Kingdom of Powys
Encyclopedia
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
successor state, petty kingdom
Petty kingdom
A petty kingdom is one of a number of small kingdoms, described as minor or "petty" by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it...
and principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
, that emerged during the Dark Ages following the Roman withdrawal from Britain. Based on the Romano-British
Romano-British
Romano-British culture describes the culture that arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest of AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a people of Celtic language and...
tribal lands of the Ordovices
Ordovices
The Ordovices were one of the Celtic tribes living in Great Britain, before the Roman invasion of Britain. Its tribal lands were located in present day Wales and England between the Silures to the south and the Deceangli to the north-east...
in the west and the Cornovii
Cornovii
The Cornovii were a Celtic people of Iron Age and Roman Britain, who lived principally in the modern English counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, north Staffordshire, north Herefordshire and eastern parts of the Welsh county of Powys. Their capital in pre-Roman times was probably a hill fort on The...
in the east, its boundaries originally extended from the Cambrian Mountains
Cambrian Mountains
The Cambrian Mountains are a series of mountain ranges in Wales, reaching from, and including, the South Wales mountains of the Brecon Beacons, north Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, the Black Mountains of eastern Wales, to Snowdonia in North Wales...
in the west to include the modern West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
region of England in the east. The fertile river valleys of the Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
and Tern
River Tern
The River Tern is a river in Shropshire, England. It rises north-east of Market Drayton in the north of the county. The source of the Tern is considered to be the lake in the grounds of Maer Hall, Staffordshire...
are found here, and this region is referred to in later Welsh literature as "the Paradise of Powys". The name is thought to derive from the Latin "pagus" meaning the country-side, also a cognate
Cognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
of 'pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
'. During the Roman Empire this region was organised into a Roman province, with the capital at Viroconium Cornoviorum (modern Wroxeter
Wroxeter
Wroxeter is a village in Shropshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Wroxeter and Uppington and is located in the Severn Valley about south-east of Shrewsbury.-History:...
), the fourth largest Roman city in Britain.
Early Middle Ages
Throughout the Early Middle AgesEarly Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
, Powys was ruled by the Gwerthrynion dynasty, a family claiming descent jointly from the marriage of Vortigern
Vortigern
Vortigern , also spelled Vortiger and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in Britain, a leading ruler among the Britons. His existence is considered likely, though information about him is shrouded in legend. He is said to have invited the Saxons to settle in Kent as mercenaries to aid him in...
and Princess Sevira, the daughter of Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus , also known as Maximianus and Macsen Wledig in Welsh, was Western Roman Emperor from 383 to 388. As commander of Britain, he usurped the throne against Emperor Gratian in 383...
. Archaeological evidence has shown that, unusually for the post-Roman period, Viroconium Cornoviorum survived as an urban centre well into the 6th century and thus could have been the Powys capital. The 9th-century Historia Brittonum records the town as Caer Guricon, one of his "28 British Towns" of Roman Britain. In the following centuries, the Powys eastern border was encroached upon by English
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
settlers from the emerging Anglian territory of Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
. This was a gradual process, and English control in the West Midlands was uncertain until the late 8th century.
In 549 a great plague arrived in Britain, and Welsh communities were devastated, with villages and countryside alike depopulated. However, the English were less affected by this plague, as they had far fewer trading contacts with the continent at this time. Faced with shrinking manpower and increasing Anglian encroachment, King 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...
may have moved the court from Caer Guricon
Wroxeter
Wroxeter is a village in Shropshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Wroxeter and Uppington and is located in the Severn Valley about south-east of Shrewsbury.-History:...
to Pengwern
Pengwern
Pengwern was a Brythonic settlement of sub-Roman Britain situated in what is now the English county of Shropshire, adjoining the modern Welsh border. It is generally regarded as being the early seat of the kings of Powys before its establishment at Mathrafal, further west, but the theory that it...
, the exact site of which is unknown but may have been at Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, traditionally associated with Pengwern, or the more defensible Din-Gwrygon, the hillfort on the Wrekin.
In 616, the armies of Æthelfrith of Northumbria
Æthelfrith of Northumbria
Æthelfrith was King of Bernicia from c. 593 until c. 616; he was also, beginning c. 604, the first Bernician king to also rule Deira, to the south of Bernicia. Since Deira and Bernicia were the two basic components of what would later be defined as Northumbria, Æthelfrith can be considered, in...
clashed with Powys. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
, the Northumbrian monarch's political rival, Edwin of Deira
Edwin of Northumbria
Edwin , also known as Eadwine or Æduini, was the King of Deira and Bernicia – which later became known as Northumbria – from about 616 until his death. He converted to Christianity and was baptised in 627; after he fell at the Battle of Hatfield Chase, he was venerated as a saint.Edwin was the son...
, was living in exile in Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
around this time. Historians such as John Morris
John Morris (historian)
John Robert Morris was an English historian who specialised in the study of the institutions of the Roman Empire and the history of Sub-Roman Britain...
have suggested that Æthelfrith attempted to capture him, but presumably King Selyf Sarffgadau of Powys denied access through Powys to Edwin in Gwynedd, and seeing an opportunity to further drive a wedge between the North Welsh and those of Rheged
Rheged
Rheged is described in poetic sources as one of the kingdoms of the Hen Ogledd , the Brythonic-speaking region of what is now northern England and southern Scotland, during the Early Middle Ages...
, Æthelfrith invaded Powys' northern lands. Æthelfrith forced a battle near 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...
and defeated Selyf and his allies. At the commencement of the battle, Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
tells us that the pagan Æthelfrith had 1,200 monks from the important monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Bangor-Is-Coed in Maelor
Maelor
Maelor is a border area of north-east Wales. It originated as a Cantref of the Kingdom of Powys, focused on Bangor-on-Dee.-History:The Maelor was first divided from the rest of Wales by the construction of Offa's Dyke in the eighth century, but was reclaimed for Wales during the reign of Stephen...
, slaughtered because he said "they fight against us, because they oppose us by their prayers". Selyf was also killed in the battle and may have been the first of the Kings of Powys to be buried at the church dedicated to St. Tysilio
Tysilio
Saint Tysilio was a Welsh bishop, prince and scholar, son of the reigning King of Powys, Brochwel Ysgithrog, maternal nephew of the great Abbot Dunod of Bangor Iscoed and an ecclesiastic who took a prominent part in the affairs of Wales during the distressful period at the opening of the 7th...
, at Meifod
Meifod
Meifod is a small village 7 miles north-west of Welshpool in Powys, mid 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 to the west of the village....
, thence known as the Eglwys Tysilio and subsequently the dynasty's Royal mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
.
If King Cynddylan of Pengwern
Pengwern
Pengwern was a Brythonic settlement of sub-Roman Britain situated in what is now the English county of Shropshire, adjoining the modern Welsh border. It is generally regarded as being the early seat of the kings of Powys before its establishment at Mathrafal, further west, but the theory that it...
hailed from the royal Powys dynasty, then forces from Powys were also present at the Battle of Maes Cogwy
Battle of Maserfield
The Battle of Maserfield , Welsh: "Maes Cogwy", was fought on August 5, 641 or 642, between the Anglo-Saxon kings Oswald of Northumbria and Penda of Mercia, ending in Oswald's defeat, death, and dismemberment...
in 642. Subsequent to this, the region around Pengwern
Pengwern
Pengwern was a Brythonic settlement of sub-Roman Britain situated in what is now the English county of Shropshire, adjoining the modern Welsh border. It is generally regarded as being the early seat of the kings of Powys before its establishment at Mathrafal, further west, but the theory that it...
was sacked, its royal family slaughtered and most of its lands were annexed by Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
, some by Powys. These events were remembered in Welsh poems which told of the desolation of Princess Heledd (Canu Heledd) on hearing of the death of her brother (Marwnad Cynddylan).
Powys enjoyed a resurgence with successful campaigns against the English in 655, 705-707 and 722, wrote Davies. The court was moved to Mathrafal
Mathrafal
Mathrafal near Welshpool, in Powys, Mid Wales, was the seat of the Kings and Princes of Powys probably from the 9th century until its destruction in 1212 by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth of Gwynedd.- Location :...
Castle in the valley of the river Vyrnwy by 717, possibly by king Elisedd ap Gwylog
Elisedd ap Gwylog
Elisedd ap Gwylog , also known as Elise, was king of Powys in eastern Wales.Little has been preserved in the historical records about Elisedd, who was a descendant of Brochwel Ysgithrog. He appears to have reclaimed the territory of Powys after it had been overrun by the English...
(d.c. 755). Elisedd's successes led Mercian King Aethelbald of Mercia to build Wat's Dyke. This endeavour may have been with Elisedd's own agreement, however, for this boundary, extending north from the Severn valley to the Dee estuary, gave Oswestry (Welsh: Croesoswallt) to Powys. King Offa of Mercia
Offa of Mercia
Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...
seems to have continued this consultive initiative when he created a larger earth work, now known as Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke is a massive linear earthwork, roughly followed by some of the current border between England and Wales. In places, it is up to wide and high. In the 8th century it formed some kind of delineation between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys...
(Welsh: Clawdd Offa). Davies wrote of Cyril Fox's study of Offa's Dyke:
In the planning of it, there was a degree of consultation with the kings of Powys and Gwent. On the Long Mountain near Trelystan, the dyke veers to the east, leaving the fertile slops in the hands of the Welsh; near Rhiwabon, it was designed to ensure that Cadell ap Brochwel retained possession of the Fortress of Penygadden." And for Gwent Offa had the dyke built "on the eastern crest of the gorge, clearly with the intention of recognizing that the river Wye and its traffic belonged to the kingdom of Gwent.
This new border moved Oswestry back to the English side of the new frontier, and Offa attacked Powys in 760 at Hereford, and again on 778, 784 and 796. Offa's Dyke largely remained the frontier between the Welsh and English, though the Welsh would recover by the 12th century the area between the Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
and the Conwy
River Conwy
The River Conwy is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is a little over long. "Conwy" is sometimes Anglicized as "Conway."...
known then as the Perfeddwlad
Perfeddwlad
Perfeddwlad, , , was a name adopted during the twelfth century for the territories in north-east Wales lying between the rivers Conwy and Dee, and comprised the cantrefi of Rhos, Rhufoniog, Dyffryn Clwyd and Tegeingl...
.
Rhodri, Hywel, & Gruffydd
see also GwyneddKingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
, Deheubarth, Principality of Wales
Principality of Wales
The Principality of Wales existed between 1216 and 1542, encompassing two-thirds of modern Wales.It was formally founded in 1216 at the Council of Aberdyfi, and later recognised by the 1218 Treaty of Worcester between Llywelyn the Great of Wales and Henry III of England...
Powys was united with Gwynedd when king Merfyn Frych
Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad
Merfyn Frych was King of Gwynedd , the first king not descended from the male line of Maelgwn Gwynedd. Little is known of his reign, and his primary notability is as the father of Rhodri the Great...
of Gwynedd married princess Nest
Nest ferch Cadell
Nest ferch Cadell was the daughter of Cadell ap Brochfael a late 8th century King of Powys, wife of Merfyn Frych King of Gwynedd and mother to Rhodri the Great, King of both Powys and Gwynedd....
, the sister of king Cyngen of Powys, the last representative of the Gwertherion dynasty. With the death of Cyngen in 855 Rhodri
Rhodri the Great
Rhodri the Great was King of Gwynedd from 844 until his death. He was the first Welsh ruler to be called 'Great', and the first to rule most of present-day Wales...
became king of Powys, having inherited Gwynedd the year before. This formed the basis of Gwynedd's continued claims of overlordship over Powys for the next 443 years.
Rhodri the Great ruled over most of modern Wales until his death in 878. His sons would in turn found dynasties of their own which would loom large in Welsh history, each claiming descent from Rhodri. Merfyn inherited Powys, whilst his brothers, Anarawd ap Rhodri
Anarawd ap Rhodri
Anarawd ap Rhodri was a King of Gwynedd, also referred to as "King of the Britons" by the Annales Cambriae.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...
and Cadell, established the Aberffraw
Aberffraw
Aberffraw is a small village and community on the south west coast of the Isle of Anglesey , in Wales, by the west bank of the River Ffraw, at . The UK postcode begins LL63. Access by road is by way of the A4080 and the nearest rail station is Bodorgan. In the early Middle Ages Aberffraw was the...
dynasty in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
and the line of Dinefwr
Dinefwr
Dinefwr was a local government district of Dyfed, Wales from 1974 to 1996. It was named after Dinefwr Castle which was the royal capital of the Principality of Deheubarth and one of the three principal royal courts of Wales....
respectively.
In 942 Hywel ap Cadell of Deheubarth (Rhodri's grandson through his second son, Cadell) seized Gwynedd on the death of his cousin, Idwal Foel
Idwal Foel
Idwal Foel ap Anarawd was a King of Gwynedd, referred to as King of the Britons by William of Malmesbury in his Gesta Regum Anglorum. William spells his name as Judwalum in the original Latin ; the Annales Cambriae spell it Iudgual.Idwal inherited the throne of Gwynedd on the death of his...
. He apparently took Powys from Llywelyn ap Merfyn at the same time and arranged for a dynastic marriage between their children. Hywel had founded Deheubarth 920 out of his maternal and paternal inheritances, and maintained close relations with Athelstan of England
Athelstan of England
Athelstan , called the Glorious, was the King of England from 924 or 925 to 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder, grandson of Alfred the Great and nephew of Æthelflæd of Mercia...
, often visiting Athelstan's court. Hywel studied the English legal system and reformed the Welsh laws in his own realms, and when he went on pilgrimage to Rome in 928, he took his collection of laws, which allegedly were blessed by the pope. Hywel encouraged the use of coinage in Wales, having his monies minted in Chester, a benefit of his relations with England. In 945 Hywel held an assembly in Whitland
Whitland
Whitland is a small town in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales, lying on the River Tâf. Whitland is home to the elusive "Whitland Trout" noted for its eggs and oily scales.- History :...
to codify his law codes, though with the aid of the celebrated cleric Blefywryd. Hwyel's works would lead posterity to name him the good or in Welsh Hywel Dda, and his reign is recognised as an unusually peaceful one. On his death, Gwynedd reverted back to the Aberffraw dynasty, though Powys and Deheubarth were divided between his sons.
Maredudd ab Owain
Maredudd ab Owain
Maredudd ab Owain was a King of Deheubarth, and through conquest also of Gwynedd and Powys, kingdoms in medieval Wales.Maredudd was the son of Owain ap Hywel and the grandson of Hywel Dda. His father was king of Deheubarth before him. As Owain grew too old to lead in battle his son Maredudd took...
rebuilt the kingdom of his grandfather Hywel the Good. He was king of Deheubarth and Powys by 986, when he seized Gwynedd. Maredudd fought off English encroachment in Powys and increasing Viking raids in Gwynedd. He is recorded to have paid a penny for hostages captured by Vikings, a large sum for his time. With Maredudd's death in 999, Powys passed to his grandson Llywelyn ap Seisyll
Llywelyn ap Seisyll
Llywelyn ap Seisyll was a King of Gwynedd and of Deheubarth in north-west and south-west Wales, also called King of the Britons by the Annals of Ulster. Also called Llywelyn ap Seisyllt- Lineage :...
, through Maredudd's elder daughter Princess Anghared (with her first husband Seisyll ap Owian), while Deheubarth was divided between his sons. Gwynedd temporarily returned to the Aberffraw line. Though the next century would see the abandonment of the senior historic families as increased Viking incursions and incessant warfare led usurpers to overthrow the Aberffraw and Dinefwr houses which were not recovered by them until the latter part of the century.
Llywelyn's son Gruffydd
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was the ruler of all Wales from 1055 until his death, the only Welsh monarch able to make this boast...
would unite all Wales under his own kingship, displacing his cousins in Deheubarth, and even expanding into England affecting politics there. With Gruffydd's death Deheubarth passed through a series of rulers with various claims, but would return to the historic Dinefwr dynasty in 1063 in the person of Maredudd ab Owain ab Edwin
Maredudd ab Owain ab Edwin
Maredudd ab Owain ab Edwin was a prince of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south west Wales.Maredudd was the son of Owain ab Edwin and of the line of Hywel Dda...
.
House of Mathrafal
It is through Princess Anghared (as daughter of Maredudd ab Owain of Deheubarth and Powys), her second husband was Cynfyn ap Gwerstan, that the Mathrafal dynasty was founded. The dynasty takes its name from the historic seatFamily seat
A seat or family seat is the principal residence of a family. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families took their dynasty name from their family seat , or named their family seat after their own dynasty...
of Mathrafal
Mathrafal
Mathrafal near Welshpool, in Powys, Mid Wales, was the seat of the Kings and Princes of Powys probably from the 9th century until its destruction in 1212 by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth of Gwynedd.- Location :...
Castle. Anghared's son Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn was a Prince of the Welsh Kingdoms of Gwynedd and of Powys.- Lineage :Bleddyn was the son of Princess Angharad ferch Maredudd with her second husband Cynfyn ap Gwerstan, a Powys Lord, about whom little is now known...
would inherit Powys in 1063 on the death of his maternal half-brother Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. Bleddyn, the name means wolf in Welsh, secured Gwynedd in 1063 after a battle with the Aberffraw claimant Cynan ap Iago
Cynan ap Iago
Cynan ab Iago was a Welsh Prince, the son of Iago ab Idwal, King of Gwynedd and father of Gruffydd ap Cynan who also became king of Gwynedd....
, with Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
of England endorsing Bleddyn's seizure later that year. Additionally, Bleddyn is recorded as amending the Law Codes of Hywel Dda.
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and his brother Rhiwallon fought alongside the Anglo-Saxons against the Norman Invasion
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
. In 1067 they allied with the Mercian Eadric the Wild
Eadric the Wild
Eadric the Wild , also known as Eadric Cild, was an Anglo-Saxon magnate of the West Midlands who led English resistance to the Norman Conquest, active in 1068-70.-Background:...
in an attack on the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
at Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
, then in 1068 with Earl Edwin of Mercia
Edwin, Earl of Mercia
Edwin was the elder brother of Morcar, Earl of Northumbria, son of Ælfgār, Earl of Mercia and grandson of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on Ælfgār's death in 1062...
and Earl Morcar of Northumbria
Morcar of Northumbria
Morcar was the son of Ælfgār and brother of Ēadwine. He was himself the earl of Northumbria from 1065 to 1066, when he was replaced by William the Conqueror with Copsi....
in another attack on the Normans. In 1070 he defeated his half-nephews, the sons of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, in the battle of Mechain
Battle of Mechain
The Battle of Mechain was fought in 1069 in Powys, Wales, for rule of the Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys.After the murder of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, Harold Godwinson married his widow Ealdgyth and divided Gruffydd's realm into the traditional kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys, the rule of which were...
in their bid to take Gwynedd. Bleddyn ap Cynfyn himself was killed in 1075 while campaigning in Deheubarth against Rhys ab Owain
Rhys ab Owain
Rhys ab Owain was a king of Deheubarth in southern Wales.Rhys was the son of Owain ab Edwin of the line of Hywel Dda, and member of the Dinefwr dynasty. He followed his brother Maredudd as king of Deheubarth in 1072...
. With Bleddyn's death, Powys passed to his sons and grandsons in their turn. Gwynedd passed to his cousin Trehaearn ap Caradog, who was killed in 1081 at the Battle of Mynydd Carn
Battle of Mynydd Carn
The Battle of Mynydd Carn took place in 1081, as part of a dynastic struggle for control of the Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd and Deheubarth. The result of the battle had a radical effect on the history of Wales....
, and would then return to the histioric Aberffraw dynasty in the person of Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan was a King of Gwynedd. 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 Wales...
. Powys was itself divided between Bleddyn's sons Iorwerth, Cadwgan, and Maredudd.
After William of Normandy secured England, he left the Welsh to his Norman barons to carve out lordships for themselves. Thus the Welsh March was formed along the Ango-Welsh borderlands. By 1086 the Norman Earl Roger de Montgomery of Shrewsbury had built a castle at the Severn ford of Rhydwhiman, named Montgomery Castle
Montgomery Castle
Montgomery Castle is a stone masonry castle looking over the town of Montgomery in Powys, mid Wales. It is one of many Norman castles on the border between Wales and England.- Motte & Bailey Castle :...
after his home in Normandy. After Montgomery other Normans claimed the north Powys' cantrefi of Ial
IAL
IAL may refer to:*International auxiliary language, a language for communication between people who do not share a native language*International Algebraic Language or ALGOL 58*Intel Architecture Labs, a research arm of Intel Corporation during the 1990s...
, Cynllaith
Cynllaith
Cynllaith was a cwmwd of north east Wales which was once part of the Kingdom of Powys and later part of the smaller Kingdom of Powys Fadog. Cynllaith, or at least the part of it called Cynlaith Owain, was part of the inheritance of Owain Glyndŵr in 1370...
, Edernion, and Nanheudwy
Nanheudwy
Nanheudwy was a medieval commote of Wales considered part of the ancient Kingdom of Powys. It was traditionally defined as "the region between the rivers Dee and Ceiriog". From 1160 it was a part of the principality of Powys Fadog until the dissolution of that realm in 1277 when it became a...
. From here they took Arwstle, Ceri, and Cedwain. Almost the whole of Powys, as much of Wales, was in Norman hands by 1090. The three sons of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn would lead the resistance and their restoration in Powys. By 1096 they had retaken most of Powys, including Montgomery Castle. Roger Montgomery rose in revolt against King William II of England
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...
and his son Robert Belleme had his lands confiscated in 1102.
Madog ap Maredudd
Madog ap Maredudd was the last Prince of the entire Kingdom of Powys, Wales and for a time held the Fitzalan Lordship of Oswestry.Madog was the son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn and grandson of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn. He followed his father on the throne of Powys in 1132...
died and his designated son and heir, Llywelyn ap Madog, was killed the realm disintegrated on and was divided into northern and southern principalities. Divided they were weaker still and while the northern realm of Powys Fadog
Powys Fadog
Powys Fadog or Lower Powys was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys which split in two following the death of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys in 1160...
largely supported the independent aspirations of neighbouring Gwynedd under Owain Gwynedd
Owain Gwynedd
Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd , in English also known as Owen the Great, was King of Gwynedd from 1137 until his death in 1170. He is occasionally referred to as "Owain I of Gwynedd"; and as "Owain I of Wales" on account of his claim to be King of Wales. He is considered to be the most successful of...
, Llywelyn Fawr and Dafydd ap Llywelyn
Dafydd ap Llywelyn
Dafydd ap Llywelyn was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. He was for a time recognised as Prince of Wales.- Descent :...
, the southern realm of Powys Wenwynwyn
Powys Wenwynwyn
Powys Wenwynwyn or Powys Cyfeiliog was the southern portion of the former princely state of Powys which split following the death of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys in 1160...
was frequently at loggerheads with the princes of Gwynedd and often chose an independent course. By 1263 all Powys acknowledged Llywelyn the Last
Llywelyn the Last
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd or Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf , sometimes rendered as Llywelyn II, was the last prince of an independent Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England....
as the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
but Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn
Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn
Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn was a Welsh prince who was lord of the part of Powys known as Powys Wenwynwyn.Gruffydd was the son of Gwenwynwyn ab Owain and Margaret Corbet. He was still a child when his father, who had been driven out of his princedom by Llywelyn the Great, died in exile in 1216...
the lord of Powys-Wenwynwyn changed allegiance again in 1274 and was exiled to England. He was reinstated during the new English campaign against Llywelyn of Gwynedd in 1276. In the final campaign of Llywelyn the Last in 1282 the forces of Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn were instrumental in the downfall of Llywelyn when they alongside Roger Lestrange of Ellesmere
Ellesmere
-Places:* Ellesmere, Shropshire, a market town in Shropshire, England** Ellesmere Castle** Ellesmere Rural, a civil parish to the west* Ellesmere Park, area of Eccles, Greater Manchester, England* Ellesmere Port, an industrial town in Cheshire, England...
and Roger Mortimer
Roger Mortimer
Roger Mortimer was the name of several Marcher lords:* Roger Mortimer of Wigmore , married Isabel de Ferriers and became Lord of Maelienydd...
ambushed Llywelyn and killed him.
Post-kingdom Powys
Owen de la PoleOwen de la Pole
Owen de la Pole , also known as Owain ap Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn, was the heir presumptive to the Welsh principality of Powys Wenwynwyn until 1283 when it was abolished by the Parliament of Shrewsbury. He became the 1st Lord of Powis after the death of his father Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn c...
(Owain ap Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn) apparently surrendered the principality of Powys Wenwynwyn
Powys Wenwynwyn
Powys Wenwynwyn or Powys Cyfeiliog was the southern portion of the former princely state of Powys which split following the death of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys in 1160...
(southern Powys) to Edward I in 1283, receiving it back as a marcher lordship. Previously, the principality had already been the subject of constant fighting and dispute between the Kings of England and Llywelyn the Last
Llywelyn the Last
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd or Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf , sometimes rendered as Llywelyn II, was the last prince of an independent Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England....
, Prince of Wales. The lordship descended in Owen's family until 1587, when it was sold to Sir Edward Herbert, whose descendants were created Baron Powis and Marquesses
Marquess of Powis
Marquess of Powis was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1687 for William Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis. He had already succeeded his father as third Baron Powis in 1667 and had been created Earl of Powis in the Peerage of England in 1674; Marquess of Powis and Viscount Montgomery in...
and Earls
Earl of Powis
Earl of Powis is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 in favour of William Herbert, 3rd Baron Powis. In 1687 he was further honoured when he was made Marquess of Powis...
of Powis, living at Powis Castle
Powis Castle
Powis Castle is a medieval castle, fortress and grand country mansion located near the town of Welshpool, in Powys, Mid Wales.The residence of the Earl of Powis, the castle is known for its extensive, attractive formal gardens, terraces, parkland, deerpark and landscaped estate...
Powys Fadog
Powys Fadog
Powys Fadog or Lower Powys was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys which split in two following the death of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys in 1160...
(northern Powys) largely became the English lordship of Bromfield and Yale (the latter now spelt Iâl), but the lordship of Glyndyfrdwy
Glyndyfrdwy
Glyndyfrdwy , or sometimes Glyn Dyfrdwy, is a village in the modern county of Denbighshire, Wales. It is situated on the A5 road half way between Corwen and Llangollen in the Dee Valley .-Owain Glyndwr:...
and half the commote
Commote
A commote , sometimes spelt in older documents as cymwd, was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales. The word derives from the prefix cym- and the noun bod...
of Cynllaith
Cynllaith
Cynllaith was a cwmwd of north east Wales which was once part of the Kingdom of Powys and later part of the smaller Kingdom of Powys Fadog. Cynllaith, or at least the part of it called Cynlaith Owain, was part of the inheritance of Owain Glyndŵr in 1370...
(known as Cynllaith Owain), including Sycharth
Sycharth
Sycharth is a small hamlet in the community of Llangedwyn in Powys in eastern Wales near Llansilin, 7 miles west of Oswestry.- Location :Sycharth sits in the valley of the River Cynllaith, a tributary of the Afon Tanat...
remained in Welsh hands until the defeat of Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
.
The name Powys for this area disppeared (at latest) with the introduction of the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 when its marcher lordships were incorporated into the new counties of Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
and Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
.
Powys would not be resurrected until the boundary changes in 1974 created a new and enlarged county
Preserved counties of Wales
The preserved counties of Wales are the current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of Lieutenancy and Shrievalty. They are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government and other purposes between 1974 and 1996.-Usage:The Local Government ...
of Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
that merged the counties of Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
, Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
and Radnorshire
Radnorshire
Radnorshire is one of thirteen historic and former administrative counties of Wales. It is represented by the Radnorshire area of Powys, which according to the 2001 census, had a population of 24,805...
. However, Brecknockshire had not traditionally been within the bounds of the old kingdom, Radnorshire had not been part of it since the mid-10th century, and large areas of the north formerly within Powys were placed in the new county
Preserved counties of Wales
The preserved counties of Wales are the current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of Lieutenancy and Shrievalty. They are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government and other purposes between 1974 and 1996.-Usage:The Local Government ...
of Clwyd
Clwyd
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east, bordering England with Cheshire to its east, Shropshire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Gwynedd to its immediate west and Powys to the south. It additionally shares a maritime border with the metropolitan county of...
.
Rulers of Powys
House of Gwerthrynion
Gwrtheyrn
Vortigern
Vortigern , also spelled Vortiger and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in Britain, a leading ruler among the Britons. His existence is considered likely, though information about him is shrouded in legend. He is said to have invited the Saxons to settle in Kent as mercenaries to aid him in...
(High-King
High-King
is a Japanese idol group within Hello! Project. The group was created to promote Morning Musume's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, titled . Their sound is said to have an R&B feel....
Vortigern)
Cadeyern Fendigaid c.430–447 Reputed eldest son of Gwrtheyrn
Vortigern
Vortigern , also spelled Vortiger and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in Britain, a leading ruler among the Britons. His existence is considered likely, though information about him is shrouded in legend. He is said to have invited the Saxons to settle in Kent as mercenaries to aid him in...
, blessed by Saint Germanus
Saint Germanus
Saint Germanus may refer to:*Germanus , Spanish martyr-saint *Germanus of Auxerre , bishop of Auxerre who founded the Carolingian abbey of Saint-Germain en Auxerre named for the same saint...
Cadell Ddyrnllwg
Cadell Ddyrnllwg
- References :...
c. 447–460
Rhyddfedd Frych
Rhyddfedd Frych
Rhyddfedd Frych , sometimes called Rhyddfedd ap Categern was, according to the genealogical lists, a late 5th century King of Powys, Wales. His actual date of birth is uncertain, as is his date of death and the date he ascended to the throne...
c. 480
Cyngen Glodrydd
Cyngen Glodrydd
Cyngen Glodrydd was an early 6th century King of Powys. He was the son of Rhyddfedd Frych.- Refenences :...
c. 500
Pasgen ap Cyngen
Pasgen ap Cyngen
Pasgen ap Cyngen was a mid 6th century King of Powys, and son of Cyngen Glodrydd.- References :...
c. 530
Morgan ap Pasgen
Morgan ap Pasgen
Morgan ap Pasgen was a mid 6th century King of Powys, and a son of Pasgen ap Cyngen.- References :...
c. 540
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...
c. 550
Cynan Garwyn
Cynan Garwyn
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...
(?–610)
Selyf ap Cynan
Selyf ap Cynan
Selyf ap Cynan appears in Old Welsh genealogies as an early 7th century King of Powys, the son of Cynan Garwyn....
(610–613)
Manwgan ap Selyf
Manwgan ap Selyf
Manwgan ap Selyf was an early 7th century King of Powys, the son of Selyf Sarffgadau.One theory asserts that when Manwgan ap Selyf came to the throne in 613 he was a young boy, which led to an invasion of Powys by Eluadd ap Glast , the erstwhile King of Dogfeiling...
(613)
Eiludd Powys
Eiludd Powys
Eiludd Powys was an early 7th century King of Powys.One theory asserts that when Manwgan ap Selyf came to the throne in 613 he was a young boy, which led to an invasion of Powys by Eluadd ap Glast , the erstwhile King of Dogfeiling...
(613–?)
Beli ap Eiludd
Beli ap Eiludd
Beli ap Eiludd was a 7th century King of Powys.Some theories assert that he was in fact the son of Manwgan ap Selyf who regained power after Eiludd Powys was killed at the battle of Battle of Maes Cogwy in 642. - References :...
vers 655
Gwylog ap Beli
Gwylog ap Beli
Gwylog ap Beli was one of the rulers of the Kingdom of Powys, son of Beli ap Eiludd....
(695 –725)
Elisedd ap Gwylog
Elisedd ap Gwylog
Elisedd ap Gwylog , also known as Elise, was king of Powys in eastern Wales.Little has been preserved in the historical records about Elisedd, who was a descendant of Brochwel Ysgithrog. He appears to have reclaimed the territory of Powys after it had been overrun by the English...
(725–755?)
Brochfael ap Elisedd
Brochfael ap Elisedd
- References :...
(755?–773)
Cadell ap Elisedd
Cadell ap Elisedd
Cadell ap Elisedd or Cadell Powys was a late 8th and early 9th century King of Powys. He was the son of Elisedd ap Gwylog. He succeeded his brother Brochfael ap Elisedd in 773, according to Brochfael ap Elisedd on Viquipedia.- References :...
(773–808)
Cyngen ap Cadell
Cyngen ap Cadell
Cyngen ap Cadell was a king of Powys in eastern Wales.-Biography:Cyngen was of the line of Brochwel Ysgithrog and after a long reign as king of Powys went on a pilgrimage to Rome and died there in 855...
(808–854) Throne usurped by Gwynedd and exiled to Rome where the family endured
House of Manaw
Rhodri Mawr (854–878) of Gwynedd, inheriting through his mother
Merfyn ap Rhodri
Merfyn ap Rhodri
Merfyn ap Rhodri was a late 9th century King of Powys.Upon the death of his father, Rhodri the Great in 878, Merfyn inherited the Kingdom of Powys. Merfyn's 2 brothers Anarawd ap Rhodri, and Cadell ap Rhodri received the Kingdoms of Gwynedd and Seisyllwg.- References :...
(878–900)
Llywelyn ap Merfyn
Llywelyn ap Merfyn
Llywelyn ap Merfyn was an early 10th century King of Powys, son of Merfyn ap Rhodri, and grandson of Rhodri the Great, ....
(900–942)
Hywel Dda
Hywel Dda
Hywel Dda , was the well-thought-of king of Deheubarth in south-west Wales, who eventually came to rule Wales from Prestatyn to Pembroke. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, through his father Cadell, Hywel was a member of the Dinefwr branch of the dynasty and is also named Hywel ap Cadell...
(942–950) Usurped from the Aberffraw line
Owain ap Hywel
Owain ap Hywel
Owain ap Hywel was king of Deheubarth in south Wales and probably also controlled Powys.Owain was the son of Hywel Dda, originally king of Deheubarth but by the end of his life king of most of Wales. On Hywel's death in 950 Deheubarth was shared between Owain and his two brothers, Rhodri and Edwin...
(950–986) Ruled thereafter by a cadet branch
Cadet branch
Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have...
of the House of Dinefwr
House of Dinefwr
The House of Dinefwr was a royal house of Wales and refers to the descendants of Cadell ap Rhodri King of Seisyllwg, son of Rhodri the Great.With the death of Rhodri Mawr, the kingdom of Gwynedd passed to his eldest son Anarawd ap Rhodri...
, establishing the Mathrafal
Mathrafal
Mathrafal near Welshpool, in Powys, Mid Wales, was the seat of the Kings and Princes of Powys probably from the 9th century until its destruction in 1212 by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth of Gwynedd.- Location :...
dynasty of rulers
Maredudd ap Owain (986–999)
Llywelyn ap Seisyll
Llywelyn ap Seisyll
Llywelyn ap Seisyll was a King of Gwynedd and of Deheubarth in north-west and south-west Wales, also called King of the Britons by the Annals of Ulster. Also called Llywelyn ap Seisyllt- Lineage :...
(999–1023), son of Anghered by her first husband. Anghered is the daughter of Maredudd ab Owain
Rhydderch ap Iestyn (1023–1033)
Iago ap Idwal (1033–1039)
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was the ruler of all Wales from 1055 until his death, the only Welsh monarch able to make this boast...
(1039–1063)
Mathrafal Princes of Powys
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn was a Prince of the Welsh Kingdoms of Gwynedd and of Powys.- Lineage :Bleddyn was the son of Princess Angharad ferch Maredudd with her second husband Cynfyn ap Gwerstan, a Powys Lord, about whom little is now known...
(1063–1075)
Iorwerth ap Bleddyn
Iorwerth ap Bleddyn
Iorwerth ap Bleddyn was a prince of Powys in eastern Wales.Iorwerth was the son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn who was king of both Powys and Gwynedd. When Bleddyn was killed in 1075, Powys was divided between his three of his sons, Iorwerth, Cadwgan and Maredudd.Iorwerth, Cadwgan and Maredudd held their...
1075–1103 (part)
Cadwgan ap Bleddyn
Cadwgan ap Bleddyn
Cadwgan ap Bleddyn was a prince of Powys in eastern Wales.Cadwgan was the second son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn who was king of both Powys and Gwynedd. When Bleddyn was killed in 1075, Powys was divided between three of his sons, Cadwgan, Iorwerth and Maredudd. Cadwgan is first heard of in 1088 when he...
(1075–1111 (part)
Owain ap Cadwgan
Owain ap Cadwgan
Owain ap Cadwgan was a prince of Powys in eastern Wales. He is best known for his abduction of Nest, wife of Gerald of Windsor.Owain was the eldest son of Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, prince of part of Powys. He is first recorded in 1106, when he killed Meurig and Griffri, the sons of Trahaearn ap Caradog,...
(1111–1116 (part)
Maredudd ap Bleddyn
Maredudd ap Bleddyn
Maredudd ap Bleddyn was a prince of Powys in eastern Wales.Maredudd was the son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn who was king of both Powys and Gwynedd...
(1116–1132)
Madog ap Maredudd
Madog ap Maredudd
Madog ap Maredudd was the last Prince of the entire Kingdom of Powys, Wales and for a time held the Fitzalan Lordship of Oswestry.Madog was the son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn and grandson of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn. He followed his father on the throne of Powys in 1132...
(1132–1160)
From 1160 Powys was split into two parts. The southern part was later called Powys Wenwynwyn
Powys Wenwynwyn
Powys Wenwynwyn or Powys Cyfeiliog was the southern portion of the former princely state of Powys which split following the death of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys in 1160...
after Gwenwynwyn ab Owain "Cyfeiliog" ap Madog
Gwenwynwyn ab Owain
Gwenwynwyn ab Owain Cyfeiliog was the last major ruler of mid Wales before the completion of the Norman English invasion.- Lineage :...
, while the northern part was called Powys Fadog
Powys Fadog
Powys Fadog or Lower Powys was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys which split in two following the death of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys in 1160...
after Madog ap Gruffydd "Maelor" ap Madog
Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor
Madog ap Gruffudd or Madog ap Gruffudd Maelor, was Prince of Powys Fadog 1191-1236 in north-east Wales.- Lineage :He was elder son of Gruffydd Maelor and his wife, Angharad a daughter of Owain Gwynedd.- Sole Ruler :...
Sources
- Davies, John (1990). History of Wales, Penguin Books.
- Hen, LlywarchLlywarch HenLlywarch Hen was a 6th-century prince of the Brythonic kingdom of Rheged, a ruling family in the Hen Ogledd or 'Old North' of Britain...
(attribution) (c.9th century). Canu Heledd. - Morris, John (1973). The Age of Arthur. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
- Remfry, P.M., (2003) A Political Chronology of Wales 1066 to 1282 (ISBN 1-899376-46-1)