Cynan Dinaethwy Rhodri
Ruled circa Gwynedd 798-816
Son of Rhodri Molwynog ap Idwal.
Very unclear who ruled Gwynedd end of eighth century but powers were overshadowed
by Saxons in Mercia
By 813 he was waging civil war with Hywel, his cousin or brother. Hywel became
stronger in 814 only to lose to Cynan in 816 just before Cynan died of unknown
causes. Cynan sought help against Hywel to Gwriad of the Isle of Man, who
had married Cynan's daughter, Essyllt.
Her son, Merfyn Frych established new power in Gwynedd.
Hywell ruled circa 814-825, had no children.
Area then controlled by Hywell Rhodri, Caracdo Meirchion, then Cynan Dinathwy
Rhodri jointly between 798 and 816, then back to Hywell Rhodri until 825.
Sources: Mike Ashley's "British Kings & Queens"
Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri - Cynan Dindaethwy - was King of Gwynedd
(798–816) in medieval north-west Wales.
Cynan was son of Rhodri Molwynog ap Idwal and Margaret ferch Duplory and ascended to the throne of Gwynedd after first his father died and then his cousin Caradog ap Meirion, who had become king after Rhodri, died in 798.
Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri was preceded by Caradog ap Meirion (c.754-c.798) and was succeeded by Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog (814-825).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynan_Dindaethwy_ap_Rhodri
Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri - Cynan Dindaethwy - was King of Gwynedd (798–816) in medieval north-west Wales. Cynan was son of Rhodri Molwynog ap Idwal and Margaret ferch Duplory and ascended to the throne of Gwynedd after first his father died and then his cousin Caradog ap Meirion, who had become king after Rhodri, died in 798. Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri was preceded by Caradog ap Meirion (c.754-c.798) and was succeeded by Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog (814-825).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynan_Dindaethwy_ap_Rhodri
King of Powys 878-900
King of Gywnedd from 878 to 916
Children:
Idwal Foel "the Bald" ap Anarawd (883-) m(1) unknown
Elise Ap Anarawd (885-)
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Eldest son of Rhodri Mawr
Ruled Gwynedd 878-916
With his two brothers Cadell and Merfyn attacked Mercia in 880 or 881 as
revenge for their father's death at the Battle of Conway.
The following comes from an unreliable source, Asser's "Life of King Alfred"
written during Anaward's reign by a fellow Welshman.
In 885 Anaward allied with the Danes of York with an established kingdom
under Gothfrith.
In 894 the Danes of East Anglia ravaged Gwynedd. Anaward turned to Alfred
(Saxon) for help who obliged if Anaward re-confirmed his Christianity.
With support of West Saxons, Anaward tried for Dyfed and Glamorgan (South
Wales.)
Anaward remained a strong leader until his death after his brothers, Merfyn
in 904 and Cadell in 909.
Two sons were Elsie Anaward and Idwal Foel Anaward, the next King of Gwynedd.
Elsie's daughter, Prawst, would marry Seisyllt Ednywain, and bear Llewelyn
Seisyllt, father of Llywelyn Gruffydd.
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Anarawd ap Rhodri (died 916) was a King of Gwynedd.
Anarawd's father Rhodri the Great had eventually become ruler of most of Wales, but on his death in 878 his kingdom was shared out between his sons, with Anarawd inheriting the throne of Gwynedd. Anarawd and his brothers Cadell and Merfyn are recorded as cooperating closely against the rulers of the remaining lesser kingdoms of Wales. Earl Aethelred of Mercia invaded Gwynedd in 881, but Anarawd was able to defeat him with much slaughter in a battle at the mouth of the River Conwy, hailed in the annals as "God's vengeance for Rhodri", Rhodri having been killed in battle against the Mercians.
Anarawd now made an alliance with the Danish king of York in an attempt to guard himself against further Mercian attacks. When this alliance proved unsatisfactory, he came to an agreement with Alfred the Great of Wessex, visiting Alfred at his court. In exchange for Alfred's protection Anarawd recognised the supremacy of Alfred. This was the first time a ruler of Gwynedd had accepted the supremacy of an English king, and formed the basis for the homage which was demanded by the English crown from then on.
In 894 Anarawd was able to repel a raid by a Danish host on North Wales, and the following year raided Ceredigion and Ystrad Tywi in southern Wales. He is reported as having some English troops under his command for these raids. In 902 an attack on Anglesey by some of the Danes of Dublin under Ingimund was repulsed. Anarawd died in 916 and was succeeded by his son Idwal Foel (=Idwal the Bald).
Anarawd would establish the princely house of Aberffraw, taking the name from his principal seat of government on ynys Mon (Anglesey). His descendents would rule Gwynedd until the Edwardian conquest of the late 13th century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarawd_ap_Rhodri
Son or nephew of Rhun Hir Maelgwn Gwynedd
Quiet insignificant reign circa 580-599
Succeeded by his son, Iago Beli
Beli ap Rhun (c. 517-599, reigned from c. 586) was king of Gwynedd. Very little is known about his reign, which suggests he ruled relatively unremarkably during a time of comparative peace and stability. He was succeeded by his son Iago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beli_ap_Rhun
A Saxon adventurer, of the name of Crida, drove the Ancient Britons beyond the Severn, and founded the kingdom of Meroia, which was the last and most extensive of the Saxon heptarchy. Beli ab Rhun, prince of North Wales, was at this time the chief of the Britons, and was, in a few years, succeeded in the nominal sovereignty by his son Cadvan. History of Wales, John Jones, 1824.
King of Seislylwg 878-909, merged Seislylwg and Dyfed to become Deheubarth
Son of Rhodri Mawr
Inherited Ceredigion and Ystrad Tywi from his father. The previous Ceredigion
dynasty had died out with the death of Gwgon.
Cadell and his brothers joined forces against any opposition, supressing
the Ceredigions and became a nuisance to Hyfaidd, King of Dyfed and Eliseg
of Brycheiniog who sought Alfred's help.
890's - Cadell and Anaward gathered Viking troops, Danes from York who ravaged
Gwynedd and the brothers ended up seeking aid from Alfred.
895 - Cadell attacked Seisyllwg forcing it into submission but under control
of Anaward.
905 - Cadell took Dyfed from Rhodri Hyfaidd
His son Hywell Dda Cadell took over Seisyllwg on his death.
Cadell ap Rhodri (?–909) was the son of Rhodri Mawr ("the Great"). He inherited the kingdom of Seisyllwg from his father in 878, and passed it to his son, Hywel Dda ("the Good"), on his death in 909. Cadell and Hywel had previously conquered Dyfed in 904/905, establishing Hywel as the king in that region. After his father's death, Hywel merged the two kingdoms to establish Deheubarth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadell_ap_Rhodri
Prince of Deheubarth, in Wales. His sister was the Princess Nest ferch Rhys. Following the death of Gruffydd's father Rhys ap Tewdwr in 1093, Deheubarth was taken over by the Normans, and Gruffydd spent much of his early years in exile in Ireland.
In 1113 Gruffydd visited Prince Gruffudd ap Cynan of Gwynedd at their family seat at Aberffraw on Ynys Môn. The Prince of Gwynedd owed an honour debt to the House of Dinefŵr, as Gruffydd's father, Rhys ap Tewdwr, had aided Gruffydd ap Cynan in his own bid to reclaim Gwynedd from rivals in 1081. In Aberffraw, Gruffydd ap Tewdwr met Gwenllian, the beautiful youngest daughter of Gwynedd's prince. After a brief courtship the couple eloped, with Gwenllian joining Gruffydd ap Rhys on his military campaigns.
After several years Gruffydd was able to raise enough men to attack a number of Norman castles and towns with some success. However an attack on Aberystwyth was defeated and Gruffydd's army dispersed.
Gruffydd came to terms with King Henry I of England and was allowed to rule a portion of his father's kingdom, the Cantref Mawr, although he was soon under pressure from the Normans again and was forced to flee to Ireland for a period in 1127.
In 1136 Gruffydd joined with Owain Gwynedd and Cadwaladr, the sons of Gruffydd ap Cynan of Gwynedd, in a rebellion against Norman rule. While Rhys was away from home, his wife Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd raised an army and attacked the Norman castle of Kidwelly but was defeated and killed.
Gruffydd himself with Owain and Cadwaladr gained a crushing victory over the Normans at Crug Mawr near Cardigan the same year.
In 1137 Gruffydd gained further success in Dyfed, but died shortly afterwards in uncertain circumstances.
Gruffydd had four sons by Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd: Maredudd, Rhys, Morgan and Maelgwn. He also had two older sons by a previous marriage, Anarawd and Cadell, and at least three daughters, Gwladus, Elizabeth and Nest. He was followed by his eldest son, Anarawd. Of his other sons, Cadell, Maredydd and Rhys (later known as The Lord Rhys) all ruled Deheubarth in turn.
daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, last King of Deheubarth (South Wales), by his wife, Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn of Powys. She is also known as "Nesta" or "Princess Nesta". Nest had two younger brothers, Gruffydd ap Rhys and Hywel, and several older illegitimate half-brothers and half-sisters. After their father's death in battle in 1093, "the kingdom of the Britons fell" and was overrun by Normans. Nest's brother Gruffydd was spirited into Ireland for safety; their brother Hywel was captured by Arnulf de Montgomery, and injured while escaping. The immediate fate of Nest and her mother is unknown. What is least likely is that she was "given as a hostage" by her father to William the Conqueror, or to William Rufus, after her father's death. In any event, she came to the attention of the new king, Henry I of England, to whom she bore one of his numerous illegitimate children, Henry FitzHenry (c. 1103–1158).
Some time after the rebellion of the powerful Montgomery clan of Normandy and England, King Henry married Nest to Gerald de Windsor, Arnulf de Montgomery's former constable for Pembroke Castle and one of the recent Montgomery rebels. By Gerald, Nest is the maternal progenitor of the FitzGerald dynasty, one of the most celebrated families of Ireland and Great Britain. They are referred to as Cambro-Normans or Hiberno-Normans, and have been Peers of Ireland since 1316, when Edward II created the earldom of Kildare for John FitzGerald.
The details of this most famous episode of Nest's life are obscure and vary, depending on who is relating it. Either Nest and Gerald were present at an eisteddfod given, during a truce, by Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, prince of Powys; or they were not present, and Nest and her husband were "visited" by Owain ap Cadwgan, one of Cadwgan's sons, or they were not visited by Owain, merely attacked by Owain and his men. The usual tale is that Owain hears at the eisteddfod that Gerald is in the neighbourhood, that Gerald's wife is very beautiful, and so he goes to visit her "as his kinswoman", but this is unlikely. The earliest account, that of Caradoc of Llancarfan, relates that "At the instigation of the Devil, he [Owain] was moved by passion and love for the woman, and with a small company with him...he made for the castle by night." The castle was Cenarth Bychan (possibly Cilgerran Castle; Carew Castle is also mentioned, but is unlikely.
Tradition has it that, during Owain's firing of some of the outbuildings, Nest persuaded her husband and his men to escape rather than face Owain outnumbered. They exited via a lavatory chute and escaped. Owain and his men burst into the castle and searched for Gerald. Nest said, "He whom you seek is not here. He has escaped." An infuriated Owain then raped Nest in front of her children—either her two sons and daughter and Gerald's son by a concubine; or Gerald's two sons by a concubine and Nest's two sons; or any other variant—following which he kidnapped Nest and the children, and took them to a hunting lodge by the Eglwyseg Rocks north of the Vale of Llangollen.c
The rape of Nest aroused the wrath of the Normans, as well as of the Welsh who had been victimised by Owain and his followers. The truce was broken. The Norman lords, the Justiciar of Salop, and at least one bishop, bribed Owain's Welsh enemies to attack him and his father, which they promptly did. Owain's father tried to persuade him to return Nest, but to no avail. According to Caradoc, Nest told Owain, "If you would have me stay with you and be faithful to you, then send my children home to their father." She secured the return of the children. Owain and his father were driven to seek exile in Ireland. Nest was returned to her husband.
In recent years, Nest has been given two specious children by her rapist, Llywelyn and Einion. Owain, however, had a brother but not a son named Einion, and Welsh geneaologies do not name the mother of Owain's son Llywelyn. The omission of the name of a mother with the highborn status of Nest would be startling, if it were true.
In the 19th century, this "abduction", as well as the fighting which followed, earned Nest the nickname "Helen of Wales". She was depicted at having connived with Owain at her rape and abduction, and given more children than she had borne, along with more lovers than she had had.
In 1112, her brother Gruffydd returned from Ireland, spending most of his time with Gerald and Nest. When he was denied his inheritance from his father, and accused to the king of conspiring against him, he allied with the prince of Gwynedd, and war broke out. Owain ap Cadwgan had, by now, been pardoned by the king, and was prince of Powys; in 1111, his father had been assassinated by Owain's cousin and former comrade in arms, Madog ap Rhiryd, whom Owain captured, castrated, and blinded. Being then on the king's good side, Owain was ordered to rendezvous with a Norman force to proceed against Gruffydd. En route, he and his force chanced to run into none other than Gerald FitzWalter. Despite Owain being a royal ally, Gerald chose to avenge his wife's rape, and slew Owain.
Some historians have recently cast doubts on the account, suggesting it may have been revised or rewritten at a later date, by an author who had a motive to both demean Gerald and enhance the reputation of Owain. Thus,"we should hesitate to take it at full face value."
After Gerald's death, Nest's sons married her to Stephen, her husband's constable of Cardigan, by whom she had another son, possibly two; the eldest was Robert Fitz-Stephen (d. 1182), one of the Norman conquerors of Ireland; the second son, if such there were, may have been named Hywel. With Nest's son Maurice FitzGerald, his half-brother, Robert captured the town of Wexford (see Siege of Wexford), and, with Maurice, was granted joint custody of the town.