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Brochwel Ysgithrog | |
---|---|
King of Powys | |
Reign | c. 540–c. 560 |
Predecessor | Morgan ap Pasgen |
Successor | Cynan Garwyn |
Died | 560 |
Spouse | Arddyn Benasgel (Arddun Penasgell) |
Issue | Cynan Garwyn, Saint Tysilio |
House | House of Gwertherion |
Father | Cyngen Glodrydd |
Mother | St. Tudlwystl (daughter of Brychan ap Gwyngwen ap Tewdr) |
Occupation | King |
Brochwel son of Cyngen (Welsh : Brochwel ap Cyngen, died c. 560), better known as Brochwel Ysgithrog, was a king of Powys in eastern Wales. The unusual epithet Ysgithrog has been translated as "of the canine teeth", "the fanged" or "of the tusk" (perhaps because of big teeth, horns on a helmet or, most likely, his aggressive manner).
Brochwel was the son of King Cyngen Glodrydd and his wife St. Tudlwystl, a daughter of Brychan ap Gwyngwen ap Tewdr. As far as is known, Brochwel married Arddyn Benasgel, sometimes written Arddun Penasgell (Wing Headed), daughter of King Pabo Post Prydain. They were the parents of King Cynan Garwyn and Saint Tysilio, the founder of the old church at Meifod.
Powys has been frequently called "the land of Brochwel", but little is recorded of the events of this monarch's reign. Some details are available from Old Welsh poetry, but this has been difficult to interpret, and none of the extant poems about this period seem to pre-date the 9th century; some are from as late as the 11th century.
Brochwel is presented as a warrior hero and ruler of wide lands. These sources suggest that he was passionately fond of hunting, and one of his chief resorts was the Vale of Meifod, which he made his "May-Abode" or summer residence. On his summer visits to Mathrafal, he often visited the shrine of Saint Gwyddfarch. Upon his saintly son, Saint Tysilio, he bestowed the bishopric of that part of his kingdom. Tysilio and Brochwel are linked with the foundation of the Church at Meifod, but none of the stones of the current Church of St. Mary date from this period.
The arms later assigned by the College of Arms to Brochwel, and that can be used by his male heirs, are ‘Sable, three nags' heads, erased argent’ which may represent three beheaded Saxon white horses. Many later tribes and family lines in the area claim descent from Brochwel and include his arms within theirs. Most of the genealogies of these families were first documented by the heralds in the 16th century when the view taken of Brochwel can be illustrated by the following quotation:
Brochwel Yscithroc, Consul of Chester, who dwelt in a town then called Pengwerne Powys, and now Shrewsbury (Salopia), whose dwelling house was in the verie same place where the college of St Chad's now standeth.
— Dr Powel, Historie of Cambrie (1584 ed.)
Pengwern was certainly a Welsh kingdom or Royal residence which appears to have been located somewhere in Shropshire. It is unclear whether it was ruled by Brochwel. However, there does seem to have been a tradition that he was buried in St. Chad's College in Shrewsbury which he is said to have founded. Alternatively, some believe that Brochwel was buried at Pentrefoelas in Gwynedd where the grave has been uncovered of a six-foot man, with a covering slab bearing the name ‘Brohomagli’.
According to Bede (Bk II, Ch 2), a 'Brochmail' was also one of the defending force when the monks of Bangor-on-Dee were slain by Æthelfrith of Northumbria at the Battle of Chester, circa 613. The account of the battle in the Welsh Chronicles is consistent with Bede, but since it was written after his work the author was probably aware of it. However, this man is clearly not Brochwel, as his grandson, Selyf ap Cynan, was King of Powys at this time and is described as dying in the battle. References to the subject as 'Brochfael' are probably due to a mistaken identification with the person referred to by Bede.
Gruffudd ap Cynan was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule.
The Kingdom of Powys was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. It very roughly covered the northern two-thirds of the modern county of Powys and part of today's English West Midlands. More precisely, and based on the Romano-British tribal lands of the Ordovices in the west and the Cornovii in the east, its boundaries originally extended from the Cambrian Mountains in the west to include the modern West Midlands region of England in the east. The fertile river valleys of the Severn and Tern are found there, and this region is referred to in later Welsh literature as "the Paradise of Powys".
Meifod, formerly also written Meivod, is a small village, community and electoral ward seven miles (11 km) north-west of Welshpool in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, on the A495 road and located in the valley of the River Vyrnwy. The River Banwy has a confluence with the Vyrnwy approximately two miles (3.2 km) to the west of the village. The village itself had a population of 317. The community includes the village of Bwlch-y-cibau and the hamlet of Allt-y-Main.
Madog ap Maredudd was the last prince of the entire Kingdom of Powys, Wales. He held for a time, the FitzAlan Lordship of Oswestry, family of the Earls of Arundel, of Arundel Castle. His daughter married Lord Rhys, prince of Wales.
Cyngen ap Cadell was King of Powys from 808 until his death in 854 during a pilgrimage to Rome.
Elisedd ap Gwylog, also known as Elise, was king of Powys in eastern Wales, son of Gwylog ap Beli.
The Battle of Chester was a major victory for the Anglo-Saxons over the native Britons near the city of Chester, England in the early 7th century. Æthelfrith of Northumbria annihilated a combined force from the Welsh kingdoms of Powys and Rhôs, and possibly from Mercia as well. It resulted in the deaths of Welsh leaders Selyf Sarffgadau of Powys and Cadwal Crysban of Rhôs. Circumstantial evidence suggests that King Iago of Gwynedd may have also been killed. Other sources state the battle may have been in 613 or even as early as 607 or 605 AD.
Cynan Garwyn was king of Powys in the north-east and east of Wales, who flourished in the second half of the 6th century. Little reliable information exists which can be used to reconstruct the background and career of the historical figure. Available materials include early Welsh poetry, genealogies and hagiography, which are often late and of uncertain value.
Saint Tysilio was a Welsh bishop, prince and scholar.
Church Island, also known as Llandysilio Island, is a small island in the Menai Strait on the shores of Anglesey to which it is attached by a short causeway that is reachable only on foot. The dominant feature of the island is with St Tysilio's Church, constructed in the 15th century, its churchyard, and a grade-II listed war memorial. The 20th-century bard Cynan is among several notable people buried in the churchyard. The Anglesey Coastal Path passes the head of the causeway.
Saint Dunod was the first Abbot of Bangor Iscoed of north-east Wales.
Selyf ap Cynan or Selyf Sarffgadau appears in Old Welsh genealogies as an early 7th-century King of Powys, the son of Cynan Garwyn.
This article is about the particular significance of the century 1101–1200 to Wales and its people.
This article is about the particular significance of the century 1001–1100 to Wales and its people.
The Montgomeryshire flag refers to proposals for a flag of the Welsh county of Montgomeryshire. Neither has been registered with the Flag Institute.
Bryneglwys is a village and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The village lies to the northeast of Corwen on a hill above a small river, Afon Morwynion, and is situated in the ancient commote of Iâl (Yale). The community covers an area of 9.45 square miles (24.5 km2) and extends to the top of Llantysilio Mountain. It had a population of 369 at the time of the 2011 census, an increase from 344 during the 2001 census.
The Historia Divae Monacellae is the medieval Latin hagiography of Melangell, an early medieval Welsh saint whose cult is centred at St Melangell's Church in the former village of Pennant Melangell. The Historia chronicles the legendary life of Melangell, a consecrated virgin and hermit in the forest of Powys, and her encounter with a prince who grants her land as a sanctuary after she supernaturally protected a hare from his hunting dogs. She later established female monastics in the area.
The Church of St Tysilio and St Mary is an active parish church in the village of Meifod, Powys, Wales. The village lies seven miles (11 km) north-west of Welshpool. The site has been a centre of Welsh Christianity since c.500 and the present, unusually large, churchyard forms part of what was an early clas settlement. The origins of the present church are of the 12th century. The dedications are to Tysilio and to Mary, mother of Jesus. Tysilio was a 6th/7th century Welsh noble and Bishop of St Asaph who reputedly founded an early church, the Eglwys Tysilio, at Meifod. The church is a Grade I listed building. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) considers Ss Tysilio and St Mary, "a display of Welsh Christianity through the centuries".