Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LYSJ-8JQ
• Appointments / Titles: Between 517 and 547, Gwynedd, Wales; King of Gwynedd

Notes:

Ancient Wales Studies-

The casual student of early Welsh History will recognize this man, sometimes called Maelgwn Hir, as a powerful 6th century ruler of Gwynedd. He was one of 5 contemporary rulers singled out for scorn by Gildas in his c. 540 The Ruin of Britain. Much has been written about him by later men, some probably accurate but much clearly fables. Leaving aside the preachy condemnation directed at him by Gildas, he tells us several specific things about his life[1]:

a. As a youth, he "dispatched his uncle the king with sword and spear".
b. Soon afterward, he repented his wickedness and entered a monastery, vowing to remain a monk forever.
c. Later, he violated that oath and returned to his evil ways.
d. After leaving the monastery, he took a wife.
e. After enjoying his wife "for some little time", he spurned her and sought another.
f. The object of his affections was a young lady already married to his nephew.
g. To have that lady, he killed her husband and his own lawful wife.

To learn who this Maelgwn was, we must turn to the early pedigree manuscripts...none written before c. 970. Here, we learn that he was a son of Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion Urdd ap Cunedda[2]. His mother was Meddyf ferch Maeldaf ap Dylan Traws of Nant Conwy[3]. His father had cleared the last of the Irish squatters from the island of Anglesey[4], a task begun by Cadwallon's grandfather, father and uncles about 435/440AD. Cadwallon had an elder brother, Owain Ddantgwyn[5], who seems to have succeeded their father as king of Gwynedd.

Marriages cited for Maelgwn include an unknown Gwallen ferch Affleth[6]; while she was the mother of his eldest son, Rhun, most sources say she was merely a mistress of young Maelgwn, but the boy was acknowledged by his father and became his heir[7]. Maelgwn did marry a lady named Nest ferch Samuel Penisel ap Pappo ap Ceneu ap Coel Hen[8], by whom he had a son Einion[9] and a daughter Eurgain. The other lady cited as his wife was Sanan ferch Cyngen Glodrydd[10], a sister of Brochwel Ysgithrog of Powys.
The "king, his uncle" whom Maelgwn slew in his youth is nowhere named. Gildas referred to him as "avunculus" or "mother's brother", so this seems to rule out Owain Ddantgwyn... his father's brother. Thus, the deposed king must have been a son of Maeldaf ap Dylan Traws of Nant Conwy[11]. We suggest some of the men Gildas called "kings" were merely rulers of appanages of larger kingships[12]. This man likely ruled Nant Conway, a part of Gwynedd subject to its king. Likewise, Cadwallon Lawhir ruled only Anglesey (and possibly Arfon) while his brother was overall king of Gwynedd[13].

Since Gildas first took notice of Maelgwn when he was in his youth, i.e. early 20's, we should describe his world as he might have seen it in the period AD500-505. The battle of Baden had recently defeated the main Saxon army and Wales was no longer threatened by outside invaders. It is quite likely that Maelgwn, and his cousins, had been among Arthur's warriors at Baden. His father and uncle were in their 50's, probably still capable of leading a warband to defend their own lands, but a bit old to be active on the battlefield far from home. Flush with victory in his first campaign, Maelgwn may have chafed under the constraints imposed back home. He would not step into his father's shoes until Cadwallon Lawhir either died or retired to a monastery in his old age, but he had a following of noble youths that had fought with him; they saw him as a born leader and powerful warrior and gladly joined him in an attempt to unseat the neighboring ruler in Nant Conwy. The coup was successful, his mother's brother fell to their swords and spears as the band of youths despoiled his lands, taking loot and young maidens.

Maelgwn took over the Lord's manor and took to his bed a young lady, Gwallwen ferch Afallach. It was about the year 505 when she bore a son, Rhun, whom Maelgwn saw as a mirror image of himself (and indeed the boy did grow up to be taller and stronger than the average man). In seeking to identify this lady, we note that Maelgwn's mother would have been born c. 465 and her brother perhaps c. 460. A daughter of that brother would have occurred c. 490 and thus be of child-bearing age in 505. The timeline is wholly consistent with identifying the slain Lord of Nant Conwy as Afallach ap Maeldaf and Gwallwen as his daughter.

We further suggest that family was among the descendants of Eudaf Hen who had ruled Gwynedd prior to the arrival of Cunedda. Dylan Traws fits as a younger son of Tudwal ap Turmwr Morfawr ap Gaedon ap Cynan ap Eudaf Hen, and may have received the Lordship of Nant Conwy when his brother, Cynfawr, succeeded to the overall kingship.

Probably never his intent to rule these conquered lands to the benefit of their occupants, he and his rowdy group of friends simply took what they wanted from the people of Nant Conway. We suggest these people appealed to the clergy to assist them in their woes, and asked St. Illtud to intercede with Maelgwn. Illtud was then the most respected bishop in Wales[14], a first-cousin of Arthur[15] and probably maternally related to Maelgwn[APPENDIX I]. Early writers identify Illtud (born c. 460/465) as the "teacher" of Maelgwn, so we think he is the holy man who convinced Maelgwn to renounce his selfish and evil past and enter a monastery to train for a peaceful life as a spiritual leader. Maelgwn was wholly won over and Illtud promised to see that the infant Rhun was cared for and raised to be a fine man of whom a father could be proud.

After some few years as a monk, during which time he ministered to the weak and poor and comforted the ill, and indeed led an exemplary life, his father finally died near age 65. When it became evident that other male kinfolks were prepared to assume rule over his own paternal lands, Maelgwn renounced his vows and left the monastery. He returned to become Lord of Anglesey, was reunited with his young son, and took a wife.

Gildas called this marriage "illegal", but we aren't sure if he meant Maelgwn already had a "wife" in the eyes of the church...the mother of Rhun...or he meant Maelgwn had taken the celibacy oath of a monk. We suggest this wife was Nest, a lady about 10 years younger than himself. Maelgwn was now about 35 years old, so Nest likely was a 25 year old widow or divorcee.

By this lady, Maelgwn had a son Einion and a daughter Eurgain, probably in the years 516/520. We suggest he did not emerge from the monastary and immediately resume the evil ways of his youth. But an event around the year 525 changed him forever; he was selected to be the interim king of all Gwynedd.

His cousin, the king of Gwynedd, had fallen in battle that year...a man in his mid-40's[16]. The king's eldest son was but a teenager so the leading men of the realm gathered to select an interim king to rule until the legal heir came of his full age. There were several eligible candidates, but it was Maelgwn who received the nod[17]. He moved from Anglesey to occupy the royal manor at Degannwy, and all the trappings of power went to his head. Becoming as ruthless as when a youth, but with all the authority and power of kingship, Maelgwn indeed returned to iniquities "like a sick dog returns to his vomit".

Disdaining his wife, now in her 30's, he became enamored of a much younger lady whom we would identify as the 16 year old wife of his own nephew[18]...Sanan ferch Cyngen Glodrydd.

Unable to induce the lady to leave her husband and come to his bed, he killed that man leaving her a widow. Apparently his wife Nest objected to having the younger woman take her place in Maelgwn's bed, so she too was slain. Maelgwn was a man near age 41 at the time he wed the pretty teenage widow. By the account of Gildas, he went downhill from there so far as decency and honor were concerned. It is known, however, that he made many generous gifts and landgrants to various churches throughout Wales. Whether these were proof that he had a strong spiritual nature, or were simply bribes he offered the holy men to offset the offenses he committed against them and his fellow men, is anyone's guess.

But his heady ride as the most powerful man in north Wales ended, we suggest, about 545. The rightful heir was now of full age and the "regency" of Maelgwn was declared over. Nearing age 65, Maelgwn reverted to simply Lord of Anglesey. Rather than accept this demotion, he installed his son Rhun, now about 40, in his manor of Afferfraw and retired back to monastic life. He was still there in 547 when the ''yellow plague" swept over Gwynedd, and he died as he sought shelter from it in the nearby church[19].

Family/Spouse: verch Afallach, Gwallwyn. Gwallwyn (daughter of ap Maeldaf, Afallach and ap Maeldaf, N.N.) was born in 485 in Gwynedd, Wales; died in 543 in Gwynedd, Wales; was buried in 543 in Kingdom of Alba. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: GZ8H-76H

Family/Spouse: mac Gabráin, Áedán Brawdoc. Áedán (son of mac Domangart, King Gabrán and verch Brychan, Lleian Ada) was born in 532 in Kingdom of Dál Riata, Scotland; died on 17 Apr 606 in Kilkerran, Argyll, Scotland; was buried after 17 Apr 606 in Argyll, Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: GZK3-34C

Family/Spouse: of Bretagne, Gwenhwyfar. Gwenhwyfar was born in 550 in Bretagne, France; died in DECEASED. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: GZ6S-7VM

Family/Spouse: ap Brochfael, King Cynan Garwyn. Cynan was born in 544 in Powys, Wales; died in 610 in Powys, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: G8WY-62L

Family/Spouse: ap Iago, Cadfan. Cadfan (son of ap Rhun, Beli and N.N., Perwyr) was born in 570 in Gwynedd, Wales; died in 625 in Anglesey, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: G8WY-FL9

Family/Spouse: verch Pybba, N.N.. N.N. (daughter of verch Creoda, Pybba and verch Donnchadh, Princess Feargna) was born in 594 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; died in 615 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Kingdom of Gwynedd, Wales; King
• FSID: G8WY-N47

Notes:

Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon (also spelled Cadwalader or Cadwallader in English) was king of Gwynedd in Wales from around 655 to 682 AD. Two devastating plagues happened during his reign, one in 664 and the other in 682; he himself was a victim of the second. Little else is known of his reign.
Though little is known about the historical Cadwaladr, he became a mythical redeemer figure in Welsh culture. He is a prominent character in the romantic stories of Geoffrey of Monmouth, where he is portrayed as the last in an ancient line to hold the title King of Britain. In Geoffrey's account, he does not die of plague. He renounces his throne in 688 to become a pilgrim, in response to a prophecy that his sacrifice of personal power will bring about a future victory of the Britons over the Anglo-Saxons. Geoffrey's story of Cadwaladr's prophecy and trip to Rome is believed to be an embellishment of the events in the life of Cædwalla of Wessex, whom Geoffrey mistakenly conflated with Cadwaladr. Cædwalla renounced his throne and travelled to Rome in 688.
For later Welsh commentators, the myth "provided a messianic hope for the future deliverance of Britain from the dominion of the Saxons".[1] It was also used by both the Yorkist and Lancastrian factions during the Wars of the Roses to claim that their candidate would fulfil the prophecy by restoring the authentic lineage stemming from Cadwaladr.
The red dragon (Welsh: Y Ddraig Goch) has long been known as a Welsh symbol, appearing in the Mabinogion, the Historia Brittonum, and the stories of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Since the accession of Henry VII to the English throne, it has often been referred to as "The Red Dragon of Cadwaladr". The association with Cadwaladr is a traditional one, without a firm historical provenance.

Cadwaladr was the son of a famous father, Cadwallon ap Cadfan, and the successor to King Cadafael. His name appears in the pedigrees of the Jesus College MS. 20[2] (as "Kadwaladyr vendigeit", or "Cadwaladr the Blessed").
Cadwaladr appears to have suffered a major military defeat at the hands of the West Saxons at Pinhoe near Exeter in 658. He is said to have been of a "peaceful and pious" temperament and to have patronised many churches. The church of Llangadwaldr in Anglesey identifies him as its founder.[3]
Cadwaladr's name appears as 'Catgualart' in a section of the Historia Brittonum, where it says he died of a dreadful mortality while he was king.[4] The great plague of 664 is not noted in the Annales Cambriae, but Bede's description[5] makes clear its impact in both Britain and Ireland, where its occurrence is also noted in the Irish Annals.[6] The plague of 682 is not noted by Bede, but the Annales Cambriae note its occurrence in Britain and that Cadwaladr was one of its victims.[7] Both the Annales Cambriae and the Irish Annals note the plague's impact in Ireland in 683,[8][9] as do other sources.[10]
The genealogies in Jesus College MS. 20[11][12] and the Harleian genealogies[13][14] give Cadwaladr as the son of Cadwallon and the father of Idwal Iwrch. Idwal, who fathered the later king Rhodri Molwynog, may have been his successor.

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

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: G8WY-FLM

Family/Spouse: verch Alain, Angharad. Angharad (daughter of de Bretagne, Alain) was born in 669 in France; died in DECEASED in Cornwall, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Kingdom of Gwynedd, Wales; King
• Appointments / Titles: King of the Bretons
• FSID: G8WY-X4X
• Military: 721, Cornwall, England; War

Notes:

Rhodri "the Bald & Grey" was the son of King Idwal Iwch of Gwynedd and his wife, Princess Angharad of Brittany. There is an old story that Rhodri invaded or conquered Dumnonia - possibly during his youth - but he was forced to return to North Wales by the Saxons. The year of his accession in Gwynedd is variously given as AD 712, 720, 722 or 730. The earliest date seems most likely. He married an Irish princess, Margaret ferch Duplory and had one son, Cynan Dindaethwy. He died in AD 754, when the throne was seized by Caradog ap Meirion.

Rhodri married verch Duptory, Princess of Wales and Ireland Margaret in 721 in Gwynedd, Wales. Margaret (daughter of ap Colman, King Dubh Torran and verch Wempel, Queen of Ireland Vanora) was born in 692 in Wales; died in 745 in Leinster, Ireland; was buried in 745 in Leinster, Ireland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LD3L-Q1S
• Appointments / Titles: Between 798 and 816, Gwynedd, Wales; King of Gywnedd

Notes:

From Dinaethwy and Molwynog

Cynan Dindaethwy was the son of King Rhodri Molwynog of Gwynedd and his wife, Princess Margaret of Ireland, presumably born in the cwmwd of Ynys Mon (Anglesey) which gave him his epithet. His father was probably quite elderly at the time of Cynan's birth, since it appears that the son was too young to take the throne in AD 754, when it was seized by Lord Caradog ap Meirion of Rhos. Perhaps, the people of Gwynedd thought Rhodri too old to father a child, for there were certainly rumours, recorded in the Red Book of Hergest, that Cynan was really the son of the Royal woodsman, Calydigan.

Cynan kept his head down during King Caradog's reign but, upon the latter's death in AD 798, he claimed his father's crown once more. Caradog's son, Hywel Farf-Fehinog, who had expected to inherit the kingdom was not best pleased. He may have been a child at this time for, though Civil War followed, it does not seem to have been very active until AD 813 when the two sides met in battle. Cynan was victorious but, the following year, Hywel was back. He drove poor Cynan from the shores of Ynys Mon (Anglesey) - probably to Ynys Manaw (Isle of Man) where his daughter was Queen - and proclaimed himself King. Cynan tried to retake his throne two years later, but was killed in battle.

Cynan married Mahallt (alias Matilda), daughter of the Lord of Flint, but seems to have had only one daughter, Essylt, wife of King Guriat of Ynys Manaw.
------------------------

Cynan Dindaethwy (English: "Cynan of Dindaethwy") or Cynan ap Rhodri ("Cynan son of Rhodri") was a king of Gwynedd (reigned c. 798-816) in Wales of the Early Middle Ages. Cynan was the son of Rhodri Molwynog and ascended to the throne of Gwynedd upon the death of King Caradog ap Meirion in 798. His epithet refers to the commote of Dindaethwy in the cantref Rhosyr. Unlike later kings of Gwynedd, usually resident at Aberffraw in western Anglesey, Cynan maintained his court at Llanfaes on the southeastern coast. Cynan's reign was marked by a destructive dynastic power struggle with a rival named Hywel, usually supposed to be his brother.

There is no historical record of Cynan's early years as king, but his reign ended in a combination of natural disasters and military reverses. In 810, there was a bovine plague that killed many cattle throughout Wales. The next year Deganwy, the ancient wooden court of Maelgwn Gwynedd, was struck by lightning.

A destructive war between Cynan and Hywel raged on Anglesey between 812 and 816, ultimately ending with Cynan's defeat and banishment. Cynan and Hywel are said to be brothers in historical works such as Lloyd's History of Wales, although Lloyd does not cite its source. The Annals of Wales mention the pair only by name, without any title, relation, or patronym. (In comparison, it takes care to point out the brotherly nature of Elisedd's slaughter of Gruffydd ap Cyngen in Powys around the same time.) The genealogies from Jesus College MS 20 deny Cynan and Hywel were brothers at all, instead making Hywel the son of Caradog ap Meirion and a distant cousin of Cynan Dindaethwy son of Rhodri Molwynog. The Harleian genealogies agree with this. Cynan died within a year of his exile according to the Annals of Wales and the Irish Annals.

After Cynan's death, there was a battle at his former court at Llanfaes on Anglesey noted by the chronicles, but the combatants are not identified.

Cynan's daughter Esyllt became the mother of Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad, the first King of Gwynedd (825-844) known not to have descended from the male line of Cunedda.

Cynan married of Flint, Matilda in 768 in Caernarvonshire, Wales. Matilda (daughter of of Flint, Earl and of Flint, Countess N.N.) was born in 739 in Caernarvonshire, Wales; died in 780 in Somme, Picardie, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Kingdom of Gwynedd, Wales; Queen
• FSID: LD3L-Q2N

Notes:

While the surviving sources are consistent regarding the parentage of Ethyll, they are contradictory regarding the identity of her husband. The mid-10th century Harleian Manuscript genealogy names the ancestors of Rhodri "Mawr/the Great": "…Rotri map Mermin map Etthil merch Cinnan…" The name of her husband, recorded in the 13th century History of Gruffydd ap Cynan which names "Rodri Mawr son of Mervyn Frych son of Gwryat…," is consistent with this version. [The Gwentian Chronicle provides a different version of events when it records that "[the] daughter [of Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri [King of all Wales] who was his heir married a chieftain of the name of Mervyn the Freckled," a later passage adding that "Mervyn the Freckled and Essyllt his wife began to reign over Gwynedd and Powys" in 818.] It is impossible to judge which version is preferable. Indeed, it is possible that Ethyll was not an historical figure at all but was invented to legitimise the dynastic change in the eyes of successor generations of kings of Gwynedd and their supporters. She married either: GWRIAD a Manx chieftain, son of ---, or: MERFYN ap Gwriad "Frych/the Freckled" King of Gwynedd.

Esyllt Essylt Queen of Wales Heiress of Gwenedd ferch
Conan Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri ap Idwal of Molwynog and Gwynedd
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Our royal, titled, noble and commoner ancestors

Eisyllt, Queen of Wales1
Last Edited 4 Apr 2020
F, #9964
Father Cynan, King of Gwynedd d. 816
Mother Matilda of Flint
Eisyllt, Queen of Wales married Gwiard, King of Manaw, son of Elydyr, Prince of Deheubarth. Eisyllt, Queen of Wales was born at of Gwynedd, Wales.
Family
Gwiard, King of Manaw
Children
Mervin Frych 'the Freckled', King of Gwynedd+ d. 844
Cadrod ap Gwriad+2 b. c 800
-------------------

Ethyllt ferch Cynan, also known as Ethil, was the daughter of King Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri of Gwynedd.

Marriage
In 768 she was married to Gwriad ap Elidyr, although it is possible this was a later invention to legitimise the claims to Gwynedd of the descendants of Merfyn Frych. After the death of her father in 816, the throne was secured by her uncle Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog.

Esyllt married ap Elidyr, King Gwriad ManawWales. Gwriad (son of ap Sandde, Elidir) was born in 700 in Flintshire, Wales; died in 800 in Flintshire, Wales; was buried in 800 in Flintshire, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: 1st King of Isle of Man
• Appointments / Titles: Kingdom of Gwynedd, Wales; King
• FSID: L172-TT3
• Appointments / Titles: Between 825 and 844, Kingdom of Gwynedd, Wales; King of Gwynedd

Notes:

Merfyn Frych seized control of Gwynedd in 825 on the death of Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog, though he may have held power in Anglesey since 818. Merfyn was not a member of the traditional dynasty of Gwynedd, the direct male line of Maelgwn Gwynedd, and his succession marked the start of a new dynasty. His claim was apparently based on the fact that his mother, Esyllt, was the daughter of Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri and the niece of Hywel ap Rhodri. According to bardic tradition, Merfyn came "from the land of Manaw", but it is uncertain whether this refers to the Isle of Man ("Ynys Manaw" in Welsh) or to Manaw Gododdin, the area around the Firth of Forth. It would seem likely that it was the latter on account of the probability he would be a blood relative of Cunedda, the founder of the Gwynedd dynasty, who was a prince of Manaw Gododdin. On the other hand there is an inscription "Crux Guriat" on a cross in the Isle of Man. This cross has been dated to the eighth or ninth century and might possibly refer to Merfyn's father.

Merfyn allied himself to the royal house of Powys by marrying Nest, daughter of Cadell ap Brochwel and sister of Cyngen king of Powys. [Actually, according to The History of The Princes, The Lords Marcher, and the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog, Nest verch Cadell is Merfyn's mother, not his wife.] He had a reputation as a patron of scholars; for example the Historia Britonum attributed to Nennius is thought to have been written in Gwynedd during his reign, possibly by request of Merfyn himself. A manuscript found at Bamberg gives a further insight into Merfyn's scholarly interests. Irish visitors to his court were given a cryptogram which could only be solved by transposing the letters from Latin into Greek.

Despite Danish raids, Merfyn was able to maintain his position and on his death in 844 to hand the Kingdom over intact to his son Rhodri the Great. He is said to have died in battle, but the circumstances are not recorded. His descendants came to rule not only Gwynedd but also Powys and Deheubarth and played a major role in Welsh politics until the end of Welsh independence in 1283.

Powys was united with Gwynedd when king Merfyn Frych of Gwynedd married princess Nest, the sister of king Cyngen of Powys, [Actually, according to The History of The Princes, The Lords Marcher, and the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog, Nest verch Cadell is Merfyn's mother, not his wife.] the last representative of the Gwertherion dynasty. With the death of Cyngen in 855 Rhodri became king of Powys, having inherited Gwynedd the year before. This formed the basis of Gwynedd's continued claims of overlordship over Powys for the next 443 years.

Family/Spouse: verch Cadell, Queen Nest. Nest (daughter of ap Brochfael, King Cadell and N.N., N.N.) was born in 770 in Montgomery, Montgomeryshire, Wales; was christened in 770; died in 825 in Anglesey, Wales; was buried in 825 in Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]