Cynan Garwyn
Encyclopedia
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.
He is thought to have been a son of his predecessor Brochwel Ysgithrog
and the father of Selyf Sarffgadau, who may have succeeded him. Later Welsh genealogies trace his lineage to Cadell Ddyrnllug. His epithet Garwyn, possibly Carwyn, has been explained as meaning either "of the White Thigh" or "of the White Chariot". Cynan may be the same person as Aurelius Caninus, one of the Welsh tyrants who are fiercely criticised by the mid-6th century cleric Gildas
in his De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae
, but there is also a possibility that the latter refers to Cynin ap Millo, a relative of Cynan's.
Cynan is the addressee of a poem ascribed to (though not composed by) the poet Taliesin
, where he is presented as a warlord who led many successful campaigns throughout Wales: on the River Wye
, against the men of Gwent, on Anglesey
, and in Dyfed
(where his opponent in Dyfed may have been Aergul Lawhir ap Tryffin), Brycheiniog
and Cornwall
. Unlike his son, he is never described as having ever faced the English in battle.
The saints' lives highlight a more peaceful side to Cynan's reign, but as these works are late and their purpose lies in demonstrating the powers of the saints, rather little credence can be given to them. In Lifris' Life of St Cadog
, abbot of Llancarfan (written c. 1100), Cynan Garwyn intends to undertake a raid against Glamorgan
, whose king is so much terrified that he asks the clergy of the saint's house to intercede for him. The clerics travel to Cynan and when they are halted at the River Neath
, one of them climbs up a tree to approach the king from up high. The tree bends in such a way that it forms a bridge to the opposite bank of the river and having so witnessed the saint's miraculous powers, Cynan is dissuaded from his violent plans and proclaims peace on all the land. Cynan is here described as a king of Rheinwg, which may be a territory in Dyfed or one on the border between modern-day Herefordshire and Brecknockshire. In the Welsh life of St Beuno, Cynan is credited for granting land at Gwyddelwern
(in Edeirnion
) to the saint.
Other sons beside Selyf Sarffgadau include Eiludd, who is sometimes mistaken for Selyf, and unreliable sources add Maredudd and Dinogad to the list. Some genealogies record that he married Gwenwynwyn 'of the Scots'. It is sometimes argued that he died with his son at the Battle of Chester
in circa AD 613 but any precise description would be based more on the desire to create a myth of the foundation of a dynasty or legend of Powsyian glory than on available evidence.
He is thought to have been a son of his predecessor Brochwel Ysgithrog
Brochwel Ysgithrog
Brochwel ap Cyngen , better known as Brochwel Ysgrithrog, was a king of Powys in Eastern Wales. The unusual nickname Ysgithrog has been translated as ‘of the canine teeth’, ‘the fanged’ or ‘of the tusk’ .-Family:Brochwel was the son of King Cyngen Glodrydd and his wife St...
and the father of Selyf Sarffgadau, who may have succeeded him. Later Welsh genealogies trace his lineage to Cadell Ddyrnllug. His epithet Garwyn, possibly Carwyn, has been explained as meaning either "of the White Thigh" or "of the White Chariot". Cynan may be the same person as Aurelius Caninus, one of the Welsh tyrants who are fiercely criticised by the mid-6th century cleric Gildas
Gildas
Gildas was a 6th-century British cleric. He is one of the best-documented figures of the Christian church in the British Isles during this period. His renowned learning and literary style earned him the designation Gildas Sapiens...
in his De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae
De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae
De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae is a work by the 6th-century British cleric Gildas. It is a sermon in three parts condemning the acts of Gildas' contemporaries, both secular and religious, whom he blames for the dire state of affairs in sub-Roman Britain...
, but there is also a possibility that the latter refers to Cynin ap Millo, a relative of Cynan's.
Cynan is the addressee of a poem ascribed to (though not composed by) the poet Taliesin
Taliesin
Taliesin was an early British poet of the post-Roman period whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the Book of Taliesin...
, where he is presented as a warlord who led many successful campaigns throughout Wales: on the River Wye
River Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
, against the men of Gwent, on Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, and in Dyfed
Dyfed
Dyfed is a preserved county of Wales. It was created on 1 April 1974 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, and covered approximately the same geographic extent as the ancient Principality of Deheubarth, although excluding the Gower Peninsula and the area west of the River Tawe...
(where his opponent in Dyfed may have been Aergul Lawhir ap Tryffin), Brycheiniog
Brycheiniog
Brycheiniog was a small independent petty kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the powerful south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Normans between 1088 and 1095, though it...
and Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. Unlike his son, he is never described as having ever faced the English in battle.
The saints' lives highlight a more peaceful side to Cynan's reign, but as these works are late and their purpose lies in demonstrating the powers of the saints, rather little credence can be given to them. In Lifris' Life of St Cadog
Cadoc
Saint Cadoc , Abbot of Llancarfan, was one of the 6th century British Christian saints. His vita twice mentions King Arthur. The Abbey of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorganshire, which he founded circa 518, became famous as a centre of learning...
, abbot of Llancarfan (written c. 1100), Cynan Garwyn intends to undertake a raid against Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
, whose king is so much terrified that he asks the clergy of the saint's house to intercede for him. The clerics travel to Cynan and when they are halted at the River Neath
River Neath
River Neath is a river in south Wales running south west from its source in the Brecon Beacons National Park to its mouth at Baglan Bay below Briton Ferry on the east side of Swansea Bay.Several minor rivers rise on the southern slopes of Fforest Fawr...
, one of them climbs up a tree to approach the king from up high. The tree bends in such a way that it forms a bridge to the opposite bank of the river and having so witnessed the saint's miraculous powers, Cynan is dissuaded from his violent plans and proclaims peace on all the land. Cynan is here described as a king of Rheinwg, which may be a territory in Dyfed or one on the border between modern-day Herefordshire and Brecknockshire. In the Welsh life of St Beuno, Cynan is credited for granting land at Gwyddelwern
Gwyddelwern
Gwyddelwern is a small village and community of 508 residents, situated approximately north of Corwen in Denbighshire in Wales. Historically the village was part of the Edeirnion district of Meirionnydd. Edeirnion was part of the Glyndwr district of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996, when the area became...
(in Edeirnion
Edeirnion
Edeirnion is an area of the county of Denbighshire and an ancient commote of medieval Wales. According to tradition, it was named after its eponymous founder Edern or Edeyrn....
) to the saint.
Other sons beside Selyf Sarffgadau include Eiludd, who is sometimes mistaken for Selyf, and unreliable sources add Maredudd and Dinogad to the list. Some genealogies record that he married Gwenwynwyn 'of the Scots'. It is sometimes argued that he died with his son at the Battle of Chester
Battle of Chester
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, Rhôs and possibly Mercia...
in circa AD 613 but any precise description would be based more on the desire to create a myth of the foundation of a dynasty or legend of Powsyian glory than on available evidence.
Primary sources
- Winterbottom, Michael (ed. and tr.). Gildas: The ruin of Britain, and other works. 1978.
- Williams, Ifor, Sir (tr. J.E. Caerwynn Williams). The Poems of Taliesin. Mediaeval and Modern Welsh Series 3. Dublin: DIAS, 1968. Originally published in Welsh as Canu Taliesin. Cardiff, 1960.
- Bromwich, R. (ed. and tr.). Trioedd ynys Prydein: the Welsh triads. 2nd edition. 1978.
- Bartrum, P.C. (ed.). Early Welsh genealogical tracts. 1966.
- Wade-Evans, A.W. Vitae Sanctorum Britanniae et Genealogiae. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1944.
Secondary sources
- Kari Maund (2000) The Welsh Kings: The Medieval Rulers of Wales (Tempus)
- John Edward LloydJohn Edward LloydSir John Edward Lloyd , was a Welsh historian, the author of the first serious history of the country's formative years, A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest, 2 vols...
(1911) A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest (Longmans, Green & Co.) - Kirby, D.P. "The bards and the Welsh border." In Mercian studies, ed. A. Dornier. 1977. pp. 31–42.