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King of the Britons

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Not to be confused with King of the Bretons. For legendary British monarchs known by this title, see List of legendary kings of Britain. For Welsh monarchs, see List of rulers in Wales.

The title King of the Britons (Welsh: Brenin y Brythoniaid, Latin: Rex Britannorum) was used (often retrospectively) to refer to a ruler, especially one who might be regarded as the most powerful, among the Celtic Britons, both before[1] and after[2] the period of Roman Britain up until the Norman invasion of Wales and the Norman conquest of England. Britons were the Brittonic-speaking (ancestral language of Welsh) peoples of what is now Wales, England and southern Scotland. The Britons contributed as ethnic ancestors of the native British population including the Welsh, Cornish, and Scottish people but also of the Bretons.[3]

During the Norman and Plantagenet periods, only Wales (or parts thereof) remained under Brittonic rule in Britain and the term "Britons" (Brythoniaid, Britaniaid, Brutaniaid) was used in Britain to mean the Welsh people (Cymry in modern Welsh). This, and the diminishing power of the Welsh rulers relative to the Kings of England, is reflected in the gradual evolution of the titles by which these rulers were known from "King of the Britons" in the 11th century to "Prince of Wales" in the 13th.[2]

List of the Kings of the Britons, Kings in Wales, Princes of Wales

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Name Depiction Reign Regional power base Recorded title or description Source Notes
Kings prior to this period are generally regarded as fictional Legendary Kings of Britain
Cassivellaunus

(Welsh: Caswallawn fab Beli)

54BC
Tasciovanus 20 BC – 9 AD
Cunobeline

(Welsh: Cynfelyn)

9 – 40 lands of the Trinovantes and Catuvellauni King of the Britons Suetonius,
Dio Cassius		 perhaps retrospective
(Roman rule from 43 to 410 AD)
Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus / Togodumnus 40–43 lands of the Regni, Atrebates, and Belgae Great King of the Britons (or perhaps: Great King of Britain) marble inscription at Chichester contemporary, self-description
(post-Roman, from 410 AD)
Vortigern

(Welsh: Gwrtheyrn)

mid-5th century unknown, but traditionally Powys King of the Britons (in c. 449) Bede probably retrospective
Riothamus c. 469 unknown, but active in Gaul King of the Britons (in c. 469) Jordanes may refer only to Britons in Gaul
Ambrosius Aurelianus

(Welsh: Emrys Wledig)

late 5th century probably in the south Leader [of the Britons] Gildas near contemporary
Natanleod ?-508 Anglo Saxon Chronicle Possibly never even existed.
unnamed c. 545 unknown King over them [the Britons] Procopius[4] contemporary but distant
Maelgwn Gwynedd ?–549? Gwynedd King [who] reigned among the Britons Historia Brittonum retrospective
Selyf ap Cynan ?– c. 613 Powys King of the Britons (in c. 613) Annals of Ulster near contemporary
Ceretic of Elmet

(Welsh: Ceredig ap Gwallon)

c. 614 – 617 Elmet King of the Britons (in 614) Bede may refer only to Britons in Elmet
Cadwallon ap Cadfan ?–634 Gwynedd (Cadwalla,) King of the Britons (in 633) Bede
Idris ap Gwyddno ?–635 unknown. perhaps Meirionnydd King of the Britons (in 635) Annals of Ulster (sub anno 633)[5] perhaps Idris Gawr
Eugein I of Alt Clut c. 642 Strathclyde King of the Britons (in 642) Annals of Ulster
Rule within the modern territory of Wales only
Cadwaladr c. 654 – c. 664 Gwynedd [King who] reigned among the Britons Historia Brittonum retrospective
Ifor 683–698 Llydaw (Brittany) "Sovereignty of the Britons" Brut y Tywysogion[6]
Rhodri Molwynog c. 712 – 754 Gwynedd King of the Britons (in 754) Annales Cambriae perhaps retrospective
Use of King of Wales title begins (King of the Britons title continues also)
Cynan Dindaethwy 798–816 Gwynedd (insecurely from 754) King of the Britons (in 816); The King (in 816)
  • "King of all Wales" (Welsh: "Brenin Cymry oll"[7]
 Annals of Ulster; Annales Cambriae
Merfyn Frych 825–844 Gwynedd King of the Britons (in 829); Glorious King of the Britons Historia Brittonum; Bamberg Cryptogram contemporary
Rhodri Mawr (Rhodri the Great) (Welsh: Rhodri ap Merfyn
844–878 Gwynedd, from 854 also Powys, from 872 also Seisyllwg King of the Britons (in 878)
  • "began to reign over the Welsh" (843 AD)[8]
 Annals of Ulster
Anarawd ap Rhodri 878–916 Gwynedd King of the Britons (in 916)
  • "ruled over all Wales" (900 AD)[9]
 Annales Cambriae
Idwal Foel ap Anarawd 916–942 Gwynedd King of the Britons (in 927) William of Malmesbury
Hywel Dda
942–950 Deheubarth (from 920), from 942 also Gwynedd and Powys King of the Britons (in 950)
  • "King of all Wales" (Welsh: "Brenin Cymry oll"[10]
 Annals of Ulster and Annales Cambriae
Dyfnwal ab Owain 930s–970s Strathclyde King of the Britons (in 973) Annals of Ulster
Maredudd ab Owain 986–999 Deheubarth and Gwynedd and Powys King of the Britons (in 999) Brut y Tywysogion
Llywelyn ap Seisyll 1018–1023 Gwynedd and Powys; from 1022 also Deheubarth King of the Britons (in 1023)
  • "took the government upon himself...in his time the country of Wales was twelve years without war"
  • "sovereignty of Wales"[11]
 Annals of Ulster
Iago ab Idwal 1023–1039 Gwynedd and Powys King of the Britons (in 1039) Annals of Ulster
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn 1039–1063 Gwynedd and Powys, from 1057 also the rest of Wales King of the Britons (in 1063; in 1058)

Rex Walensium ("King of Wales")[12]

Annals of Ulster; Brut y Tywysogion
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn 1063–1075 Gwynedd and Powys and Seisyllwg Support[er of] the whole Kingdom of the Britons (in 1075); Chiefest of the Britons Brut y Tywysogion (sub anno 1173; sub anno 1113)
Rhys ap Tewdwr 1079–1093 Deheubarth (insecurely until 1081) [Upholder of the] Kingdom of the Britons (in 1093) Brut y Tywysogion
Use the title of Prince of Wales begins (King of Wales title continues also)
Gruffudd ap Cynan 1136–1137 Gwynedd (insecurely from 1081) King of all the Welsh (in 1137) Brut y Tywysogion
Owain Gwynedd 1137–1170 Gwynedd Prince over the British nation (in 1146); King of Wales, King of the Welsh, Prince of the Welsh Brut y Tywysogion; contemporary charters[13]

Other uses

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Geraint ?670–c. 710 Dumnonia King of the Welsh (=Britons) (in 710) Anglo-Saxon Chronicle May refer only to Britons in Dumnonia

(Not mentioned by Brut y Tywysogion, so possibly a King of the Welsh in Dumnonia only)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Stuart Laycock (2008). Britannia: The Failed State. Tempus. ISBN 978-0-7524-4614-1.
  2. ^ a b Kari Maund (2000). The Welsh Kings: The Medieval Rulers of Wales. Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-2321-5.
  3. ^ C. A. Snyder (2003). The Britons. Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-22260-X.
  4. ^ Procopius (2000). History of the Wars (book 8, chapter 20, verses 6–10). Translated by H. B. Dewing. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-99191-5.
  5. ^ Annals of Ulster, 633.1 "Bellum Iudris regis Britonum"
  6. ^ "Archaeologia Cambrensis (1846–1899) | BRUT Y TYWYSOGION: GWENTIAN CHRONICLE 1863 | 1863 | Welsh Journals – The National Library of Wales". journals.library.wales. p. 5. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Archaeologia Cambrensis (1846-1899) | BRUT Y TYWYSOGION: GWENTIAN CHRONICLE 1863 | 1863 | Welsh Journals - The National Library of Wales". journals.library.wales. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Archaeologia Cambrensis (1846-1899) | BRUT Y TYWYSOGION: GWENTIAN CHRONICLE 1863 | 1863 | Welsh Journals - The National Library of Wales". journals.library.wales. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Archaeologia Cambrensis (1846-1899) | BRUT Y TYWYSOGION: GWENTIAN CHRONICLE 1863 | 1863 | Welsh Journals - The National Library of Wales". journals.library.wales. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Archaeologia Cambrensis (1846-1899) | BRUT Y TYWYSOGION: GWENTIAN CHRONICLE 1863 | 1863 | Welsh Journals - The National Library of Wales". journals.library.wales. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Archaeologia Cambrensis (1846-1899) | BRUT Y TYWYSOGION: GWENTIAN CHRONICLE 1863 | 1863 | Welsh Journals - The National Library of Wales". journals.library.wales. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  12. ^ Maund, K. L. (1991). Ireland, Wales, and England in the Eleventh Century. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-85115-533-3.
  13. ^ Carpenter, David (2003). The struggle for mastery: Britain 1066–1284. ISBN 9780140148244.
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