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| Cunedda ap Edern | |
|---|---|
 15th century illustration of Cunedda from an edition ofHistoria Regum Britanniae | |
| King of Gwynedd | |
| Reign | c. 450 – c. 460 |
| Predecessor | Position established |
| Successor | Einion Yrth ap Cunedda |
| Born | 386; 1639 years ago (386) Manaw Gododdin |
| Died | 460 (74 years) Gwynedd, modern-dayWales or Allt Cunedda,Kidwelly |
| Spouse | Gwawl Verch Coel |
| House | Cunedda (Gwynedd) |
| Father | Eternus (Edeyrn ap Padarn) |
Cunedda ap Edern, also calledCuneddaWledig (reignedc. 450 – c. 460), was an important earlyWelsh leader, and the progenitor of the royal dynasty ofGwynedd, one of the very oldest ofWestern Europe.[1]
The nameCunedda (spelledCunedag in the AD 828 pseudo-historyHistoria Brittonum) derives from theBrythonic word*Cuno-dagos, meaning "Good Hound/Warrior" or "Having Good Hounds/Warriors".[2] His title, "Wledig", is an obscure and difficult to translateepithet.[3] It literally means, "of agwlad" or "country".[3] However, as an epithet,Wledig was possibly applied to some official or claimed position within the Roman hierarchy.[3] It has been argued that the term is likely a rendition of a Roman title since all known figures with the title are either genealogically connected with the Roman aristocracy or associated with the Roman government.[3][4]
These figures also all ruled in the century after the Roman withdrawal from Britain. However, this interpretation is subject to criticism. The historianRachel Bromwich argued that translating Latin titles into Welsh is unusual for contemporary Welsh leaders, who typically used the original Latin titles.[5] There are other competing theories concerning the true meaning of the term. The word "Gwledig" is acognate with the Irish word "flaith," which means ruler. Therefore, the word may simply mean "lord" or "ruler."[6]
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Cunedda's family is traced back to a grandfather living in lateRoman Britain namedPadarn Beisrudd.[7] His name literally translates as Paternus of the "redtunic" or thescarlet cloak,[8] a colour attributed to Roman officers during theRoman Empire. One traditional interpretation identifies Padarn as aRoman (Romano-British) official of reasonably high rank who had been placed in command of theVotadini troops stationed in theClackmannanshire region ofScotland in the 380s or earlier by the Roman EmperorMagnus Maximus.
Alternatively, he may have been a frontier chieftain who was granted Roman military rank, a practice attested elsewhere along the empire's borders at the time. Possibly, Padarn's command in Scotland was assumed after his death by his son, Edern (Latin:Æturnus), and then passed to Edern's son, Cunedda, who would later be the founder of theKingdom of Gwynedd and become its first King.[9]
Cunedda'sgenealogy, as many early Welsh Royal families, was later said to descend fromAfallach, son ofBeli Mawr, the legendary father of KingCassivellaunus.[7][10][11] Cassivellaunus was apre-Roman historical figure who fought againstJulius Caesar during hisinvasion of Britain in 54 BC.[12]
Coel Hen, possibly based on a historical figure from post-Roman Britain, was said to be Cunedda's father-in-law and also to be a descendant of Beli Mawr.[13][14][7][15] As head of theHouse of Gwynedd, Cunedda's line was claimed to continue through toRhodri Mawr, and the subsequent houses ofAberffraw,Dinefwr, andMathrafal.[9]
According toOld Welsh tradition contained in section 62 of theHistoria Brittonum, Cunedda came fromManaw Gododdin, the modernFalkirk region ofScotland:
Maelgwn, the great king, was reigning among the Britons in the region of Gwynedd, for his ancestor, Cunedag, with his sons, whose number was eight, had come previously from the northern part, that is from the region which is called Manaw Gododdin, one hundred and forty-six years before Maelgwn reigned. And with great slaughter, they drove out from those regions the Scotti who never returned again to inhabit them.[16]
Cunedda and his forebears led the Votadini againstPictish and Irish incursions south ofHadrian's Wall. Sometime after this, theVotadini troops under Cunedda relocated toNorth Wales to defend the region from Irish invasion, specifically theUí Liatháin, as mentioned in theHistoria Brittonum. Cunedda established himself in Wales, in the territory of theVenedoti, which would become the centre of theKingdom of Gwynedd. Two explanations for these actions have been suggested: either Cunedda was acting under the orders ofMagnus Maximus (or Maximus' successors) orVortigern, the high king of the British in the immediate post-Roman era. The range of dates (suggested by Oxford genealogistPeter Bartrum) runs from the late 370s, which would favour Maximus, to the late 440s, which would favour Vortigern.
The suggestion that Cunedda was operating under instructions fromRome has been challenged by several historians.David Dumville dismisses the whole concept of transplantingfoederati fromScotland to Wales in this manner, given that the political state of sub-Roman Britain would probably have made it impossible to exercise such centralised control by the 5th century. AsMaximus himself was dead by the end of 388, andConstantine III departed from Britain with the last of Rome's military forces in 407, less than a generation later, it is doubtful that Rome had much direct influence over the military actions of the Votadini, either through Maximus or any other emissary, for any significant length of time.
Magnus Maximus (or his successors) may have handed over control of the British frontiers to local chieftains at an earlier date; with the evacuation of the fort atChester (whichMike Ashley, incidentally, argues is most likely where Cunedda established his initial base in the region, some years later) in the 370s, he may have had little option. Given that the archaeological record demonstrates Irish settlement on theLlŷn Peninsula however and possible raids as far west asWroxeter by the late 4th century, it is difficult to conceive of either Roman or allied British forces having presented an effective defence in Wales.
Academics such asSheppard Frere have argued that it may have been Vortigern who, adopting elements of Roman statecraft, moved the Votadini south, just as he invitedSaxon settlers to protect other parts of the island. According to this version of events, Vortigern would have instructed Cunedda and his Votadini subjects to move to Wales in response to the aforementioned Irish incursions no later than the year 442, when Vortigern's former Saxon allies rebelled against his rule. Some historians even suggest that Cunedda never even moved to North Wales and simply died while fighting the Picts, andNennius's claims about Cunedda are just simply propaganda for the Kingdom of Gwynedd.[citation needed] Based on the fact that despite Nennius saying Cunedda "drove out the Irish with great slaughter and that they never returned" it is not entirely true as there was heavy Irish presence among the southern Welsh Kingdoms andAnglesey even in the 6th century.[citation needed]
_Coel.jpg)
Of Cunedda personally even less is known. Probably celebrated for his strength, courage, and ability to rally the beleagueredRomano-British forces of the region, he eventually secured a politically advantageous marriage to Gwawl, daughter of KingCoel Hen, the Romano-British ruler ofEboracum (modernYork) appointed byMagnus Maximus, and is claimed to have had nine sons.[17][18] The early kingdoms ofCeredigion andMeirionnydd were supposedly named after his two sons KingCeredig and KingMeirion.
Cunedda's supposed great-grandsonMaelgwn Gwynedd was a contemporary ofGildas,[19][20] and according to theAnnales Cambriae died in 547.[21] The reliability of early Welsh genealogies is not uncontested however, and many of the claims regarding the number and identity of Cunedda's heirs did not surface until as late as the 10th century. Nonetheless, if we accept this information as valid, calculating back from this date suggests the mid-5th century interpretation.
There is a hill calledAllt Cunedda, close to Cydweli (nowKidwelly) inCarmarthenshire, insouthwest Wales. A local folk story, recorded by Victorian antiquarians, claims that Cunedda and his sons attempted to invade Cydweli, but was defeated and killed by rebellious locals and was buried in the Allt Cunedda. Amateur and ill-recorded excavations did reveal ahill fort, probably pre-Roman, the broken head of a stonehammer axe,[22] and several collapsed stonecists containing the well-preserved skeletons of several men with formidable physical proportions. At least one of these was found in the "seated position" and another buried beneath a massive stone "shield" who had apparently been killed by a head wound. John Fenton's excavations in 1851 destroyed much of the archaeological evidence from Allt Cunedda, and more byJohn William Watson Stephens' dig in the 1930s.[22] The bones are lost; Fenton sent them to an institution in London, and Stephens' long searches for them were unsuccessful.
One of thetumuli was known locally asBanc Benisel and was reputedly the grave of aSawyl Penuchel, a legendaryKing of the Britons presumably from lateIron Age Britain. HisepithetPenuchel orBen Uchel means "high head" perhaps on account of his height.[2] According to the WelshLife of SaintCadoc, a king namedSawyl Penuchel held court at Allt Cunedda. Confusingly,Geoffrey of Monmouth, in hisHistoria Regum Britanniae (1136), uses the nameSamuil Penessil for a legendary pre-Roman king of Britain, preceded byRedechius and succeeded byPir.[23] Whether this is the same king and Cadoc's tale is just revisiting an old folk memory, a different man of the same name, or simply an error by the composer of theLife, is unclear.
Maelgwn Gwynedd,King of Gwynedd, referred byGildas as Maelgwn theDragon or Dragon of theIsland, and was the ancestor of KingCadwaladr.[9]
The Red Dragon would later be flown by theHouse of Tudor, claimed descendants of Cunedda, throughOwen Tudor and KingHenry Tudor, and is featured on theFlag of Wales.[25][26]
| New title Created Kingdom of Gwynedd | King of Gwynedd c. 450 - c. 460 | Succeeded by |