Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion (c. 460 – c. 534),[1] usually known asCadwallon Lawhir ("Long Hand") and also calledCadwallon I by some historians, was aking of Gwynedd around 500.
Cadwallon was the son ofEinion Yrth ap Cunedda and Prawst ferch Deithlyn.[2] He is often considered to have been king of Gwynedd from his father's death in about 500 until his own death in 534.[1]
He is credited with having driven the last Irish settlers off the island ofAnglesey.[3] According to one tradition, Cadwallon and his armypadlocked their own feet to their stirrups so that they could not be tempted to flee the battle.[4] Cadwallon's opponent, the leader of the Irish of Angelsey, was said to beSerigi Wyddel (Serigi "The Irishman"), and the final battle was fought at eitherCerrig y Gwyddyl orLlan y Gwyddyl nearHolyhead.[5][6]
Cadwallon's epithet,Lawhir, may possibly refer to him having longer than usual arms or might also be a metaphor, referring to the extent of his authority. The late medieval poetIolo Goch claims that he could "reach a stone from the ground to kill a raven, without bending his back, because his arm was as long as his side to the ground."[7]
According toGildas, Cadwallon's son,Maelgwn, murdered his uncle in order to ascend the throne, which suggests that the actual king of Gwynedd was not Cadwallon but his brotherOwain Danwyn.[citation needed]
There has been a longstanding association, in antiquarian writings, between Cadwallon and a possibleLlys (medieval royal court building) known as Caswallon's Llys. This was indicated on theOrdnance Survey map of 1889 as within a field nearMynydd Eilian, in theLlaneilian community, in the north-east corner of theIsle of Anglesey. With no obvious remains by the 20th century, it had been largely discredited as a Llys site until ageophysical survey in 2009 identified foundations of a rectangular building within a trapezoidal enclosure, for which an early medieval site was a strong possibility.[8]
| Preceded by | King of Gwynedd c. 500 – c. 534 | Succeeded by |