View source for Brycheiniog

{{short description|Kingdom in mid Wales}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = ''Teyrnas Brycheiniog''
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Brycheiniog
| common_name            = Brycheiniog|
| era                    = Middle Ages
| government_type        = Monarchy|
| event_start            = Founded by Brychan Brycheiniog
| year_start             = c.450
| event_end              = Death of Gryfydd ap Elisedd
| year_end               = c. 1045
| date_end               = 
| p1                     = Roman Britain
| flag_p1                = Roman SPQR banner.svg
| border_p1              = no
| s1                     = Kingdom of Deheubarth
| flag_s1                = Flag of Deheubarth.svg
| s2                     = Lordship of Brecon
| flag_s2                = |
| image_flag             = 
| flag_type              = 
| image_coat             = 
| symbol_type            = 
| image_map              = Medieval_Wales.JPG
| image_map_caption      = Medieval kingdoms of Wales.
| capital                = [[Talgarth]]
| latd                   = |
| common_languages       = [[Common Brittonic]], [[Welsh language|Welsh]], [[Latin]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Charles-Edwards |first=TM |author-link=Thomas Charles-Edwards |year=2013 |title=Wales and the Britons, 350&ndash;1064 |series=The History of Wales (series vol. 1) |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |publication-place=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-821731-2 |page=114 }}</ref> and [[Irish language|Irish]]
| leader1                = [[Brychan|Brychan Brycheiniog]]
| year_leader1           = c.450-490
| leader2                = [[Cloten of Dyfed]]
| year_leader2           = c.650
| leader3                = Gryfydd ap Elisedd
| year_leader3           = -c.1045
| religion               = 
| footnotes              = 
}}

{{History of Wales}}
'''Brycheiniog''' was an independent [[petty kingdom|kingdom]] in [[South Wales]] in the [[Early Middle Ages]]. It often acted as a [[buffer state]] between [[Kingdom of England|England]] to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of [[Deheubarth]] to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the [[Normans]] between 1088 and 1095, though it remained [[Culture of Wales|Welsh]] in character. It was transformed into the [[Lordship of Brecknock]] and later formed the southern and larger part of the [[Historic counties of Wales|historic county]] of [[Brecknockshire]]. To its south was the [[Kingdom of Morgannwg]].

The main legacy of the kingdom of Brycheiniog is [[etymological]] and geographical. It is used in ''Bannau Brycheiniog'', the Welsh name for the [[Brecon Beacons]] range and, since 2023, in name used for the range's [[Brecon Beacons National Park|national park]]. Its name is also the origin to the [[Anglicisation (linguistics)|anglicised]] names ''Brecknockshire'' (retained in [[Welsh language|Welsh]] as {{lang|cy|Sir Frycheiniog}}, {{gloss|the shire of Brycheiniog}}), and ''[[Brecon]]'' (otherwise known as {{lang|cy|Aberhonddu}} in Welsh).

== History ==

===Origins===
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2021}}
The kingdom of Brycheiniog was probably founded by Irish raiders in the late fifth century, very likely the [[Uí Liatháin]], whose power had grown great in Wales until they were reduced by the sons of [[Cunedda]] (although this may just be propaganda for [[Kingdom of Gwynedd|Gwynedd]]'s power) as reported in the [[Historia Brittonum]]. Traditionally, it was founded by and named after a legendary Hiberno-Welsh prince named [[Brychan]]<ref name=ebkbb /> out of the old Welsh kingdom of Garth Madrun (believed to have been centered on [[Talgarth]]) in the mid-5th century, though this event is shrouded in legend.<ref name=ebkbb /> Brychan was a son of Anlach, an Irish settler who had peacefully taken control of the area by marrying Marchell, the heiress of Garth Madrun. Tradition says that Brychan fathered an extremely large number of children, many becoming saints in Wales and Cornwall. Brychan's eldest son (or grandson, depending on which manuscripts are reliable), Rhain Dremrudd (i.e. ''Rhain the red-faced''), founded a dynasty which ruled the kingdom uninterrupted until the mid 7th century;<ref name=ebkrd>{{cite web |url=http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/rheindbg.html |title=Rhain Dremrudd, King of Brycheiniog |author=Ford, David Nash |year=2001 |work=Early British Kingdoms |publisher=Nash Ford Publishing |access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref> manuscripts list his descendants (and successors) as:
*Rhigeneu ap Rhain
*Llywarch ap Rhygeneu
*Idwallon ap Llywarch.
*Rhiwallon ap Idwallon
 
During this era, the Irish raiders had begun to invade various western parts of Britain, with [[Triffyn Farfog]] (son of {{ill|Aed Brosc|it|Aed Brosc}}, a [[Deisi]] magnate) already having taken over Dyfed from Edynfed's heirs. Traditional Welsh accounts claim that Triffyn had gained his power by peaceably marrying Edynfed's heiress (they do not indicate whether this was under duress). The power of Irish raiders, particularly the [[Uí Liatháin]], grew increasingly strong, and was not weakened until it was reduced by the sons of [[Cunedda]], as reported in the ''[[Historia Brittonum]]''.

Traditionally, Tewdrig carved out from his lands the region around [[Talgarth]] (''Garth Madrun'') as a dowry for his daughter, Marchell, when she married [[Brychan|Brychan mac Anlach]], the grandson of Triffyn's fraternal nephew, [[Cormac mac Urb]], in the mid 5th century.<ref name=ebkbb>{{cite web |url=http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/brychbbg.html |title=Brychan Brycheiniog, King of Brycheiniog |author=Ford, David Nash |year=2001 |work=Early British Kingdoms |publisher=Nash Ford Publishing |access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref> The remainder of Tewdrig's lands — [[History of Hampshire|Gwent]] — was inherited by Tewdrig's son.

Historical sources of a much later date, such as the 12th century ''[[Book of Llandaff]]'', name the next three generations of rulers of the eastern part — the descendants of Tudwal — as:
*Teithrin ap Tudwal
*Teithfallt ap Teithrin
*[[Tewdrig|Tewdrig ap Teithfallt]]
In the time of Idwallon, the aggressive [[Cynan Garwyn]] (king of [[Kingdom of Powys|Powys]]) invaded a number of lands, including Brycheiniog. Rhiwallon succeeded due to the subsequent collapse of Powysian power, under pressure from [[Dogfeiling]], and the extreme youth of [[Manwgan ap Selyf|Cynan's later successor]].

===Union with Dyfed===
Rhiwallon is the last direct male descendant of Brychan reported by any historic manuscript. His daughter and heiress, [[Ceindrych ferch Rhiwallon|queen Ceindrych]], married [[Cloten of Dyfed and Brycheiniog|Cloten]], the king of Dyfed. This 7th century marriage united the kingdom of Brycheiniog with Dyfed (which at that time bordered it),<ref name=ebkcdb>{{cite web |url=http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/clotedf.html |title=Cloten, King of Dyfed & Brycheiniog |author=Ford, David Nash |year=2001 |work=Early British Kingdoms |publisher=Nash Ford Publishing |access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref> a union which lasted for about a century (though parts of Brycheiniog may have been granted out, from time to time, as lordships for younger sons).<ref name=ebkcdb />

In the mid 8th century, [[Seisyll ap Clydog|Seisyll]] (king of [[Kingdom of Ceredigion|Ceredigion]]) invaded, conquering [[Ystrad Tywi]], and thus physically cleaving apart Dyfed and Brycheiniog.<ref name=ebkrdb>{{cite web |url=http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/rheindf.html |title=Rhein, King of Dyfed & Brycheiniog |author=Ford, David Nash |year=2001 |work=Early British Kingdoms |publisher=Nash Ford Publishing |access-date=17 September 2016}}</ref> [[Rhain ap Cadwgan]], great-grandson of Cloten and king of Dyfed-Brycheiniog, initially attempted to retain the union; the surviving parts were consequently known as ''Rhainwg''.

The impracticalities of ruling two regions physically separated by a rival kingdom meant that Rhain's brother, Awst, was eventually made governor of Brycheiniog, while Rhain now directly ruled only Dyfed. Following the death of Rhain and Awst, Rhain's son [[Tewdwr ap Rhain|Tewdwr]] challenged the authority of Awst's son Elwystl. According to the [[Book of Llandaff]], they were persuaded to divide Brycheiniog between them, swearing on the altar of [[Llandaff Cathedral]] to keep to this settlement. Soon after, Tewdwr murdered Elwysti, regaining the whole of Brycheiniog; the Church apparently forced him to donate [[Cwmdu, Powys|Cwmdu]] to the church, as punishment for breaking his oath.<ref name="WCD">[[Peter Bartrum|Bartrum, Peter C.]] ed. Welsh Classical Dictionary: People in History and Legend Up to About A.D. 1000 (National Library of Wales, February 1994) pp.14-15 {{ISBN|978-0907158738}}</ref>

===Unclear events===
{{Original research section|date=July 2021}}
At this point, records about Brycheiniog's leadership become primarily genealogical, and certainly vague, but are unfortunately quite inconsistent with one another, and appear sometimes to be confused with genealogies of other realms. There are a number of possible conclusions:
*that Rhain's son Tewdwr (also known as Tewdos) had two sons, [[Maredudd ap Tewdws|Maredudd]] and Nowy Hen, between whom the land was divided; Maredudd received Dyfed and Nowy Hen received Brycheiniog. In conjunction with this, 
**that Tewdos' mother (Rhain's wife) was the daughter of [[Elisedd ap Gwylog]] (king of [[Kingdom of Powys|Powys]]) and Sanan(t) ferch Nowy, Cloten's younger sister; that her grandson Nowy Hen was the father of Gruffydd;
**alternatively, that (as in [[Genealogies from Jesus College MS 20|Jesus College Manuscript 20]]), Nowy Hen had a son named Elisse, whose daughter was Sanan(t); Sanan(t) and an unnamed king of Powys were the parents of Gruffydd;
*alternatively, that Rhain had three or four sons (Tewdos, Naufedd Hen, Tewdwr, and possibly also Elisse) between whom the land was divided; Dyfed going to Tewdos (whose son was the Maredudd who inherited Dyfed), Naufedd Hen receiving [[Cantref Selyf]] of Brycheiniog, Tewdwr receiving [[Cantref Tewdos]], and Elisse (or Naufedd Hen, if Elisse did not exist) receiving the remainder of Brycheiniog. In close union with this alternative, that Tewdwr's son and heir was also named Elisse, and his daughter Sanan(t) married Nowy, an unidentified king, whose son was Gruffydd; Naufedd Hen, meanwhile, was the great-great-grandfather of a man named Elisse ap Gwylog (e.g. as in [[Peniarth Manuscripts|Peniarth Manuscript 131]]).

Complicating matters further, Tangwydd ap Tegid, the king of Ferlix (the adjacent realm at the heart of [[Rhwng Gwy a Hafren]]) gained a claim on Brycheiniog by marrying a daughter of Elwystl, or of Rhain's grandson Elisse ap Tewdwr / Elisse ap Nowy Hen, who had only daughters.

[[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] identifies Gruffydd (as ''Grifud map Nogoid'' - i.e. Gruffudd ap Nowy) as one of the princes present at the coronation of [[King Arthur]].<ref name="WCD" /> The [[Harleian genealogies|Harleian Chronicle]] states that in 848 (about the time of Gruffudd, or his son Tewdwr), [[Ithel ap Hywel]] (king of Gwent) was killed by men from Brycheiniog in the [[Battle of Ffinnant]] (probably referring to either the Ffinnant near [[Soar, Powys|Soar]] in Brycheiniog, or the Ffinnant near [[Duhonw]] in [[Buellt]]<ref>[[Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales]], ''The Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Wales''</ref>); the cause and participants of the battle are not otherwise reported, but the [[Chronicle of the Princes]] states that the killing of Ithel had become infamous as treachery, possibly implying that he had been on the Brycheiniog side of the battle.<ref name=CP13>''Archæologia Cambrensis'', Vol. X, 3rd Series. "Chronicle of the Princes", [https://books.google.com/books?id=CZAbAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA13 p. 15]. J. Russell Smith (London), 1864.</ref>

Subsequent kings of Ferlix descended from Tangwydd are identified in the [[Book of Baglan]] as also ruling Brycheiniog, even though this raises the question of how Gruffudd's descendants could rule it at the same time; possibly this is what led to the Battle at Ffinnant.

===Dependency===
Gruffydd (whoever his parents were), had a grandson – Elisse ap Tewdwr (also known as Elisedd) – who is described in the records as being king of Brycheiniog in the time of [[King Alfred]]. In Elisse's time, the [[Great Heathen Army|Viking raids]] threatened Brycheiniog, so in the 880s Elisse became a vassal of Alfred, to help protect his realm; indeed, in the spring of 896, Brycheiniog, Gwent and [[Gwynllwg]] were devastated by the Norsemen who had wintered at Quatford near [[Bridgnorth]] that year. According to [[Asser]]'s contemporary account, Elisse also feared the malevolence of the kings of Seisyllwg and Gwynedd who had succeeded [[Rhodri Mawr]]; his vassalage to Alfred provided him with potential support against Seisyllwg.

According to an early 14th century writer,<ref name="WCD" /> a king of Brycheiniog and Ferlix named Hwgan (''Huganus'' in Latin), noting that [[Edward the Elder]] (king of [[Mercia]]) was preoccupied by the [[Great Heathen Army]], attempted to conquer (or raid) Mercia. He had not known Edward's sister, [[Æthelflæd]] (the daughter of King Alfred and widow of Earl [[Æthelred of Mercia]]), would be a force to be reckoned with; Æthelflæd successfully resisted his attempts, and, in the early summer of 916, pushed her advantage by invading Brycheiniog.<ref name="TDW">''Brecknockshire'' in S.Lewis, ''[[Samuel Lewis (publisher)#A Topographical Dictionary of Wales|A Topographical Dictionary of Wales]]'', London, 1849 [https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/wales online version]</ref> On 19 June, Æthelflæd stormed the royal ''llys'' (court) in [[Llangorse lake]], and captured the queen of the land and 34 others.<ref name="TDW" /> Hwgan responded by seeking an alliance with the [[Danes]], but died soon afterwards while defending [[Derby]] (a Danish-held city) from the Saxons.<ref name="TDW" /> The earlier [[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]] also reports these events, but without naming the Brycheiniog king, or mentioning his raid against Mercia; it was, though, Æthelflæd who defeated the Danes at Derby.

As a result of Hwgan's behaviour, his son, Dryffin (also known as Tryffin) was forced by King [[Athelstan]] to pay tribute.<ref name="TDW" /> Athelstan's godson and namesake, [[Elystan Glodrydd]], deprived Dryffin of Ferlix, merging it with his own realm of [[Buellt]]. Nevertheless, records like the Book of Baglan still have Dryffin's descendants as rulers of Brycheiniog; Hwgan (and hence Dryffin) is named there as a direct descendant of Tangwydd. What state the kingship of Brycheiniog was in at this time is not completely certain; Elisse ap Tewdwr's son, Tewdwr ap Elisse, was certainly ruling between 927 and 929. Tewdwr ap Elisse is reported to have witnessed a charter at the English royal court in 934, along with [[Hywel Dda]].

After Tewdwr ap Elisse, no more kings of Brycheiniog are recorded from his line. [[Gerald of Wales]] states that after Tewdwr's death, Brycheiniog was divided between the three sons of Tewdwr's brother, Griffri: Tewdos (or Tewdwr), Selyf, and Einon;<ref>Gerald of Wales, ''Descriptio Cambriae'', [[List of manuscripts in the Cotton library#Domitian|Cotton Library, Domitian 1]], folios 124-126</ref> the three ''cantrefi'' of Brycheiniog: Tewdos (also known as Mawr), Selyf, and Talgarth were their respective portions. Tewdwr ap Griffri is the last of his line to be named in the Jesus College genealogies.

Several genealogical manuscripts report that Dryffin's son, Maenyrch, married the daughter of Selyf's granddaughter, Elinor. The Book of Baglan reports that Maenyrch's son [[Bleddyn ap Maenyrch|Bleddyn]] became king of Brycheiniog; Bleddyn was the ruler at the time of the [[Norman Conquest|Norman invasion of England]]. Bleddyn married the sister of [[Rhys ap Tewdwr]], the king of [[Deheubarth]].

===End of the kingdom===
Many Welsh princes had been vassals or allies of the Saxon kings, so actively supported the rebellion of [[Eadric the Wild]] against the Norman presence in England. In 1070, after suppressing Eadric's forces in England, [[William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford]], attacked South Wales, defeating three of its kings (but notably, he is not described as having defeated a king of Brycheiniog). This past behaviour of Welsh princes naturally made the Normans ill-disposed towards them when an anti-Norman revolt broke out in Northern England ten years later.

Over the previous century, Deheubarth had been contested between the heirs of [[Maredudd ab Owain]]'s brother Einion (such as [[Hywel ab Edwin]]), those of his daughter Angharad (such as [[Gruffydd ap Llywelyn]]), and the rulers of [[Kingdom of Morgannwg|Morgannwg]]. Rhys was of Einion's line. In 1088, Gruffydd's son-in-law, and his son-in-law's son-in-law, [[Bernard de Neufmarché]], took part in a [[Rebellion of 1088|rebellion against King William Rufus]], without being punished for it. Emboldened by this, Bernard launched attacks on an area under Rhys' influence – Brycheiniog – while the sons of [[Bleddyn ap Cynfyn]], Gruffydd's half-brother, attacked Deheubarth; this was likely a co-ordinated action between Bernard and Bleddyn's sons.<ref>Dr. K. L. Maund, ''Ireland, Wales, and England in the Eleventh Century'', 1991, page 149</ref> Bleddyn was defeated at the [[Battle of Caer-Bannau]] (one of Bleddyn's castles, and a former Roman army camp), while Rhys was forced to flee to Ireland.

An undated charter of Bernard de Neufmarché mentioned "all the tithes of his lordship which he had in Brycheiniog in the woods and plains" (as well as [[Glasbury]]). In 1655, this charter was included in a publication (''Monasticon Anglicanum'' by Roger Dodsworth) which amalgamated it with another of Bernard's charters, the latter being dated 1088; the charter mentioning Brycheiniog was then republished in an 1867 work (''Historia et cartularium Monasterii Sancti Petri Gloucestriae'' by William Hart), with the added marginal gloss "AD 1088"; some people conclude from the 1867 gloss that Bernard must already have regarded himself as lord of all Brycheiniog in 1088.

With Irish aid, Rhys gradually re-established himself in Deheubarth. In 1093, Bernard replaced Caer-Bannau, by constructing a more militarily advanced castle – [[Brecon Castle]] – at a more strategic location three miles away, demolishing Caer-Bannau to re-use the material.<ref name="TDW2">''Brecknock'' in S.Lewis, ''[[Samuel Lewis (publisher)#A Topographical Dictionary of Wales|A Topographical Dictionary of Wales]]'', London, 1849 [https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/wales online version]</ref> Rhys and Bleddyn sought to use this to their advantage, by attacking Bernard while the new castle was unfinished, but at the subsequent [[Battle of Brecon]], in April that year, Rhys and Bleddyn were killed; the Welsh Annales{{clarify|date=November 2019}}{{Fix|text=can't be the Annales Cambriae as those were written earlier}} clearly state that Rhys was killed "by the French who were inhabiting Brycheiniog" (which also implies that the kingdom of Brycheiniog had been destroyed by this point).

The lands of Brycheiniog became Bernard's [[Lordship of Brecknock]], ruled by his descendants for many years.<ref name="NSW">{{cite web | last = Nelson | first = Lynn H. | title = The Normans in South Wales | work = Carrie: A Full-Text Electronic Library | url = http://vlib.iue.it/carrie/texts/carrie_books/nelson/index.html | year = 1966 | access-date = 2007-08-21}}</ref> Bernard confined Bleddyn's eldest son, Gwrgan, in Brecon Castle (though Gwrgan was allowed to travel elsewhere, if accompanied by Bernard's knights); nevertheless, Bernard gave Gwrgan, and his brother, some lands within Bernard's Lordship, to sustain their dignity.<ref name="TDW2" />

From Gwrgan descends [[Rhys ap Hywel]],<ref name="TDW2" /><ref>[[John Burke (genealogist)|John Burke]], ''[[Burke's Landed Gentry|A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland]]'', 1833-37, Volume 3, entry for ''Price, of Castle Madog''</ref> who was one of the search party who caught [[Edward II of England|King Edward II]], in 1326, resulting in Edward's effective, and then actual, imprisonment for the rest of his life. Rhys ap Hywel's second son was [[Einion Sais]], who militarily supported the campaigns of Edward's son, [[Edward III of England|King Edward III]];<ref>''History of the County of Brecknock'', Theophilus Jones, 1898, volume 2, page 77</ref> Einion's great-great grandson was Sir [[Dafydd Gam]], an enemy of [[Owain Glyndŵr]] and hero of [[Battle of Agincourt|Agincourt]], from whom descend the present [[Earls of Pembroke]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2019}}

==Sources==
{{reflist|2}}

==Historical references==
* Remfry, P.M., ''Castell Bwlch y Dinas and the Families of Fitz Osbern, Neufmarché, Gloucester, Hereford, Braose, Fitz Herbert'' ({{ISBN|1-899376-79-8}})
* Remfry, P.M., ''Annales Cambriae.  A Translation of Harleian 3859; PRO E.164/1; Cottonian Domitian, A 1; Exeter Cathedral Library MS. 3514 and MS Exchequer DB Neath, PRO E'' ({{ISBN|1-899376-81-X}})
{{Rulers of medieval Wales}}
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 11th century]]
[[Category:Brecknockshire]]
[[Category:History of Brecknockshire]]
[[Category:Kingdoms of Wales]]
[[Category:States and territories established in the 5th century]]
[[Category:5th-century establishments in Wales]]
[[Category:11th-century disestablishments in Wales]]