The Era of the Early Kings and Princes of Gwynedd

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The Dark Ages is a term used to describe the European period of history from about the 5th - 10th Centuries AD, when there was a lack of written documentation. Historical events were remembered and recalled by oral tradition. These were written down much later, sometimes hundreds of years after the events occured by chroniclers such Nennius, a 10th century Welshman.

Gwynedd is one of several Welsh states that emerged during the Dark Ages following the 5th century Roman withdrawal from Britain. Gwynedd grew to included Ynys Môn and all of north Wales from the Afon Dyfi in the south to the Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee) in the northeast and Powys to the south-east.

Artifacts of Roman origin have been found around Aberffraw and there is good archaeological evidence that Aberffraw was the site of an old Roman fort. It is thought possible that the palace/llys, built by Cunedda (see below), in the middle of the 5th Century could have taken over the site of this Roman structure.

The princes shown below in blue are of the Aberffraw dynasty and the llys here was said to be the centre of administration. The princes shown in green were from other lineages and any administration was not centered in Aberffraw.

The presence of the llys at Aberffraw is well documented, and its importance is often written about. However, how much time any particular prince spent at Aberffraw is impossible to say. The hazy history of this period tells of family feuds, even fratricide and interminable internecine squabbles. Allegiances changed, battles were won and lost and the influence of the Aberffraw dynasty rose and fell. The princes must have spent a lot of time controlling the various parts of their lands and therefore an itinerant lifestyle was essential.

Cunedda Wledig ap Edern, who was known as Cunedda the Imperator and also Cunedda the Burner, lived from c.386 to c.460 AD.  'Imperator' was a title of acclamation of Roman origin - given by the soldiers of a victorious army to its General.  'Burner' possibly gives an indication of how Cunedda behaved after victory was achieved. (A possibly fanciful  aside; English readers should remember that the pronunciation of Cunedda in Welsh is ‘Kinetha’ . It has been suggested that the Saxons heard this as ‘King Arthur’.)

Cunedda was a Celt from what is now Strathclyde in southern Scotland, who probably had Roman connections and also kinship ties with Welsh chieftains. This is the period when Roman influence in Britain was coming to an end and it is thought that he was recruited to help the northern Welsh fight against the invading Irish. He was very successful in driving out the occupying Irish from north Wales and it is said that a court or a palace/llys was erected at Aberffraw by Cunedda around 450 AD.

Cunedda is acknowledged as the founder of the House and Kingdom of Gwynedd. (He also established the Kingdoms of Meirionnydd and Ceredigion). Records of Welsh folklore go back to 5th-6th centuries and refer to Aberffraw as one of the three chief courts or llys of the country and the main seat of government for Gwynedd is believed to have remained in Aberffraw for three generations:

Einion Yrth ap Cunedda (Einion the Impetuous) (c.470-c.480)

Cadwallon's successors moved the seat of government away from Aberffraw, and its special status as eisteddfa arbennig did not return for over three centuries.

The heart of Gwynedd was now at Deganwy, where Maelgwn Hir ap Cadwallon (Maelgwn the Tall), (c.520-c.547), established his main court and stronghold. He also had a court at Aberffraw. Gildas, a contemporary historian, described Maelgwn as the ‘dragon of the island’ (Anglesey).

For the next 384 years or so the succession of the House of Gwynedd was probably as follows. During this period the main llys was at Deganwy, on the estuary of the river Conwy, Aberffraw was one of the other, significant, llysoedd important in the management of the kingdom.

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Rhun Hir ap Maelgwn (Rhun the Tall) (c.547-c.580)

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Beli ap Rhun (c.580-c.599)

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Iago ap Beli (c.599-c.613)

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Cadfan ap Iago (c.613-c.625)

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(Cadfan ap Iago was King of Gwynedd from.c.613 to c.625. His gravestone is in the church of St Cadwaladr at Llangadwaladr, 2 miles east of Aberffraw. The church itself is thought to date from the 12th or 13th century. It once served as a royal chapel and burial ground.)

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Cadwallon ap Cadfan (c.625-634)

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Cadafael Cadomedd ap Cynfeddw (Cadfael the Battle-Shirker) (634-c.655)

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Cadwaladr Fendigaid ap Cadwallon (Cadwallader the Blessed) (c.655-c.682)

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Idwal Iwrch ap Cadwaladr (Idwal Roebuck) (c.682-c.720)

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Rhodri Molwynog ap Idwal (Rhodri the Bald and Grey) (c.720-c.754)

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Caradog ap Meirion (c.754-c.798)

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Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri (c.798-816)

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Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog (814-825)

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Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad (Merfyn the Freckled) (825-844)

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Aberffraw was strategically a most valuable palace site and, although it position was on an island and decidedly non-central, its influence grew. Anglesey was the granary of Gwynedd; it not only fed the population but also any army raised by the princes.  Throughout this period of history it was demonstrated that whoever controlled Anglesey, controlled those that lived in the mountains of Snowdonia, the rest of Gwynedd and beyond.

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Rhodri Mawr ap Merfyn (Rhodri the Great) (844-878)
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Rhodri Mawr ap Merfyn was born in 820 and his rule in Wales lasted from 844-78. He was the first ruler to unite most of Wales. He became King of Gwynedd in 844, following the death of his father. He became King of Powys, following the death of his uncle, in 855. He became King of Seisyllwg (including Ceredigion and Ystrad Tywi) following the death of his brother-in-law in 872.

Aberffraw was re-established as the most important Llys. In 870 it replaced Deganwy to become the principal court, known as the eisteddfa arbennig (English: Special Seat).

Rhodri made Aberffraw the centre for the administration of justice for his kingdom, and he ruled over much of Wales from here and he was successful in keeping out the Danes and the English from settling this territory.

Rhodri has been called the greatest of all the kings of Wales - rivalling Llywelyn the Great.  His success was perhaps due to his creation of a Welsh identity by uniting the Welsh-speaking people of Britain so that they acted together as a nation. Rhodri was killed in 878 fighting against the English in Mercia but by then Aberffraw had taken on a symbolic importance.

The senior line of decendents of Rhodri the Great would make Aberffaw their principal seat, and later rulers of Gwynedd would adopt the title "Prince of Aberffraw" or "Lord of Aberffraw"

Hywel lived from 890-950 and was a grandson of Rhodri Mawr. He became King of Dyfed around 904 and Brycheiniog some years later. The combined kingdoms became known as Deheubarth.  In 942, Deheubarth was united with Gwynedd and Powys, giving Hwyel control over most of Wales with the exception of Glamorgan.

Thirteenth-century manuscripts record the Bardic tradition's recognition of Aberffraw as one of the three chief thrones of the island of Britain. The thirteenth-century manuscript's retelling of an earlier oral tale, represented by the second branch of the Mabinogi, places one of the most significant events of the tale, the Wedding Feast of Branwen, at Aberffraw. The presence at Llangadwaladr, less than 2 miles away, of the grave marker of Cadfan, King of Gwynedd (died circa 625) is circumstantial corroboration of the importance of Aberffraw at an early date.