Snyder Family 2016 - Person Sheet
NameMerfyn “Frych” ap Gwriad King of Gwynedd 
Birthabt 764, Wales
Death843, Battle Of Cyfeiliog, Ketell, Wales
Death MemoBattle Of Cyfeiliog
FatherGwriad ap Elidir King of Man (~738-)
MotherNest Verch Cadell (~742-)
Spouses
Birthabt 770, Caer Seiont, Carnarvonshire, Wales
FatherCynan ‘Dindaethwy” ap Rhodri King of Gwynedd (~745-817)
MotherMahallt (Of Flint) (~740-)
ChildrenRhodri “Mawr” (~789-878)
Notes for Merfyn “Frych” ap Gwriad King of Gwynedd
Notes:
Bartrum's "Welsh Genealogies". He bacame King of Gwynedd in 825 upon the death of Hywel ap Rhodri, his mother Esyllt's uncle.
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Merfyn Frych
Merfyn Frych (or Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad) (English: Merfyn the Freckled, son of Gwriad) was King of Gwynedd (reigned 825 – 844), the first king not descended from the male line of Maelgwn Gwynedd. Little is known of his reign, and his primary notability is as the father of Rhodri the Great. Merfyn came to the throne in the aftermath of a bloody dynastic struggle between brothers Cynan (reigned 798 – 816) and Hywel (reigned 816 – 825), at a time when the kingdom had been under pressure from Mercia. The Annales Cambriae says that he died in 844, the same year in which a battle occurred at Ketill (or Cetyll), but it does not make clear whether there is a connection, or whether it is referring to two unrelated events.
Political background
The times leading up to Merfyn's reign were unsettled for both Gwynedd and neighbouring Powys. Both kingdoms were beset by internal dynastic strife, external pressure from Mercia, and bad luck from nature's whims. In 810 there was a bovine plague that killed many cattle throughout Wales. The next year Deganwy, the ancient fortified llys(English: royal court) of Maelgwn Gwynedd and built of wood, was struck by lightning. A destructive dynastic war raged in Gwynedd between 812 and 816, particularly on Anglesey, while in Powys a son of the king was killed by his brother "through treachery". In 818 there was a notable battle at Llanfaes on Anglesey. The combatants are not identified, but the site had been the llys of King Cynan.
Coenwulf of Mercia took advantage of the situation in 817, occupying Rhufoniog (see map) and laying waste to the mountains of Eryri (English: Snowdonia), the defensive stronghold of Gwynedd. Coastal Wales along the Dee Estuary was still in Mercian hands in 821, as it is known that Coenwulf died peacefully at Basingwerk in that year. In 823 Mercia laid waste to Powys and returned to Gwynedd to burn down Deganwy.
Gwynedd and Powys then gained a respite when Mercia's attention turned elsewhere and its fortunes waned. King Beornwulf was killed fighting the East Anglians in 826, his successor Ludeca suffered the same fate the following year, and Mercia was conquered and occupied by Ecgberht of Wessex in 829. Though Mercia managed to throw off Ecgberht's rule in 830, it was thereafter beset by dynastic strife, and never regained its dominance, either in Wales or eastern England.
It was just as Mercian power was on the verge of breaking that Merfyn Frych came to the throne, certainly a case of fortuitous timing.
Family background and marriage
Merfyn was linked to the earlier dynasty through his mother Ethyllt (or Etthil or Essyllt, Esyllt), the daughter of King Cynan (d. 816), rather than through his father Gwriad. As his father's origins are obscure, so is the basis of his claim to the throne (see below).
Merfyn allied his own royal family with that of Powys by marrying Nest, daughter or sister of King Cadell ap Brochwel.
Reign
Precious little is known of Merfyn's reign. Thornton suggests that Merfyn was probably among the Welsh kings who were defeated by Ecgberht, king of Wessex, in the year 830, but it is unknown how this affected Merfyn's rule.
Merfyn is mentioned as a king of the Britons in a copyist's addition[note 3] to the Historia Brittonum and in the Bamberg Cryptogram, but as both sources are traced to people working in Merfyn's own court during his reign, it should not be considered more significant than someone's respectful reference to his patron while working in his service.
In the literary sources, Merfyn's name appears in the Dialogue between Myrddin and his sister Gwenddydd (Welsh: Cyfoesi Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei chwaer), found in the mid-13th-century manuscript known as the Red Book of Hergest. The dialogue is a prophecy of the future kings, and lists among them Merfyn in the passage "meruin vrych o dir manaw" (English: Merfyn Frych of the land of Manau).
Gwriad, Merfyn's father
Extremely little is known of Merfyn's father Gwriad. Merfyn claimed descent from Llywarch Hen through him, and the royal pedigree in Jesus College MS. 20 says that Gwriad was the son of Elidyr, who bears the same name as his ancestor, the father of Llywarch Hen, Elidyr lydanwyn. Supporting the veracity of the pedigree is an entry in the Annales Cambriae, which states that Gwriad, the brother of Rhodri the Great, was slain on Anglesey by the Saxons. That is to say, Merfyn named one of his sons after his father Gwriad.
The discovery of a cross inscribed Crux Guriat (English: Cross of Gwriad) on the Isle of Man and dated to the 8th or 9th century raised the question of whether Gwriad's possible connection to "Manaw" was to Manaw Gododdin, once active in North Britain, or to the Isle of Man (Welsh: Ynys Manaw). John Rhys suggested that Gwriad might well have taken refuge on the Isle of Man during the bloody dynastic struggle between Cynan and Hywel prior to Merfyn's accession to the throne, and that the cross perhaps does refer to the refugee Gwriad, father of Merfyn. He goes on to note that the Welsh Triads mention a 'Gwryat son of Gwryan in the North'. Other locations for "Manaw" have been suggested, including Ireland, Galloway and Powys.
While Rhys' suggestion is not implausible, his reference to Gwriad's father Gwrian contradicts the royal pedigree, which says that Gwriad's father was Elidir, so this may be a confusion of two different people named Gwriad. Gwriad's name does appear with northern origins in the Welsh Triads as one of the "Three kings, who were of the sons of strangers"(sometimes referred to as the "Three Peasant Kings"), where he is identified as the son of "Gwrian in the North".
The other literary references to Gwriad and his father Gwrian also suggest that this Gwriad is a different person with the same name as Merfyn's father. For example, Gwrian's name also appears in The Verses of the Graves (Welsh: Englynion y Beddau) in the Black Book of Carmarthen, as does Gwriad's name, which also appears in the Gododdin.
Bartrum's "Welsh Genealogies". He bacame King of Gwynedd in 825 upon the death of Hywel ap Rhodri, his mother Esyllt's uncle.
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Merfyn Frych
Merfyn Frych (or Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad) (English: Merfyn the Freckled, son of Gwriad) was King of Gwynedd (reigned 825 – 844), the first king not descended from the male line of Maelgwn Gwynedd. Little is known of his reign, and his primary notability is as the father of Rhodri the Great. Merfyn came to the throne in the aftermath of a bloody dynastic struggle between brothers Cynan (reigned 798 – 816) and Hywel (reigned 816 – 825), at a time when the kingdom had been under pressure from Mercia. The Annales Cambriae says that he died in 844, the same year in which a battle occurred at Ketill (or Cetyll), but it does not make clear whether there is a connection, or whether it is referring to two unrelated events.
Political background
The times leading up to Merfyn's reign were unsettled for both Gwynedd and neighbouring Powys. Both kingdoms were beset by internal dynastic strife, external pressure from Mercia, and bad luck from nature's whims. In 810 there was a bovine plague that killed many cattle throughout Wales. The next year Deganwy, the ancient fortified llys(English: royal court) of Maelgwn Gwynedd and built of wood, was struck by lightning. A destructive dynastic war raged in Gwynedd between 812 and 816, particularly on Anglesey, while in Powys a son of the king was killed by his brother "through treachery". In 818 there was a notable battle at Llanfaes on Anglesey. The combatants are not identified, but the site had been the llys of King Cynan.
Coenwulf of Mercia took advantage of the situation in 817, occupying Rhufoniog (see map) and laying waste to the mountains of Eryri (English: Snowdonia), the defensive stronghold of Gwynedd. Coastal Wales along the Dee Estuary was still in Mercian hands in 821, as it is known that Coenwulf died peacefully at Basingwerk in that year. In 823 Mercia laid waste to Powys and returned to Gwynedd to burn down Deganwy.
Gwynedd and Powys then gained a respite when Mercia's attention turned elsewhere and its fortunes waned. King Beornwulf was killed fighting the East Anglians in 826, his successor Ludeca suffered the same fate the following year, and Mercia was conquered and occupied by Ecgberht of Wessex in 829. Though Mercia managed to throw off Ecgberht's rule in 830, it was thereafter beset by dynastic strife, and never regained its dominance, either in Wales or eastern England.
It was just as Mercian power was on the verge of breaking that Merfyn Frych came to the throne, certainly a case of fortuitous timing.
Family background and marriage
Merfyn was linked to the earlier dynasty through his mother Ethyllt (or Etthil or Essyllt, Esyllt), the daughter of King Cynan (d. 816), rather than through his father Gwriad. As his father's origins are obscure, so is the basis of his claim to the throne (see below).
Merfyn allied his own royal family with that of Powys by marrying Nest, daughter or sister of King Cadell ap Brochwel.
Reign
Precious little is known of Merfyn's reign. Thornton suggests that Merfyn was probably among the Welsh kings who were defeated by Ecgberht, king of Wessex, in the year 830, but it is unknown how this affected Merfyn's rule.
Merfyn is mentioned as a king of the Britons in a copyist's addition[note 3] to the Historia Brittonum and in the Bamberg Cryptogram, but as both sources are traced to people working in Merfyn's own court during his reign, it should not be considered more significant than someone's respectful reference to his patron while working in his service.
In the literary sources, Merfyn's name appears in the Dialogue between Myrddin and his sister Gwenddydd (Welsh: Cyfoesi Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei chwaer), found in the mid-13th-century manuscript known as the Red Book of Hergest. The dialogue is a prophecy of the future kings, and lists among them Merfyn in the passage "meruin vrych o dir manaw" (English: Merfyn Frych of the land of Manau).
Gwriad, Merfyn's father
Extremely little is known of Merfyn's father Gwriad. Merfyn claimed descent from Llywarch Hen through him, and the royal pedigree in Jesus College MS. 20 says that Gwriad was the son of Elidyr, who bears the same name as his ancestor, the father of Llywarch Hen, Elidyr lydanwyn. Supporting the veracity of the pedigree is an entry in the Annales Cambriae, which states that Gwriad, the brother of Rhodri the Great, was slain on Anglesey by the Saxons. That is to say, Merfyn named one of his sons after his father Gwriad.
The discovery of a cross inscribed Crux Guriat (English: Cross of Gwriad) on the Isle of Man and dated to the 8th or 9th century raised the question of whether Gwriad's possible connection to "Manaw" was to Manaw Gododdin, once active in North Britain, or to the Isle of Man (Welsh: Ynys Manaw). John Rhys suggested that Gwriad might well have taken refuge on the Isle of Man during the bloody dynastic struggle between Cynan and Hywel prior to Merfyn's accession to the throne, and that the cross perhaps does refer to the refugee Gwriad, father of Merfyn. He goes on to note that the Welsh Triads mention a 'Gwryat son of Gwryan in the North'. Other locations for "Manaw" have been suggested, including Ireland, Galloway and Powys.
While Rhys' suggestion is not implausible, his reference to Gwriad's father Gwrian contradicts the royal pedigree, which says that Gwriad's father was Elidir, so this may be a confusion of two different people named Gwriad. Gwriad's name does appear with northern origins in the Welsh Triads as one of the "Three kings, who were of the sons of strangers"(sometimes referred to as the "Three Peasant Kings"), where he is identified as the son of "Gwrian in the North".
The other literary references to Gwriad and his father Gwrian also suggest that this Gwriad is a different person with the same name as Merfyn's father. For example, Gwrian's name also appears in The Verses of the Graves (Welsh: Englynion y Beddau) in the Black Book of Carmarthen, as does Gwriad's name, which also appears in the Gododdin.
Notes for Esyllt (Spouse 1)
Notes:
Bartrum's "Welsh Genealogies".
Per Bartrum's "Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts," Harleian MS 3859 and Jesus College MS 20 show Esyllt as wife of Gwriad and Nest as wife of Merfyn; but Hanes Gruffydd ap Cynan, Mostyn MS 117, Bonedd yr Arwyr, and later authorities show the reverse. Of these, the earliest and probably most authoritative is Harleian MS 3859, which is followed here. "Although this version is accepted by J. E. Lloyd, I do not think the choice can be regarded as settled. Both versions are chronologically possible." Later, in Bartrum's "Welsh Genealogies", he shows the opposite, with an explanatory note of the difficulty.
sbald@@auburn.campus.mci.net (Stewart Baldwin) posted to GEN-MEDIEVAL-L-request@@rootsweb.com on 26 Nov 1998 Subject: Llywelyn AT:
. "The best and earliest sources give her as the mother of Merfyn Frych. Later sources erroneously assign her as Merfyn's wife. For a discussion of this error, see Patrick Sims-Williams, "Historical Need and Literary Narrative: a Caveat from Ninth Century Wales", The Welsh History Review 17 (1994), 1-40."
Esyllt verch Cynan
Bartrum's "Welsh Genealogies".
Per Bartrum's "Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts," Harleian MS 3859 and Jesus College MS 20 show Esyllt as wife of Gwriad and Nest as wife of Merfyn; but Hanes Gruffydd ap Cynan, Mostyn MS 117, Bonedd yr Arwyr, and later authorities show the reverse. Of these, the earliest and probably most authoritative is Harleian MS 3859, which is followed here. "Although this version is accepted by J. E. Lloyd, I do not think the choice can be regarded as settled. Both versions are chronologically possible." Later, in Bartrum's "Welsh Genealogies", he shows the opposite, with an explanatory note of the difficulty.
sbald@@auburn.campus.mci.net (Stewart Baldwin) posted to GEN-MEDIEVAL-L-request@@rootsweb.com on 26 Nov 1998 Subject: Llywelyn AT:
. "The best and earliest sources give her as the mother of Merfyn Frych. Later sources erroneously assign her as Merfyn's wife. For a discussion of this error, see Patrick Sims-Williams, "Historical Need and Literary Narrative: a Caveat from Ninth Century Wales", The Welsh History Review 17 (1994), 1-40."
Esyllt verch Cynan