Cador
Encyclopedia
Cador was a legendary Duke
of Cornwall
, known chiefly through Geoffrey of Monmouth
's pseudo-historical History of the Kings of Britain and previous manuscript sources such as Vita Sanctus Carantoci circa 1100 from Cotton Vespasian xiv. Cador is said to be King Arthur
's relative from the earliest sources, though the details of their kinship is usually left unspecified.
n king named Gerren, and succeeded him as monarch. Traditionally he was a good friend of Arthur; they even ruled together in such documents as the Vita Sanctus Carantoci (Life of St. Carantoc
). He also seemed to share a good relationship with King Caradoc
of Gwent. Four hillforts (one each near to Clevedon
, Congresbury
and Sparkford
in Somerset and one by the Exe in Devon
north of Crediton
), are named Cadbury
, and it is quite possible he gave his name to them ("Cado's fort").
was raised as Cador's ward. Cador is also said to be of Roman stock. His son Constantine
was given the kingship of Britain by Arthur as the latter lay ailing on the field of Camlann
. In the Brut Tysilio the translator adds the information that Cador was son of Gorlois
, presumably by Igraine
. This would make him Arthur's maternal half-brother. The same appears in Richard Hardyng's Chronicle where Cador is called Arthur's brother "of his mother's syde." Different views appear in Layamon
's Brut where Cador appears first as a leader who takes charge of Uther
's host when they are attacked by Gorlois while Uther is secretly lying beside Igraine in Tintagel
. Furthermore, because he becomes duke of Cornwall after Gorlois' death, this may imply the two were brothers, meaning Cador was not a blood relative of the king. Most works, such as the English Alliterative Morte Arthure
and Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur
, however, are content to call Cador Arthur's "cousin".
Cador appears in The Dream of Rhonabwy
, a medieval romance associated with the Mabinogion
. In it, he hands Arthur's sword Caledfwlch
(Excalibur) to the king, and when the story's protagonist Rhonabwy asks who he is, his guide Iddawg replies that he is "Cadwr Earl of Cornwall, the man whose task it is to arm the king on the day of battle and conflict."
Legendary Dukes of Cornwall
"Duke of Cornwall" appears as a title in pseudo-historical authors as Nennius and Geoffrey of Monmouth. The list is extremely patchy, and not every succession was unbroken. Indeed, Geoffrey repeatedly introduces Dukes of Cornwall only to promote them to the Kingship of the Britons and thus put an...
of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, known chiefly through Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
's pseudo-historical History of the Kings of Britain and previous manuscript sources such as Vita Sanctus Carantoci circa 1100 from Cotton Vespasian xiv. Cador is said to be King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
's relative from the earliest sources, though the details of their kinship is usually left unspecified.
Historical ruler
Cado was the historical son of a DumnoniaDumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
n king named Gerren, and succeeded him as monarch. Traditionally he was a good friend of Arthur; they even ruled together in such documents as the Vita Sanctus Carantoci (Life of St. Carantoc
Carantoc
Saint Carantoc was a confessor and abbot of the early 6th century in Wales and what is now the English West Country.His early vita takes the form of a short homily...
). He also seemed to share a good relationship with King Caradoc
Caradoc
Caradoc Vreichvras Arm) was a semi-legendary ancestor to the kings of Gwent. He lived during the 5th or 6th century. He is remembered in Arthurian legend as a Knight of the Round Table as Carados Briefbras ....
of Gwent. Four hillforts (one each near to Clevedon
Clevedon
Clevedon is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, England...
, Congresbury
Congresbury
Congresbury is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the Unitary authority of North Somerset, and in 2001 had a population of 3,400. It lies on the A370, roughly equidistant between Junction 21 of the M5 and Bristol Airport, approximately south of Bristol city centre,...
and Sparkford
Sparkford
Sparkford is a village and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Weston Bampfylde....
in Somerset and one by the Exe in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
north of Crediton
Crediton
Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about north west of Exeter. It has a population of 6,837...
), are named Cadbury
Cadbury
-Businesses:*Cadbury Adams, the company's North American subsidiary*Cadbury Ireland, the company's Irish subsidiary*Cadbury UK, the company's UK subsidiary*Cadbury India, the company's Indian subsidiary*Cadbury New Zealand, the company's New Zealand subsidiary...
, and it is quite possible he gave his name to them ("Cado's fort").
Legend
In Geoffrey's History and elsewhere, Arthur's future queen GuinevereGuinevere
Guinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot...
was raised as Cador's ward. Cador is also said to be of Roman stock. His son Constantine
Constantine III of Britain
Constantine was a minor king in 6th-century sub-Roman Britain, who was remembered in later British tradition as a legendary King of Britain. The only contemporary information about him comes from Gildas, who calls him king of Damnonia and castigates him for his various sins, including the murder...
was given the kingship of Britain by Arthur as the latter lay ailing on the field of Camlann
Battle of Camlann
The Battle of Camlann is best known as the final battle of King Arthur, where he either died in battle, or was fatally wounded fighting his enemy Mordred.-Historicity:...
. In the Brut Tysilio the translator adds the information that Cador was son of Gorlois
Gorlois
Gorlois was a Duke of Cornwall and Igraine's first husband before her marriage to Uther Pendragon, according to the Arthurian legend...
, presumably by Igraine
Igraine
Igraine , in Arthurian legend, is the mother of King Arthur. She is also known in Latin as Igerna, in Welsh as Eigyr, in French as Igerne, in Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur as Ygrayne— often modernized as Igraine—and in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival as Arnive...
. This would make him Arthur's maternal half-brother. The same appears in Richard Hardyng's Chronicle where Cador is called Arthur's brother "of his mother's syde." Different views appear in Layamon
Layamon
Layamon or Laghamon (ˈlaɣamon; in American English often modernised as ; ), occasionally written Lawman, was a poet of the early 13th century and author of the Brut, a notable English poem of the 12th century that was the first English language work to discuss the legends of Arthur and the...
's Brut where Cador appears first as a leader who takes charge of Uther
Uther Pendragon
Uther Pendragon is a legendary king of sub-Roman Britain and the father of King Arthur.A few minor references to Uther appear in Old Welsh poems, but his biography was first written down by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae , and Geoffrey's account of the character was used in...
's host when they are attacked by Gorlois while Uther is secretly lying beside Igraine in Tintagel
Tintagel
Tintagel is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The population of the parish is 1,820 people, and the area of the parish is ....
. Furthermore, because he becomes duke of Cornwall after Gorlois' death, this may imply the two were brothers, meaning Cador was not a blood relative of the king. Most works, such as the English Alliterative Morte Arthure
Alliterative Morte Arthure
The Alliterative Morte Arthure is a 4346-line Middle English alliterative poem, retelling the latter part of the legend of King Arthur. It is preserved in a single copy, in the early fifteenth-century Lincoln Thornton Manuscript.-History:...
and Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur is a compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of Romance tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table...
, however, are content to call Cador Arthur's "cousin".
Cador appears in The Dream of Rhonabwy
The Dream of Rhonabwy
The Dream of Rhonabwy is a Middle Welsh prose tale. Set during the reign of Madog ap Maredudd, prince of Powys , it is dated to the late 12th or 13th century. It survives in only one manuscript, the Red Book of Hergest, and has been associated with the Mabinogion since its publication by Lady...
, a medieval romance associated with the Mabinogion
Mabinogion
The Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions...
. In it, he hands Arthur's sword Caledfwlch
Excalibur
Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
(Excalibur) to the king, and when the story's protagonist Rhonabwy asks who he is, his guide Iddawg replies that he is "Cadwr Earl of Cornwall, the man whose task it is to arm the king on the day of battle and conflict."