Ffernfael ap Tewdwr (English: Ffernfael, son of Tewdwr; Old Welsh : Fernmail map Teudur; fl. c. 830) was a king of Buellt and Gwrtheyrnion in medieval Wales. Little is known of him besides a pedigree included in the 9th-century Historia Brittonum , which makes him a descendant of the ruler Vortigern.
Ffernfael is mentioned in a passage in the 9th-century work Historia Brittonum , which indicates his lordship of Buellt and Gwrtheyrnion and traces his descent from Vortigern and Pascent. [1] His name apparently means "strong-ankles". [2] The genealogy, which appears in every extant copy, makes him son of Tewdwr (Theodore), son of Pasgen (Pascent), son of Guodicator, son of Morwd, son of Eldad, son of Eldog, son of Pawl (Paul), son of Mepurit ("Mac Urit" [3] ), son of Bricad, son of Pasgen (Pascent), son of Gorthigern (Vortigern), son of Guitail (Vitalis), son of Guitoilin (Vitalinus), son of "Glou", the legendary eponym for Gloucester. [2] He is also known from the later genealogies from Jesus College MS 20, which say that his cousin Brawstudd married Arthfael Hen ap Rhys of Morgannwg. [1] Arthfael flourished around 800, implying that Ffernfael would have been active around that time as well. [1] Thomas Charles-Edwards places his floruit around 830. [4]
Though little is known of Ffernfael, the appearance of his pedigree in the Historia gives important clues about the authorship and date of the work. The author's emphasis on Ffernfael's dynasty and many references to southwestern Wales in general suggest the author was a native of the area, though writing in 9th-century Gwynedd. [1] [5] [6]
Vortigern, also spelled Vortiger, Vortigan, Voertigern and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in Britain, known perhaps as a king of the Britons or at least connoted as such in the writings of Bede and Gildas. His existence is contested by scholars and information about him is obscure.
Gruffudd ap Cynan, sometimes written as Gruffydd 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, and was remembered as King of all the Welsh and Prince of all the Welsh.
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Rhys ap Tewdwr was a king of Deheubarth in Wales and member of the Dinefwr dynasty, a branch descended from Rhodri the Great. He was born in the area which is now Carmarthenshire and died at the battle of Brecon in April 1093.
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Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Normans between 1088 and 1095, though it remained Welsh in character. It was transformed into the Lordship of Brecknock and later formed the southern and larger part of the historic county of Brecknockshire. To its south was the Kingdom of Morgannwg.
Gwrtheyrnion or Gwerthrynion was a commote in medieval Wales, located in Mid Wales on the north side of the River Wye; its historical centre was Rhayader. It is said to have taken its name from the legendary king Vortigern. For most of the medieval era, it was associated with the cantref of Buellt and then Elfael, small regional kingdoms whose rulers operated independently of other powers. In the Norman era, like the rest of the region between Wye and Severn it came to be dominated by Marcher Lordships.
Rhwng Gwy a Hafren was a region of medieval Wales, located in the Welsh Marches between Powys to the north and Brycheiniog to the south. It was bounded by the rivers Wye and Severn. It covered about the same territory as Radnorshire, now part of the county of Powys. The region first came into its own in the 9th or 10th centuries, when it was ruled by leaders who operated independently of the surrounding kingdoms. After the Norman invasion, it comprised the central part of the Welsh Marches and was the site of frequent struggles between Welsh and Norman forces.
The Royal House of Mathrafal began as a cadet branch of the Welsh Royal House of Dinefwr, taking their name from Mathrafal Castle, their principal seat and effective capital. They effectively replaced the House of Gwertherion, who had been ruling the Kingdom of Powys since late Roman Britain, through the politically advantageous marriage of an ancestor, Merfyn the Oppressor. His son, King Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, would join the resistance of the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, against the invasion of William the Conqueror, following the Norman conquest of England. Thereafter, they would struggle with the Plantagenets and the remaining Welsh Royal houses for the control of Wales. Although their fortunes rose and fell over the generations, they are primarily remembered as Kings of Powys and last native Prince of Wales.
Buellt or Builth was a cantref in medieval Wales, located west of the River Wye. Unlike most cantrefs, it was not part of any of the major Welsh kingdoms for most of its history, but was instead ruled by an autonomous local dynasty. During the Norman era it was associated with Rhwng Gwy a Hafren, a region independent of the Welsh monarchies and controlled by Norman Marcher Lords. In the 16th century, it was reorganized as a hundred and joined with the former kingdom of Brycheiniog to form the county of Brecknockshire.
Ffernfael ab Idwal or Ithel was a late 8th-century king of Gwent in southeast Wales.
Ffernfael ap Meurig was a 9th-century king of Gwent in southeast Wales. He ruled jointly with his brother Brochfael. Asser says in his biography of Alfred the Great that in the 880s: "Brochfael and Ffyrnfael,, driven by the might and tyrannical behaviour of Ealdorman Æthelred and the Mercians, petitioned King Alfred of their own accord, in order to obtain lordship and protection from him in the face of their enemies".
Einion ab Owain was a medieval Welsh prince of the House of Dinefwr. He was the eldest son and probable edling of King Owain of Dyfed, son of Hywel Dda.
The Lordship of Brecknock was an Anglo-Norman marcher lordship located in southern central Wales.