Kingdom of Brycheiniog Teyrnas Brycheiniog | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c.450–c. 1045 | |||||||||||
 Medieval kingdoms of Wales. | |||||||||||
| Capital | Talgarth | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Common Brittonic,Welsh,Latin,[1] andIrish | ||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
• c.450-490 | Brychan Brycheiniog | ||||||||||
• c.650 | Cloten of Dyfed | ||||||||||
• -c.1045 | Gryfydd ap Elisedd | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||
• Founded by Brychan Brycheiniog | c.450 | ||||||||||
• Death of Gryfydd ap Elisedd | c. 1045 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Brycheiniog was an independentkingdom inSouth Wales in theEarly Middle Ages. It often acted as abuffer state betweenEngland to the east and the south Welsh kingdom ofDeheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by theNormans between 1088 and 1095, though it remainedWelsh in character. It was transformed into theLordship of Brecknock and later formed the southern and larger part of thehistoric county ofBrecknockshire. To its south was theKingdom of Morgannwg.
The main legacy of the kingdom of Brycheiniog isetymological and geographical. It is used inBannau Brycheiniog, the Welsh name for theBrecon Beacons range and, since 2023, in name used for the range'snational park. Its name is also the origin to theanglicised namesBrecknockshire (retained inWelsh asSir Frycheiniog,'the shire of Brycheiniog'), andBrecon (otherwise known asAberhonddu in Welsh).
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The kingdom of Brycheiniog was probably founded by Irish raiders in the late fifth century, very likely theUí Liatháin, whose power had grown great in Wales until they were reduced by the sons ofCunedda (although this may just be propaganda forGwynedd's power) as reported in theHistoria Brittonum. Traditionally, it was founded by and named after a legendary Hiberno-Welsh prince namedBrychan[2] out of the old Welsh kingdom of Garth Madrun (believed to have been centered onTalgarth) in the mid-5th century, though this event is shrouded in legend.[2] Brychan was a son of Anlach, an Irish settler who had peacefully taken control of the area by marrying Marchell, the heiress of Garth Madrun. Tradition says that Brychan fathered an extremely large number of children, many becoming saints in Wales and Cornwall. Brychan's eldest son (or grandson, depending on which manuscripts are reliable), Rhain Dremrudd (i.e.Rhain the red-faced), founded a dynasty which ruled the kingdom uninterrupted until the mid 7th century;[3] manuscripts list his descendants (and successors) as:
During this era, the Irish raiders had begun to invade various western parts of Britain, withTriffyn Farfog (son ofAed Brosc [it], aDeisi magnate) already having taken over Dyfed from Edynfed's heirs. Traditional Welsh accounts claim that Triffyn had gained his power by peaceably marrying Edynfed's heiress (they do not indicate whether this was under duress). The power of Irish raiders, particularly theUí Liatháin, grew increasingly strong, and was not weakened until it was reduced by the sons ofCunedda, as reported in theHistoria Brittonum.
Traditionally, Tewdrig carved out from his lands the region aroundTalgarth (Garth Madrun) as a dowry for his daughter, Marchell, when she marriedBrychan mac Anlach, the grandson of Triffyn's fraternal nephew,Cormac mac Urb, in the mid 5th century.[2] The remainder of Tewdrig's lands —Gwent — was inherited by Tewdrig's son.
Historical sources of a much later date, such as the 12th centuryBook of Llandaff, name the next three generations of rulers of the eastern part — the descendants of Tudwal — as:
In the time of Idwallon, the aggressiveCynan Garwyn (king ofPowys) invaded a number of lands, including Brycheiniog. Rhiwallon succeeded due to the subsequent collapse of Powysian power, under pressure fromDogfeiling, and the extreme youth ofCynan's later successor.
Rhiwallon is the last direct male descendant of Brychan reported by any historic manuscript. His daughter and heiress,queen Ceindrych, marriedCloten, the king of Dyfed. This 7th century marriage united the kingdom of Brycheiniog with Dyfed (which at that time bordered it),[4] a union which lasted for about a century (though parts of Brycheiniog may have been granted out, from time to time, as lordships for younger sons).[4]
In the mid 8th century,Seisyll (king ofCeredigion) invaded, conqueringYstrad Tywi, and thus physically cleaving apart Dyfed and Brycheiniog.[5]Rhain ap Cadwgan, great-grandson of Cloten and king of Dyfed-Brycheiniog, initially attempted to retain the union; the surviving parts were consequently known asRhainwg.
The impracticalities of ruling two regions physically separated by a rival kingdom meant that Rhain's brother, Awst, was eventually made governor of Brycheiniog, while Rhain now directly ruled only Dyfed. Following the death of Rhain and Awst, Rhain's sonTewdwr challenged the authority of Awst's son Elwystl. According to theBook of Llandaff, they were persuaded to divide Brycheiniog between them, swearing on the altar ofLlandaff Cathedral to keep to this settlement. Soon after, Tewdwr murdered Elwysti, regaining the whole of Brycheiniog; the Church apparently forced him to donateCwmdu to the church, as punishment for breaking his oath.[6]
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At this point, records about Brycheiniog's leadership become primarily genealogical, and certainly vague, but are unfortunately quite inconsistent with one another, and appear sometimes to be confused with genealogies of other realms. There are a number of possible conclusions:
Complicating matters further, Tangwydd ap Tegid, the king of Ferlix (the adjacent realm at the heart ofRhwng Gwy a Hafren) gained a claim on Brycheiniog by marrying a daughter of Elwystl, or of Rhain's grandson Elisse ap Tewdwr / Elisse ap Nowy Hen, who had only daughters.
Geoffrey of Monmouth identifies Gruffydd (asGrifud map Nogoid - i.e. Gruffudd ap Nowy) as one of the princes present at the coronation ofKing Arthur.[6] TheHarleian Chronicle states that in 848 (about the time of Gruffudd, or his son Tewdwr),Ithel ap Hywel (king of Gwent) was killed by men from Brycheiniog in theBattle of Ffinnant (probably referring to either the Ffinnant nearSoar in Brycheiniog, or the Ffinnant nearDuhonw inBuellt[7]); the cause and participants of the battle are not otherwise reported, but theChronicle of the Princes states that the killing of Ithel had become infamous as treachery, possibly implying that he had been on the Brycheiniog side of the battle.[8]
Subsequent kings of Ferlix descended from Tangwydd are identified in theBook of Baglan as also ruling Brycheiniog, even though this raises the question of how Gruffudd's descendants could rule it at the same time; possibly this is what led to the Battle at Ffinnant.
Gruffydd (whoever his parents were), had a grandson – Elisse ap Tewdwr (also known as Elisedd) – who is described in the records as being king of Brycheiniog in the time ofKing Alfred. In Elisse's time, theViking raids threatened Brycheiniog, so in the 880s Elisse became a vassal of Alfred, to help protect his realm; indeed, in the spring of 896, Brycheiniog, Gwent andGwynllwg were devastated by the Norsemen who had wintered at Quatford nearBridgnorth that year. According toAsser's contemporary account, Elisse also feared the malevolence of the kings of Seisyllwg and Gwynedd who had succeededRhodri Mawr; his vassalage to Alfred provided him with potential support against Seisyllwg.
According to an early 14th century writer,[6] a king of Brycheiniog and Ferlix named Hwgan (Huganus in Latin), noting thatEdward the Elder (king ofMercia) was preoccupied by theGreat Heathen Army, attempted to conquer (or raid) Mercia. He had not known Edward's sister,Æthelflæd (the daughter of King Alfred and widow of EarlÆthelred of Mercia), would be a force to be reckoned with; Æthelflæd successfully resisted his attempts, and, in the early summer of 916, pushed her advantage by invading Brycheiniog.[9] On 19 June, Æthelflæd stormed the royalllys (court) inLlangorse lake, and captured the queen of the land and 34 others.[9] Hwgan responded by seeking an alliance with theDanes, but died soon afterwards while defendingDerby (a Danish-held city) from the Saxons.[9] The earlierAnglo-Saxon Chronicle also reports these events, but without naming the Brycheiniog king, or mentioning his raid against Mercia; it was, though, Æthelflæd who defeated the Danes at Derby.
As a result of Hwgan's behaviour, his son, Dryffin (also known as Tryffin) was forced by KingAthelstan to pay tribute.[9] Athelstan's godson and namesake,Elystan Glodrydd, deprived Dryffin of Ferlix, merging it with his own realm ofBuellt. Nevertheless, records like the Book of Baglan still have Dryffin's descendants as rulers of Brycheiniog; Hwgan (and hence Dryffin) is named there as a direct descendant of Tangwydd. What state the kingship of Brycheiniog was in at this time is not completely certain; Elisse ap Tewdwr's son, Tewdwr ap Elisse, was certainly ruling between 927 and 929. Tewdwr ap Elisse is reported to have witnessed a charter at the English royal court in 934, along withHywel Dda.
After Tewdwr ap Elisse, no more kings of Brycheiniog are recorded from his line.Gerald of Wales states that after Tewdwr's death, Brycheiniog was divided between the three sons of Tewdwr's brother, Griffri: Tewdos (or Tewdwr), Selyf, and Einon;[10] the threecantrefi of Brycheiniog: Tewdos (also known as Mawr), Selyf, and Talgarth were their respective portions. Tewdwr ap Griffri is the last of his line to be named in the Jesus College genealogies.
Several genealogical manuscripts report that Dryffin's son, Maenyrch, married the daughter of Selyf's granddaughter, Elinor. The Book of Baglan reports that Maenyrch's sonBleddyn became king of Brycheiniog; Bleddyn was the ruler at the time of theNorman invasion of England. Bleddyn married the sister ofRhys ap Tewdwr, the king ofDeheubarth.
Many Welsh princes had been vassals or allies of the Saxon kings, so actively supported the rebellion ofEadric the Wild against the Norman presence in England. In 1070, after suppressing Eadric's forces in England,William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, attacked South Wales, defeating three of its kings (but notably, he is not described as having defeated a king of Brycheiniog). This past behaviour of Welsh princes naturally made the Normans ill-disposed towards them when an anti-Norman revolt broke out in Northern England ten years later.
Over the previous century, Deheubarth had been contested between the heirs ofMaredudd ab Owain's brother Einion (such asHywel ab Edwin), those of his daughter Angharad (such asGruffydd ap Llywelyn), and the rulers ofMorgannwg. Rhys was of Einion's line. In 1088, Gruffydd's son-in-law, and his son-in-law's son-in-law,Bernard de Neufmarché, took part in arebellion against King William Rufus, without being punished for it. Emboldened by this, Bernard launched attacks on an area under Rhys' influence – Brycheiniog – while the sons ofBleddyn ap Cynfyn, Gruffydd's half-brother, attacked Deheubarth; this was likely a co-ordinated action between Bernard and Bleddyn's sons.[11] Bleddyn was defeated at theBattle of Caer-Bannau (one of Bleddyn's castles, and a former Roman army camp), while Rhys was forced to flee to Ireland.
An undated charter of Bernard de Neufmarché mentioned "all the tithes of his lordship which he had in Brycheiniog in the woods and plains" (as well asGlasbury). In 1655, this charter was included in a publication (Monasticon Anglicanum by Roger Dodsworth) which amalgamated it with another of Bernard's charters, the latter being dated 1088; the charter mentioning Brycheiniog was then republished in an 1867 work (Historia et cartularium Monasterii Sancti Petri Gloucestriae by William Hart), with the added marginal gloss "AD 1088"; some people conclude from the 1867 gloss that Bernard must already have regarded himself as lord of all Brycheiniog in 1088.
With Irish aid, Rhys gradually re-established himself in Deheubarth. In 1093, Bernard replaced Caer-Bannau, by constructing a more militarily advanced castle –Brecon Castle – at a more strategic location three miles away, demolishing Caer-Bannau to re-use the material.[12] Rhys and Bleddyn sought to use this to their advantage, by attacking Bernard while the new castle was unfinished, but at the subsequentBattle of Brecon, in April that year, Rhys and Bleddyn were killed; the Welsh Annales[clarification needed][can't be the Annales Cambriae as those were written earlier] clearly state that Rhys was killed "by the French who were inhabiting Brycheiniog" (which also implies that the kingdom of Brycheiniog had been destroyed by this point).
The lands of Brycheiniog became Bernard'sLordship of Brecknock, ruled by his descendants for many years.[13] Bernard confined Bleddyn's eldest son, Gwrgan, in Brecon Castle (though Gwrgan was allowed to travel elsewhere, if accompanied by Bernard's knights); nevertheless, Bernard gave Gwrgan, and his brother, some lands within Bernard's Lordship, to sustain their dignity.[12]
From Gwrgan descendsRhys ap Hywel,[12][14] who was one of the search party who caughtKing Edward II, in 1326, resulting in Edward's effective, and then actual, imprisonment for the rest of his life. Rhys ap Hywel's second son wasEinion Sais, who militarily supported the campaigns of Edward's son,King Edward III;[15] Einion's great-great grandson was SirDafydd Gam, an enemy ofOwain Glyndŵr and hero ofAgincourt, from whom descend the presentEarls of Pembroke.[citation needed]
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