Cadell Ddyrnllwg (Welsh for "Cadell of the Gleaming Hilt"; born c. AD 430) was a mid-5th century

King of Powys Prior to the Conquest of Wales, completed in 1282, Wales consisted of a number of independent kingdoms, the most important being Gwynedd, Powys, Deheubarth (originally Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Dyfed) and Morgannwg (Glywysing and Gwent). Bounda ...

. Cadell appears to have been driven out of his father Cadeyrn's kingdom by Irish pirates during the chaos of the Saxon insurrection in Southern Britain. He hid himself amongst the peasants of Powys and became a servant of the Irish chieftain, Benlli, hoping, one day, to find an opportunity to retrieve his inheritance. His chance arose when St.

Germanus of Auxerre Germanus of Auxerre ( la, Germanus Antissiodorensis; cy, Garmon Sant; french: Saint Germain l'Auxerrois; 378 – c. 442–448 AD) was a western Roman clergyman who was bishop of Autissiodorum in Late Antique Gaul. He abandoned a career as a h ...

visited Britain, probably for the second time in AD 447, to combat

Pelagian Pelagianism is a Christian theological position that holds that the original sin did not taint human nature and that humans by divine grace have free will to achieve human perfection. Pelagius ( – AD), an ascetic and philosopher from th ...

views (opposition to

Original Sin Original sin is the Christian doctrine that holds that humans, through the fact of birth, inherit a tainted nature in need of regeneration and a proclivity to sinful conduct. The biblical basis for the belief is generally found in Genesis 3 (t ...

). Travelling into the Midlands, St. Germanus heard of the pagan Irish stronghold and, with his many followers, laid siege to the Powysian capital. Cadell showed them what modest hospitality he could in his rural hovel outside the city walls. Germanus eventually had a dreadful premonition and advised Cadell to remove all his friends from within the city walls. That night, the Royal palace was struck by lightning. The resulting fire spread quickly and all within the city were burnt alive. The young Cadell was thus restored to his throne. It is unclear where the kingdom's capital was at the time; tradition suggests the Clwydian hillfort

Foel Fenlli Foel Fenlli or Moel Fenlli is a hill in Denbighshire, North Wales. With a summit at an elevation of , it is the second highest peak of the Clwydian Range. A popular ascent leads south from the car park at Bwlch Penbarras, which is also a popul ...

, the 'Hill of Benlli', while archaeological evidence points to Caer Guricon (Wroxeter, Shropshire). The latter was occupied well into the 6th century, and an ancient memorial stone bearing the Celtic name Cunorix, known as the Wroxeter Stone, has been discovered here. Cadell married Gwelfyl, one of the many daughters of King

Brychan Brycheiniog Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in Mid Wales. Life According to Celtic hagiography Brychan was born in Ireland, the son of a Prince Anlach, son of Coronac, and hi ...

. They had a number of children, including Tegid, the father of Gwynllyw, and possibly Gwynfyr Frych, Ystradwel and Ddewer. Cadell apparently died quite young.

References

House of Gwertherion Monarchs of Powys 5th-century Welsh monarchs Sub-Roman monarchs 5th-century births 430 births Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown {{Wales-bio-stub