Cynan ap Iago
Encyclopedia
Cynan ab Iago 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.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
Prince, the son of Iago ab Idwal
Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig
Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig 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....
, King of Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
and father of Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan 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...
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
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was the ruler of all Wales from 1055 until his death, the only Welsh monarch able to make this boast...
. Cynan was forced to flee to Ireland and took refuge at the Danish settlement of Dublin. He married Ragnaillt daughter of Olaf
Amlaíb mac Sitriuc
Amlaíb mac Sitriuc was the son of the Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin, Sigtrygg Silkbeard, a member of the Uí Ímair dynasty. His ancestors included Brian Boru, Olaf Cuaran, and Gormflaith, who were influential in medieval Ireland...
of Dublin, son of King Sigtrygg Silkbeard
Sigtrygg Silkbeard
Sigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson was a Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin of the Uí Ímair dynasty...
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
Book of Leinster
The Book of Leinster , is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled ca. 1160 and now kept in Trinity College, Dublin, under the shelfmark MS H 2.18...
, was also a descendant of Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
.
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
Brut y Tywysogion
Brut y Tywysogion is one of the most important primary sources for Welsh history. It is an annalistic chronicle that serves as a continuation of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae. Brut y Tywysogion has survived as several Welsh translations of an original Latin version, which has...
. 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.