List of kings in Wales from the Matter of Britain

Last updated

The names of rulers in present-day Wales found in the Matter of Britain are primarily derived from Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae . Written about 1136, this is a pseudohistorical account of British history, drawn largely from Geoffrey's vivid imagination, though also including some elements which were taken from older sources, such as the Historia Brittonum . It includes the names of many rulers, some of whom are based on real people, though the stories that Geoffrey told about them are wildly inaccurate. [1] Geoffrey's fictions were accepted as historical truth, and became the centrepiece of the Matter of Britain, a cycle of frequently reworked medieval tales. [2]

Contents

In the Historia Regum Britanniae, Geoffrey initially defines Wales as one kingdom, Cambria, which he claims to be named after its first king, Brutus of Troy's son Camber. Only one more king of Cambria is named in the Historia: Rudaucus, several generations later. Though the term Cambria, referring to the entirety of Wales, is occasionally used later in the book, it is divided into two kingdoms: Venedotia, defined by Geoffrey as North Wales, and Demetia, defined as South Wales. [3] These are the historical Latin names of the kingdoms of Gwynedd and Dyfed respectively, though in reality they were only two of several Welsh kingdoms. [4] [5]

Variations of Geoffrey's Historia were used to dignify the genealogies of many Welsh princes, nobles, and gentry. Known examples include Gruffudd ap Cynan. [6] In the early 15th century, Owain Glyndŵr claimed the title Prince of Wales as a direct descendant and heir of King Camber, and also of the real medieval king Cadwaladr. [2] In 1607, the Welsh genealogist John Williams recorded the claimed genealogies of some Welsh gentry families in his Book of Baglan . The more distant "ancestors" in these lineages vary between families, but they depend heavily on Geoffrey's fictions. [7]

In his Welsh Classical Dictionary of 1993, Peter Bartrum collates names of these legendary (and real) rulers. He supplies dates for them, appropriate for their fictitious existence. These legendary dates are of no independent historical significance. [8]

Kings of Cambria

NameNotesSources
Camber [9] Son of Brutus of Britain; became king of Cambria, while his brothers Locrinus and Albanactus became kings of Loegria and Alba respectively; fought alongside Locrinus against Humber the Hun Historia Regum Britanniae
Rudaucus [9] King of Cambria after the death of Porrex I; killed fighting alongside Staterius of Alba against Dunvallo Molmutius of Cornwall Historia Regum Britanniae

Kings of Venedotia

NameNotesSources
GuerthaethKing of Venedotia under King Cassibelanus of Britain; fought against Julius Caesar's second invasion of Britain Historia Regum Britanniae [9]
Peredurus [9] King of Venedotia; fought against Guennolous of Scotia, and was supported in this war by Merlin of Demetia and Rodarchus of Cumbria Vita Merlini
Cadwallo Lewirh [9] King of the Venedotians; attended the coronation of King Arthur Historia Regum Britanniae
Malgo [9] King of the Venedotians under King Constantine of Britain; had Saint David buried at St Davids Cathedral; became King of Britain, and annexed Ireland, Iceland, Götaland, the Orkneys, Norway, and Dacia Historia Regum Britanniae
Cadwan [9] King of the Venedotians at the time Augustine of Canterbury arrived in Britain; became king of the Britons, and reached an agreement with Æthelfrith that the Saxons would rule only north of the Humber; father of Cadwalla and raised Edwin of Northumbria Historia Regum Britanniae

Kings of Demetia

NameNotesSources
BritaelKing of Demetia under King Cassibelanus of Britain; fought against Julius Caesar's second invasion of Britain Historia Regum Britanniae
GloiusSon of the Emperor Claudius; possible namesake of Gloucester; became duke of Demetia after the death of Arviragus Historia Regum Britanniae
Grandfather of Merlin King of Demetia; his daughter was the mother of Merlin; unnamed in the Historia, but later sources call him Conaan, Melias, or MerlinHistoria Regum Britanniae; Brut Chronicle; Les Fils du Roi Constant; Prose Merlin
Merlin [9] Became king and prophet of Demetia; gave laws to Demetia; fought alongside Peredurus of Venedotia and Rodarchus of Cumbria against Guennolous of Scotia Vita Merlini
SaterKing of the Demetians; attended the coronation of King Arthur Historia Regum Britanniae
MargaducKing of the Demetians at the time Augustine of Canterbury arrived in Britain; agreed to make King Cadwan of Venedotia king of the BritonsHistoria Regum Britanniae
Margadud [9] King of the Demetians; close friend and advisor of King Cadwalla of BritainHistoria Regum Britanniae

See also

References

  1. ↑ Loomis, Laura Hibbard (June 1930). "Geoffrey of Monmouth and Stonehenge". PMLA. 45 (2) (2 ed.): 400/1, 405, 415. doi:10.2307/457800. JSTOR   457800.
  2. 1 2 Owain Wyn Jones (2020). "The Most Excellent Princes: Geoffrey of Monmouth and Medieval Welsh Historical Writing". A Companion to Geoffrey of Monmouth. Brill. pp. 258, 260. doi:10.1163/9789004410398_011. ISBN   978-90-04-41039-8. JSTOR   10.1163/j.ctv2gjwzx0.
  3. ↑ Jankulak, Karen (2010). "Britain and Rome". Geoffrey of Monmouth. Writers of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 51. ISBN   9780708323144.
  4. ↑ HC (1997). "Gwynedd, kingdom of". In Cannon, John (ed.). The Oxford Companion to British History. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. p. 444. ISBN   0198661762.
  5. ↑ RAG (1997). "Dyfed (Demetia), kingdom of". In Cannon, John (ed.). The Oxford Companion to British History. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. p. 317. ISBN   0198661762.
  6. ↑ Jones, Arthur (1910). The history of Gruffydd ap Cynan. Manchester University Press. pp. 21, 34–40.
  7. ↑ John Williams (1910) [1600]. Bradney, Joseph (ed.). Book of Baglan [Llyfr Baglan]. Mitchell, Hughes and Clarke. pp. 80–84. hdl:2027/uiug.30112086070007.
  8. ↑ Peter Bartrum A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY. Introduction, https://www.library.wales/fileadmin/docs_gwefan/new_structure/discover/digital_exhibitions/printed_material/welsh_classical_dictionary/01_intro.pdf page 3.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bartrum, Peter Clement (1993). A Welsh Classical Dictionary: People in History and Legend Up to about A.D. 1000. National Library of Wales. pp. 84–85, 94, 100, 364, 500–504, 519 566-571, 616, 653. ISBN   0907158730.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.