in Wales; died in 771 in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LDQ1-T9Y

Notes:

Nest ferch Cadell was the daughter of Cadell ap Brochfael, an 8th-century King of Powys, the wife of Merfyn Frych, King of Gwynedd.

On the death of her brother Cyngen ap Cadell in 855, authority over the Kingdom of Powys was claimed by Rhodri the Great, who had previously inherited the Kingdom of Gwynedd on the death of his father in 844. Rhodri thus united the Kingdoms of Powys and Gwynedd. Traditionally, Nest was claimed to be Rhodri's mother, hence his claim to Powys would have been matrilineal.

However, it is unclear why the inheritance of Powys would have passed through Nest to her son, and not to one of the sons of Cyngen: Elisedd ap Cyngen, Ieuaf ap Cyngen, Aeddan ap Cyngen, and Gruffudd ap Cyngen. The texts of Welsh laws which survive to us were written down no earlier than the 12th century, but they provide no evidence that women were capable of transmitting legal title of kingship or lordship.

Equally, although Rhodri's pedigree in a manuscript in Jesus College Oxford[1] states Nest as his mother, another pedigree in a fourteenth-century manuscript[2] in the National Library of Wales records his mother as Essyllt ferch Cynan. There are no strong grounds to accept either manuscript as reliable, but it is reasonable to believe that the royal house of Gwynedd promoted the view that the Kingdom of Powys had passed to Rhodri the Great through his mother in order to legitimise their control over it.[3] Either way, this possible genealogical manipulation became part of the accepted story of the unification of the two kingdoms.

Most now take Nest ferch Cadell to be the Nest who was married to Gwerstan son of Gwaithfoed, whose Grandson Bleddyn founded Powys' ruling House of Mathrafal. Rhodri's mother is instead taken to be Essylt daughter of Cynan Dindaethwy, last King of the House of Cunedda; it follows that Essylt was not Merfyn's mother, but his wife. Consequently those taking this view conclude that Nest's alleged marriage to Merfyn (or Rhodri) was merely a rumour spread and recorded by supporters of Gwynedd to demean the Kings of Powys, and to claim lordship over them. The House of Gwynedd's Kingship is recorded being passed jure uxoris through Essylt to her husband Merfyn, and thence distaff (ie. by the female line) to their son Rhodri on Merfyn's death, the same going for Rhodri's wife Angharad, the daughter of Meurig King of Seisyllwg when her brother Gwgon drowned without an heir, allowing Rhodri to rule Seisyllwg jure uxoris, and his son Cadell to inherit it matrilinearly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nest_ferch_Cadell

Family/Spouse: ap Gwriad, King Merfyn Frych. Merfyn (son of ap Elidyr, King Gwriad Manaw and verch Cynan, Esyllt) was born in 790 in Gwynedd, Wales; died in 843 in Wales; was buried in 843 in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LDQ1-TMR
• Military: 843; The Gwentian Chronicle records that "Rhodri the Great opposed [Berthwrd king of Mercia]…with the assistance of Meuryg son of Hywel king of Glamorgan" in 843, adding that Meuryg was killed in the battle and was succeeded by "Ithel son of Hywel" who was killed by "the men of Brecknockshire" on his way to assist Rhodri.
• Appointments / Titles: Between 844 and 878; King of Gwynedd (succeeded his father, Merfyn Frych)
• Appointments / Titles: 844; Prince of Wales
• Military: 856; Won a notable victory against the Danish and killed their leader Gorm.
• Appointments / Titles: 856; King of Powys (succeeded his maternal uncle Cyngen ap Cadell)
• Appointments / Titles: 871; King of Seisyllwg
• Military: 872; Vvictories by Rhodri: the first at a place given as Bannoleu, where he defeated the Vikings
• Appointments / Titles: 877; King of the Britons

Notes:

877 AD; The Annals of Ulster record that "Rhodri, son of Merfyn, King of the Britons, came in flight from the dark foreigners to Ireland."

According to legend, the first Dinefwr Castle was build by Rhodri Mawr

"Roderick the Great" "Mawr the Great"

Rhodri ap Merfyn (c. 820–878), later known as Rhodri the Great (Welsh: Rhodri Mawr), succeeded his father, Merfyn Frych, as King of Gwynedd in 844. Rhodri annexed Powys c. 856 and Seisyllwg c. 871. He is called "King of the Britons" by the Annals of Ulster. In some later histories, he is referred to as "King of Wales", although the title is anachronistic and his realm did not include southern Wales.

Lineage and inheritance

Rhodri was the son of Merfyn Frych, who had claimed Gwynedd upon the extinction of Cunedda's male line. Rhodri then inherited the realm after his father's death around 844. Merfyn hailed from "Manaw" which may either refer to the Isle of Man or Manau, the ancestral homeland of all Gwynedd's kings since Cunedda.

According to later genealogies, his mother or grandmother was Nest ferch Cadell of the ruling dynasty in Powys. Although surviving texts of Welsh law expressly forbid inheritance along the maternal line, Nest and Rhodri's supposed inheritance was later used to justify Gwynedd's annexation of Powys after the c. 855 death of Cyngen ap Cadell in preference to Cyngen's other heirs.

Similarly, Rhodri's marriage to Angharad ferch Meurig was used to explain his supposed inheritance of her brother Gwgon's kingdom of Ceredigion after that king's death in 872[a] via a principle of jure uxoris that does not survive in our sources for Welsh law.

Reign
Now the master of much of modern Wales, Rhodri faced pressure both from the English and, increasingly, from Vikings, called the "black gentiles"[b] in the Welsh sources. The Danish are recorded ravaging Anglesey in 854. In 856, Rhodri won a notable victory and killed their leader Gorm.

The Chronicle of the Princes records two victories by Rhodri in 872: the first at a place given variously as Bangolau,[1] Bann Guolou,[2] or Bannoleu,[3] where he defeated the Vikings on Anglesey "in a hard battle"[1] and the second at Manegid[1] or Enegyd[4] where the Vikings "were destroyed".

The Chronicle of the Princes records his death occurring at the Battle of Sunday on Anglesey in 873;[1] the Annals of Wales record the two events in different years[2][3] and Phillimore's reconstruction of its dates places Rhodri's death in 877.[2] According to the Chronicle, Rhodri and his brother Gwriad were killed during a Saxon invasion (which probably would have been under Ceolwulf of Mercia, given that the Wessex forces under Alfred the Great were fighting Vikings in East Anglia at the time). The Annals record no great details of the death, but where the B text calls Gwriad Rhodri's brother,[3] the A text has him as Rhodri's son instead.[2] It is likely he was killed in battle given that all the sources call his son Anarawd's victory over the Mercians at the Battle of the Conwy a few years later "God's vengeance for Rhodri".

Succession
Rhodri died leaving at least four sons to share his land among themselves. The traditional account is that his eldest, Anarawd, became king of Gwynedd and the head of the subsequent House of Aberffraw which produced Gruffudd ap Cynan and Llywelyn the Great. Another, Cadell, was given Ceredigion and killed his brother Merfyn to claim Powys as well. Cadell's family was later known as the House of Dinefwr, after its base of operations was moved by Hywel the Good to Dyfed following another (supposed) inheritance via his marriage to Elen ferch Llywarch. Hywel's wide domain, later known as Deheubarth, briefly eclipsed Gwynedd under his immediate heirs before fracturing.

A fourth son, possibly too young to have been considered for the first division of Rhodri's lands, took part in Anarawd's 881 revenge against Mercia and, wounded there, became known to history as Tudwal the Lame, a condition disqualifying him from rule under Cyfraith Hywel, Welsh customary law.

Children
Anarawd ap Rhodri (died 913)[5]

Cadell ap Rhodri (854–907)[5]

Gwriad ap Rhodri: He had a son named Gwgawn who was killed in 955.[5]

Tudwal ap Rhodri (born 860)

Rhodri married verch Meurig, Queen Angharad in 840 in Gwynedd, Wales. Angharad (daughter of ap Dyfnwallon, Lord Meurig and N.N., Lady N.N.) was born in 825 in Wales; died in 900 in Wales; was buried in 900 in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LDQ1-R1D
• Appointments / Titles: Between 878 and 900, Powys, Wales; King of Powys

Notes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merfyn_ap_Rhodri

Merfyn ap Rhodri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a Welsh name. It means Merfyn son of Rhodri.
Merfyn ap Rhodri (died c. 900) was a late 9th-century Aberffraw prince of Gwynedd. He is sometimes credited with ruling Powys after the death of his father Rhodri the Great in AD 878. In the accounts where he is credited as a king, he is reported to have lost his realm to an invasion by his brother Cadell, King of Ceredigion. Merfyn's death may be connected to the incursion into Anglesey by the Viking Ingimundr in the first decade of the 10th century.

The drowning of his son Haearnddur, or "Haardur", was reported by both the Chronicle of the Princes[1] and the Annals of Wales.[2] The first places it in the year 953; Phillimore's reconstruction of the latter's dating[3] would place it in 956.

Merfyn married verch Rheiny, Rhain in 878 in Carnarvon, Caernarvonshire, Wales. Rhain was born in 863 in Caernarfon, Caernarvonshire, Wales; died in 920 in Heinsberg, Heinsberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]