Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri
Encyclopedia
Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri (Cynan of Dindaethwy, son of Rhodri) was King of Gwynedd
(reigned 798 – 816). His reign was marked by a destructive dynastic power struggle with his brother Hywel
, and is not otherwise notable.
The descriptive appellation 'Dindaethwy
' refers to the cwmwd (commote
) of that name in the cantref of Rhosyr, and the location of Cynan's llys (royal court
) at Llanfaes
on the southeastern coast of Anglesey
.
Cynan was the son of Rhodri Molwynog ap Idwal
and ascended to the throne of Gwynedd after the death of King Caradog ap Meirion
in 798. Cynan and Hywel are said to be brothers in historical works such as Lloyd
's History of Wales, which does not cite its source. Sources such as the Annales Cambriae
mention them by name only. The genealogy of Jesus College MS. 20
gives Hywel as the son of Caradog ap Meirion
, while it gives Cynan as the son of Rhodri Molwynog, as does the Harleian genealogies
.
There is no historical record of Cynan's early years as king, but his reign ended in a combination of natural disasters and military reverses. In 810 there was a bovine plague that killed many cattle throughout Wales. The next year Deganwy
, the ancient fortified llys of Maelgwn Gwynedd and built of wood, was struck by lightning.
A destructive war between Cynan and Hywel raged on Anglesey
between 812 and 816, ultimately ending with Cynan's defeat and banishment. He would die in exile within a year, the Annales Cambriae
noting that King Cynan had died, as do the Irish Annals.
In 817, after Cynan's death, there was a notable battle at his llys at Llanfaes on Anglesey. The combatants are not identified.Various historical works assume it was an invasion by the Mercia
ns, by Ecgberht of Wessex
, or by the Vikings, but there is no authority for those claims. As it took place at Cynan's llys, it could as easily have been a consequence of the dynastic struggle won by Hywel, but now between Hywel and Cynan's supporters.
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...
(reigned 798 – 816). His reign was marked by a destructive dynastic power struggle with his brother Hywel
Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog
Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog was King of Gwynedd . He rose to power following a destructive dynastic struggle in which he deposed his brother, King Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri . During Hywel's reign Gwynedd's power was largely confined to Anglesey...
, and is not otherwise notable.
The descriptive appellation 'Dindaethwy
Dindaethwy
Dindaethwy is a historic commote in north-east Anglesey. It includes Beaumaris and Menai Bridge . The corresponding rural deanery is called Tyndaethwy...
' refers to the cwmwd (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 that name in the cantref of Rhosyr, and the location of Cynan's llys (royal court
Royal court
Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...
) at Llanfaes
Llanfaes
Llanfaes is a small village on the island of Anglesey, Wales, located on the shore of the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from the north Wales coast.- History :...
on the southeastern coast of 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...
.
Cynan was the son of Rhodri Molwynog ap Idwal
Rhodri Molwynog ap Idwal
Rhodri Molwynog ap Idwal was King of Gwynedd . This era in the history of Gwynedd was not notable, and given the lack of reliable information available, serious histories of Wales, such that as by Davies, do not mention Rhodri, while that of Lloyd mentions his name in passing only to quote the...
and ascended to the throne of Gwynedd after the death of King Caradog ap Meirion
Caradog ap Meirion
Caradog ap Meirion was King of Gwynedd . This era in the history of Gwynedd was not notable, and given the lack of reliable information available, serious histories of Wales, such that as by Davies, do not mention Caradog, while that of Lloyd mentions his name only in a footnote quoting the year...
in 798. Cynan and Hywel are said to be brothers in historical works such as Lloyd
John Edward Lloyd
Sir 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...
's History of Wales, which does not cite its source. Sources such as the Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae, or The Annals of Wales, is the name given to a complex of Cambro-Latin chronicles deriving ultimately from a text compiled from diverse sources at St David's in Dyfed, Wales, not later than the 10th century...
mention them by name only. The genealogy of Jesus College MS. 20
Genealogies from Jesus College MS 20
The genealogies from Jesus College MS 20 are a medieval Welsh collection of genealogies preserved in a single manuscript, Oxford, Bodleian Library, Jesus College, MS 20, folios 33r–41r...
gives Hywel as the son of Caradog ap Meirion
Caradog ap Meirion
Caradog ap Meirion was King of Gwynedd . This era in the history of Gwynedd was not notable, and given the lack of reliable information available, serious histories of Wales, such that as by Davies, do not mention Caradog, while that of Lloyd mentions his name only in a footnote quoting the year...
, while it gives Cynan as the son of Rhodri Molwynog, as does the Harleian genealogies
Harleian genealogies
The Harleian genealogies are a collection of Old Welsh genealogies preserved in British Library, Harleian MS 3859. Part of the Harleian Collection, the manuscript, which also contains the Annales Cambriae and a version of the Historia Brittonum, has been dated to c. 1100, although a date of c.1200...
.
Deganwy
Deganwy is a village in Conwy County Borough in Wales with a population of 3,700. It is in a more English-speaking region of North Wales, with only 1 in 4 residents speaking Welsh as a first language...
, the ancient fortified llys of Maelgwn Gwynedd and built of wood, was struck by lightning.
A destructive war between Cynan and Hywel raged 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...
between 812 and 816, ultimately ending with Cynan's defeat and banishment. He would die in exile within a year, the Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae, or The Annals of Wales, is the name given to a complex of Cambro-Latin chronicles deriving ultimately from a text compiled from diverse sources at St David's in Dyfed, Wales, not later than the 10th century...
noting that King Cynan had died, as do the Irish Annals.
In 817, after Cynan's death, there was a notable battle at his llys at Llanfaes on Anglesey. The combatants are not identified.Various historical works assume it was an invasion by the 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...
ns, by Ecgberht of Wessex
Egbert of Wessex
Egbert was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was Ealhmund of Kent...
, or by the Vikings, but there is no authority for those claims. As it took place at Cynan's llys, it could as easily have been a consequence of the dynastic struggle won by Hywel, but now between Hywel and Cynan's supporters.