Branching from Margaret Wake (generation 26)
The line
Seltzer-Estes-Bates-Fleming-Graham-Keith-Gordon/Seton-Stewart-Beaufort/Plantagenet-Holland-Wake
44+
generations back to the 6th century in Wales
Includes
Kings of Wales, including Llywelyn the Great and
Rhodri the Great
Includes
Kings of Dublin, including Sigtrygg Silkbeard
Links from names go to Wikipedia www.wikipedia.org or The Peerage www.thepeerage.com
1
Adela Rose Seltzer b. Nov. 9, 2007
1 Lila Pearl Seltzer b. May 27, 2010
daughters of
2 Robert Richard Hartley Seltzer b. July 29, 1975 md. Aug. 10, 2002 in Boston, MA Stacey Denenberg b. July 18, 1976
2
Heather Katherine Hartley Seltzer b. August 13, 1977
2 Michael Richard Hartley Seltzer b. June 14, 1980
2 Timothy Richard Hartley Seltzer b. Oct. 5, 1989
children of
3 Richard Warren (8) Seltzer, Jr. (b. Feb. 23 1946 Clarksville, TN) md. (1) July 28, 1973 Boston, MA Barbara Ann Hartley (1950-2012), md. (2) Sept. 27, 2015 Marilyn Lender (b. Aug. 22, 1945, NY, NY)
Richard = son of
4 Helen Estes b. Jan. 31, 1920 md. June 5, 1944 in Philadelphia, PA Richard Warren Seltzer, Sr. b. June 5, 1923
Helen = daughter of
5 Smith William Estes ( June 17, 1881 - Dec. 20, 1943) md. in Philadelphia, PA 1905 May Griffith (1883-1930)
Smith = son of
6 Louis Powhatan Estes (Nov. 22, 1849 - Sept. 6, 1902) md. Oct. 30, 1875 Lily Yates Moore (May 13, 1853 - March 8, 1929) (daughter of S.W. Moore and Mary Yates)
Louis = son of
7 Albert Monroe Estes (Nov. 19, 1804 in Bedford County, VA - Dec. 22, 1863 in Haywood County, TN) md. Nov. 17, 1848 Mildred Colman (daughter of Dr. Benjamin Colman and Mildred Wharton of New Jersey) (c. 1823- Nov. 30, 1849)
Albert = son of
8 Sarah Langhorne Bates (1781- 1825 near Brownsville, Haywood County, TN) md. Oct. 13, 1801 in Chesterfield County, VA Joel Estes (1780-1833) (son of Benjamin Estes and Cecelia Rebecca Thorpe)
Sarah = daughter of
9 Daniel Bates (July 6, 1756 - c. 1801) md. May 21, 1776in Chesterfield County, VA Elizabeth Cary Bell ( b. about 1758 in Virginia, d. 1825 in Kentucky) daughter of David Bell and Judith Cary
Daniel = son of
10 James Bates (March 7, 1721 - Nov. 9, 1786) md. Nov. 11, 1746 in Goochland County, St. James Wortham parish, VA Winnifred Grymes or Grimes or Hix (b. Jan. 18, 1729 in Goochland)
James = son of
11 Susannah Tarleton Fleming md. about 1709 John Bates (1685-1723)
Susannah = daughter of
12 Charles Fleming (b. 1667) (of New Kent County, VA) md. Susannah Tarleton (d. 1687) (daughter of Stephen Tarleton)
According to "My Ancestors and Relatives": "Colonel Charles was born on December 10th, 1659 in Of Charles Parish, York Co., Va. Colonel Charles' father was John FLEMMING and his mother was Mrs. Mercy Or Mary FLEMING. His paternal grandparents were Captain Alexander FLEMING and Elizabeth (Elspet) ANDERSON. He had four brothers and a sister, named William, Alexander, John, Tarleton and Lydia. He died at the age of 57 on October 7th, 1717 in St. Peter's Parish, New Kent, Va.
"Susanna was born in Of St. Peter's Parish, New Kent, Va. Susanna's father was Stephen TARLETON and her mother is Susanna. She had a sister named Judith. She died after October 7th, 1717 in St.peters Parish, New Kent.
"Colonel Charles and Susanna were married in a religious ceremony in New Kent, Virginia. They had two sons and eight daughters, named Colonel John, Tarleton, Susannah, Elizabeth, Judith, Ursula, Anne, Grace, Anne and Sarah.
Charles = son of
13 John Fleming (b. 1627 Cumbarnauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland d. April 27, 1686 in New Kent County, VA, St. Peter's Parish Register)
Cary-Estes Genealogy p. 86 indicates that according to "Fleming Family" by Lyon G. Tyler, William and MaryQuarterly Vol. 12, 1093, pp. 45-47, "I think he was the father of Charles Fleming who md. Susannah ___. She was probably a daughter of Stephen Tarleton." John Fleming, 493 acres in New Kent County on south side of Yorke River 2 march 1661 per page 397 Parent Book No. 4.
According to "My Ancestors and Relatives": "John was born in 1627 in Cumbarnauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland. John's father was Captain Alexander FLEMING and his mother was Elizabeth (Elspet) ANDERSON. His paternal grandparents were John FLEMING and Margaret LIVINGSTON; his maternal grandparents are William ANDERSON and MRS. ANDERSON. He had a brother and two sisters, named John, Elizabeth and Alexia. He died at the age of 59 on April 27th, 1686 in Charles Parish, York Co., Virginia. His burial was on April 30th, 1686 in St. Peter's Parish, New Kent, Va.
"Mrs. Mercy or Mary was born about 1637 in Of Charles Parish, York Co., Va. She died in , New Kent, Va.
"John and Mrs. Mercy or Mary were married in a religious ceremony in , , , England. They had five sons and a daughter, named Colonel Charles, William, Alexander, John, Tarleton and Lydia."
John = son of
14 Alexander Fleming (b. 1612 Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland d. Dec. 30, 1668 Rappahannock Co., VA) md. Elizabeth (AKA Elspet) Anderson (b. 1614, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland d. Oct. 6, 1656 Rappahannock Co., VA)
According to "My Ancestors and Relatives": "Captain Alexander was born about 1612 in Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Captain Alexander's father was John FLEMING and his mother was Margaret LIVINGSTON. His paternal grandparents were John 1St Earl Wigton FLEMING and Lillias Lilias GRAHAM; his maternal grandfather was Alexander LIVINGSTON and his maternal grandmother is Eleanor Or Helen HAY. He had two brothers and six sisters, named John, William, Eleanor, Ann, Jean, Lilias, Helen and Margaret. He died on December 30th, 1668 in , Rappahannock Co., Va.
"Elizabeth (Elspet) was born about 1614 in Of Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Elizabeth (Elspet)'s father is William ANDERSON and her mother is MRS. ANDERSON. Her paternal grandfather is John ANDERSON. She was an only child. She died on October 6th, 1656 in , Rappahannock Co., Va.
"Captain Alexander and Elizabeth (Elspet) were married in a religious ceremony about 1632 in Scotland. They had two sons and two daughters, named John, John, Elizabeth and Alexia."
Alexander = son of
15 John Fleming (b. Dec. 9, 1589 Kincardine, Perth, Scotland d. May 7 1650 Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland) md. Margaret Livingston (b. about 1587 Callendar, Stirlingshire, Scotland d. 1634) (Her line)
According to "My Ancestors and Relatives": "John was born on December 9th, 1589 in Kincardine, Perth, Scot. and his baptism took place on December 9th, 1589 in Kincardine, Perthshire, Scotland. John's father was John 1St Earl Wigton FLEMING and his mother was Lillias Lilias GRAHAM. His paternal grandparents were John Fleming EARL and Elizabeth ROSS; his maternal grandfather is John GRAHAM and his maternal grandmother was Jean DRUMMOND. He had four brothers and eight sisters, named James, Alexander, FLEMING, Malcolm, Jean, Jean, Anne, Margaret, Sarah, Lillias, Mary and Rachel. He died at the age of 60 on May 7th, 1650 in Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, Scotland. His burial was in Scotland.
"Margaret was born about 1587 in Of, Callendar, Stirlingshire, Scotland. Margaret's father was Alexander LIVINGSTON and her mother is Eleanor Or Helen HAY. Her paternal grandfather was William LIVINGSTONE and her paternal grandmother is Agnes FLEMING. She had three brothers and a sister, named Alexander, John, James and Anna. She died in 1634.
"John and Margaret were married in a religious ceremony on February 20th, 1609 in Scotland. They had three sons and six daughters, named John, Captain Alexander, William, Eleanor, Ann, Jean, Lilias, Helen and Margaret.
John = son of
16 Lord John Fleming (1567-1619) 6th Lord Fleming, first Earl of Wigton in Scotland from 1606 md. Lilias Graham [Her line]
The Cary Estes Geneaology p. 86 quotes "Biggar and the House of Fleming" by William Hunter, F.S.a. Scot. Pages 551-552, 557:
"Lord Fleming married Lady Lilias Graham, a daughter of John, Earl of Montrose. Her ladyship was distinguished for her piety and devotion and her zealous efforts to promote the principles of the Reformation. Livingstone, in his 'Characterisitcs' says of her, 'When I was a child I have often seen her at my father's at the preachings and communions. While dressing she read the Bible, and every day at that time shed more tears (said one) than ever I did in my life.'"
"The Earl died in April 1619 leaving three sons and five daughters and was succeeded by his eldest son John who warmly embraced his mother's ecclesiastical opinions and was as zealous of the cause of Presbyterianism as his forefathers had been in the maintenance of Popery.
"He [the son, the Second Earl of Wigton] married Margaret, daughter of Alexander Livingstone, first Earl of Linlithgow, a lady of amiable disposition and great piety who entered cordially into the religious views and schemes of her husband. They not only attended the ministrations of the settled Protestant clergy, but for some time maintained a chaplain of their own family." (page 552)
Lilias = daughter of
17 John Graham, third Earl of Montrose (1548- Nov. 9, 1608), Chancellor of the University of St. Andrews 1599-1604 md. Joan Drummond
According
to
Wikipedia: "John Graham, 3rd Earl of Montrose (1548 – 9
November 1608) was a Scottish peer and Chancellor of the
University of St Andrews from 1599 to 1604.
He was a natural great-grandson of King James IV of
Scotland, his maternal grandmother, Janet Fleming, being a
royal bastard."
According to Cary-Estes Genealogy p. 85: Joan "dau. of David Drummond, Second and Lord, and Lilias Ruthven; son of Walter Drummond; son of William Drummond and Isabel Campbell, dau. of Colin Campbell, Earl of Argyle; son of Sir John Drummond and Eliza Lindsey." [Her line]
John = son of
18 Robert Graham, Master of Montrose (d. Sept. 10, 1547 at Pinkie, Scotland) md. Margaret Fleming (d. Aug. 15, 1584) [Her line]
[Cary-Estes p. 85 Robert Graham md. Margaret Fleming, d. 1547
According to thePeerage.com: "Robert Graham, Master of Montrose was the son of William Graham, 2nd Earl of Montrose and Lady Janet Keith. He died on 10 September 1547 at Pinkie, Scotland. Robert Graham, Master of Montrose was styled as Master of Montrose."
Robert = son of
19 Lady Janet Keith md. William Graham, second Earl of Montrose (1492-1571) [His line]
According to thepeerage.com: "William Graham, 2nd Earl of Montrose was the son of William Graham, 1st Earl of Montrose and Annabella Drummond. He married Lady Janet Keith, daughter of William Keith, 2nd Earl Marischal and Lady Elizabeth Gordon, in December 1515. William Graham, 2nd Earl of Montrose gained the title of 2nd Earl of Montrose.
[Cary-Estes p. 85 Jane Keith md. William Graham, Second Earl of Montrose]
Janet = daughter of
20 Lady Elizabeth or Eliza Gordon md. William Keith 2nd Earl Marischal [Her line]
According
to
thepeerage.com: "William Keith, 2nd Earl Marischal was the
son of Sir William de Keith, 1st Earl Marischal. He married
Lady Elizabeth Gordon, daughter of George Gordon, 2nd Earl
of Huntly and Annabella Stewart, in 1482. He died in 1530.
William Keith, 2nd Earl Marischal gained the title of 2nd
Earl Marischal, of Scotland."
According to thepeerage.com: "Lady Elizabeth Gordon was the daughter of George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly and Annabella Stewart. She married William Keith, 2nd Earl Marischal, son of Sir William de Keith, 1st Earl Marischal, in 1482.
[Cary-Estes p. 85 Eliza Gordon md. William Keith]
Eliza = daughter of
21 Annabella Stewart (1433-1471) md. George Gordon, Earl of Huntly (before 1455-1501), Chancellor of Scotland (1498-1501) [His line]
According to thepeerage.com: " Annabella Stewart was the daughter of James I Stewart, King of Scotland and Lady Joan Beaufort. She married, firstly, Luigi di Savoia, Conte di Savoia, son of Luigi I, Duca di Savoia and Anne de Lusignan, on 14 December 1447 at Stirling Castle, Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland.1 She and Luigi di Savoia, Conte di Savoia were divorced in 1458.1 She married, secondly, George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly, son of Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly and Elizabeth Crichton, before 10 March 1459/60.1 She and George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly were divorced on 24 July 1471 on the grounds of consanguinity. Annabella Stewart was also known as Jean Stewart. From before 10 March 1459/60, her married name became Gordon."
[Cary-Estes p. 85 Annabelle md. George Gordon, Earl of Huntly]
Annabella = daughter of
22 Joan Beaufort (1404-1445) md. 1424 King James I of Scotland (Stewart) (1394-1437) [His line]
According
to
Wikipedia: "Joan Beaufort (c. 1404 - 15 July 1445), was
Queen Consort of the Kingdom of Scotland from 1424 to 1437,
being married to James I of Scotland.
She was a daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset
and Margaret Holland. Her paternal grandparents were John of
Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and his mistress and later third
wife Katherine Swynford. Her maternal grandparents were
Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent and Alice Fitzalan. Alice
was a daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and
Eleanor of Lancaster. On 2 February 1424 at Southwark
Cathedral, Joan married James I, shortly before he was
formally crowned. They were feasted at Winchester Palace
that year by her uncle Henry Cardinal Beaufort. She is said
to have been the inspiration of James's famous long poem,
The Kingis Quair. They had eight children, including the
future James II, and Margaret of Scotland, wife of Louis XI
of France. After James I was assassinated in 1437, she took
over the regency for her son."
According to Wikipedia: "James I (December 10, 1394 – February 21, 1437) was nominal King of Scots from April 4, 1406, and reigning King of Scots from May 1424 until February 21, 1437. Born on December 10, 1394, the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond, he had an eventful childhood. In 1402 his elder brother, David, starved to death in prison at Falkland in Fife."
[Cary-Estes p. 85 Joan Beaufort md. James I, King of Scotland]
Joan = daughter of
23 Margaret Holland (1385-1439) md. John Beaufort, first Earl of Someset (1371-1410) (His line)
According to Wikipedia: "Margaret Beaufort (née Holland), Countess of Somerset (1385–30 Dec 1439) was the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, who was the son of Joan "the Fair Maid of Kent" (granddaughter of Edward I of England, wife of Edward the Black Prince and mother of Richard II of England). Margaret married John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, son of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and his mistress Katherine Swynford. They had six children:"
According to Wikipedia: "John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset (1373 – March 16, 1410) was the first of the four illegitimate children of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress Katherine Swynford, later his wife. Beaufort was born in about 1371 and his surname probably reflects his father's lordship of Beaufort in Champagne, France. The family emblem was the portcullis which is shown on the reverse of a modern British 1p coin. John of Gaunt had his nephew Richard II of England declare the Beaufort children legitimate in 1390, Gaunt married their mother in January 1396. Despite being the grandchildren of Edward III of England, and next in the line of succession after the Lancasters, their father's legitimate children, by agreement they were barred from the succession to the throne."
[Cary-Estes p. 85 Margaret Holland md. John Beaufort, Marquis of Dorsett, Earl of Somerset, Knight of the Garter]
Margaret = daughter of
24 Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent (1350 - April 25, 1397), councillor of his half-brother King Richard II md. Alice FitzAlan , daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and Eleanor of Lancaster [Her line]
According
to
Wikipedia: "Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent (1350–April 25,
1397) was an English nobleman and a councillor of his
half-brother Richard II. Thomas was the son of Thomas
Holland, 1st Earl of Kent and Joan of Kent. His mother was a
daughter of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent and
Margaret Wake. Edmund was in turn a son of Edward I of
England and his second Queen consort Marguerite of France,
and thus a younger half-brother of Edward II of England.
When his father died in 1360 Thomas became Baron Holand. His
mother was still Countess of Kent in her own right. At
sixteen, in 1366, Holland was appointed captain of the
English forces in Aquitaine. He fought in various campaigns
over the following years, and was made a Knight of the
Garter in 1375.
Richard II became king in 1377, and soon Holland acquired
great influence over his younger half-brother, which he used
for his own enrichment. In 1381 he was created Earl of Kent.
... Holland married Alice FitzAlan, daughter of Richard
FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, and Eleanor of Lancaster.
They had eight children:"
[Cary-Estes p. 85 Thomas Holand md. Alice FitzAlan, daughter of Richard, Ninth Earl of Arundel]
Thomas = son of
25 Joan "the Fair Maid of Kent", granddaughter of Edward I of England, wife of Edward the Black Prince and mother of Richard II of England md. Thomas Holland, 1st Earl Earl of Kent (c. 1314 - Dec. 26, 1360) military commander during the Hundred Years' War [His line]
According
to
Wikipedia: "Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent (c. 1314 – 26
December 1360) was an English nobleman and military
commander during the Hundred Years' War.
He was from a gentry family in Holland, Lancashire. He was a
son of Robert Holland and Maud De La Zouche. In his early
military career, he fought in Flanders. He was engaged, in
1340, in the English expedition into Flanders and sent, two
years later, with Sir John D'Artevelle to Bayonne, to defend
the Gascon frontier against the French. In 1343, he was
again on service in France; and, in the following year, had
the honour of being chosen one of the founders of the Most
Noble Order of the Garter. In 1346, he attended King Edward
III into Normandy in the immediate retinue of the Earl of
Warwick; and, at the taking of Caen, the Count of Eu and
Guînes, Constable of France, and the Count De Tancarville
surrendered themselves to him as prisoners. At the Battle of
Crécy, he was one of the principal commanders in the van
under the Prince of Wales and he, afterwards, served at the
Siege of Calais in 1346-7. Around the same time as, or
before, his first expedition, he secretly married the
12-year-old Joan of Kent, daughter of Edmund of Woodstock,
1st Earl of Kent and Margaret Wake, granddaughter of Edward
I and Marguerite of France. However, during his absence on
foreign service, Joan, under pressure from her family,
contracted another marriage with William Montacute, 2nd Earl
of Salisbury (of whose household Holland had been
seneschal). This second marriage was annulled in 1349, when
Joan's previous marriage with Holland was proved to the
satisfaction of the papal commissioners. Joan was ordered by
the Pope to return to her husband and live with him as his
lawful wife; this she did, thus producing 4 children by
him."
According to Wikipedia: "Joan, Countess of Kent (September
29, 1328 – August 7, 1385), known to history as The Fair
Maid of Kent, was the first Princess of Wales. The French
chronicler Froissart called her "the most beautiful woman in
all the realm of England, and the most loving." The "fair
maid of Kent" appellation does not appear to be
contemporary.... Joan was daughter of Edmund of Woodstock,
1st Earl of Kent, and Margaret Wake, 3rd Baroness Wake. Her
paternal grandparents were Edward I of England and his
second Queen consort Marguerite of France[2]. Her maternal
grandparents were John Wake, 1st Baron Wake of Liddell and
Joan de Fiennes. Her father, Edmund, was a younger
half-brother of Edward II of England. Edmund's support of
the King placed him in conflict with the Queen, Isabella of
France, and her lover Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March.
Edmund was executed after Edward II's deposition, and Joan,
her mother and her siblings were placed under house-arrest
in Arundel Castle when Joan was only two years old"
[Cary-Estes p. 84 Joan of Kent md. Thomas Holand][Cary-Estes p. 84 Joan of Kent md. Thomas Holand]
Joan = daughter of
26 Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent (Plantagenet) (Aug. 5, 1301 - March 19, 1330 executed for treason) md. Margaret Wake, (c. 1297-1349) 3rd Baroness Wake, descendant of Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd [Her line]
According to Wikipedia: "Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent (August 5, 1301 – March 19, 1330) was a member of the English Royal Family. He was born at Woodstock in Oxfordshire, the son of King Edward I and his second wife, Queen Marguerite. He was 62 years younger than his father, who died when Edmund of Woodstock was only seven. Reportedly, he enjoyed his father's favour. He was summoned to Parliament by writ of summons on 5 August 1320, by which he is held to have become Baron Woodstock. On 28 July 1321 he was created Earl of Kent. Kent was married to the 3rd Baroness Wake, daughter of the 1st Baron Wake of Liddell by Joan de Fiennes, sometime between October and December in 1325 at Blisworth in Northamptonshire. In 1327, after the execution and forfeiture of the Earl of Arundel, Kent held the castle and honour (land) of Arundel, although he was never formally invested with the titles appropriate to this barony. He was the father of Joan of Kent, through whom the earldom eventually passed into the Holland family. Kent was sentenced to death by Sir Robert de Hauville for treason, having supported his half-brother, the deposed King Edward II, by order of the Regents the Earl of March and Queen Isabella, before the outer walls of Winchester Castle. It was said that he believed Edward II to be still alive and had conspired to rescue him from prison. Such was public hostility to the execution that "he had to wait five hours for an executioner, because nobody wanted to do it", until a convicted murderer offered to do the deed in exchange for a pardon."
According
to
Wikipedia: "Margaret Wake (c. 1297 – 29 September 1349) was
the wife of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent. She was
the daughter of John Wake, 1st Baron Wake of Liddell, and
was descended directly from Llywelyn the Great, Prince of
Gwynedd. Her mother was Joan de Fiennes, making her a cousin
of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March. Margaret married John
Comyn (c. 1294-1314) around 1312, son of the John Comyn who
was murdered by Robert the Bruce in 1306. Her husband John
died at the Battle of Bannockburn, and their only child,
Aymer Comyn (1314-1316) died as a toddler. She married for a
second time, to Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent. They
received a dispensation in October 1325, and the wedding
probably took place at Christmas.
Through her marriage to Edmund (who was executed for treason
in 1330), she was the mother of two short-lived Earls of
Kent, of Margaret and Joan of Kent (wife of Edward, the
Black Prince). The pregnant Margaret and her children were
confined to Salisbury Castle, and her brother Thomas Wake
was accused of treason but later pardoned. When King Edward
III of England reached his majority and overthrew the
regents, he took in Margaret and her children and treated
them as his own family. She succeeded briefly as Baroness
Wake of Liddell in 1349, but died during an outbreak of the
plague that autumn."
Margaret = daughter of
27 John Wake, First Baron Wake of Liddell (d. 1300) md. Joan de Fiennes
According to ThePeerage, "John Wake, 1st Baron Wake of Liddell was the son of Baldwin Wake, Lord of Bourne and Hawise de Quincy. He married Joan de Fenes, daughter of William de Fiennes, Baron of Tingry and Blanche de Brienne, Dame de La Loupelande, before 24 August 1291. He died circa 10 March 1300. John Wake, 1st Baron Wake of Liddell gained the title of 1st Baron Wake of Liddell.1"
According to ThePeerage, "Joan de Fenes is the daughter of William de Fiennes, Baron of Tingry and Blanche de Brienne, Dame de La Loupelande.1 She married John Wake, 1st Baron Wake of Liddell, son of Baldwin Wake, Lord of Bourne and Hawise de Quincy, before 24 August 1291. She died before 26 October 1309. Joan de Fenes was also known as Joan de Fiennes. From before 24 August 1291, her married name became Wake."
John = son of
28 Baldwin Wake, Lord of Bourne (d. 1281-1282) md. Hawise de Quincy
According to ThePeerage, "Baldwin Wake, Lord of Bourne was born between 1238 and 1258. He married, secondly, Hawise de Quincy, daughter of Robert de Quincy, Lord of Ware and Helen ap Llywelyn, circa 1268. He died between 4 February 1281 and 1282. Baldwin Wake, Lord of Bourne gained the title of Lord of Bourne."
According to ThePeerage, "Hawise de Quincy was born circa 1250.1 She was the daughter of Robert de Quincy, Lord of Ware and Helen ap Llywelyn.1 She married Baldwin Wake, Lord of Bourne circa 1268. She died circa 1295.1 She was also reported to have died before 27 March 1285. Her married name became Wake."
Hawise de Quincy = daughter of
29 Robert de Quincy, Lord of Ware md. Helen ap Llywelyn AKA Helen of North Wales (b. c. 1207 d. 1253)
According to ThePeerage, " Robert de Quincy, Lord of Ware was the son of Saher de Quency, 1st Earl of Winchester.1 He married Helen ap Llywelyn, daughter of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Prince of North Wales and Joan (?), before 5 December 1237.2 He died in August 1257, without male issue.1 Robert de Quincy, Lord of Ware gained the title of Lord of Ware."
According to ThePeerage, "Helen ap Llywelyn was born circa 1207.2 She was the daughter of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Prince of North Wales and Joan (?).1 She married, firstly, John the Scot, 10th Earl of Huntingdon, son of David of Scotland, 9th Earl of Huntingdon and Matilda of Chester, in 1222.1,3 She married, secondly, Robert de Quincy, Lord of Ware, son of Saher de Quency, 1st Earl of Winchester, before 5 December 1237.1 She died between 1 January 1253 and 24 October 1253.3,4 An inquest post mortem was held for her on 10 November 1253.4 Helen ap Llywelyn was also known as Helen of North Wales.5"
Helen = daughter of
30 Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Prince of North Wales AKA Llywelyn the Great (c. 1173 - April 1240) reigned 1218-1240 md. Joan, Lady of Wales, daughter of King John of England His Line
According to Wikipedia: "Llywelyn the Great (Welsh: Llywelyn Fawr, Welsh: [???w?l?n]), full name Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, (c. 1173 – 11 April 1240) was a Prince of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually de facto ruler over most of Wales. He is occasionally called Llywelyn I of Wales.[1] By a combination of war and diplomacy he dominated Wales for forty years, and was one of only two Welsh rulers to be called 'the Great'.
Llywelyn's main home and court throughout his reign was at Garth Celyn on the north coast of Gwynedd, between Bangor and Conwy, overlooking the port of Llanfaes; he also had a hunting lodge in the uplands at Trefriw.[2] Throughout the thirteenth century, up to the Edwardian conquest, Garth Celyn, Aber Garth Celyn, was in effect the capital of Wales. (Garth Celyn is now known as Pen y Bryn, Bryn Llywelyn, Abergwyngregyn and parts of the medieval buildings still remain).[3]
During Llywelyn's boyhood Gwynedd was ruled by two of his uncles, who had agreed to split the kingdom between them following the death of Llywelyn's grandfather, Owain Gwynedd, in 1170. Llywelyn had a strong claim to be the legitimate ruler and began a campaign to win power at an early age. He was sole ruler of Gwynedd by 1200, and made a treaty with King John of England the same year. Llywelyn's relations with John remained good for the next ten years. He married John's natural daughter Joan, in 1205, and when John arrested Gwenwynwyn ab Owain of Powys in 1208 Llywelyn took the opportunity to annex southern Powys. In 1210 relations deteriorated and John invaded Gwynedd in 1211. Llywelyn was forced to seek terms and to give up all his lands east of the River Conwy, but was able to recover these lands the following year in alliance with the other Welsh princes. He allied himself with the barons who forced John to sign the Magna Carta in 1215. By 1216 he was the dominant power in Wales, holding a council at Aberdyfi that year to apportion lands to the other princes.
Following King John's death, Llywelyn concluded the Treaty of Worcester with his successor Henry III in 1218. During the next fifteen years Llywelyn was frequently involved in fighting with Marcher lords and sometimes with the king, but also made alliances with several of the major powers in the Marches. The Peace of Middle in 1234 marked the end of Llywelyn's military career as the agreed truce of two years was extended year by year for the remainder of his reign. He maintained his position in Wales until his death in 1240, and was succeeded by his son Dafydd ap Llywelyn.
Llywelyn was born about 1173, the son of Iorwerth ap Owain and the grandson of Owain Gwynedd, who had been ruler of Gwynedd until his death in 1170. Llywelyn was a descendant of the senior line of Rhodri Mawr and therefore a member of the princely house of Gwynedd. [4] He was probably born at Dolwyddelan though not in the present Dolwyddelan castle, which was built by Llywelyn himself. He may have been born in the old castle which occupied a rocky knoll on the valley floor.[5] Little is known about his father, Iorwerth Drwyndwn, who died when Llywelyn was an infant. There is no record of Iorwerth having taken part in the power struggle between some of Owain Gwynedd's other sons following Owain's death, although he was the eldest surviving son. There is a tradition that he was disabled or disfigured in some way that excluded him from power.[6]
By 1175 Gwynedd had been divided between two of Llywelyn's uncles. Dafydd ab Owain held the area east of the River Conwy and Rhodri ab Owain held the west. Dafydd and Rhodri were the sons of Owain by his second marriage to Cristin ferch Goronwy. This marriage was not considered valid by the church as Cristin was Owain's first cousin, a degree of relationship which according to Canon law prohibited marriage. Giraldus Cambrensis refers to Iorwerth Drwyndwn as the only legitimate son of Owain Gwynedd.[7] Following Iorwerth's death, Llywelyn was, at least in the eyes of the church, the legitimate claimant to the throne of Gwynedd.[8]
Llywelyn's
mother
was Marared, sometimes anglicised to Margaret, daughter of
Madog ap Maredudd, prince of Powys. There is evidence that,
after her first husband Iorwerth's death, Marared married in
the summer of 1197, Gwion, the nephew of Roger Powys of
Whittington Castle. She seems to have pre-deceased her
husband, after bearing him a son, David ap Gwion, and
therefore there can be no truth in the story that she later
married into the Corbet family of Caus Castle (near
Westbury, Shropshire) and later, Moreton Corbet Castle.[9]
[edit] Rise to power 1188–1199
The arms of the royal house of Gwynedd were traditionally
first used by Llywelyn's father, Iorwerth Drwyndwn
In his account of his journey around Wales in 1188 Giraldus Cambrensis mentions that the young Llywelyn was already in arms against his uncles Dafydd and Rhodri;
"Owen, son of Gruffyth, prince of North Wales, had many sons, but only one legitimate, namely, Jorwerth Drwyndwn, which in Welsh means flat-nosed, who had a son named Lhewelyn. This young man, being only twelve years of age, began, during the period of our journey, to molest his uncles David and Roderic, the sons of Owen by Christiana, his cousin-german; and although they had divided amongst themselves all North Wales, except the land of Conan, and although David, having married the sister of king Henry II, by whom he had one son, was powerfully supported by the English, yet within a few years the legitimate son, destitute of lands or money (by the aid of divine vengeance), bravely expelled from North Wales those who were born in public incest, though supported by their own wealth and by that of others, leaving them nothing but what the liberality of his own mind and the counsel of good men from pity suggested: a proof that adulterous and incestuous persons are displeasing to God." [10]
In 1194, with the aid of his cousins Gruffudd ap Cynan[11] and Maredudd ap Cynan, he defeated Dafydd at the battle of Aberconwy at the mouth of the River Conwy. Rhodri died in 1195, and his lands west of the Conwy were taken over by Gruffudd and Maredudd while Llywelyn ruled the territories taken from Dafydd east of the Conwy.[12] In 1197 Llywelyn captured Dafydd and imprisoned him. A year later Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury, persuaded Llywelyn to release him, and Dafydd retired to England where he died in May 1203.
Wales
was divided into Pura Wallia, the areas ruled by the Welsh
princes, and Marchia Wallia, ruled by the Anglo-Norman
barons. Since the death of Owain Gwynedd in 1170, Rhys ap
Gruffydd had made the southern kingdom of Deheubarth the
strongest of the Welsh kingdoms, and had established himself
as the leader of Pura Wallia. After Rhys died in 1197,
fighting between his sons led to the splitting of Deheubarth
between warring factions. Gwenwynwyn ab Owain, prince of
Powys Wenwynwyn, tried to take over as leader of the Welsh
princes, and in 1198 raised a great army to besiege
Painscastle, which was held by the troops of William de
Braose, Lord of Bramber. Llywelyn sent troops to help
Gwenwynwyn, but in August Gwenwynwyn's force was attacked by
an army led by the Justiciar, Geoffrey Fitz Peter, and
heavily defeated.[13] Gwenwynwyn's defeat gave Llywelyn the
opportunity to establish himself as the leader of the Welsh.
In 1199 he captured the important castle of Mold and was
apparently using the title "prince of the whole of North
Wales" (Latin: tocius norwallie princeps).[14] Llywelyn was
probably not in fact master of all Gwynedd at this time
since it was his cousin Gruffudd ap Cynan who promised
homage to King John for Gwynedd in 1199.[15]
[edit] Early reign
[edit] Consolidation 1200–1209
By 1200 Llywelyn was the undisputed ruler of Gwynedd. In 1201 he took Eifionydd and Ll?n from Maredudd ap Cynan on a charge of treachery.[15] In July the same year Llywelyn concluded a treaty with King John of England. This is the earliest surviving written agreement between an English king and a Welsh ruler, and under its terms Llywelyn was to swear fealty and do homage to the king. In return, it confirmed Llywelyn's possession of his conquests and allowed cases relating to lands claimed by Llywelyn to be heard under Welsh law.[16]
Llywelyn made his first move beyond the borders of Gwynedd in August 1202 when he raised a force to attack Gwenwynwyn ab Owain of Powys, who was now his main rival in Wales. The clergy intervened to make peace between Llywelyn and Gwenwynwyn and the invasion was called off. Elise ap Madog, lord of Penllyn, had refused to respond to Llywelyn's summons to arms and was stripped of almost all his lands by Llywelyn as punishment.[17]
Llywelyn consolidated his position in 1205 by marrying Joan, the natural daughter of King John. He had previously been negotiating with Pope Innocent III for leave to marry his uncle Rhodri's widow, daughter of Ragnald, King of Mann and the Isles. However this proposal was dropped.[18]
In
1208 Gwenwynwyn of Powys fell out with King John who
summoned him to Shrewsbury in October and then arrested him
and stripped him of his lands. Llywelyn took the opportunity
to annex southern Powys and northern Ceredigion and rebuild
Aberystwyth castle.[19] In the summer of 1209 he accompanied
John on a campaign against King William I of Scotland.[20]
[edit] Setback and recovery 1210–1217
In
1210 relations between Llywelyn and King John deteriorated.
J.E. Lloyd suggests that the rupture may have been due to
Llywelyn forming an alliance with William de Braose, 4th
Lord of Bramber, who had fallen out with the king and had
been deprived of his lands.[21] While John led a campaign
against de Braose and his allies in Ireland, an army led by
Earl Ranulph of Chester and Peter des Roches, Bishop of
Winchester, invaded Gwynedd. Llywelyn destroyed his own
castle at Deganwy and retreated west of the River Conwy. The
Earl of Chester rebuilt Deganwy, and Llywelyn retaliated by
ravaging the earl's lands.[22] John sent troops to help
restore Gwenwynwyn to the rule of southern Powys. In 1211
John invaded Gwynedd with the aid of almost all the other
Welsh princes, planning according to Brut y Tywysogion "to
dispossess Llywelyn and destroy him utterly".[23] The first
invasion was forced to retreat, but in August that year John
invaded again with a larger army, crossed the River Conwy
and penetrated Snowdonia.[24] Bangor was burnt by a
detachment of the royal army and the Bishop of Bangor
captured. Llywelyn was forced to come to terms, and by the
advice of his council sent his wife Joan to negotiate with
the king, her father.[25] Joan was able to persuade her
father not to dispossess her husband completely, but
Llywelyn lost all his lands east of the River Conwy. He also
had to pay a large tribute in cattle and horses and to hand
over hostages, including his illegitimate son Gruffydd, and
was forced to agree that if he died without a legitimate
heir by Joan all his lands would revert to the king.[26]
Statue of Llywelyn the Great, Conwy
This was the low point of Llywelyn's reign, but he quickly recovered his position. The other Welsh princes, who had supported King John against Llywelyn, soon became disillusioned with John's rule and changed sides. Llywelyn formed an alliance with Gwenwynwyn of Powys and the two main rulers of Deheubarth, Maelgwn ap Rhys and Rhys Gryg, and rose against John. They had the support of Pope Innocent III, who had been engaged in a dispute with John for several years and had placed his kingdom under an interdict. Innocent released Llywelyn, Gwenwynwyn and Maelgwn from all oaths of loyalty to John and lifted the interdict in the territories which they controlled. Llywelyn was able to recover all Gwynedd apart from the castles of Deganwy and Rhuddlan within two months in 1212.[27]
John
planned another invasion of Gwynedd in August 1212.
According to one account, he had just commenced by hanging
some of the Welsh hostages given the previous year when he
received two letters. One was from his daughter Joan,
Llywelyn's wife, the other from William I of Scotland, and
both warned him in similar terms that if he invaded Wales
his magnates would seize the opportunity to kill him or hand
him over to his enemies.[28] The invasion was abandoned, and
in 1213 Llywelyn took the castles of Deganwy and
Rhuddlan.[29] Llywelyn made an alliance with Philip II
Augustus of France,[30] then allied himself with the barons
who were in rebellion against John, marching on Shrewsbury
and capturing it without resistance in 1215.[31] When John
was forced to sign Magna Carta, Llywelyn was rewarded with
several favourable provisions relating to Wales, including
the release of his son Gruffydd who had been a hostage since
1211.[32] The same year Ednyfed Fychan was appointed
sensechal of Gwynedd and was to work closely with Llywelyn
for the remainder of his reign.
Wales c. 1217. Yellow: areas directly ruled by Llywelyn;
Grey: areas ruled by Llywelyn's client princes; Green:
Anglo-Norman lordships.
Llywelyn had now established himself as the leader of the independent princes of Wales, and in December 1215 led an army which included all the lesser princes to capture the castles of Carmarthen, Kidwelly, Llanstephan, Cardigan and Cilgerran. Another indication of his growing power was that he was able to insist on the consecration of Welshmen to two vacant sees that year, Iorwerth as Bishop of St. David's and Cadwgan as Bishop of Bangor.[33]
In 1216, Llywelyn held a council at Aberdyfi to adjudicate on the territorial claims of the lesser princes, who affirmed their homage and allegiance to Llywelyn. Beverley Smith comments, "Henceforth, the leader would be lord, and the allies would be subjects".[34] Gwenwynwyn of Powys changed sides again that year and allied himself with King John. Llywelyn called up the other princes for a campaign against him and drove him out of southern Powys once more. Gwenwynwyn died in England later that year, leaving an underage heir. King John also died that year, and he also left an underage heir in King Henry III with a minority government set up in England.[35]
In
1217 Reginald de Braose of Brecon and Abergavenny, who had
been allied to Llywelyn and had married his daughter Gwladus
Ddu, was induced by the English crown to change sides.
Llywelyn responded by invading his lands, first threatening
Brecon, where the burgesses offered hostages for the payment
of 100 marks, then heading for Swansea where Reginald de
Braose met him to offer submission and to surrender the
town. He then continued westwards to threaten Haverfordwest
where the burgesses offered hostages for their submission to
his rule or the payment of a fine of 1,000 marks.[36]
[edit] Later reign
[edit] Treaty of Worcester and border campaigns 1218–1229
Following
King
John's death Llywelyn concluded the Treaty of Worcester with
his successor Henry III in 1218. This treaty confirmed him
in possession of all his recent conquests. From then until
his death Llywelyn was the dominant force in Wales, though
there were further outbreaks of hostilities with marcher
lords, particularly the Marshall family and Hubert de Burgh,
and sometimes with the king. Llywelyn built up marriage
alliances with several of the Marcher families. One
daughter, Gwladus Ddu, was already married to Reginald de
Braose of Brecon and Abergavenny, but with Reginald an
unreliable ally Llywelyn married another daughter, Marared,
to John de Braose of Gower, Reginald's nephew. He found a
loyal ally in Ranulph, Earl of Chester, whose nephew and
heir, John the Scot, married Llywelyn's daughter Elen in
about 1222. Following Reginald de Braose's death, Llywelyn
also made an alliance with the powerful Mortimer family of
Wigmore when Gwladus Ddu married Ralph de Mortimer.[37]
Criccieth Castle is one of a number built by Llywelyn
Llywelyn was careful not to provoke unnecessary hostilities with the crown or the Marcher lords; for example in 1220 he compelled Rhys Gryg to return four commotes in South Wales to their previous Anglo-Norman owners.[38] He built a number of castles to defend his borders, most thought to have been built between 1220 and 1230. These were the first sophisticated stone castles in Wales; his castles at Criccieth, Deganwy, Dolbadarn, Dolwyddelan and Castell y Bere are among the best examples.[39] Llywelyn also appears to have fostered the development of quasi-urban settlements in Gwynedd to act as centres of trade.[40]
Hostilities broke out with William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, in 1220. Llywelyn destroyed the castles of Narberth and Wiston, burnt the town of Haverfordwest and threatened Pembroke Castle, but agreed to abandon the attack on payment of £100. In early 1223 Llywelyn crossed the border into Shropshire and captured Kinnerley and Whittington castles. The Marshalls took advantage of Llywelyn's involvement here to land near St David's in April with an army raised in Ireland and recaptured Cardigan and Carmarthen without opposition. The Marshalls' campaign was supported by a royal army which took possession of Montgomery. Llywelyn came to an agreement with the king at Montgomery in October that year. Llywelyn's allies in south Wales were given back lands taken from them by the Marshalls and Llywelyn himself gave up his conquests in Shropshire.[41]
In
1228 Llywelyn was engaged in a campaign against Hubert de
Burgh, who was Justiciar of England and Ireland and one of
the most powerful men in the kingdom. Hubert had been given
the lordship and castle of Montgomery by the king and was
encroaching on Llywelyn's lands nearby. The king raised an
army to help Hubert, who began to build another castle in
the commote of Ceri. However in October the royal army was
obliged to retreat and Henry agreed to destroy the
half-built castle in exchange for the payment of £2,000 by
Llywelyn. Llywelyn raised the money by demanding the same
sum as the ransom of William de Braose, Lord of Abergavenny,
whom he had captured in the fighting.[42]
[edit] Marital problems 1230
Following his capture, William de Braose, 10th Baron Abergavenny decided to ally himself to Llywelyn, and a marriage was arranged between his daughter Isabella and Llywelyn's heir, Dafydd ap Llywelyn. At Easter 1230 William visited Llywelyn's court. During this visit he was found in Llywelyn's chamber together with Llywelyn's wife Joan. On 2 May, De Braose was hanged at the foot of Garth Celyn, the spot known in local tradition as 'gwern y grog'; Joan was placed under house arrest for a year. The Brut y Tywysogion chronicler commented: "that year William de Breos the Younger, lord of Brycheiniog, was hanged by the lord Llywelyn in Gwynedd, after he had been caught in Llywelyn's chamber with the king of England's daughter, Llywelyn's wife."[43].
A letter from Llywelyn to William's wife, Eva de Braose, written shortly after the execution enquires whether she still wishes the marriage between Dafydd and Isabella to take place.[44] The marriage did go ahead, and the following year Joan was forgiven and restored to her position as princess.
Until
1230
Llywelyn had used the title princeps Norwalliæ 'Prince of
North Wales', but from that year he changed his title to
'Prince of North Wales and Lord of Snowdonia', possibly to
underline his supremacy over the other Welsh princes.[45] He
did not formally style himself 'Prince of Wales' although as
J.E. Lloyd comments "he had much of the power which such a
title might imply".[46]
[edit] Final campaigns and the Peace of Middle 1231–1240
In 1231 there was further fighting. Llywelyn was becoming concerned about the growing power of Hubert de Burgh. Some of his men had been taken prisoner by the garrison of Montgomery and beheaded, and Llywelyn responded by burning Montgomery, Powys, New Radnor, Hay and Brecon before turning west to capture the castles of Neath and Kidwelly. He completed the campaign by recapturing Cardigan castle.[47] King Henry retaliated by launching an invasion and built a new castle at Painscastle, but was unable to penetrate far into Wales.[48]
Negotiations
continued
into 1232, when Hubert was removed from office and later
imprisoned. Much of his power passed to Peter de Rivaux,
including control of several castles in south Wales. William
Marshal had died in 1231, and his brother Richard had
succeeded him as Earl of Pembroke. In 1233 hostilities broke
out between Richard Marshal and Peter de Rivaux, who was
supported by the king. Llywelyn made an alliance with
Richard, and in January 1234 the earl and Llywelyn seized
Shrewsbury. Richard was killed in Ireland in April, but the
king agreed to make peace with the insurgents.[49] The Peace
of Middle, agreed on 21 June, established a truce of two
years with Llywelyn, who was allowed to retain Cardigan and
Builth. This truce was renewed year by year for the
remainder of Llywelyn's reign.[50]
[edit] Death and aftermath
[edit] Arrangements for the succession
In
his later years Llywelyn devoted much effort to ensuring
that his only legitimate son Dafydd would follow him as
ruler of Gwynedd. Dafydd's older but illegitimate brother,
Gruffydd, was excluded from the succession. This was a
departure from Welsh custom, not as is often stated because
the kingdom was not divided between Dafydd and Gruffydd but
because Gruffydd was excluded from consideration as a
potential heir owing to his illegitimacy. This was contrary
to Welsh law which stipulated that illegitimate sons had
equal rights with legitimate sons, provided they had been
acknowledged by the father.[51]
Strata Florida Abbey was the site of the council of 1238.
In 1220 Llywelyn induced the minority government of King Henry to acknowledge Dafydd as his heir.[52] In 1222 he petitioned Pope Honorius III to have Dafydd's succession confirmed. The original petition has not been preserved but the Pope's reply refers to the "detestable custom... in his land whereby the son of the handmaiden was equally heir with the son of the free woman and illegitimate sons obtained an inheritance as if they were legitimate". The Pope welcomed the fact that Llywelyn was abolishing this custom.[53] In 1226 Llywelyn persuaded the Pope to declare his wife Joan, Dafydd's mother, to be a legitimate daughter of King John, again in order to strengthen Dafydd's position, and in 1229 the English crown accepted Dafydd's homage for the lands he would inherit from his father.[52] In 1238 Llywelyn held a council at Strata Florida Abbey where the other Welsh princes swore fealty to Dafydd.[52] Llywelyn's original intention had been that they should do homage to Dafydd, but the king wrote to the other rulers forbidding them to do homage.[54]
Gruffydd
was
given an appanage in Meirionnydd and Ardudwy but his rule
was said to be oppressive, and in 1221 Llywelyn stripped him
of these territories.[55] In 1228 Llywelyn imprisoned him,
and he was not released until 1234. On his release he was
given part of Ll?n to rule. His performance this time was
apparently more satisfactory and by 1238 he had been given
the remainder of Ll?n and a substantial part of Powys.[56]
[edit] Death and the transfer of power
Joan
died in 1237 and Llywelyn appears to have suffered a
paralytic stroke the same year.[57] From this time on, his
heir Dafydd took an increasing part in the rule of the
principality. Dafydd deprived his brother Gruffydd of the
lands given him by Llywelyn, and later seized him and his
eldest son Owain and held them in Criccieth Castle. In 1240
the chronicler of Brut y Tywysogion records: "the lord
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth son of Owain Gwynedd, Prince of Wales,
a second Achilles, died having taken on the habit of
religion at Aberconwy, and was buried honourably."[58]
Llywelyn's stone coffin is now in Llanrwst parish church
Llywelyn died at the Cistercian abbey of Aberconwy, which he had founded, and was buried there. This abbey was later moved to Maenan near Llanrwst, and Llywelyn's stone coffin can now be seen in Llanrwst parish church. Among the poets who lamented his passing was Einion Wan:
True
lord of the land – how strange that today
He rules not o'er Gwynedd;
Lord of nought but the piled up stones of
his tomb,
Of the seven-foot grave in which he
lies.[59]
Dafydd
succeeded
Llywelyn as prince of Gwynedd, but King Henry was not
prepared to allow him to inherit his father's position in
the remainder of Wales. Dafydd was forced to agree to a
treaty greatly restricting his power and was also obliged to
hand his brother Gruffydd over to the king, who now had the
option of using him against Dafydd. Gruffydd was killed
attempting to escape from the Tower of London in 1244. This
left the field clear for Dafydd, but Dafydd himself died
without issue in 1246 and was eventually succeeded by his
nephew, Gruffydd's son, Llywelyn the Last.
[edit] Historical assessment
Llywelyn dominated Wales for over forty years, and was one of only two Welsh rulers to be called 'the Great', the other being his ancestor Rhodri the Great. The first person to give Llywelyn the title 'the Great' seems to have been his near-contemporary, the English chronicler Matthew Paris.[60]
John Edward Lloyd gave the following assessment of Llywelyn:
Among the chieftains who battled against the Anglo-Norman power his place will always be high, if not indeed the highest of all, for no man ever made better or more judicious use of the native force of the Welsh people for adequate national ends; his patriotic statemanship will always entitle him to wear the proud style of Llywelyn the Great.[61]
David Moore gives a different view:
When Llywelyn died in 1240 his principatus of Wales rested on shaky foundations. Although he had dominated Wales, exacted unprecedented submissions and raised the status of the prince of Gwynedd to new heights, his three major ambitions - a permanent hegemony, its recognition by the king, and its inheritance in its entirety by his heir - remained unfulfilled. His supremacy, like that of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, had been merely personal in nature, and there was no institutional framework to maintain it either during his lifetime or after his death.[62]
The identity of the mother of some of Llywelyn's children is uncertain. He was survived by nine children. Elen ferch Llywelyn (c. 1207–1253) first married John de Scotia, Earl of Chester. This marriage was childless, and after John's death Elen married Sir Robert de Quincy, the brother of Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester. Dafydd ap Llywelyn (c. 1215–1246), his son by Lady Joan, married Isabella de Braose, daughter of William de Braose, 10th Baron Abergavenny, Lord of Abergavenny. William was the son of Reginald de Braose and Gracia Briwere. After Gracia's death Reginald married Gwladus Ddu, another of Llywelyn's daughters. D
Another daughter was Gwladus Ddu (c. 1206–1251). Adam of Usk in the fifteenth century states that she was a daughter by Joan, although most sources claim that her mother was Llywelyn's mistress, Tangwystl Goch.[63] She first married Reginald de Braose of Brecon and Abergavenny in November 1215, but had no children by him. After Reginald's death in 1228 she married Ralph de Mortimer of Wigmore in 1230 and had five sons and a daughter.
Little is known of Llywelyn's mistress, Tangwystl Goch except that she was the daughter of Llywarch "Goch" of Rhos.[64] Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (c. 1196–1244) was Llywelyn's eldest son and is known to be the son of Tangwystl. He married Senena, daughter of Caradoc ap Thomas of Anglesey. Their four sons included Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, who for a period occupied a position in Wales comparable to that of his grandfather, and Dafydd ap Gruffydd who ruled Gwynedd briefly after his brother's death. Llywelyn had another son, Tegwared ap Llywelyn, by a woman known only as Crysten.
Marared ferch Llywelyn (c. 1198–after 1263) married John de Braose of Bramber and Gower, a nephew of Reginald de Braose, by whom she had at least three sons. After his death in 1232 she married Walter III de Clifford of Bronllys and Clifford Castle with whom she had a single daughter, Matilda Clifford. Other daughters were Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn, who married William de Lacy, and Angharad ferch Llywelyn, who married Maelgwn Fychan. Susanna ferch Llywelyn was sent to England as a hostage in 1228, and married Maol Choluim II, Earl of Fife in 1237 by whom she had at least two sons.
A number of Welsh poems addressed to Llywelyn by contemporary poets such as Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr, Dafydd Benfras and Llywarch ap Llywelyn (better known under the nickname Prydydd y Moch) have survived. Very little of this poetry has been published in English translation.[65]
Llywelyn has continued to figure in modern Welsh literature. The play Siwan (1956, English translation 1960) by Saunders Lewis deals with the finding of William de Braose in Joan's chamber and his execution by Llywelyn. Another well-known Welsh play about Llywelyn is Llywelyn Fawr by Thomas Parry.
Llywelyn is the main character or one of the main characters in several English-language novels:
*
Raymond Foxall (1959) Song for a Prince: The Story of
Llywelyn the Great covers the period from King John's
invasion in 1211 to the execution of William de Braose.
* Sharon Kay Penman (1985) Here be
Dragons is centred on the marriage of Llywelyn and Joan.
Dragon's lair (2004) by the same author features the young
Llywelyn before he gained power in Gwynedd.
* Edith Pargeter (1960-63) "The Heaven
Tree Trilogy" features Llywelyn, Joan, William de Braose,
and several of Llywelyn's sons as major characters.
* Gaius Demetrius (2006) Ascent of an
Eagle tells the story of the early part of Llywelyn's reign.
The story of the faithful hound Gelert, owned by Llywelyn and mistakenly killed by him, is also considered to be fiction. "Gelert's grave" is a popular tourist attraction in Beddgelert but is thought to have been created by an eighteenth century innkeeper to boost the tourist trade. The tale itself is a variation on a common folktale motif."
According to Wikipedia: "Joan was a natural daughter of King John of England and Agatha de Ferrers. She should not be confused with her half-sister Joan, Queen Consort of Scotland. Little is known about her early life. Her mother's name is known only from Joan's obituary in the Tewkesbury Annals, where she is called "Regina Clementina" (Queen Clemence). Joan seems to have spent part of her childhood in France, as King John had her brought to the Kingdom of England from Normandy in December 1203 in preparation for her wedding to prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth... Joan was a natural daughter of King John of England and Agatha de Ferrers. She should not be confused with her half-sister Joan, Queen Consort of Scotland. Little is known about her early life. Her mother's name is known only from Joan's obituary in the Tewkesbury Annals, where she is called "Regina Clementina" (Queen Clemence). Joan seems to have spent part of her childhood in France, as King John had her brought to the Kingdom of England from Normandy in December 1203 in preparation for her wedding to prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth.
At Easter 1230, William de Braose, 10th Baron Abergavenny, who was Llywelyn's prisoner at the time, was discovered with Joan in Llywelyn's bedchamber. William de Braose was hanged at Aber Garth Celyn on 2 May 1230; the place was known as 'Gwern y Grog' and the incident remembered down the generations by the local community. A recent suggestion that the execution might have taken place at Crogen near Bala rests on the suggestion that 'Crogen' and 'Crokein' are one and the same: there is however no further eveidence in the area to lend this substance.
Joan was placed under house arrest for twelve months after the incident. She was then, according to the Chronicle of Chester, forgiven by Llywelyn, and restored to favour. She may have given birth to a daughter early in 1231. Joan was never called Princess of Wales, but, in Welsh, "Lady of Wales". She died at the royal home, Garth Celyn, Aber Garth Celyn, on the north coast of Gwynedd in 1237. Llywelyn's great grief at her death is recorded; he founded a Franciscan friary on the seashore at Llanfaes, opposite the royal home, in her honour. The friary was consecrated in 1240, shortly before Llywelyn died. It was destroyed in 1537 by Henry VIII of England during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Joan's stone coffin can be seen in Beaumaris parish church, Anglesey. Above the empty coffin is a slate panel inscribed: "This plain sarcophagus, (once dignified as having contained the remains of JOAN, daughter of King JOHN, and consort of LLEWELYN ap IOWERTH, Prince of North Wales, who died in the year 1237), having been conveyed from the Friary of Llanfaes, and alas, used for many years as a horsewatering trough, was rescued from such an indignity and placed here for preseravation as well as to excite serious meditation on the transitory nature of all sublunary distinctions. By THOMAS JAMES WARREN BULKELEY, Viscount BULKELEY, Oct 1808"
Llywelyn = son of
32 Iorwerth ab Owain Gwynedd or Iorwerth Drwyndwn (1145-1174)
According to Wikipedia: "Iorwerth ab Owain Gwynedd or Iorwerth Drwyndwn (1145-1174), meaning "the broken-nosed", was the eldest legitimate son of Owain Gwynedd (the king of Gwynedd) and his first wife Gwladys (Gladys) ferch Llywarch. He married Marared ferch Madog. His son Llywelyn the Great eventually united the realm and became known as Llywelyn Fawr and is one of Wales's most famous monarchs. Iorwerth was killed in battle at Pennant Melangell, in Powys, during the wars deciding the succession following the death of his father."
Iowerth = son of
33 Owain Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd (c. 1100 - Nov. 28, 1170) md. Gladys ferch Llywarch, daughter of Llywarch ap Trahaeran
According to ThePeerage: " Gwladus ferch Llywarch is the daughter of Llywarch ap Trahaearn.1 She married Owain ap Gruffyd, King of Gwynedd, son of Gruffydd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd and Angharad ferch Owain.1"
According to Wikipedia: "Owain Gwynedd (in English, "Owen") (c. 1100–November 28, 1170), alternatively known by the patronymic "Owain ap Gruffydd". He is occasionally referred to as Owain I of Gwynedd, or Owain I of Wales on account of his claim to be King of Wales. He is considered to be the most successful of all the north Welsh princes prior to his grandson, Llywelyn the Great. He was known as Owain Gwynedd to distinguish him from another contemporary Owain ap Gruffydd, ruler of part of Powys who was known as Owain Cyfeiliog. Owain Gwynedd was a member of the House of Aberffraw, a descendant of the senior branch from Rhodri Mawr.
Owain's father, Gruffydd ap Cynan, was a strong and long-lived ruler who had made the principality of Gwynedd the most influential in Wales during the sixty-two years of his reign, using the island of Anglesey as his power base. His mother, Angharad ferch Owain, was the daughter of Owain ab Edwin. Owain was the second of three sons of Gruffydd and Angharad.
Owain is thought to have been born on Anglesey about the year 1100. By about 1120 Gruffydd had grown too old to lead his forces in battle and Owain and his brothers Cadwallon and later Cadwaladr led the forces of Gwynedd against the Normans and against other Welsh princes with great success. His elder brother Cadwallon was killed in a battle against the forces of Powys in 1132, leaving Owain as his father's heir. Owain and Cadwaladr, in alliance with Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth, won a major victory over the Normans at Crug Mawr near Cardigan in 1136 and annexed Ceredigion to their father's realm.
On Gruffydd's death in 1137, therefore, Owain inherited a portion of a well-established kingdom, but had to share it with Cadwaladr. In 1143 Cadwaladr was implicated in the murder of Anarawd ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth, and Owain responded by sending his son Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd to strip him of his lands in the north of Ceredigion. Though Owain was later reconciled with Cadwaladr, from 1143, Owain ruled alone over most of north Wales. In 1155 Cadwaladr was driven into exile.
Owain took advantage of the civil war in England between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda to push Gwynedd's boundaries further east than ever before. In 1146 he captured the castle of Mold and about 1150 captured Rhuddlan and encroached on the borders of Powys. The prince of Powys, Madog ap Maredudd, with assistance from Earl Ranulf of Chester, gave battle at Coleshill, but Owain was victorious.
All went well until the accession of King Henry II of England in 1154. Henry invaded Gwynedd in 1157 with the support of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys and Owain's brother Cadwaladr. The invasion met with mixed fortunes. King Henry was nearly killed at the Battle of Ewloe near Basingwerk and the fleet accompanying the invasion made a landing on Anglesey where it was defeated. Owain was however forced to come to terms with Henry, being obliged to surrender Rhuddlan and other conquests in the east.
Madog ap Maredudd died in 1160, enabling Owain to regain territory in the east. In 1163 he formed an alliance with Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth to challenge English rule. King Henry again invaded Gwynedd in 1165, but instead of taking the usual route along the northern coastal plain, the king's army invaded from Oswestry and took a route over the Berwyn hills. The invasion was met by an alliance of all the Welsh princes, with Owain as the undisputed leader. However, apart from a small melee at the Battle of Crogen there was little fighting, for the Welsh weather came to Owain's assistance as torrential rain forced Henry to retreat in disorder. The infuriated Henry mutilated a number of Welsh hostages, including two of Owain's sons.
Henry did not invade Gwynedd again and Owain was able to regain his eastern conquests, recapturing Rhuddlan castle in 1167 after a siege of three months.
The last years of Owain's life were spent in disputes with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, over the appointment of a new Bishop of Bangor. When the see became vacant Owain had his nominee, Arthur of Bardsey, elected. The archbishop refused to accept this, so Owain had Arthur consecrated in Ireland. The dispute continued, and the see remained officially vacant until well after Owain's death. He was also put under pressure by the Archbishop and the Pope to put aside his second wife, Cristin, who was his first cousin, this relationship making the marriage invalid under church law. Despite being excommunicated for his defiance, Owain steadfastly refused to put Cristin aside. Owain died in 1170, and despite having been excommunicated was buried in Bangor Cathedral by the local clergy. The annalist writing Brut y Tywysogion recorded his death "after innumerable victories, and unconquered from his youth".
He is believed to have commissioned the propaganda text, The Life of Gruffydd ap Cynan, an account of his father's life. Following his death, civil war broke out between his sons. Owain was married twice, first to Gwladus ferch Llywarch ap Trahaearn, by whom he had two sons, Maelgwn ab Owain Gwynedd and Iorwerth Drwyndwn, the father of Llywelyn the Great, then to Cristin, by whom he had three sons including Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd and Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd. He also had a number of illegitimate sons, who by Welsh law had an equal claim on the inheritance if acknowledged by their father.
Owain had originally designated Rhun ab Owain Gwynedd as his successor. Rhun was Owain's favourite son, and his premature death in 1147 plunged his father into a deep melancholy, from which he was only roused by the news that his forces had captured Mold castle. Owain then designated Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd as his successor, but after his death Hywel was first driven to seek refuge in Ireland by Cristin's sons, Dafydd and Rhodri, then killed at the battle of Pentraeth when he returned with an Irish army. Dafydd and Rhodri split Gwynedd between them, but a generation passed before Gwynedd was restored to its former glory under Owain's grandson Llywelyn the Great.
According to legend, one of Owain's sons was Prince Madoc, who is popularly supposed to have fled across the Atlantic and colonised America."
Owain = son of
34 Gruffydd ap Cynan (1055 - 1137) md. Angharad ferch Owain, daughter of Owain ab Edwin
According to Wikipedia: "Gruffydd ap Cynan (standard Welsh: Gruffydd ap Cynan) (c. 1055 – 1137) 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. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffydd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely house of Aberffraw.
Through his mother Gruffydd had close family connections with the Danish settlement around Dublin and he frequently used Ireland as a refuge and as a source of troops. He three times gained the throne of Gwynedd and then lost it again before regaining it once more in 1099 and this time keeping power until his death. Gruffydd laid the foundations which were built upon by his son Owain Gwynedd and his great-grandson Llywelyn the Great.
Unusually for a Welsh king or prince, a near-contemporary biography of Gruffydd, The history of Gruffydd ap Cynan, has survived. Much of our knowledge of Gruffydd comes from this source, though allowance has to be made for the fact that it appears to have been written as dynastic propaganda for one of Gruffydd's descendants. The traditional view among scholars was that it was written during the third quarter of the 12th century during the reign of Gruffydd's son, Owain Gwynedd, but it has recently been suggested that it may date to the early reign of Llywelyn the Great, around 1200. The name of the author Is not known.
Most of the existing manuscripts of the history are in Welsh but these are clearly translations of a Latin original. It is usually considered that the original Latin version has been lost, and that existing Latin versions are re-translations from the Welsh. However Russell (2006) has suggested that the Latin version in Peniarth MS 434E incorporates the original Latin version, later emended to bring it into line with the Welsh text.
According to the Life of Gruffydd ap Cynan, Gruffydd was born in Dublin and reared near Swords, County Dublin in Ireland. He was the son of a Welsh Prince, Cynan ap Iago, who was a claimant to the Kingship of Gwynedd but was probably never king of Gwynedd, though his father, Gruffydd's grandfather, Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig had ruled Gwynedd from 1023 to 1039. When Gruffydd first appeared on the scene in Wales the Welsh annals several times refer to him as "grandson of Iago" rather than the more usual "son of Cynan", indicating that his father was little known in Wales. Cynan ap Iago seems to have died while Gruffydd was still young, since the History describes his mother telling him who his father was.
Gruffydd's mother Ragnhild was the daughter of Olaf of Dublin, son of King Sigtrygg Silkbeard and a member of the Hiberno-Norse Uí Ímhair dynasty.[1] Through his mother, who appears in the list of the fair women of Ireland in the Book of Leinster, Gruffydd claimed relationships with many of the leading septs in Ireland. His great-great grandparents on his mother's side include the 10th century High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, the 9th century King of Dublin, Olaf Cuarán, and Gormflaith.[1]
During his many struggles to gain the kingship of Gwynedd, Gruffydd received considerable aid from Ireland, both from the Hiberno-Norse at Dublin, but also those at Wexford, and also from Muircheartach Ua Briain.
Gruffydd made his first attempt to take over the rule of Gwynedd in 1075, following the death of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn. Trahaearn ap Caradog had seized control of Gwynedd but had not yet firmly established himself. Gruffydd landed on Anglesey with an Irish force, and with the assistance of troops provided by the Norman Robert of Rhuddlan first defeated and killed Cynwrig ap Rhiwallon, an ally of Trahaearn who held Ll?n, then defeated Trahaearn himself in the battle of Gwaed Erw in Meirionnydd and gained control of Gwynedd.
Gruffydd then led his forces eastwards to reclaim territories taken over by the Normans, and despite the assistance previously given by Robert of Rhuddlan attacked and destroyed Rhuddlan castle. However tension between Gruffydd's Danish-Irish bodyguard and the local Welsh led to a rebellion in Ll?n and Trahaearn took the opportunity to counter attack, defeating Gruffydd at the battle of Bron yr Erw above Clynnog Fawr the same year.
Gruffydd fled to Ireland but in 1081 returned and made an alliance with Rhys ap Tewdwr prince of Deheubarth. Rhys had been attacked by Caradog ap Gruffydd of Gwent and Morgannwg, and had been forced to flee to the St David's Cathedral. Gruffydd this time embarked from Waterford with a force composed of Danes and Irish and landed near St David's, presumably by prior arrangement with Rhys. He was joined here by a force of his supporters from Gwynedd, and he and Rhys marched north to seek Trahaearn ap Caradog and Caradog ap Gruffydd who had themselves made an alliance and been joined by Meilyr ap Rhiwallon of Powys. The armies of the two confederacies met at the Battle of Mynydd Carn, with Gruffydd and Rhys victorious and Trahaearn, Caradog and Meilyr all being killed. Gruffydd was thus able to seize power in Gwynedd for the second time.
He was soon faced with a new enemy, as the Normans were now encroaching on Gwynedd. Gruffydd had not been king very long when he was enticed to a meeting with Hugh Earl of Chester and Hugh Earl of Shrewsbury at Rug, near Corwen. At the meeting Gruffydd was seized and taken prisoner. According to his biographer this was by the treachery of one of his own men, Meirion Goch. Gruffydd was imprisoned in Earl Hugh's castle at Chester for many years while Earl Hugh and Robert of Rhuddlan went on to take possession of Gwynedd, building castles at Bangor, Wales Bangor, Caernarfon and Aberlleiniog.
Gruffydd reappeared on the scene years later, having escaped from captivity. According to his biography he was in fetters in the market-place at Chester when Cynwrig the Tall on a visit to the city saw his opportunity when the burgesses were at dinner. He picked Gruffydd up, fetters and all, and carried him out of the city on his shoulders. There is debate among historians as to the year of Gruffydd's escape. Ordericus Vitalis mentions a "Grifridus" attacking the Normans in 1088. The History in one place states that Gruffydd was imprisoned for twelve years, in another that he was imprisoned for sixteen years. Since he was captured in 1081, that would date his release to 1093 or 1097. J.E. Lloyd favours 1093, considering that Gruffydd was involved at the beginning of the Welsh uprising in 1094. K.L. Maund on the other hand favours 1097, pointing out that there is no reference to Gruffydd in the contemporary annals until 1098. D. Simon Evans inclines to the view that Ordericus Vitalis' date of 1088 could be correct, suggesting that an argument based on the silence of the annals is unsafe.
Gruffydd again took refuge in Ireland but returned to Gwynedd to lead the assaults on Norman castles such as Aber Lleiniog. The Welsh revolt had begun in 1094 and by late 1095 had spread to many parts of Wales. This induced William II of England (William Rufus) to intervene, invading northern Wales in 1095. However his army was unable to bring the Welsh to battle and returned to Chester without having achieved very much. King Willam mounted a second invasion in 1097, but again without much success. The History only mentions one invasion by Rufus, which could indicate that Gruffydd did not feature in the resistance to the first invasion. At this time Cadwgan ap Bleddyn of Powys led the Welsh resistance.
In the summer of 1098 Earl Hugh of Chester joined with Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury in another attempt to recover his losses in Gwynedd. Gruffydd and his ally Cadwgan ap Bleddyn retreated to Anglesey, but then were forced to flee to Ireland in a skiff when a fleet he had hired from the Danish settlement in Ireland accepted a better offer from the Normans and changed sides.
The situation was changed by the arrival of a Norwegian fleet under the command of King Magnus III of Norway, also known as Magnus Barefoot, who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the Menai Straits. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself. The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year Gruffydd returned from Ireland to take possession again, having apparently come to an agreement with Earl Hugh of Chester.
With the death of Hugh of Chester in 1101 Gruffydd was able to consolidate his position in Gwynedd, as much by diplomacy as by force. He met King Henry I of England who granted him the rule of Ll?n, Eifionydd, Ardudwy and Arllechwedd, considerably extending his kingdom. By 1114 he had gained enough power to induce King Henry to invade Gwynedd in a three-pronged attack, one detachment led by King Alexander I of Scotland. Faced by overwhelming force, Gruffydd was obliged to pay homage to Henry and to pay a heavy fine, but lost no territory. By about 1118 Gruffydd's advancing years meant that most of the fighting which pushed Gwynedd's borders eastward and southwards was done by his three sons by his wife Angharad, daughter of Owain ab Edwin: Cadwallon, Owain Gwynedd and later Cadwaladr. The cantrefs of Rhos and Rhufoniog were annexed in 1118, Meirionnydd captured from Powys in 1123 and Dyffryn Clwyd in 1124. Another invasion by the king of England in 1121 was a military failure. The king had to come to terms with Gruffydd and made no further attempt to invade Gwynedd during Gruffydd's reign. The death of Cadwallon in a battle against the forces of Powys near Llangollen in 1132 checked further expansion for the time being.
Gruffydd was now powerful enough to ensure that his nominee, David the Scot was consecrated as Bishop of Bangor in 1120. The see had been effectively vacant since Bishop Hervey le Breton had been forced to flee by the Welsh almost twenty years before, since Gruffydd and King Henry could not agree on a candidate. David went on to rebuild Bangor Cathedral with a large financial contribution from Gruffydd.
Owain and Cadwaladr in alliance with Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth gained a crushing victory over the Normans at Crug Mawr near Cardigan in 1136 and took possession of Ceredigion. The latter part of Guffydd's reign was considered to be a "Golden Age"; according to the Life of Gruffydd ap Cynan Gwynedd was "bespangled with lime-washed churches like the stars in the firmament".
Gruffydd died in his bed, old and blind, in 1137 and was mourned by the annalist of Brut y Tywysogion as the head and king and defender and pacifier of all Wales. He was buried by the high altar in Bangor Cathedral which he had been involved in rebuilding. He also made bequests to many other churches, including one to Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin where he had worshipped as a boy. He was succeeded as king of Gwynedd by his son Owain Gwynedd. His daughter, Gwenllian, who married Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth, son of his old ally Rhys ap Tewdwr, is also notable for her resistance to English rule."
Gruffydd = son of
35 Cynan ab Iago (1014-1063) md. Raignaillt, daughter of Olaf of Dublin, son of King Sigtrygg Silkbeard King of Dublin His Line
According to Wikipedia: "Cynan ab Iago (1014-1063) 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.
Iago ab Idwal was king of Gwynedd from 1023 to 1039, but in the latter year he was killed by one of his own men and the throne was seized by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. Cynan was forced to flee to Ireland and took refuge at the Danish settlement of Dublin. He married Ragnaillt daughter of Olaf of Dublin, son of King Sigtrygg Silkbeard and a member of the Hiberno-Norse dynasty. Ragnaillt, who appears in the list of the fair women of Ireland in the Book of Leinster, was also a descendant of Brian Boru.
Cynan may have died fairly soon after the birth of their son Gruffydd ap Cynan, for the near-contemporary biography of Gruffydd details Cynan's ancestry but does not refer to him in its account of Gruffydd's youth; describing Gruffydd's mother telling him who his father was and what patrimony he could claim. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was killed in 1063, by his own men according to Brut y Tywysogion. The Ulster Chronicle however states that it was Cynan ap Iago who killed him.
As his son Gruffydd was supposedly born c. 1055, the date of death "1039" is doubtful (Gruffydd died 1137).
Cynan's claim to the throne of Gwynedd was passed on to his son. When Gruffydd first appeared on the scene in Wales the Welsh annals several times refer to him as "grandson of Iago" rather than the more usual "son of Cynan", indicating that his father was little known in Wales."
Cyan = son of
36 Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig (d. 1039) King of Gwynedd
According to Wikipedia: "Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig (died 1039) was a Prince of Gwynedd. On the death of Llywelyn ap Seisyll in 1023, the rule of Gwynedd returned to the ancient dynasty with the accession of Iago, who was a great-grandson of Idwal Foel. Very little is known about the reign of Iago. He was killed by his own men in 1039 and replaced by Llywelyn ap Seisyll's son, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. Iago's grandson Gruffydd ap Cynan later won the throne of Gwynedd, and because his father, Cynan ap Iago, was little known in Wales, Gruffydd was styled "grandson of Iago" rather than the usual "son of Cynan"
According to ThePeerage: "Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig, King of Gwynedd was the son of Idwal ap Meurig. He died in 1039.1 Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig, King of Gwynedd succeeded to the title of King of Gwynedd in 1023.1"
Iago = son of
37 Idwal ap Meurig (d. 996)
Idwal = son of
38 Meurig ab Idwal (d. 986)
Meurig = son of
39 Idwal Foel ap Anarawd King of Gwynedd(d. 942)
According to Wikipedia: "Idwal Foel ap Anarawd (English: Idwal the Bald) (died 942) was a King of Gwynedd, referred to as King of the Britons by William of Malmesbury, in whose Gesta Regum Anglorum. William spells his name as Judwalum in the original Latin (anglicized Jothwel); the Annales Cambriae spell it Iudgual. Idwal inherited the throne of Gwynedd on the death of his father, Anarawd ap Rhodri in 916. He was obliged to acknowledge Athelstan of England as overlord. Following Athelstan's death, Idwal and his brother Elisedd took to arms against the English, but both were killed in battle in 942. The rule of Gwynedd should now have passed to his sons, Iago ab Idwal and Idwal, usually called Ieuaf ab Idwal. However Hywel Dda of Deheubarth, already ruler of most of south Wales, invaded Gwynedd and forced them into exile, adding Gwynedd to his realm. After Hywel's death in 950, Idwal's sons were able to claim the kingdom.
Idwal = son of
40 Anarawd ap Rhodri (d. 916) King of Gwynedd
According to Wikipedia: "Anarawd ap Rhodri (died 916) was a King of Gwynedd, also referred to as "King of the Britons" by the Annals of Wales.
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 Gwynedd. Anarawd and his brothers Cadell and Merfyn are recorded as cooperating closely against the rulers of the remaining lesser kingdoms of Wales. Earl Aethelred of Mercia invaded Gwynedd in 881, but Anarawd was able to defeat him with much slaughter in a battle at the mouth of the River Conwy, hailed in the annals as "God's vengeance for Rhodri", Rhodri having been killed in battle against the Mercians.
Anarawd then made an alliance with the Danish king of York in an attempt to guard himself against further Mercian attacks. When this alliance proved unsatisfactory, he came to an agreement with Alfred the Great of Wessex, visiting Alfred at his court. In exchange for Alfred's protection Anarawd recognised the supremacy of Alfred. This was the first time a ruler of Gwynedd had accepted the supremacy of an English king, and formed the basis for the homage which was demanded by the English crown from then on.
In 894 Anarawd was able to repel a raid by a Danish host on North Wales, and the following year raided Ceredigion and Ystrad Tywi in southern Wales. He is reported as having some English troops under his command for these raids. In 902 an attack on Ynys Môn (Anglesey) by some of the Danes of Dublin under Ingimund was repulsed. Anarawd died in 916 and was succeeded by his son Idwal Foel (Idwal the Bald).
Anarawd would establish the princely house of Aberffraw, taking the name from his principal seat of government on Ynys Môn. His descendants would rule Gwynedd until the Edwardian conquest of the late 13th century."
Anarawd = son of
41 Rhodri or Roderick the Great (820-878)
According to Wikipedia: "Rhodri the Great (in Welsh, Rhodri Mawr; occasionally in English, Roderick the Great) (c. 820–878) was the first ruler of Wales to be called 'Great', and the first to rule most of present-day Wales. He is referred to as "King of the Britons" by the Annals of Ulster. In some later histories, he is referred to as "King of Wales" but he did not rule all of Wales nor was this term used contemporaneously to describe him.
The son of Merfyn Frych, King of Gwynedd, and Nest ferch Cadell of the Royal line of Powys, he inherited the Kingdom of Gwynedd on his father's death in 844.
When his maternal uncle Cyngen ap Cadell ruler of Powys died on a pilgrimage to Rome in 855 Rhodri inherited Powys. In 872 Gwgon, ruler of Seisyllwg in southern Wales, was accidentally drowned, and Rhodri added his Kingdom to his domains by virtue of his marriage to Angharad, Gwgon's sister. This made him the ruler of the larger part of Wales.
Rhodri faced pressure both from the English and increasingly from the Danes, who were recorded as ravaging Anglesey in 854. In 856 Rhodri won a notable victory over the Danes, killing their leader Gorm (sometimes given as Horm). Two poems by Sedulius Scotus written at the court of Charles the Bald, King of the Western Franks, celebrate the victory of "Roricus" over the Norsemen.
In 876 Rhodri fought another battle against the Norse invaders on Anglesey, after which he had to flee to Ireland.
On his return the following year, he and his son Gwriad were said to have been killed by the English under Alfred the Great, though the precise manner of his death is unknown. When his son, Anarawd ap Rhodri won a victory over the Mercians a few years later, it was hailed in the annals as "God's vengeance for Rhodri".
Rhodri died leaving three sons:
His heir, Anarawd ap Rhodri, who became the king of Gwynedd;
His son Cadell ap Rhodri, who conquered Dyfed, which was later joined with Seisyllwg by Rhodri's grandson Hywel Dda to become Deheubarth. Like his grandfather, Hywel would come to rule most of Wales; and
His son Merfyn ap Rhodri, who became the king of the Powys."
Rhodri = son of
42 Merfyn Frych, King of Gwynedd (reigned 825 - 844) md. Nest ferch Cadell daughter of Cadell ap Elisedd, King of Powys
According to Wikipedia: "Nest ferch Cadell was the daughter of Cadell ap Elisedd 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.
On the death of her brother Cyngen ap Cadell in 855, authority over the Kingdom of Powys passed to her son Rhodri the Great who had previously inherited the Kingdom of Gwynedd on the death of his father in 844, thereby uniting the Kingdoms of Powys and Gwynedd.
It is unclear why the inheritance of Powys passed through Nest to her son, and not to one of the sons of Cyngen: Elisedd ap Cyngen, Ieuaf ap Cyngen, Aeddan ap Cyngen, and Gruffudd ap Cyngen. The texts of Welsh laws which survive to us were written down no earlier than the 12th century, but they provide no evidence that women were capable of transmitting legal title of kingship or lordship. Equally, although the pedigree in a manuscript in Jesus College Oxford[1] states Nest as the mother of Rhodri the Great, another pedigree in a fourteenth century manuscript[2] in the National Library of Wales records his mother as Essyllt ferch Cynan. There are no strong grounds to accept either manuscript as reliable, but it is reasonable to believe that the royal house of Gwynedd promoted the view that the Kingdom of Powys had passed to Rhodri the Great through his mother in order to legitimise their control over it.[3] Either way, this possible genealogical manipulation became part of the accepted story of the unification of the two kingdoms."
According to Wikipedia: "Merfyn Frych or Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad (English: Merfyn the Freckled, son of Gwriad) was King of Gwynedd (reigned 825 – 844), 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. Merfyn came to the throne in the aftermath of a bloody dynastic struggle between brothers Cynan (reigned 798 – 816) and Hywel (reigned 816 – 825),[1] at a time when the kingdom had been under pressure from Mercia.[2] The Annales Cambriae says that he died in 844, the same year in which a battle occurred at Ketill (or Cetyll), but it does not make clear whether there is a connection, or whether it is referring to two unrelated events.[3][4]
The times leading up to Merfyn's reign were unsettled for both Gwynedd and neighbouring Powys. Both kingdoms were beset by internal dynastic strife, external pressure from Mercia, and bad luck from nature's whims. In 810 there was a bovine plague that killed many cattle throughout Wales. The next year Deganwy, the ancient fortified llys (English: royal court) of Maelgwn Gwynedd and built of wood, was struck by lightning. A destructive dynastic war raged in Gwynedd between 812 and 816, particularly on Anglesey, while in Powys a son of the king was killed by his brother "through treachery". In 818 there was a notable battle at Llanfaes on Anglesey. The combatants are not identified, but the site had been the llys of King Cynan.[5]
Coenwulf of Mercia took advantage of the situation in 817, occupying Rhufoniog (see map) and laying waste to the mountains of Eryri (English: Snowdonia), the defensive stronghold of Gwynedd. Coastal Wales along the Dee Estuary was still in Mercian hands in 821, as it is known that Coenwulf died peacefully at Basingwerk in that year. In 823 Mercia laid waste to Powys and returned to Gwynedd to burn down Deganwy.
Gwynedd and Powys then gained a respite when Mercia's attention turned elsewhere and its fortunes waned. King Beornwulf was killed fighting the East Anglians in 826, his successor Ludeca suffered the same fate the following year, and Mercia was conquered and occupied by Ecgberht of Wessex in 829. Though Mercia managed to throw off Ecgberht's rule in 830, it was thereafter beset by dynastic strife, and never regained its dominance, either in Wales or eastern England.[6]
It was just as Mercian power was on the verge of breaking that Merfyn Frych came to the throne, certainly a case of fortuitous timing.
Merfyn was linked to the earlier dynasty through his mother Ethyllt (or Etthil or Essyllt, Esyllt), the daughter of King Cynan (d. 816), rather than through his father Gwriad.[7][note 1] As his father's origins are obscure, so is the basis of his claim to the throne (see below).[7]
Merfyn allied his own royal family with that of Powys by marrying Nest, daughter or sister of King Cadell ap Brochwel.
Precious little is known of Merfyn's reign. Thornton suggests that Merfyn was probably among the Welsh kings who were defeated by Ecgberht, king of Wessex, in the year 830, but it is unknown how this affected Merfyn's rule.[7]
Merfyn is mentioned as a king of the Britons in a copyist's addition[note 3] to the Historia Brittonum and in the Bamberg Cryptogram, [note 4] but as both sources are traced to people working in Merfyn's own court during his reign, it should not be considered more significant than someone's respectful reference to his patron while working in his service.
In the literary sources, Merfyn's name appears in the Dialogue between Myrddin and his sister Gwenddydd (Welsh: Cyfoesi Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei chwaer), found in the mid-13th-century manuscript known as the Red Book of Hergest. The dialogue is a prophecy of the future kings, and lists among them Merfyn in the passage "meruin vrych o dir manaw"[14] (English: Merfyn Frych of the land of Manau).
Extremely little is known of Merfyn's father Gwriad. Merfyn claimed descent from Llywarch Hen through him, and the royal pedigree in Jesus College MS. 20 says that Gwriad was the son of Elidyr, who bears the same name as his ancestor, the father of Llywarch Hen, Elidyr lydanwyn.[15] Supporting the veracity of the pedigree is an entry in the Annales Cambriae, which states that Gwriad, the brother of Rhodri the Great, was slain on Anglesey by the Saxons. That is to say, Merfyn named one of his sons after his father Gwriad.[16]
The discovery of a cross inscribed Crux Guriat (English: Cross of Gwriad) on the Isle of Man and dated to the 8th or 9th century[17] raised the question of whether Gwriad's possible connection to "Manaw" was to that of the Gododdin, once active in North Britain, or to the Isle of Man (Welsh: Ynys Manaw).[7] John Rhys suggested that Gwriad might well have taken refuge on the Isle of Man during the bloody dynastic struggle between Cynan and Hywel prior to Merfyn's accession to the throne, and that the cross perhaps does refer to the refugee Gwriad, father of Merfyn. He goes on to note that the Welsh Triads mention a 'Gwryat son of Gwryan in the North'.[18] Other locations for "Manaw" have been suggested, including Ireland, Galloway and Powys.[7]
While Rhys' suggestion is not implausible, his reference to Gwriad's father Gwrian contradicts the royal pedigree, which says that Gwriad's father was Elidir, so this may be a confusion of two different people named Gwriad. Gwriad's name does appear with northern origins in the Welsh Triads as one of the "Three kings, who were of the sons of strangers" (sometimes referred to as the "Three Peasant Kings"), where he is identified as the son of "Gwrian in the North".[19][20]
The other literary references to Gwriad and his father Gwrian also suggest that this Gwriad is a different person with the same name as Merfyn's father. For example, Gwrian's name also appears in The Verses of the Graves (Welsh: Englynion y Beddau) in the Black Book of Carmarthen,[21] as does Gwriad's name,[22] which also appears in the Gododdin"
Merfyn = son of
43 Gwriad md. Ethyllt
Gwriad = son of
44 Elidyr
Elidyr = descendant of
According to Wikipedia: "Llywarch Hen (meaning 'Llywarch the Old') was a 6th-century prince of the Brythonic kingdom of Rheged, a ruling family in the Hen Ogledd or 'Old North' of Britain (modern southern Scotland and northern England). He was first cousin to King Urien Rheged and may possibly have been a monarch himself in the same region.
His life was the subject of a presumed lost saga of which only the poetry, a series of englynion, survives. The words are put into the mouth of Llywarch himself, although they were clearly composed somewhat later, possibly in the 9th century. He bemoans the death of Urien and returns to Rheged with his severed head. Other Brythons make war on Llywarch and he is soon found living in poverty. He is advised to flee to Powys and this he does. He is also sometimes associated with Llanfor, near Llyn Tegid in Gwynedd.
In the poems about Llywarch, known as Canu Llywarch Hen, it is said he had twenty-four sons, but various sources list as many as thirty-nine, plus a few daughters. The Canu Heledd, concerning the fall of the kings of the Pengwern region, and the elegy Geraint son of Erbin, concerning the Battle of Llongborth, are also associated indirectly with Llywarch."
= first cousin of Urien Rheged
According to Wikipedia: "Urien, often referred to as Urien Rheged, was a late 6th century king of Rheged, an early British kingdom of the Hen Ogledd (northern England and southern Scotland). His power and his victories, including the battles of Gwen Ystrad and Alt Clut Ford, are celebrated in the praise poems to him by Taliesin, preserved in the Book of Taliesin. He had four sons, named Owain, Rhiwallon, Rhun and Pasgen, the eldest of which succeeded him. He became the 'King Urien of Gore' of later Arthurian legend and his son Owain mab Urien was later known as Ywain.
According to the genealogies, Urien was the son of Cynfarch Oer, son of Meirchion Gul, son of Gorwst, son of Cenau, son of Coel Hen (King Cole), the first recorded post-Roman military leader in the area of Hadrian's Wall. He fought against the rulers of the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia (modern Northumbria). An Anglian noble, Ida, had occupied Metcauld around the middle of the sixth century and begun to raid the mainland. Urien joined with other northern kings, Rhydderch Hael "the Generous" of Strathclyde and two other descendants of Coel, Gwallog mab Llaenog and Morgant Bwlch. They defeated the Angles and besieged them on Lindisfarne but, according to the Historia Brittonum, Urien was assassinated at the command of Morgant Bwlch who was jealous of his power. Shortly afterwards the Angles united with the Scots of Ulster to inflict the decisive defeat of Dagsestone which broke the power of the north British kingdoms. One of the Welsh Triads calls the death of Urien one of the "Three Unfortunate Assassinations" and another lists him as one of the "Three Great Battle-leaders of Britain".
Urien remained a popular figure in Wales over the centuries, and he and his son Owain were incorporated into Arthurian legend as it spread from Britain to continental Europe. His kingdom was eventually transferred to the mythical land of Gore, and Kings Lot of Lothian and Auguselus of Scotland are sometimes said to be his brothers. During the reign of Uther Pendragon he marries Arthur?s sister (often Morgan le Fay, but sometimes another sister is named). He, like the kings of several other lands, initially opposes Arthur?s ascendance to the throne after Uther?s death. Urien and the others rebel against the young monarch, but upon their defeat, the rebels become Arthur?s allies and vassals.
In the legends his marriage to Morgan is not portrayed as a happy one, however, as in one story Morgan plots to take Excalibur, kill Urien and Arthur, and place herself and her lover Accolon on the throne. He is always said to be the father of Ywain (Owain), and many texts give him a second son, Ywain the Bastard, fathered on his seneschal's wife. Welsh tradition attributes to him a daughter named Morfydd.
Thomas Malory sometimes spells his name "Urience", which has led some (e.g. Alfred Tennyson) to identify him with King Rience."
Llywarch = son of
?
Elidyr Iydanwyn
_______________
35 Raignaillt md. Cynan ab Iago (1014-1063)
According to ThePeerage: " Ragnaillt of Dublin is the daughter of Olaf of Dublin.1 She married Cynan ab Iago, son of Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig, King of Gwynedd.1"
Raignaillit = daughter of
Olof = son of
37 King Sigtrygg Silkbeard King of Dublin
According to Wikipedia: "Sigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson (also Sihtric, Sitric[1] and Sitrick in Irish texts; or Sigtryg[2] and Sigtryggr[3] in Scandinavian texts) was a Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin (AD 989–994; restored 994–1000; restored 1000 and abdicated 1036) of the Uí Ímair dynasty. He was caught up in the abortive Leinster revolt of 999–1000, after which he was forced to submit to the King of Munster, Brian Boru. His family also conducted a double marriage alliance with Boru, although he later realigned himself with the main leaders of the Leinster revolt of 1012–1014. He has a prominent role in the 12th-century Irish Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh and the 13th-century Icelandic Njal's Saga, as the main Norse leader at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.
Sigtrygg's long reign spanned 46 years, until his abdication in 1036.[4] During that period, his armies saw action in four of the five Irish provinces of the time. In particular, he conducted a long series of raids into territories such as Meath, Wicklow, Ulster, and perhaps even the coast of Wales. He also came into conflict with rival Norse kings, especially in Cork and Waterford.
He went on pilgrimage to Rome in 1029, and founded Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin in 1038. Although Dublin underwent several reversals of fortune during his reign, on the whole trade in the city flourished. He died in 1042.[4]
Sigtrygg was of Danish and Irish ancestry.[2] He was a son of Olaf Cuarán (also called Kváran), King of York and of Dublin, and Gormflaith.[3] Gormflaith was the daughter of the King of Leinster, Murchad mac Finn,[5] and the sister of his successor, King Máel Mórda of Leinster.[3] She had previously been married to the King of Meath and High King of Ireland, Máel Sechnaill[3] — the first of her three husbands. She was a beautiful, powerful and intriguing Irish woman,[3] who according to the 13th-century Icelandic Njál's saga, was "the fairest of all women, and best gifted in everything that was not in her own power, but it was the talk of men that she did all things ill over which she had any power".[3][6] Sigtrygg's paternal half-brother was Glúniairn, "Iron-knee", who ruled as King of Dublin from 980–989.
An incident involving the ransom of one of Sigtrygg's sons late in his reign, in which "seven score British horse" were mentioned in the list of demands,[7] suggests that Dublin was one of the main ports for importing horses into 11th-century Ireland, and that Sigtrygg and his family may have been personally involved in husbandry.[8]
Sigtrygg succeeded his paternal half-brother Glúniairn as King of Dublin in 989.[4] The Irish annals record curiously little information about Sigtrygg, his family or Dublin during the first five years of his reign.[9] The reason for this silence was the arrival of the future King of Norway, Olaf Tryggvason, who took up residence in Dublin for a few years after marrying Sigtrygg's sister Gytha.[9] Tryggvason had met Gytha while raiding along the coasts of the Irish Sea.[9] The presence of a powerful Viking leader in Dublin was a deterrent to Irish raids, and Trygvason might have been weakening Sigtrygg's foes by plundering them.[10]
The return of Tryggvason to Norway in 994 coincided with the temporary expulsion of Sigtrygg from Dublin by his rival, King Ivar of Waterford.[11] Ivar's force of three ships may have numbered no more than 120 men, showing the limited warfare of the time, and Sigtrygg was back within a year.[11] In 995, Sigtrygg and his nephew, Muirchertach Ua Congalaich, attacked the church at Donaghpatrick in County Meath.[11] In retaliation, Máel Sechnaill entered Dublin and took the ring of Thor and the sword of Carlus.[11] Sigtrygg then attacked Kells and Clonard in 997.[11] In 998, Máel Sechnaill and the King of Munster, Brian Boru, forced Sigtrygg to recognise their lordship by giving hostages.[11]
These events made Sigtrygg realise that Dublin's wealth made him an attractive target, and that his city needed powerful allies as well as walls for its security;[11] the Dublin countryside was unable to provide the resources which would allow for competition against powerful Irish princes.[11] Sigtrygg first allied with his maternal uncle, Máel Mórda, King of the Uí Fáeláin of north Leinster.[11] In 999, they defeated their cousin the King of Leinster Donnchad mac Domhnaill, and imprisoned him in Dublin.[11]
Late in 999, the Leinstermen, historically hostile to domination by either the Uí Néill overkings or the King of Munster, allied themselves with the Norse of Dublin and revolted against Brian Boru.[1] This was the opportunity for Sigtrygg's second alliance with Máel Mórda.[11] Brian's forces inflicted a crushing defeat on the united Leinster-Dublin army at the Battle of Glenmama, and followed up the victory with an attack on the city of Dublin.[1] The 12th-century Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh gives two accounts of the occupation: that Brian remained in Dublin from Christmas Day until Epiphany (6 January), or from Christmas Day until St. Brigid's Day (1 February).[11] The later Annals of Ulster date the Battle of Glenmama to 30 December, 999,[12] while the Annals of Inisfallen date Brian's capture of the city to 1 January 1000.[13] In any case, in 1000 Brian plundered the city, burned the Norse fortress and expelled Sigtrygg.[1]
According to the Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh, Sigtrygg's flight from the city took him north, first to the Ulaid and then to Aéd of Cenél nEógain.[14] Both tribes refused to aid him.[14] As Sigtrygg could find no refuge in Ireland, he eventually returned, submitted to Brian, gave hostages and was restored to Dublin.[1] This was three months after Brian ended his occupation in February.[11] In the meantime, Sigtrygg may have temporarily "turned pirate" and been responsible for a raid on St David's in Wales.[14]
Brian's daughter by his first wife was married to Sigtrygg,[3] and Brian in turn took Sigtrygg's mother, the now thrice-married Gormflaith, as his second wife.[3]
Dublin enjoyed a sustained period of peace while Sigtrygg's men served in the armies of Brian.[15] Sigtrygg never forgot that the Ulaid had refused him aid when he had been forced to flee from Dublin, and in 1002 he had his revenge when his soldiers served in Brian's campaign against the Ulaid and ravaged their lands.[11][15] His fleet raided Ulster, and he plundered Kilclief and Inis Cumhscraigh, taking many prisoners from both.[16] They served under Brian against the Ulaid again in 1005, and against the Northern Uí Néill in 1006 and 1007.[15] With the submission of Cenél Conaill, the last of the Northern Uí Néill Kingdoms in 1011, Brian was formally recognised as High King throughout Ireland.[15]
A
remembrance of Sigtrygg's reign during these years is
preserved in the late medieval Icelandic Saga of Gunnlaug
Serpent's Tongue.[17] Only fragments survive of the verses
in the Sigtryggsdrápa, a drápa composed by the skald
Gunnlaug Illugason, a visitor to Sigtrygg's court.[17] The
verses praise Sigtrygg for his royal ancestry, and give an
impression of Dublin as a busy, thriving port.[17]
Archaeological excavations of ships, gold, clothing, and
pieces for games from around this time seem to confirm the
description.[17] According to the prose, Sigtrygg considered
rewarding the poet with ships and gold, but upon further
consideration instead granted him a new suit of clothes.[17]
[edit] Second Leinster revolt against Brian Boru
Further information: Battle of Clontarf
The Viking settlements of Cork,
Limerick, Waterford and Wexford
(Part of the Kingdom of Munster, under the control of
Boru) The Kingdom of Dublin,
under the control of Sigtrygg
Some time during the 1010s, Brian Boru divorced Queen Gormflaith, and she began to engineer opposition to the High King.[18] Around 1012, relations between Brian and Leinster had become so strained that revolt broke out among the Leinstermen.[19] Sigtrygg aligned himself with the forces of Máel Mórda, leader of the revolt, and the chiefs Ua Ruairc, Ua Néill, and others.[20] Together, they defeated Brian's ally Máel Sechnaill near the town of Swords, and Brian for the moment was unable to render assistance.[20]
Sigtrygg sent his son Oleif to lead a fleet south to Munster to burn the Viking settlement of Cork.[15] The fleet also attacked Cape Clear, and seems to have crippled Brian's naval power, which was concentrated in Cork.[15]
According to Njál's saga, Gormflaith "egged on her son Sigtrygg very much to kill King Brian",[6] and to that end sent him to win first the support of Earl Sigurd of Orkney, and then of Bróðir and Óspak of Man, at any price.[20] Sigtrygg arrived in Orkney for Sigurd's Yule feast, at which he sat in a high seat between the two brothers-in-law, Earl Sigurd of Orkney and Earl Gilli of the Southern Isles.[6] The saga also records that Sigtrygg was much interested by the tidings of the Burning of Njáll Þorgeirsson at Bergþórshvoll and what had happened since.[6] Afterwards, Sigtrygg bade Sigurd to go to war with him against Brian.[21] Despite Sigurd's initial hesitance and against the advice of his men, he eventually agreed that he would arrive in Dublin by Palm Sunday with all his host, on the condition that if they slew Brian, he would marry Gormflaith and become King of Ireland.[21][22]
Sigtrygg went next to Man, where he also persuaded Bróðir to be in Dublin by Palm Sunday,[19][23] and he promised Bróðir too that, if successful, he would be allowed marry Gormflaith and become King of Ireland; the terms of this agreement, however, were to be kept secret.[24] Óspak was dissatisfied with the arrangement,[22] and refused to "fight against so good a king".[21]
The two forces met at the Battle of Clontarf, on Good Friday in 1014, a battle which claimed the lives of the main commanders on both sides: principally Brian and his son Murchad on the Munster side; and Máel Mórda, Sigurd and Bróðir on the Leinster-Norse side.[25] According to Irish sources, Sigtrygg did not take part in the battle, but was instead holding the garrison in reserve in Dublin.[26] The Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh records that Sigtrygg was able to observe the progress of the battle and the movement of the battle standards from the ramparts of his fortress.[27] As the modern Irish medievalist historian Donnchadh Ó Corráin notes, Sigtrygg "wisely kept within the city and lived to tell the tale".[25]
However,
earlier
Scandinavian sources (notably the Orkneyinga saga, Njál's
saga and the Darraðarljóð, composed soon after the battle)
contend that he did actually fight valiantly at
Clontarf.[27] The Darraðarljóð, the pagan tones of which
show the persistence of paganism among the Vikings of
Dublin, describes the Valkyries as following the "young
king" Sigtrygg into battle.[28] Njal's Saga records that
Sigtrygg was on the wing opposite Óspak of Man for the whole
battle, and that Óspak eventually put the king to
flight.[29]
[edit] Reign after Clontarf
Immediately after Clontarf, Sigtrygg's fortunes appear to have declined, even though he emerged with his kingdom intact.[30] Máel Sechnaill, now again recognised as High King, was undoubtedly the battle's main beneficiary.[30] In 1015, plague struck Dublin and Leinster, and Máel Sechnaill seized the opportunity by marching south to burn Dublin's suburbs.[30] While Sigtrygg was able to ally with Leinster for another attack on Meath in 1017, the alliance was dissolved when Sigtrygg blinded his cousin Bróen, Máel Morda's son and heir, in Dublin.[30]
In 1018, Sigtrygg plundered Kells; he "carried off innumerable spoils and prisoners, and slew many persons in the middle of the church".[31] These captives would either have been ransomed or sold off into Dublin's lucrative slave trade.[32] However, a victory was also gained against Sigtrygg at Delgany in County Wicklow, when he raided south in 1021:[32] the new King of Leinster, Augaire mac Dúnlainge, "made a dreadful slaughter of the foreigners" in the Kingdom of Breifne.[33] In 1022, the Dublin fleet sailed north against the Ulaid, only to be destroyed in a naval battle against Niall mac Eochaid, after which the Norse crews and ships were taken prisoner.[32]
According
to
the American medievalist historian Benjamin Hudson, "matters
went from bad to worse" for Sigtrygg after the death of Máel
Sechnaill in 1022.[34] The great Irish princes began to
compete for the High Kingship, and the political situation
in Ireland became chaotic as there was no clear choice for
supremacy.[34] Accordingly, "Dublin became a prize for those
who would rule Ireland and wanted the town's wealth to
finance their ambitions."[34]
The medieval tower of the stone church of Ardbraccan, County
Meath, in which Sigtrygg burned over 200 men
Hostages were taken from Sigtrygg by Flaithbertach Ua Néill, King of Cenél nEógain and the Uí Néill, and Donnchad mac Briain of Munster in 1025 and 1026 respectively, in support of their bids for the High Kingship.[34] These hostages brought no security, and Dublin was raided in 1026 by Niall mac Eocada of the Ulaid in revenge for the naval attack of 1022.[35] Sigtrygg was forced to make a new alliance with the men of Brega.[36] In 1027, Sigtrygg's son Olaf joined Donnchad of Brega in a raid on Staholmock, County Meath.[36] Sigtrygg and Donnchad's army was defeated by the men of Meath under their king, Roen Ua Mael Sechlainn.[36][37] Sigtrygg rallied to the fight again, and fought a battle at Lickblaw where Donnchad and Roen were slain.[36][37]
In 1029, Sigtrygg's son Olaf was taken prisoner by the new lord of Brega, Mathghamhain Ua Riagain.[7] Sigtrygg was forced to pay a ransom of 1,200 cows, and further conditions of the peace agreement required him to pay an additional 140 British horses, 60 ounces of gold and of silver, "the sword of Carlus", the Irish hostages of Leinster and Leath Cuinn, "four hostages to Ua Riagain as a security for peace, and the full value of the life of the third hostage."[7] Added to the total, 80 cows "for word and supplication"[7] were to be paid to the man who entreated for Olaf's release.[8] The incident illustrates the importance of ransoming noble captives, as a means of political manipulation, increasing one's own revenues and exhausting the resources of one's foes.[8]
The 1030s saw a revival of fortunes for Sigtrygg. In 1030, he allied with the King of England, Cnut, and together their fleets raided Wales.[38] A Dublin colony was established in Gwynedd, and for the following years Sigtrygg was at the height of his power.[38] In 1032, without allies, Sigtrygg won a victory on the Boyne estuary of a type previously unseen by his dynasty for two decades, against a coalition of three kingdoms:[36] over 300 members of the Conailli, the Ui Tortain, and the Ui Meith were captured or killed at the Battle of Inbher Boinne.[39] In 1035, he plundered the celebrated stone church Ardbraccan in Meath, burned 200 men inside, and carried another 200 off into captivity.[36] (In revenge, the church at Swords was plundered and burned by Conchobhar Ua Maeleachlainn,[40] who in turn took away cattle and captives.[36])
Meanwhile,
in
a renewal of ancient feuds that same year, Sigtrygg executed
at Dublin the Norse Lord of Waterford, Ragnall[40]—a
grandson of the Ivar who had expelled Sigtrygg from Dublin
in 994.[36] However, Sigtrygg was forced to abdicate in 1036
by Echmarcach mac Ragnaill, Lord of the Isles.[38] He died
in exile, at an unknown place, in 1042.[38]
Christ Church Cathedral, founded by Sigtrygg in 1038
Sigtrygg married Brian Boru's daughter, Sláine, and they had one son: Olaf (d. 1034).[4] According to the Annals of the Four Masters, Olaf "was slain by the Saxons" on his way on a pilgrimage to Rome.[40] He was survived by one Ragnhild, from whom Gruffydd ap Cynan and the Kings of Gwynedd were descended.[4]
Separately from Sláine, Sigtrygg had five children: Artalach (d. 999), Oleif (d. 1013), Godfrey (d. 1036), Glúniairn (d. 1031) and Cellach (d. 1042).[4][38] The annals record the death of Oleif—"son of the lord of the foreigners"—who was killed in revenge for the burning of Cork.[41] Glúniairn was killed by the people of South Brega in 1031.[42] Godfrey was killed in Wales in 1036 by one Sitric, "son of Glúniairn"—as factionalism was common among Viking settlers, this could have been the same Glúniairn as Sigtrygg's half-brother, thus making Godfrey and his killer cousins.[43] Sigtrygg's daughter Cellach died in the same month as her father.[44]
Sigtrygg was also, according to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, "a patron of the arts, a benefactor of the church, and an economic innovator".[38] In the 990s, he established Ireland's first mint, in Dublin.[38] He established a bishopric at Dublin and in 1028 he made a pilgrimage to Rome.[38][45] It is thus possible to attribute the origins of the establishment of territorial bishoprics in Ireland on the Roman model, one of the most important results of 11th-century Irish Church Reform, to Sigtrygg.[46] He went on to found Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin in 1038, making it the oldest stone building in Dublin, the oldest cathedral in Ireland, and uniquely the only cathedral in the British Isles of Danish origin.[2] The cathedral was rebuilt in 1172 by Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, also known as "Strongbow",[2] following the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland."
Sigtrygg = son of
38 Olaf or Amlaib Cuaran, king of York and Dublin (c. 926? - 931) md. Gormflaith, (b. c. 960 - 1030) daughter of Murchad mac Finn, King of Leinster (she later married Brian Boru, Emperor of the Irish)
According to Wikipedia: "Gormflaith was born in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, around 960. She was the daughter of Murchad mac Find, King of Leinster, sister of his successor, Mael Mórdha mac Murchada, and widow of Olaf Cuaran, the Viking king of Dublin and York. The main source of her life history is the Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh. She was also the mother of King Sigtrygg Silkbeard of Dublin. Gormflaith married Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill after Olaf's death, but she is best known for being the third wife of Brian Ború, the High King of Ireland. She was the mother of Donnchad, who succeeded Brian as King of Munster. In 999, Brian defeated Mael Mordha and Sigtrygg 'Silkbeard' at the Battle of Glen Mama. To negotiate peace, Brian married one of his daughters to Sigtrygg and took Gormflaith as wife. According to Njál's saga, which refers to her as "Kormloð": "she was endowed with great beauty... [but] was utterly wicked." She was later divorced by Brian, and she began engineering opposition to the High King. She prompted Sigtrygg into gathering support from Vikings outside Ireland, most notably Earl Sigurd of Orkney and Brodir of the Isle of Man. The conflict she caused came to its climax at the Battle of Clontarf, at which Brian was killed. Brian's forces were victorious, however, and neither Gormflaith nor Sigtrygg were killed, as they were safe behind the walls of Dublin. She died in 1030."
According to Wikipedia: "Amlaíb mac Sitric (c. 926?–981; Old Norse Óláfr Sigtryggsson), commonly called Amlaíb Cuarán, in Old Norse Óláfr kváran, was a 10th century Norse-Gael who was king of York and king of Dublin. His byname, cuarán, is usually translated as "sandal". His name appears in a variety of anglicized forms, including Olaf Cuaran and Olaf Sihtricson, particularly in relation to his short-lived rule in York.[1] He was the last of the Uí Ímair to play a major part in the politics of Britain and Ireland.
Amlaíb was twice, perhaps three times, ruler of York and Northumbria and twice ruler of Dublin and its dependencies. His reign over these territories spanned some forty years. He was a renowned warrior and a ruthless pillager of churches, but ended his days in respectable retirement at Iona Abbey. Born when the Uí Ímair ruled over large areas of Britain and Ireland, by his death the kingdom of Dublin was a minor power in Irish politics. At the same time, Dublin became a major centre of trade in Atlantic Europe and mastery over the city and its wealth became the supreme prize for ambitious Irish kings.
In death Amlaíb was the prototype for the character Havelok the Dane. In life he was a patron of Irish poets and Scandinavian skalds who wrote verses praising their paymaster. Amlaíb was married at least twice, and had many children who married into Irish and Scandinavian royal families. His descendants were kings in the Isle of Man and the Hebrides until the 13th century.
The earliest records of attacks by Vikings in Britain or Ireland are at the end of the eighth century. The monastery on Lindisfarne, in the kingdom of Northumbria, was sacked on 8 June 793, and the monastery of Iona in the kingdom of the Picts was attacked in 795 and 802. In Ireland Rathlin Island, off the north-east coast, was the target in 795, and so too was St Patrick's Island on the east coast in 798. Portland in the kingdom of Wessex in south-west Britain was attacked during the reign of King Beorhtric of Wessex (ruled from 786 to 802).[2]
These raids continued in a sporadic fashion throughout the first quarter of the ninth century. During the second quarter of the century the frequency and size of raids increased and the first permanent Viking settlements (called longphorts in Ireland) appeared.[3]
The Ímar from whom the Uí Ímair were descended is generally presumed to be that Ímar (English pronunciation Ivar): "king of the Northmen of all Britain and Ireland", whose death is reported by the Annals of Ulster in 873. Whether this Ímar is to be identified with the leader of the Great Heathen Army, or with Ivarr the Boneless, is less certain.[4]
Amlaíb Cuarán was probably a great-grandson of Ímar. There is no contemporary evidence setting out the descent from Ímar to his grandsons, but it may be that the grandsons of Ímar recorded between 896 and 934—Amlaíb Cuarán's father Sitriuc (d. 927), Ragnall (d. 921), Gofraid (d. 934), Ímar (d. 904) and Amlaíb (d. 896)—were brothers rather than cousins.[5] Amlaíb's father Sitriuc first appears in the record in 917 when he seized Dublin, a settlement which had probably been under the control of an Irish king since the expulsion of the previous Viking rulers in 902.[6]
Sitriuc ruled Northumbria until his death in 927. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records his marriage to King Æthelstan's sister at Tamworth on 30 January 926. According to some late sources, such as the chronicler John of Wallingford, Amlaíb was the son of Sitriuc and this West Saxon princess.[7] Sitriuc's other sons included Gofraid (died 951), king of Dublin, Aralt (died 940), ruler of Limerick, and, less certainly, Sichfrith and Auisle, listed among those killed at the battle of Brunanburh in 937 by the Annals of Clonmacnoise.[8] A daughter of Sitriuc named Gytha is said in the Heimskringla to have married Norwegian pirate king Olaf Tryggvason, but she was probably a daughter of Amlaíb Cuarán.[9]
Following Sitriuc's death, Amlaíb may have become king in York for a short time,[10] but if he did it came to an end when Æthelstan took over the kingdom of Northumbria and defeated Sitriuc's brother Gofraid. According to William of Malmesbury, Amlaíb fled to Ireland while his uncle Gofraid made a second unsuccessful attempt to gain control of York.[11] In 937 an attack on Æthelstan's kingdom by Gofraid's son Amlaíb, assisted by Constantín mac Áeda, the king of Alba, and Owen, the king of Strathclyde, ended in defeat at the battle of Brunanburh.[12] William of Malmesbury wrote that Amlaíb was present at Brunanburh and spied out the English camp the night before the battle disguised as a skald.[13]
King
Æthelstan died in 939 and his successor, his half-brother
Edmund, was unable to keep control of York. Amlaíb mac
Gofrith, ruling in Dublin, crossed to Britain where he was
accepted as king of the Northumbrians. He died in 941,
shortly after sacking the church of Saint Baldred at
Tyninghame, struck dead by the saint's power according to
the Historia de Sancto Cuthberto.[14]
[edit] York
Amlaíb Cuarán's career began in 941, following the death of his cousin Amlaíb mac Gofrith, when he became co-ruler of York, sharing power with his cousin Ragnall son of Gofraid. According to the Annals of Clonmacnoise, Amlaíb had been in Britain since 940, having left another son of Gofraid, Blácaire, as ruler of Dublin.[15]
Amlaíb and Ragnall ruled in York until 944. The dating of events in period between the death of Æthelstan and the expulsion of Amlaíb and Ragnall is uncertain as the various versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle are in conflict. It appears that after Æthelstan's died, not only did Edmund lose control of Northumbria, but that the Five Burghs of the Mercian Danelaw also pledged themselves to Amlaíb mac Gofrith.[16] One of the Amlaíbs stormed Tamworth according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:
Here Olaf broke down Tamworth and a great slaughter fell on either side, and the Danes had the victory and led much war-booty away with them. Wulfrun was seized in the raid. Here King Edmund besieged King Olaf and Archbishop Wulfstan in Leicester, and he might have controlled them had they not escaped from the stronghold in the night.[17]
It is not clear when in the period between 940 and 943 these events took place, and as a result historians disagree as to whether they concern Amlaíb mac Gofrith or Amlaíb Cuarán.[18]
Edmund reconquered the Five Burghs in 942, an event celebrated in verse by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The Chronicle reports the baptism of Amlaíb, with King Edmund becoming his godfather.[19] This need not mean that Amlaíb was not already a Christian, nor would such a baptism have permanently committed him to Christianity, as such baptisms were often political acts. Alfred the Great, for example, had sponsored the baptism of Christian Welsh king Anarawd ap Rhodri.[20] Amlaíb was expelled from the kingship of York in 944. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that "King Edmund conquered all Northumbria and caused to flee away two kings [or "royally-born men"], Olaf and Rægnald".[21] It is possible that rivalry between Amlaíb and Ragnall contributed to their fall.[22] Æthelweard's history reports that Amlaíb was deposed by a coup led by Wulfstan, Archbishop of York, and an unnamed Mercian ealdorman.[23]
After being driven out of Northumbria, Amlaíb returned to Ireland while Ragnall may have been killed at York.[24] The Uí Ímair in Ireland had also suffered in 944 as Dublin was sacked that year by the High King of Ireland Congalach Cnogba, whose power base lay in Brega, north of Dublin on the lower reaches of the River Boyne. The following year, perhaps as a result of the sack of Dublin, Amlaíb's cousin Blácaire was driven out and Amlaíb replaced him as ruler of Dublin. Amlaíb was allied with Congalach and may have gained power with his assistance.[25]
Congalach
and
Amlaíb fought against Ruaidrí ua Canannáin, a rival for the
High Kingship who belonged to the Cenél Conaill, based in
modern County Donegal. In 945 the two defeated part of
Ruaidrí's army in Conaille Muirtheimne (modern County Louth)
and the following year Amlaíb raided Kilcullen in the
province of Leinster. In 947 Ruaidrí routed Congalach and
Amlaíb at Slane. Losses among the Dublin men were heavy,
with many drowning while fleeing the battle. This defeat
appears to have lost Amlaíb his kingship, as the annals
record that Blácaire not Amlaíb was the leader of the Dublin
forces in the following year. Blácaire was killed in 948 by
Congalach, and was succeeded by Amlaíb's brother
Gofraid.[26]
[
The course of events in Northumbria while Amlaíb was in
Ireland is uncertain. While Edmund certainly controlled
Northumbria after Amlaíb was expelled and Ragnall killed, he
may soon after have lost control of the north to a
Scandinavian king named Eiríkr, usually identified with Eric
Bloodaxe.[27] If Erik did rule in Northumbria before
Edmund's death, it was only for a short time. Edmund was
killed in 946, and succeeded by his brother Eadred. The
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that Eadred "reduced all the
land of Northumbria to his control; and the Scots granted
him oaths that they would do all that he wanted".[28] The
Northumbrian submission to Eadred led to a meeting with the
notables of York led by Archbishop Wulfstan in 947, but the
following year King Erik was back ruling Northumbria and
Eadred laid waste to the southern parts of the kingdom—
Ripon is mentioned as a particular target—to force the
Northumbrians to expel Erik, which they did.[29]
The following year, 949, by which time Blacáire was dead and Amlaíb's brother ruling in Dublin, the Northumbrians invited Amlaíb to rule in York.[30] His return to England may have been with Eadred's agreement.[31] That year Máel Coluim mac Domnaill, the king of Alba, raided Northumbria as far south as the River Tees, capturing many slaves and much loot. Whether this invasion was directed against Amlaíb, or perhaps intended to support him by plundering only northern Northumbria which may have been outwith his control, is uncertain. A second invasion from the north in 952, this time an alliance including Máel Coluim's Scots and also Britons and Saxons, was defeated. Again, whether this was aimed against Amlaíb, who was deposed in 952 and replaced by Erik, or was mounted against King Erik in support of Amlaíb, is unclear. Erik's reign was short and the Viking kingdom of York was definitively incorporated into the kingdom of the English on his death in 954. Amlaíb returned to Ireland, never again to rule in York.[32]
In 951, while Amlaíb was in Britain his brother Gofraid died in Dublin of disease.[33] Congalach's rival Ruaidrí was also dead, leaving Amlaíb's former ally as undisputed High King and thus a serious threat to Dublin and the south-eastern Irish kingdom of Leinster. This threat was perhaps what led to Congalach's death in an ambush at Dún Ailinne (modern County Kildare) or at Tech Guigenn in the region of the River Liffey while collecting tribute in Leinster in 956.[34] The main beneficiary was the brother of Amlaíb's new wife Dúnflaith, Domnall ua Néill, who became the next High King of Ireland. The marriage linked Amlaíb not only to the northern Uí Néill kindred of Cenél nEógain, but also to the southern Clann Cholmáin as he was now stepfather to Dúnflaith's young son Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill.[35]
In the early 960s Amlaíb Cuarán probably faced a challenge from the sons of his cousin Amlaíb mac Gofrith. In 960 the Annals of Ulster report that Cammán, son of Amlaíb mac Gofrith, was defeated at an unidentifiable place named Dub. Two years later one Sitriuc Cam—Cam means crooked or twisted and Cammán is simply the hypocoristic form of this byname, so that Sitriuc Cam and Cammán are presumed to be the same person—was defeated by the Dubliners led by Amlaíb Cuarán and the Leinstermen while raiding in Leinster. Amlaíb Cuarán was wounded in the battle but Sitriuc fled to his ships. Sitriuc and his brothers appear to have raided Munster after this, but disappear from the record soon afterwards and do not appear to have returned to Ireland.[36]
Amlaíb's activities in the early 960s seem largely to have been limited to occasional raids in Leinster. He attacked Kildare in 964, and it was a target again in 967 when Muiredach mac Faeláin, abbot of Kildare, a member of Uí Dúnlainge kindred which ruled Leinster, was killed by Amlaíb and Cerball mac Lorcáin, a kinsman of Muiredach's. Another raid south in 964 ended in a heavy defeat for Amlaíb near Inistogue (modern County Kildare) at the hands of the Osraige.[37]
Until the late 960s Domnall ua Néill, Congalach's successor as would-be High King, was occupied with enemies close to home, and in Connacht and Munster, and did not intervene in Leinster or the hinterlands of Dublin. Having defeated these, in 968 he marched south and plundered Leinster, killing several notables, and laid siege to Dublin for two months. While Domnall did not take the port, he carried off a great many cattle. Amlaíb, allied with the king of Leinster Murchad mac Finn, retaliated by attacking the abbey of Kells in 969. A pursuit by ua Néill's allies was defeated near Ardmulchan (County Meath).[38]
In 970 Domnall ua Néill and his allies attacked Amlaíb's new-found ally, Congalach's son Domnall, the king of Brega. Domnall mac Congalaig was married to a daughter of Amlaíb, perhaps at about this time. Churches in Brega, including Monasterboice and Dunleer, guarded by Amlaíb's soldiers, were a particular target of the raids. Domnall of Brega and Amlaíb fought against Domnall ua Néill's northern army at Kilmona in modern County Westmeath. Domnall's army, which included allies from Ulaid was defeated, and Ardgal mac Matudáin, king of Ulaid, and Cináed mac Crongilla, king of Conaille Muirtheimne, were among those killed. The battle at Kilmona did not end the war in the midlands. Monasterboice and Dunleer were burned after the battle and fighting spread to the lands of Clann Cholmáin the following year when Domnall ua Néill's enemies there drove him out, only for him to return with an army and ravage both Mide and the lands around Dublin before marching south to attack Leinster. This campaign appears to have established Domnall ua Néill as effective overlord of the midlands and Leinster for some years.[39]
In 977, in unknown circumstances, Domnall ua Néill's sons Congalach and Muirchertach were killed and Amlaíb is given credit for their deaths by the annals. Domnall made no effort to avenge the deaths, retiring to the monastery at Armagh where he died in 980. The Dubliners campaigned against Leinster the late 970s. The overking of Leinster, Úgaire mac Túathail, was captured in 976. He was evidently ransomed or released as he was killed, along with Muiredach mac Riain of Uí Cheinnselaig of south Leinster, fighting against the Dubliners in 978 at Belan (County Kildare). Úgaire's successor Domnall Claen was little more fortunate, being captured by the Dubliners the following year.[40]
Following the death of High King Domnall ua Néill, Amlaíb's stepson Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill claimed the title. Amlaíb's former ally Domnall son of Congalach had died in 976, removing one potential rival, and ss Amlaíb had killed two of Domnall ua Néill's sons he may have cleared the way for Máel Sechnaill to take power. If so, it was unlikely to be by design. Máel Sechnaill had become king of Mide and head of Clann Cholmáin in 975 and had inaugurated his reign with an attack on his stepfather when he burned "Thor's Wood" outside Dublin. In 980 Máel Sechnaill had the support of the Leinstermen when he faced Amlaíb's sons—Amlaíb himself was by now an old man—near the hill of Tara. The Dubliners too had allies as the Irish annals record the presence of warriors from the Isle of Man or the Hebrides. Amlaíb's son Ragnall (Rögnvaldr) was among the dead in the battle which followed, and although several kings fighting alongside Máel Sechnaill were killed, the result was clearly a crushing blow for Dublin. Máel Sechnaill occupied the city and imposed a heavy tribute on the citizens.[41]
In
the aftermath of this defeat Amlaíb abdicated, or was
removed from power. He was replaced by a son named Glúniairn
(Járnkné), a son of Dúnlaith and thus Máel Sechnaill's
half-brother. Amlaíb retired to the monastery on Iona where
he died soon afterwards.[42]
[edit] Marriages and children
He was succeeded by his son Glúniairn (Járnkné, literally "Iron Knee"), son of his wife Dúnlaith, daughter of Muirchertach mac Néill. Among his wives was Gormflaith, daughter of Murchad mac Finn, King of Leinster, and future wife of Brian Boru. Gormflaith's son Sitric Silkbeard was king of Dublin after Glúniairn's death. Amlaíb's other children included Gytha, who married Olaf Tryggvason, Máel Muire, who married Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, and Harald, possibly the grandfather of Godred Crovan.[43]
Amlaíb's byname, cuarán, is usually translated as "sandal" or "shoe". It derives from the Old Irish word cúar meaning bent or crooked. It is first applied to him in the report of the battle of Slane in 947 in the Annals of Ulster. The usual translation may be misleading. The epithet probably refers to a distinctive style of footwear. Benjamin Hudson points to the description of a cuarán in a twelfth century satire, where it is made of leather folded seven times and has a pointed toe. In Aislinge Meic Con Glinne and Scél Baili Binnbérlaig, the cuarán is waterproof. In the first story Mac Con Glinne cleans his by dipping them in his bath; in the second, a cuarán serves as a vessel to drink from. That the cuarán was a piece of footwear specific to Dublin is suggested by statements in other stories that have cobblers in the town owing a cuarán in taxes.[44]
Amlaib = son of
39 Sitriuc Caech or Sigtrygg (d. 927)
According to Wikipedia: "Sihtric Cáech (or in Norse Sigtrygg) (died 927) was a Norse King of Dublin who later reigned as King of York. His epithet means the 'Squinty'. He belonged to the House of Ivar.
The Annals of Ulster records the arrival of two viking fleets in Ireland in 917, one led by Ragnall and the other by Sihtric, both of the House of Ivar. They fought a battle against Niall Glundub in which the Irish were routed, and according to the annals Sihtric then "entered Áth Cliath", i.e. Dublin, which we must assume means that he took possession of it.[1] Ragnall Uí Ímair went on to Scotland[2], and then conquered York and became king there.
Sihtric fought several battles with Niall Glundub. Warfare is recorded in 918, and in 919 Niall and several other Irish petty kings where killed in a major battle at Dublin.[3]. This was probably the most devastating defeat ever inflicted on the Irish by the Norse, and Sihtric's possession of Dublin seemed secure. Sihtric however left Dublin already in 920 or 921, the pious annalist claims he left "through the power of God".[4] The truth of it was that Sihtric had ambititions elsewhere, and following Ragnall's death he became king of York. His kinsman Guthfrith ruled in Dublin.
Sihtric attacked Mercia from the Mersey which formed part of the border between Mercia and the Viking Kingdom of York.[5] He also commanded Viking forces in the Battle of Confey and other battles.
In 926 he married King Athelstan of England's sister in a political move designed by Athelstan to build up his influence in the north of England. Sihtric died suddenly only a year later in 927 and Athelstan assumed his throne.[6]
Sihtric's son Olaf, whom the Irish nicknamed Cuaran, later succeeded him both as king of Dublin and of York. His son Guthfrith Sihtricesson ruled Dublin."
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