Angharad ferch Maredudd (abt. 982 - 1058)

Born about 0982 in Deheubarth, Wales

Ancestors

Wife of Cynfyn ap Gwerystan — married 1023 in Wales

Descendants

Died 1058 at about age 76 in Rhuddlan, Gwynedd, Wales

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Biography

Name

• Angharad ferch Maredudd
• Angharad verch Maredudd^[1]

982 Birth Year Estimation

Angharad verch Maredydd Queen of Powys was born in about 0982 ^[2][1]

She was born either in Rhuddlan or in Deheubarth, Wales. ^[2][1]

These estimates confirm a calculated estimate of 982: Based on a recorded marriage year of 1023 to her second husband, one can estimate backward as follows:

• Assume it was important for her widowhood to be short. This is consistent with a 1021 death date currently shown on WikiTree for Llywelyn.
• She had one known child by Llywelyn, Gruffudd, who is currently shown as born in 1011. This raises the question as to why there were no more children between 1011 and 1021.
• However, accepting Gruffudd's birth year as 1011 would place the marriage of Angharad and Llywelyn at 1010.
• Early marriages were common, so estimate her age at marriage as 15. This would place her birth at 995. Some genealogies without documentation show her birth as 982, 13 years earlier, which would make her 28 at first marriage in 1010. Such an age would not have been consistent with the culture at the time. * However, her father's dates are 938-999, making him 44 in 982 and 57 in 997. From that perspective, the current 982 birth year for her is more reasonable.

Parents

Angharad ferch Maredudd [BYT, pp. 55, 87; JC.27; ABT.1e,7k] was a daughter of 98. Maredudd ap Owain, d. 999 [AC] [ABT.1e,7j,k] ^[3]

Angharad's father was Maredydd ap Owain, son of Owain ap Hywel and Angharad verch Llewelyn. ^[2] Her father was Maredudd, king of Deheubarth. ^[1] Her father, Maredydd ap Owain, was born about 0938 Dynevor Castle, Carmarthshire, Wales died 0999^[2]

Siblings

Angharad had two brothers and a sister, named Rhys, Cadwallon and Lleucu. She was the youngest of the four children.^[2]

Angharad was the sister of

1. Rhys ap Maredudd ^[1]Rhys ap Maredudd born about 0963 Deheubarth, Wales ^[2]
2. Cadwallon ap Maredudd ^[1]Cadwallon ap Maredudd born about 0966 Deheubarth, Wales died 0992^[2]
3. Lleucu verch Maredudd; ^[1]Lleucu verch Maredudd born about 0972 Deheubarth, Wales^[2]

Angharad was a half sister of Rhain ap Maredudd ^[1]

994 First Marriage to Llywelyn ap Seisyll

In 994 Angharad married Llywelyn ap Seisyll. ^[4]

The marriage of Angharad and Llywelyn is confirmed by the Chronicle of the Princes of Wales which records that "Bleddyn son of Cynvyn [and] Gruffudd son of Llywelyn…were brothers by the same mother…Angharad daughter of Meredudd king of the Britons". ^[4]

From the 'Brut y Tywysogion', it is known that Llywelyn married Angharad, daughter of Maredudd ab Owain. ^[2]

Llywelyn was the son of Seisyll ap Ednowain/Owain, a man of whom little is known.^[5]

Llywelyn's background is obscure. Medieval genealogists contrived to make his mother (Prawst) the daughter of an otherwise unknown son (Elisedd) of Anarawd ap Rhodri Mawr. It is not unreasonable to assume that both Prawst and Elisedd are inventions. ^[2]

Llywelyn was aged 14 at the time (so born in 980). The Gwentian Chronicle records that "Llywelyn son of Seisyllt lord of Maes Essyllt…although but a youth not more than fourteen years of age" married "Yngharad, daughter of Meredydd on of Owain" in 994 ^[4]

If Angharad was born in 982, she would have been 12 at the time.

1018 Llywelyn becomes ruler of Gwynedd and Powys

Llewellyn first appears on record in 1018, that year he defeated and killed Aeddan ap Blegywryd along with four of his sons and obtained the rule of Gwynedd and Powys.^[5]

Quite who Aeddan was is open to speculation. ^[2]

1022 Llywelyn becomes ruler of Deheubarth

In 1022, a man named Rhain the Irishman was made king of Deheubarth, he claimed to be a son of Maredudd ab Owain, whose daughter Angharad had married Llywelyn. Llywelyn made war against Rhain, they fought a battle at Abergwili, and after a “slaughter on both sides” Rhain was killed allowing Llywelyn take control of Deheubarth.^[5]

And Llywelyn, son of Seisyll, supreme king of Gwynedd, and the chief and most renowned king of all the Britons, made war against him." 'Brut y Tywysogion' Rhain was defeated, at Abergwili - he fled, never to be seen again. Llywelyn followed up his victory by ravaging Deheubarth ("destroying it as far as Mercia"). ^[2]

1023 Death of Llywelyn

Llywelyn, after his success against Rhain, died in 1023. The Brut y Tywysogion portrays Llywelyn’s reign as one of prosperity saying “complete in abundance of wealth and inhabitants; so that it was supposed there was neither poor nor destitute in all his territories, nor an empty hamlet, nor any deficiency.” Llywelyn was called "King of the Britons" by the Annals of Ulster.^[5]

1023 Anghard's Second Marriage to Cynfyn ap Gwerystan

As the widow of Llywelyn, Angharad married secondly in 1023 Cynfyn ap Gwerstan, King of Powys, son of Gwerstan. ^[4]

Angharad married secondly Cynfyn ap Gwerystan King of Powys, born about 1002 Powys, Wales married 1023. (This would make Cynfyn 20 years younger than Angharad. In 1023, Angharad, born in 982, was already 39 years old. she married a 14 year old who was not ready to consummate the marriage, she might have been even younger at the wedding.

Angharad married Cynfyn ap Gwerystan [ByT, pp. 55, 87, 101; MG.3; JC.27] (also #74). ^[3]

Angharad's marriage to Cynfyn. The Gwentian Chronicle records that "Yngharad the widow of Llywelyn son of Seisyllt married Cynvyn son of Gwerystan lord of Cibwyr" in 1023. ^[4]

Cynfyn married firstly (1023) as her second husband, ANGHARAD of Gwynedd, widow of LLYWELYN ap Seisyll King of Gwynedd, daughter of MAREDUDD King of Deheubarth and Gwynedd & his wife ---. ^[6]

Angharad married second to Cynfyn ap Gwerystan of Powys, a lord in Powys about whom little is known. Angharad and Cynfyn had the following children:^[2]

1. Rhywallon ap Cynfyn Bleddyn ap Cynfyn a daughter who married Owain ap Edwin, Lord Tegaingl, and they had a daughter: Angharad who married Gruffydd ap Cynan, Prince of Gwynedd and/or King of North Wales from 1081 until his death in 1137. ^[2]

Death of Cynfyn

The year of Cynfyn's death is unknown. Wolcott suggests he was living as late as 1039.

Death

She died in Wales in 1077 (83-91) ^[1]

Issue

Angharad had children by two marriages. Her second husband Cynfyn likely had children by a previous wife, and these children are sometimes mis-attributed to Angharad.

Wikipedia: It is through Princess Anghared (as daughter of Maredudd ab Owain of Deheubarth and Powys), her second husband was Cynfyn ap Gwerstan, that the Mathrafal dynasty was founded.

1. Gruffydd ap Llewelyn, son of Angharad and her first husband Llewelyn. Gruffydd, king of Gwynedd & Powys was born about 1011 in Rhuddlan, Flintshire, Wales and died 5 August 1063. He was the child of Llywelyn ap Seisyllt and Angharad verch Maredudd. ^{[2] [1]} Gruffydd did not succeed his father, possibly because he was too young to do so when his father died in 1023. Gruffydd went on to become the first King of Wales, however he was killed by his own men in 1063. Gruffydd’s own sons Maredudd and Idwal died in 1069, fighting at the Battle of Mechain.^[5]Gruffydd ap Llywelyn inflicted a series of defeats on the English, and made alliances with the enemies of King Edward the Confessor. Gruffydd fought a long campaign against rival kings to win overall control of Wales. By 1055, he had become master of Deheubarth and had expanded his rule to the lesser kingdoms of Morgannwg (Glamorgan) and Gwent. ^[2] In 1063, Earl Harold Godwinsson (later Harold II) and his brother Tostig made a joint attack on Gwynedd. At the same time, Deheubarth rebelled against Gruffydd’s rule. Gruffydd fled and was murdered by his own men. Gruffydd married Ealdgyth, a daughter of Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia. Ealdgyth married second in circa 1064 to Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England. Ealdgyth and Gruffydd had a son: Maredudd ap Gruffydd who was excluded from the throne by his uncles Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and Rhywallon ap Cynfyn. ^[2] Gruffydd ap Llewelyn, king of the Britons; ^[1]
2. Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn ap Gwerystan, son of Angharad and Cynfyn. ^[7] born c. 1024, was elevated to king of Powys after the death of Gruffudd ap Llewelyn^[8] Rhiwallon was killed in the Battle of Mechain, about 1068. ^[6] This is the most concrete date associated with Rhiwallon. Warriors were generally young men, though the princes for whom they fought were often older and also expected to fight. Estimate that Rhiwallon was aged 45 at Mechain, and his birth year would be, say, 1025, or if the first born of his mother's second marriage, 1024. Florence of Worcester records that he was appointed King of Powys by King Edward "the Confessor" after the defeat of Gruffydd. ^[6] The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records in 1106 that "Bleddyn and Rhiwallon, sons of Cynvyn, were brothers, from Angharad daughter of king Maredudd". ^[4] Florence of Worcester records that he was appointed King of Powys by King Edward "the Confessor" after the defeat of Gruffydd. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "the action of Mechain took place between Bleddyn and Rhiwallon, sons of Cynvyn, Maredudd and Ithel, sons of Gruffudd" in 1068, adding that "Ithel was killed in the battle and Maredudd died of cold in his flight, and Rhiwallon son of Cynvyn was slain"^[6]The name of Rhiwallon´s wife is not known. Rhiwallon & his wife had four children: ^[6]
   1. CYNWRIG . Ruled over Gwynnedd jointly with Trahaearn ap Caradog [1080].
   2. MEILYS (-1081).
   3. GWLADUS . The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records in 1106 that "Cadwgan son of Bleddyn and Gwladus daughter of Rhiwallon, the mother of Nest were cousins, as Bleddyn and Rhiwallon, sons of Cynvyn, were brothers"[686]. m RHYS ap Tewdwr King of Deheubarth, son of TEWDWR Mawr & his wife --- (-killed in battle near Brecknock Castle [Mar/Apr] 1093).
   4. SIONED . m TUDOR "Walensis" Lord of Whittington. ^[6]
3. Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, born c. 1025, who was made king of Gwynedd after Gruffudd's death in 1063, and additionally king of Powys when Rhiwallon was killed in 1069^[8] Bleddyn ap Cynfyn of Deheubarth was born in 1025 and died in 1075. ^[6]Bleddyn ap Cynfyn born about 1025 Montgomeryshire, Bleddyn ap Cynfyn was the son of Princess Angharad ferch Maredudd (of the Dinefwr dynasty of Deheubarth) and her second husband Cynfyn ap Gwerstan, ^[1] The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records in 1106 that "Bleddyn and Rhiwallon, sons of Cynvyn, were brothers, from Angharad daughter of king Maredudd". ^[4] He succeeded his uterine half-brother in 1063 as King of Gwynedd and Powys. ^[6] He married secondly m. Haer ferch Gillin, and thirdly a daughter of Brochwel ^[9]
4. Gwerfyl, born c. 1026, who married Gwrgan ap Ithel Ddu of Glamorgan, and was mother to Iestyn ap Gwrgan. ^[8] Without naming her, Boyer, following Bartrum, notes a daughter of Cynfyn who married Gwrgan ab Ithel ab Idwallon ap Morgan Mawr (who was King of Morgannwg). ^[9]

Children previously linked on WikiTree

Gwenwyn verch Cynfyn and Caradoc Ap Cynfyn were previously linked as children of Cynfyn ap Gwerystan and Angharad ferch Maredudd. No reliable sources have named these persons as children of Cynfn and Angharad and they have been de-linked. If reliable sourcing is found to indicate one or both of these were in fact children of Cynfyn and/or Angharad, they can easily be re-linked.

Research Notes

Questionable Marriage to Gwyn ap Collwyn

Without further citation, Geni states that Angharad was the wife of Gwyn ap Collwyn of Dyfed in addition to being the wife Llywelyn ap Seisyll and Cynfyn ap Gwerystan, arglwydd of Cwybr ^[1]

If this marriage occurred, it produced Caradawg and Angharat.

However, there is enough documented information in the timeline of Angharad's life that it is virtually impossible to fit in another marriage.

No other sources mention this marriage and children.

To be Removed due to Questionable Marriage

1. Caradawg ap Gwyn, born Powys 1000
2. Angharat verch Gwyn, born 1015
3. Ifor ap Gwyn; ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13} Geni. [https://www.geni.com/people/Angharad-verch-Maredudd/6000000001173531306 Angharad verch Maredudd. Added by: Scott David Hibbard on June 4, 2007; Managed by: Margaret (C) and 182 others; Curated by: Anne Brannen. Accessed August 19 2018 jhd
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16} Robert Sewell Powys based on the following sources:
   1. Sewell Vincent Sample (1928 – 2005): Letters (perhaps based on John Edward Lloyd: A history of Wales: from the earliest times to the Edwardian Conquest, Longmans, Green & Co.,1911.)
   2. The Anglo Saxon Chronicle, Everyman Press, London, 1912
   3. David C. Douglas: William the Conqueror, Berkeley, California, 1964
   4. John Davies: A History of Wales, London, 1993 (published in Welsh as Hames Cymru in 1990)
   5. Norman F. Cantor (ed.) The Encyclopædia of the Middle Ages, New York, 1999
   Frederick L. Weis and Walter L. Sheppard: Ancestral Roots, 7th Edition, Baltimore, 1999
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Stewart Baldwin. Ancestry of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth. Angharad is in Generation 6, #49. Accessed 1/16/2019 jhd
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6} Charles Cawley. Foundation for Medieval GenealIogy. Medieval Lands Database Angharad ferch Maredudd Accessed August 25, 2018 jhd
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4} Wikipedia: Llywelyn ap Seisyll Accessed August 25, 2018 jhd
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7} Charles Cawley, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, Medieval Lands Database. Wales. Kings of Powys, family of Cynfyn ap Gwerstan. Accessed January 19, 2016 jhd
7. ↑ Carl Boyer 3rd. Medieval Welsh Ancestors of Certain Americans. Generally follows Bartrum. "Section on Bleddyn ap Cynfyn." By the author: Santa Clarita, California, 2004. Rhiwallon is #23 on p. 11
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Darrell Wolcott: Cynfyn ap Gwerystan, the Interim King; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id209.html.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Carl Boyer, 3rd. Medieval Welsh Ancestors of Certain Americans. Follows Bartrum. Santa Clarita, California: By the Author. 2004. Cynfyn ap Gwerystan is #19, page 9.

See also:

• John Edward Lloyd (1911). A history of Wales: from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest. Longmans, Green & Co.

• John Edward Lloyd, R.T. Jenkins (1959), editors. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Oxford.

• Peter Bartrum, http://cadair.aber.ac.uk/dspace/bitstream/handle/2160/6516/TABLES%20-%20EARLY%20SERIES_47.png?sequence=8&isAllowed=y (May 31, 2018; Anne Brannen, curator)

• Peter Bartrum, http://cadair.aber.ac.uk/dspace/bitstream/handle/2160/6516/TABLES%20-%20EARLY%20SERIES_42.png?sequence=13&isAllowed=y (May 27, 2018; Anne Brannen, curator)

• Peter Bartrum, http://cadair.aber.ac.uk/dspace/bitstream/handle/2160/6516/TABLES%20-%20EARLY%20SERIES_41.png?sequence=14&isAllowed=y (May 27, 2018; Anne Brannen, curator)

• Darrell Wolcott: Maredudd ap Owain, King of Deheubarth; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id206.html. (Steven Ferry, May 30, 2017.)

• Darrell Wolcott; The First Wife of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id148.html. (Steven Ferry, June 3, 2017.)

• Darrell Wolcott: The Enigmatic Elystan Glodrydd; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id199.html. (Steven Ferry, June 10, 2017.)

• Darrell Wolcott: The Shropshire Walcot Family - Chart II: Second Powys Dynasty; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id99.html. (Steven Ferry, July 18, 2017.)

Courtesy of fantastically full family tree cf.: Hughes of Gwerclas 1/2/3/4:

http://www.maximiliangenealogy.co.uk/burke1/Royal%20Descents/hughesofgwerclas_1.htm

http://www.maximiliangenealogy.co.uk/burke1/Royal%20Descents/hughesofgwerclas_2.htm

http://www.maximiliangenealogy.co.uk/burke1/Royal%20Descents/hughesofgwerclas_3.htm

http://www.maximiliangenealogy.co.uk/burke1/Royal%20Descents/hughesofgwerclas_4.htm