Glywysing
Kingdom of Glywysing Teyrnas Glywysing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th century–c. 1055 (intermittently in union with Gwent/in Morgannwg) | |||||||||||
 Medieval kingdoms of Wales, showing Glywysing in the south | |||||||||||
| Capital | Cardiff | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Old Welsh | ||||||||||
| Religion | Celtic Christianity | ||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||
• Formed after Roman withdrawal from Britain | Late 5th century | ||||||||||
• Various unions with Gwent | 6th century–c. 745 | ||||||||||
• Union in Morgannwg (under Morgan Hen ab Owain) | 942–974 | ||||||||||
| 1055-1063 | |||||||||||
• Union in Morgannwg | 1063-1074 | ||||||||||
• Becomes Morgannwg (under Caradog ap Gruffydd) | 1075 | ||||||||||
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Kingdom of Morgannwg Teyrnas Morgannwg | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 7th/8th century-c. 745 942–974 1055/1063–1091 | |||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Various[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Welsh | ||||||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||||||||
• Morgannwyg formed from Gwent and Glywysing (under Morgan the Generous) | c. 7th/8th century | ||||||||||||||||
• Union disestablished | c. 745 | ||||||||||||||||
• Reunited (under Morgan Hen ab Owain) | 942 | ||||||||||||||||
• Union disestablished | 974 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1055 | |||||||||||||||||
• Independent | 1063 | ||||||||||||||||
• Conquered (by the Norman lord, Robert Fitzhamon) | 1091 | ||||||||||||||||
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Glywysing was, from the sub-Roman period to the Early Middle Ages, a petty kingdom in south-east Wales. Its people were descended from the Iron Age tribe of the Silures, and frequently in union with Gwent, merging to form Morgannwg.
Name and Early History
Glywysing is said to be named after Glywys, a real or legendary early monarch, whose name may continue that of the Romano-British *Glevenses, the territory and citizens of Glevum (modern Gloucester).[2] According to 12th-century sources, after the death of Glywys, the kingdom was divided into seven cantrefs named for his sons:[3] Cydweli, Gwyr, Margam, Penychen, Gwynllwg, Gorfynydd, and another. These were typically ruled together by the head of the family and sometimes treated as appenage subkingdoms.
Location
The borders changed over time, but it is generally thought that its lands originally lay between the Afon Llwyd and the River Towy. At times they expanded eastwards in union with both Gwent and Ergyng. Some time before the early 8th century, Cydweli and Gwyr (Gower) were lost to Dyfed, although the Gower had returned to Glywysing by 928 prior to the reign of King Morgan the Old.[4] Today the area of Glywysing is known as Glamorgan.
Morgannwg
First under King Morgan the Generous (fl. c. 630-730) until the end of the reign of his descendant Ithel (d. c. 745), and later again under King Morgan the Old (r. 942-74), the kingdom merged with Gwent and changed its name to Morgannwg or Gwlad Morgan in honour of the Morgan Kings.[4][5] During such unions Glywysing and Gwent seem to have been together or occasional sub-kingdoms or principalities of the Kingdom of Morgannwg.[4]
After the death of Morgan the Old, Gwent and Glywysing were separated again from 974 to 1055, but Glywysing alone was often referred to as Morgannwg. Both areas were conquered by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in about 1055, subsequently King of Wales, but on Gruffydd's death in 1063, Glywysing was regained by the native lineage under Caradog ap Gruffudd.[4] Morgannwg, the union between Gwent and Glywysing, was reconstituted. How this occurred is unclear; possibly the Kings of Glywysing were also Kings of Morgannwg and the Kings of Gwent were semi-independent under-Kings, or vice versa.[4]
Norman conquest
With Gwent increasingly overrun by the Norman conquest of Wales, the last native King of Morgannwyg & Glywysing was Iestyn ap Gwrgan (1081-1090), who was subsequently deposed by Robert Fitzhamon. Iestyn's sons became Lords of Afan, while Owain ap Caradog ap Gruffudd contented himself with Gwynllwg and founded the line of the Lords of Caerleon.[4]
The name Morgannwg is still used in Wales for the former Marcher Lordship and county of Glamorgan (itself a corruption of the term Gwlad Morgan) and its successor counties.
See also
References
- ^ The three cantrefs composing Glywysing were based at Allt Wynllyw on Stow Hill (modern Newport); Nant Pawl; and Llaniltud Fawr. These were sometimes independent and sometimes controlled one another. Cf. The History Files: "Celtic Kingdoms of the British Isles: Cernyw / Glywyssing" (Accessed 14 Feb 2013).
- ^ Koch, John T. Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia ABC-CLIO Ltd (15 Mar 2006) ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0 p.1312
- ^ Carver, Martin The cross goes north: processes of conversion in northern Europe, AD 300-1300 Boydell Press; New edition (26 Jan 2006) ISBN 978-1-84383-125-9 p.125
- ^ a b c d e f Ashley, Mike (1998) The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens (Carol & Graf)
- ^ Lloyd, John E. A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest, Vol. 1, p. 274. Longmans, Green, & Co. (London), 1911. Accessed 22 Feb 2013.
Medieval Welsh kingdoms | |
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