Wales!
One of the four nations of the UK, and the only one that didn't make it onto the flag.
This country has a rich, and fascinating history, that is often overlooked in the face of its contemporaries.
On this channel, I hope to talk all about Welsh history.
Starting today, with a very brief overview of one of its most important kingdoms: Gwynedd!
[Air Hockey Saloon - Chris Zabriskie]
By the year 78, the Romans had completed their conquest of Wales, putting them in 2nd place.
This would last just over 300 years, when the usurper, Magnus Maximus, withdrew the garrison from Wales.
The land they left behind was: thinly populated, rural, poor (poorer than what it was before the Romans came),
mostly mountainous, covered in forests, constantly cold, terrible for growing crops, attacked by Irish raiders and soon to be attacked by Anglo-Saxons.
This new hellscape that many of us love to call home, would be the foundation for four major kingdoms.
One of which, Gwynedd, we're going to be talking about today.
According to legend, the kingdom of Gwynedd was founded from the lands colonised by the Irish.
Their principle settlement, known as Venedotia, was located on Anglesey.
A king of (probably) Powys, known as Vortigern, (who liked to wear clothes the same colour as his hair, and also had... no face)
decided to summon a warlord from the North of Britain, known as Cunedda, to deal with these Irish colonisers.
Around the year 430, Cunedda Wledig is said to have come down from the North of Britain, to take ROUGHLY these lands.
Upon his death, his lands were divided amongst his sons. With his 7th son, Einion, getting the cantref of Rhos, (located here).
When he died, he passed this cantref onto his eldest son. Meaning his second son, Cadwallon, would have to go out and find his own lands.
Which he did, by conquering the remaining Irish settlement (known as Venedotia).
He did this with the help of Ysfeilion, who then promptly disappear from the historical record (meaning they probably shouldn't have helped him).
His eldest son, Maelgwn, has the epithet "Gwynedd", which tells us something important.
He was written down as the king of "Guenedota" in 828 AD.
This "Guenedota" would go on to be written as "Gwynedd",
which means Maelgwn was, I guess, the first official king of "Gwynedd".
Maelgwn did what everyone does on a typical family barbecue,
he killed his uncle, took his land, established a capital at Degannwy, and then died of the "yellow fever" (which is what my parents called me when I was born with jaundice).
Maelgwn's eldest son, I can neither pronounce nor draw correctly: Rhun Hir.
And I should probably ask my friend to do a couple more of these...
He died as possibly passed [the throne] to his son Beli, who definitely passed it to his son Iago.
Now, up until this point, things have been pretty relaxed in Wales.
However, some weird Germans from the 'North' of the 'Humber'...
...huh... good name.
Decided to come down and attack the city of Chester!
But not to worry! Iago ap Beli of Gwynedd, Cadwal Crysban of Rhos,
and Selyf Sarffgadau ap Cynan Garwyn of Powys, who was apparently compensating for something,
all teamed up to defeat the Northumbrians at Chester...
...and they all died.
Of course, once you're dead, you can't be king. So Iago had to pass [the throne] to his son Cadfan,
who then passed it to his son Cadwallon, who decided to take revenge on the Northumbrians.
He defeated them at the battle of Hæðfeld,
before marching through their territory for a year, [until] finally being defeated at the battle of Hefenfelth.
Unfortunately, Cadwallon's son was a baby, and as we know, babies can not inherit the throne.
This gave the perfect opportunity for literally a random guy, called Cadafael ap Cynfedw, to take the throne of Gwynedd.
Now, Cadafael was friends with these other Germans, called the Mercians,
they decided to team up, and fight the Northumbrians again at the battle of Winwaed.
However, Cadafael decided to run away,
possibly allowing the previous king's son, Cadwaladr, to then take the throne.
Cadwaladr is also the person who is associated with the Welsh dragon!
He passed the throne to his son, Idwal, who then passed it to his son, Rhodri.
Now when Rhodri died, his son was a baby, which means we have to go back to the rules:
No, not that one.
Yes that one!
Which gave the perfect opportunity for the king of...Rhos...Caradog, to march into Gwynedd and take it for himself.
Now he ruled Gwynedd for a very long time, before deciding to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors, being killed violently in battle against the Mercians in the year 798.
His death allowed the son of the previous king, Cynan, to come back from exile in Ireland and take the island of Anglesey.
Leading to a rather awkward situation with the new king of...Rhos...Hywel Farf-fehinog,
which means "greasy beard", which tells you he was probably not a popular guy.
In the year 813, Hywel decided to attack the island of Anglesey, but lost.
But that's ok, because in the next year, he attacked and won.
In the year 816, Cynan managed to drive Hywel out of Anglesey, but died later of apparently unrelated reasons.
Leaving Hywel Farf-fehinog, the sole king of Gwynedd.
Now, like most people, Hywel would eventually die...
leaving Gwynedd in chaos.
But luckily, far to the North, on the Isle of Man, was a woman named Esyllt.
She was the daughter of king Cynan, heiress to the throne of Gwynedd, married to the king of the Isle of Man, in a very powerful position.
Could she be the one to come to Gwynedd? Restore order, and become the first queen in all of Welsh history?
No, of course not. She's a woman, and women couldn't inherit.
But luckily, her son can.
Merfyn Frych, rather adorably meaning "the freckled",
which is a much nicer name than his other epithet, "camwri", which means "the oppressor".
Merfyn possibly established a capital at Caernarfon, and decided to follow in the steps of his great grandad
and died violently in battle against the Mercians in the year 844.
His son was known as Rhodri Mawr. Which means Rhodri:
the Big?
the Voluminous?
the Great?
In 855, the king of Powys died, and Rhodri claimed his throne due to his mother being the sister of the king.
He used his military prowess to wrestle the lands away from the Mercians,
and possibly also took Meirionnydd at this time.
In 872, his wife's brother, Gwgon ([king] of Ceredigion), would die by drowning.
Allowing Rhodri again to claim his throne and take his lands,
making him the king of a huge amount of territory...
His eldest son, Anarawd, getting Gwynedd, with a new capital at Abberffraw.
His second son, Merfyn, getting Powys, with a new capital at Mathrafal.
And his third son, Cadell, getting Ceredigion, with a new capital at Dinefwr.
Although Rhodri was dead, the impact he would have on Wales was immense.
He had just founded the country's three most important and influential dynasties.
And from now on, nearly every king in Wales would be descended from him,
turning the family tree from a bunch of straight lines, into this werid, stretched-out spider-looking thing.
We will continue the story next time.