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Powys
Centered around Shropshire at Caer Meguaidd, and covering much of the modern
Welsh border
as far north as the River Dee (Deva), Powys derived its
name from the descriptive Latin pagenses, '(land of the) country dwellers'
or 'people of the pagi', the Roman equivalent of district council
areas.
Powys was almost certainly Vortigern's native land. It also seems probable that although in Vortigern's time Powys
may have extended to the North Welsh coast, this access may have been lost as the king of
Dogfeilion & Pengwern
in the seventh century seems to have had easy access between his two kingdoms.
According to tradition, Vortigern's second son was handed Powys
when Vortigern became high king of
Britain.
In circa 570, Powys was apparently divided in two. The name was
retained for the western half, while the eastern half may have become known
as Pengwern, although this
name change is far from certain. It is just as possible that the name Powys
was still used to describe the whole, formerly united territory.
In later years, as attacks by the Norman conquers of
England compressed Wales' free
borders, what was left of Powys came to be ruled by Gwynedd.
|
c.45 BC |
Amalach / Afallach ap Lludd |
Son of
High King
Lludd Llaw Ereint. |
c.10 BC |
Euddolen ap Afallach |
Son. Brother of Owain ap Afallach,
ancestor of Gwynedd's kings. |
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Eudos ap Euddolen |
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Eifydd ap Eudos |
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Eudeyrn ap Eifydd |
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Euddigan ap Eudeyrn |
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Rhodri ap Euddigan |
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Gloui
/ Gloyw Gwallthir
(Long-Hair) |
Sons were Bonus, Paul, Mauron
& Guitolion. |
c.310 |
Guitolion / Gwidolin ap Gloyw |
Son. He and his brothers 'founded'
Caer Gloui. |
c.340 |
Guitaul
/ Gwidol ap Gwidolin |
|
c.375 |
Guortheneu ap Gwidol |
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Pagenses
Later Powys derived its name from the descriptive Latin pagenses,
'(land of the) country dwellers' or 'people of the pagi', the
Roman equivalent of district council areas. The region appears to have
covered much of the southern half of the former territory of the
Cornovii, with possible
extensions east and west.
Powys was almost certainly Vortigern's native land. It also seems probable that
although in Vortigern's time Powys may have extended to the North
Welsh coast,
this access may have been lost as the king of
Dogfeilion and
Pengwern
in the seventh century seems to have had easy access between his two kingdoms.
According to tradition, Vortigern's second son was handed Powys when Vortigern
became high king of
Britain.
The name 'pagenses' may have been used throughout the fifth century to
describe the kingdom's territory, which extended to encompass the West
Midlands. It may only have been during the sixth century, as the
Romano-British language changed rapidly in the face of the destabilisation
of the former Roman administration, that the Welsh form of its name, Powys,
emerged. Its early capital was probably Caer Guricon
(Roman
Viroconium, modern Wroxeter), but this perhaps did not remain in use in the
sixth century. It declined during the course of the fifth century, with many
buildings falling into disrepair. There is evidence to suggest the abandonment
of Viroconium in around 520, perhaps in exchange for a more defendable location.
(Additional information by Hywel George and Edward Dawson, and from The
Landscape of King Arthur, Geoffrey Ashe.) |
c.410 - 425 |
The
territory emerges as the land of the pagenses, which serves as a power base
for Vortigern. Traditionally, he is married to a daughter of former
High King
Magnus Maximus, and therefore holds a good deal of prestige and influence.
With Vortigern's brother-in-law Eugenius holding 'Mid-South
Wales' and the descendants of another brother-in-law, Antonius, holding
'South Wales', Vortigern has
the probable necessary backing to mount a bid to control Britain's
post-Roman central administration. |
c.418 - c.435 |
Vortigern / Wortigernos ap Guortheneu |
High King of Post-Roman Britain
around 425. |
c.425 |
As Vortigern has gained the rank of
High King,
he devolves authority in the land of the pagenses to his sons, handing each
of them control of a portion in the form of
Gwent, the Pagenses (early
Powys),
Builth and
Gwerthrynion. His second
son, Cadeyrn Fendigaid , succeeds him in the Pagenses, ruling in his name. |
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Vortimer / Gwerthefyr Fendigaid |
First son. King of Gwerthefyriwg
(Gwent). |
c.435 - 447 |
Cadeyrn Fendigaid (the Blessed) |
Second son. King of
Pagenses. Killed at Battle of Aylesford
in 455. |
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Pascent
/ Pasgen ap Gwrtheyrn |
Third son. King of
Builth & Gwerthrynion. |
c.441 |
During a time of large-scale
unrest in Britain, the
Saxon foederati based around the country rebel and pillage the
country in the face of light British opposition. It seems that Cadeyrn joins
in the fighting (as he would be expected to do as a son of Vortigern).
According to the scanty evidence available, his son, Cadell Ddyrnllwg,
governs the Pagenses in his stead at this time.
Given
Vortigern's probable age by this time and a possible birth date for him of about
AD 390, he could already be a grandfather to Cadell. However, Cadell would be very
young at this time, possibly no more than fifteen years of age at best, so it is
possible that his governance of the Pagenses is in name only and a regent handles
the day-to-day administration. Although the dating shown here for Cadell is perhaps
a little compressed, and Cadell could have been born later, his grandson is Brochfael Ysgythrog (of the Tusks), who appears to flourish around 530-540. These dates fit in
entirely with any possible birth date for Brochfael and for his father too, given that
Cadell is probably very young in 441. This sequence of dates seems much more likely than
claims that place (an aged) Cadell as ruler around 520. |
441 |
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Cadell Ddyrnllwg (Gleaming Hilt) |
Son of Cadeyrn. Ruled kingdom during Cadeyrn's battles. |
c.441 |
During this time of great unrest in Britain,
when the
Saxon revolt is wreaking havoc on the country and Britons in the south and
west are emigrating to Armorica
in droves, Irish raids on the west
become heavier. They are driven away from
Gwynedd by the strong rule of
Cunedda and his sons, so the Pagenses probably looks an even sweeter target
right now. One powerful Irish band captures the capital and Cadell (and his
presumed regent) is forced to go into hiding. |
441? - 447 |
Banadl
/ Benlli |
Usurper
Irish king. Killed when capital city burnt down. |
c.455 |
As the east of the island is engulfed by the chaos of the foederati revolt
that sees the loss of Ceint,
later tradition states that
High King Vortimer is
poisoned and his death allows Vortigern to reclaim the high kingship temporarily
before he is faced by Ambrosius Aurelianus. Vortigern flees to his ancestral lands,
'at the fortified camp of Genoreu, on the hill called Cloartius', in
Ercing, by the
River Wye. There he meets his end when Ambrosius sets fire to his fortress with him
inside it.
|
446 |
St Germanus'
second visit to
Britain
sees off the last of the Pelagians and confirms the subjects of Elafius
(probably of Caer
Gwinntguic) in the Catholic faith of the
Roman Church.
Germanus goes on to restore Cadell Ddyrnllwg to the throne of the Pagenses
which still covers the West Midlands and eastern
Wales. |
447 |
Having occupied the capital for about six years, the pagan Banadl is killed
during a revolt by his Christian Romano-British subject. During the same
period, the mid-400s, the minor kingdom of Maelienydd is formed, seemingly
out of territory of Powys, with
Gwerthrynion bordering it
to the west and Powys surrounding it to the north, east and south. |
447 - c.460 |
Cadell Ddyrnllwg |
Restored by St Germanus. |
c.440s |
In some literature, Cadell Ddyrnllwg is claimed to be
responsible for sending 'out a branch into Glywyssing' (Glywyssing being
the later name for
Cernyw), which would
suggest that he places a family member on its throne. It seems an unlikely
claim given the hereditary nature of the succession in Cernyw, but perhaps
the line of succession there has been manipulated to show a direct descent
from the greater figure of Eugenius. |
455 |
By now the newly arrived
Jutish
foederati have seen how weak are the
British defences and begin a takeover of the kingdom of
Ceint,
aided by the many older foederati settlements in key areas of the land,
especially along the Saxon Shore forts and at Canterbury.
They are probably further encouraged by the chaos in
Roman
Gaul following the murder of the magister militum Aetius. Hengist's
polyglot army fights Vortigern at a place they name Ęgelesthrep or Ęgelsthrep
(probably Aylesford or, less likely, Epsford, both in Kent). Horsa is
killed, as is Cadeyrn Fendigaid, former king of the Pagenses.
|
c.490 |
St Cyngen Glodrydd (the Renowned) |
Son. Sometimes identified with
Aurelius Caninus (Caer Gloui). |
c.490 |
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Rhodri Ddyrnllwg? |
Possible father, and regent until Cyngen reached maturity. |
c.520 |
Pascent
/ Pasgen ap Cyngen |
Son of Cyngen. |
c.530 |
Brochfael
Ysgythrog (of the Tusks) |
Grandson of Cadell Ddyrnllwg. |
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Brochfael's name is an intriguing one. The second part of
it is the familiar 'fael', which can also be shown as 'mael' in other
variations and 'maglo' going further back in time. It means servant, slave,
follower, etc. The first part is rather more puzzling. 'Broch' seems to
derive from proto-Celtic 'broko', meaning 'anger', which also means 'badger'
('angry animal'). It still means both in modern
Welsh, but its origins
as a name are unknown. Was there some (local) deity who was a personification
of anger? Or was there some family emblem from tribal days, a badger totem perhaps?
This Brochfael may popularise the name to an extent as it is borne at least
twice more, by kings of Meirionydd
and Dunoding. |
c.540 |
Morgan ap Pasgen |
Son of Pasgen. |
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Powys
In circa 570, Powys was apparently divided in two. The name was
retained for the western half, while the eastern half may have become known
as Pengwern, although this
name change is far from certain. It is just as possible that the name Powys
was still used to describe the whole, formerly united territory.
In later years, as attacks by the Norman conquers of
England compressed
Wales' free
borders, what was left of Powys came to be ruled by
Gwynedd.
(Additional information by Edward Dawson.)
|
c.570 |
It seems likely that Powys loses
its eastern territory by this time. There is later a commander at Caer Legion in
613 called Brochfeal, who has not been linked to a kingdom, and may have been
either Mawn or Iago ap Brochfael, the brothers of Cynan Garwyn. Passing the main
kingdom of Powys to his son, Cynan, it would be standard practice for Brochfael
to divide the territory and give the eastern half,
Pengwern, to a second son. Although
there is no available evidence to support this theory, Pengwern does seem to become
a separate kingdom in its own right around this time, and seems to retain the original Powysian capital of Caer Guricon (Wroxter).
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The River Dee probably formed the border between northern Powys and
south-western Rheged during the sixth century
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c.570 - c.610 |
Cynan Garwyn ap Brochfael |
(White Shanks) Mentioned in 580. |
c.610 - 613 |
Selyf Sarffgadau (Battle Serpent) |
Son. (Selim/Soloman.) Killed at Caer Legion by Ęthelfrith. |
|
c.612 - 613 |
This point marks the first appearance of the
Dogfeilion of
Gwynedd in Powys and
Pengwern, although
according to Edward Dawson, Pengwern remains part of Powys,
and the courts of Pengwern and Caer Luit Coyt are Powysian courts. Given
Welsh emphasis on ancestry to
qualify for a throne, it seems likely that a Dogfeilion leader (probably
Cyndrwyn Glas) had married a daughter of the king of Powys, qualifying his
descendants to rule Powys by the rules of descent of Gwynedd (which had been
inherited from their ancestors, the
Pictish
Venicones).
Romans
and Romano-British use primogeniture, but the Pictish rules are that any
descendant, regardless of the form of that descent, is qualified to inherit
(meaning that even bastard sons of wayward daughters can show up and claim a
piece of a territory or even kingship). The fact that the Dogfeilion are
accepted as rulers of Powys (and the part of Powys that is known as
Pengwern) is very telling. There has to be a valid claim
of descent.
|
613? |
In one of the bloodiest and hardest fought battles of
its time, several British
kings form a coalition to halt Ęthelfrith of
Bernicia
at the Battle of Caer Legion (Chester). Iago of
Gwynedd
and Selyf of Powys are both killed, and the battle is a disastrous British
defeat. Despite Ęthelfrith's victory, he does not occupy the territory
around Chester. Just who does is unknown, and the entire history of this
region from the post-Roman period to the tenth century is extremely sketchy.
One possibility is that the line of the River Dee is successfully defended
by the people living just to the west of it - the
Dogfeilion - who are able to
claim great prestige from being the victorious defenders of the western
Britons. Another possibility is that groups of Angles not under Bernicia's
control settle the region to the east of the Dee, and are later subsumed within
Mercia.
Bledric ap Custennin, king of
Dumnonia, dies at
the Battle of Bangor-is-Coed, which follows very soon afterwards. A certain
Brochfael is named as the commander of Caer Legion at this time, and may be
one of the sons of Powys' Brochfael, potentially the first king of
Pengwern. After this, the
Dogfeilion kings appear to move in on Pengwern (perhaps due to their theoretical
defence of the Dee). The monks of Bangor-is-Coed are present at the battle
to pray for divine support, but they too are slaughtered (the act is seen
as divine retribution for their refusal to help evangelise the
English in 603).
|
613 |
Manwgan ap Selyfan |
Infant king. Usurped by Eiludd. |
613 - 642? |
Elfan
/ Eiludd Powys |
King of
Dogfeilion. |
fl 620s |
Cyndrwyn the Stubborn |
South Powys only. The same as Cyndrwyn Fawr of
Pengwern? |
642? - ? |
Manwgan ap Selyfan |
Restored. |
c.655 |
Beli ap Eiludd |
North. Probably not related to Eiludd,
who was from a rival house. |
656 |
Overrun by Oswiu
of Northumbria,
the royal family of Pengwern is destroyed and the kingdom terminated.
This further exposes the border of
Gwent and fully exposes
Powys for perhaps the first time. Saxons migrate
into the territory from the south to form the minor
kingdoms of the Wrocenset and Magonset. These in
turn are absorbed by Mercia by the
eighth century. |
c.644 - c.660 |
Cynddylan |
South Powys only. |
c.680 |
Gwylog ap Beli |
North Powys only? |
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Gwallawg ap Lleenawg? |
|
c.710 - 773 |
Elisedd ap Gwylog |
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c.730 |
By now Mercia has fully
absorbed the
Magonset, although their
territory remains a highly disputed borderland area between Mercia and Powys
until the period of
Norman power in England. |
c.740 - 773 |
Brochfael ap Elisedd |
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773 - 808 |
Cadell Powys ap Brochfael |
Son. |
808 - 854 |
Concenn
/ Cyngen ap Cadell |
(Annales Cambriae 852). Last of Vortigern's direct descendants. |
|
814 |
Gryfudd ap Cyngen |
Killed by his brother,
Elisweg (Annales Cambriae
814). |
|
822 - 823 |
Powys is mainly overrun in a
large-scale Saxon (Mercian) invasion. Cyngen ap Cadell fights successfully to regain Powysian independence. |
854 |
Elisedd
/ Elisweg ap Cyngen |
Never gained the throne, as it
passed through Cyngen's sister. |
|
854 - 873 |
Concenn of
Powys goes on a pilgrimage to
Rome and in 854 drops dead along the way. His nephew, Rhodri Mawr of
Gwynedd, the son of Concenn's sister
and Merfyn Vrach, takes Powys for himself to form part of a united
Wales.
In 873 Rhodri institutes a form of devolved government in which three of his
sons control parts of the country in his name. Anarawd is granted
Deheubarth, Cadell governs
Seisyllwg,
and Merfyn commands in Powys. |
873 - 900 |
Merfyn ap Rhodri |
Ruled Powys as a sub-kingdom of
Gwynedd. |
878 |
Upon
the death of Rhodri Mawr, and according to his wishes,
Wales
is officially divided between his sons. Anarawd succeeds him in
Gwynedd and retains
Deheubarth, Cadell is confirmed in
Seisyllwg,
and Merfyn in Powys. |
900 - 1075 |
Powys and
Seisyllwg merge back into Gwynedd under Anarawd ap Rhodri,
and form part of a united Wales under his successor, Hywel Dda. The
subsequent division of a united Wales sees
Gwynedd dominate Powys. By 1063, Blethyn
rules a mostly united Wales, and Powys is detached from Gwynedd & Deheubarth for, or by, his son. |
1063 - 1075 |
Blethyn
(ap Cynfyn?) |
King of Powys,
Gwynedd & Deheubarth. |
1075 - 1132 |
Maredudd ap Blethyn |
King of Powys. |
1081 |
Attempting to emulate the achievements of his father and grandfather and
become king of south Wales, Caradoc ap Gruffydd of
Morgannwg drives Rhys ap Tewdwr Mawr of
Deheubarth from his throne.
He is immediately faced by the threat of that king returning in alliance
with Gruffydd ap Cynan, who is pursuing his own claim for the throne of
Gwynedd.
Gruffydd also gains the cooperation of his nemesis in Gwynedd, Trahaern ap Caradog,
and Meilir ap Rhiwallon of Powys.
Caradoc is killed at the Battle of Mynydd Carn, as are Trahaern and Meilir,
allowing Gruffydd to seize his birthright in Gwynedd and Rhys to regain
Deheubarth. |
1132 - 1160 |
Madog ap Maredudd |
King of Powys &
Prince of Wales. |
|
1160 |
Powys breaks up into
North and
South kingdoms. |
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North Powys (Powys Fadog)
North Powys became known as Powys Fadog during the reign of Madog, at about the same time as
South Powys was being renamed. |
1160? - c.1163 |
Llywelyn ap Madog |
(Hope of Powys.)
'Prince' Owain Glyndwr's
direct ancestor. |
c.1163 - 1191 |
Gruffydd Maelor ap Madog |
|
1160 - 1187 |
Owain Fychan |
Lord of Mechain. |
1160 - 11xx? |
Owain Brogyntyn |
Lord of
Penllyn & Edeirnon (former Gwynedd sub-kingdom). |
1191 - 1236 |
Madog ap Gruffydd |
|
1236 |
In the same year as
Deheubarth falls, North Powys also loses
its independence to the Norman
English. |
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? - before 1370 |
Gruffydd Fychan II |
Hereditary prince of Powys Fadog & Lord of Glyndyfrdwy. |
|
c.1370 - 1416 |
Owain
Glyndwr |
Son. Prince of Wales
(1400-1416). |
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Meredudd ab Owain Glyndwr |
Son. Accepted English royal pardon in 1421. |
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South Powys (Powys Wenwynwyn)
The appellation Powys Wenwynwyn was used to describe South Powys only from the reign of Gwenwynwyn. |
1160 |
Gruffydd ap Maredudd |
Brother of Madog. |
1160 - 1197 |
Owain Cyfeiliog ap Gruffydd |
m Gwenllian, dau. of
Owain Gwynedd. |
1197 - 1208 |
Gwenwynwyn ap Owain |
m Margaret, dau of Robert Corbet.
Died Feb 1216. |
1208 |
Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn |
m Hawise, dau of John Lestrange.
Ruled? Died 1286. |
1208 |
South Powys is annexed by
Llywelyn Fawr,
Prince of Wales &
Gwynedd. |
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