Angharad ferch Meurig
| Angharad ferch Meurig | |
|---|---|
| Born | Wales |
| Spouse | Rhodri the Great |
| Issue | Anarawd ap Rhodri Cadell ap Rhodri Merfyn ap Rhodri |
| House | House of Cunedda |
| Father | Meurig ap Dyfnwal |
Angharad ferch Meurig (fl. c. 875 CE) was a 9th-century Welsh noblewoman. She was the wife of Rhodri the Great of Gwynedd, and was the mother of Anarawd (Rhodri's successor), Cadell ap Rhodri, and Merfyn.[1][2][3][4]
Life
Angharad was the daughter of Meurig ap Dyfnwallon of the Kingdom of Ceredigion, who was evidently the King of Seisyllwg in southwestern Wales.[2] She was a descendant of Cunedda through his son, Ceredig ap Cunedda of Ceredigion through her paternal line. She was married to Rhodri Mawr of Gwynedd, (d. 878) son of Merfyn Frych, who held power over much of Wales.[5][3] She had at least three sons, Anarawd, Cadell and Merfyn, although Rhodri is recorded in having six sons in some sources. She may have had a daughter called Nest.[6]
Her brother Gwgon ap Meurig succeeded their father to the throne of Seisyllwg, but he drowned without an heir in either 871 or 872, crossing the River Llychwr in Gower while fighting "black pagans" interpreted to mean Viking invaders.[2][7]
Subsequently, Angharad and Rhodri are considered to have become caretakers of his kingdom through her blood rights. Rhodri had no standing to take the kingship himself, but Angharad's family connection allowed him to install their second son, Cadell (d. 910), as king.[8][9] Their first son, Anarawd, later succeeded Rhodri in Gwynedd.[10][11] Their third son, Merfyn, is sometimes said to have been installed as King of Powys.[12]
Through her son Cadell, Angharad became the grandmother of Hywell ap Cadell, more commonly known as Hywel Dda, king of Deheubarth (originally Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Dyfed). He later ruled over most of Wales, and was responsible for the codification of traditional Welsh laws known as the Laws of Hywel Dda.[13]
References
- ^ Brady, Lindy (4 August 2022). The Origin Legends of Early Medieval Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-009-22565-6.
- ^ a b c Maund, Kari (24 October 2011). Welsh Kings: Warriors, Warlords and Princes. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-7392-5.
- ^ a b "RHODRI MAWR ('the Great') (died 877), king of Gwynedd, Powys, and Deheubarth | Dictionary of Welsh Biography". biography.wales. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
- ^ Thornton, David E. (2004). "Rhodri Mawr (b. before 844, d. 878), king of Gwynedd". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/23456. Retrieved 25 April 2025. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Thornton, David E. (2003). Kings, Chronologies, and Genealogies: Studies in the Political History of Early Medieval Ireland and Wales. Occasional Publications UPR. ISBN 978-1-900934-09-1.
- ^ Bartrum, P.C. "A Welsh Classical Dictionary" (PDF). National Library of Wales. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
- ^ Archaeologia Cambrensis: "Chronicle of the Princes", p. 15. Accessed 24 April 2025
- ^ Lloyd, John Edward (1912). A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest. Longmans, Green, and Co. p. 325. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
Lloyd history of Wales.
- ^ "Cadell ap Rhodri (d. 910), king in Wales". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4296. Retrieved 25 April 2025. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Miller, Arthur (2004). "Anarawd ap Rhodri (d. 916), king in Wales". In Thornton, David E. (ed.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/458. Retrieved 25 April 2025. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "ANARAWD ap RHODRI (died 916), prince | Dictionary of Welsh Biography". biography.wales. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
- ^ Archaeologia Cambrensis. W. Pickering. 1864. p. 24. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
- ^ "Hywel Dda [Hywel Dda ap Cadell] (d. 949/50), king in Wales". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/13968. Retrieved 25 April 2025. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)