Cynddylan
Encyclopedia
Cynddylan, or Cynddylan ap Cyndrwyn (Cynddylan son of Cyndrwyn) was a seventh century ruler associated with Pengwern
. He is described in the poem Marwnad Cynddylan (Elegy of Cynddylan) as a king of Dogfeiling
, a sub-kingdom of Gwynedd
near Rhuthun
to the north of Powys
, in modern-day Wales
.
and the invasion of the Saxons
, the remains of the civitas
of the Cornovii
held on to their lands in the lowland border regions of Wales (Herefordshire
and Shropshire
). By the beginning of the seventh century King Cystennin
was the dominant ruler in the Old North
, while King Cyndrwyn "the Stubbon" ruled Powys. Several Early Welsh saga poems, known collectively but rather misleadingly as Canu Llywarch Hen
("The Poetry of Llywarch Hen"), survive that describe this Brythonic
/early Welsh kingdom, however they were probably not composed until some time after the events alluded to and are to some degree mythologised. Cyndrwyn died before 642 when his sons, chief of whom was Cynddylan, joined Penda of Mercia
in the defeat of King Oswald of Northumbria
at the Battle of Maserfield
, which may have taken place just outside Oswestry
.
Cynddylan is first mentioned in the poems at the Battle of Maes Cogwy when the army of Penda was apparently hard pressed and "Cynddylan brought them aid". One of the poems says that Cynddylan brought "seven hundred men" to the battle, but this round figure is probably symbolic. In the aftermath of victory Penda and Cynddylan seem to have fallen out and Cynddylan, allied with Morfael of Caer Lwydgoed (Lichfield
), defeated an Anglo-Saxon army with bishops under the walls of the town, possibly in 655. According to the poems, Cynddylan and his brothers stood and fought at the ford of the River Tren, which may have been the River Tern or the River Trent
.
The poem Marwnad Cynddylan (Elegy for Cynddylan), possibly of ninth century composition, mourns the death of Cynddylan, as well as the cycle of poems known as Canu Heledd (Song of Heledd), Heledd being his sister.
Most scholars date the Canu Heledd poems to the ninth century, but they may well be representative of earlier works in the oral tradition which are now lost.
Pengwern
Pengwern was a Brythonic settlement of sub-Roman Britain situated in what is now the English county of Shropshire, adjoining the modern Welsh border. It is generally regarded as being the early seat of the kings of Powys before its establishment at Mathrafal, further west, but the theory that it...
. He is described in the poem Marwnad Cynddylan (Elegy of Cynddylan) as a king of Dogfeiling
Dogfeiling
Dogfeiling was a minor sub-kingdom and later a commote in north Wales.It formed part of the eastern border of the Kingdom of Gwynedd in early medieval Wales. The area was named for Dogfael, one of the sons of the first King of Gwynedd, Cunedda. It existed from the year 445 until sometime around the...
, a sub-kingdom 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...
near Rhuthun
Ruthin
Ruthin is a community and the county town of Denbighshire in north Wales. Located around a hill in the southern part of the Vale of Clwyd - the older part of the town, the castle and Saint Peter's Square are located on top of the hill, while many newer parts of the town are on the floodplain of...
to the north of Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, in modern-day 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...
.
History
With the collapse of the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and the invasion of the Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
, the remains of the civitas
Civitas
In the history of Rome, the Latin term civitas , according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the cives, or citizens, united by law . It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities on the one hand and rights of citizenship on the other...
of the Cornovii
Cornovii
The Cornovii were a Celtic people of Iron Age and Roman Britain, who lived principally in the modern English counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, north Staffordshire, north Herefordshire and eastern parts of the Welsh county of Powys. Their capital in pre-Roman times was probably a hill fort on The...
held on to their lands in the lowland border regions of Wales (Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
and Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
). By the beginning of the seventh century King Cystennin
Saint Constantine of Strathclyde
Constantine was reputedly the son and successor of King Riderch Hael of Alt Clut, the Brittonic kingdom later known as Strathclyde . He appears only in the Life of St...
was the dominant ruler in the Old North
Hen Ogledd
Yr Hen Ogledd is a Welsh term used by scholars to refer to those parts of what is now northern England and southern Scotland in the years between 500 and the Viking invasions of c. 800, with particular interest in the Brythonic-speaking peoples who lived there.The term is derived from heroic...
, while King Cyndrwyn "the Stubbon" ruled Powys. Several Early Welsh saga poems, known collectively but rather misleadingly as Canu Llywarch Hen
Llywarch Hen
Llywarch Hen was a 6th-century prince of the Brythonic kingdom of Rheged, a ruling family in the Hen Ogledd or 'Old North' of Britain...
("The Poetry of Llywarch Hen"), survive that describe this Brythonic
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
/early Welsh kingdom, however they were probably not composed until some time after the events alluded to and are to some degree mythologised. Cyndrwyn died before 642 when his sons, chief of whom was Cynddylan, joined Penda of Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
in the defeat of King Oswald of Northumbria
Oswald of Northumbria
Oswald was King of Northumbria from 634 until his death, and is now venerated as a Christian saint.Oswald was the son of Æthelfrith of Bernicia and came to rule after spending a period in exile; after defeating the British ruler Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Oswald brought the two Northumbrian kingdoms of...
at the Battle of Maserfield
Battle of Maserfield
The Battle of Maserfield , Welsh: "Maes Cogwy", was fought on August 5, 641 or 642, between the Anglo-Saxon kings Oswald of Northumbria and Penda of Mercia, ending in Oswald's defeat, death, and dismemberment...
, which may have taken place just outside Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
.
Cynddylan is first mentioned in the poems at the Battle of Maes Cogwy when the army of Penda was apparently hard pressed and "Cynddylan brought them aid". One of the poems says that Cynddylan brought "seven hundred men" to the battle, but this round figure is probably symbolic. In the aftermath of victory Penda and Cynddylan seem to have fallen out and Cynddylan, allied with Morfael of Caer Lwydgoed (Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
), defeated an Anglo-Saxon army with bishops under the walls of the town, possibly in 655. According to the poems, Cynddylan and his brothers stood and fought at the ford of the River Tren, which may have been the River Tern or the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
.
The poem Marwnad Cynddylan (Elegy for Cynddylan), possibly of ninth century composition, mourns the death of Cynddylan, as well as the cycle of poems known as Canu Heledd (Song of Heledd), Heledd being his sister.
Most scholars date the Canu Heledd poems to the ninth century, but they may well be representative of earlier works in the oral tradition which are now lost.
External links
- Remfry, P.M., Whittington Castle and the families of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, Peverel, Maminot, Powys and Fitz Warin (ISBN 1-899376-80-1)
- Marwnad Cynddylan in Welsh and English.
- Canu Heledd in Welsh and English (click on the links in the frame to get to each section of the poem).
- The Death-song of Cynddylan (MS NLW4973).