Glywysing was, from the sub-Roman period to the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

, a

petty kingdom A petty kingdom is a monarchy, kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the Heptarchy#List of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, numerou ...

in south-east

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Its people were descended from the Iron Age tribe of the

Silures The Silures ( , ) were a powerful and warlike tribe or tribal confederation of ancient Britain, occupying what is now south east Wales and perhaps some adjoining areas. They were bordered to the north by the Ordovices; to the east by the Dobunn ...

, and frequently in union with Gwent, merging to form Morgannwg.

Name and early history

Glywysing is said to be named after

Glywys Glywys is a legendary early 5th century Welsh king, an important character in early Welsh genealogies as the eponymous founder king of Glywysing, a southeast Welsh kingdom whose heartland lay between the Tawe and the Usk. In one genealogy Glywys ...

, a real or legendary early monarch, whose name may continue that of the Romano-British ''*Glevenses'', the territory and citizens of ''

Glevum Glevum (or, more formally, Colonia Nervia Glevensium, or occasionally ''Glouvia'') was originally a Roman fort in Roman Britain that became a " colonia" of retired legionaries in AD 97. Today, it is known as Gloucester, in the English county ...

'' (modern

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

). According to 12th-century sources, after the death of Glywys, the kingdom was divided into seven

cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divided into ''cantrefi'', which were ...

s named for his sons:

Cydweli Kidwelly ( cy, Cydweli) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. In the 2001 census the community of Kidwelly returned a population of 3,289, inc ...

Gwyr Gower ( cy, Gŵyr) or the Gower Peninsula () in southwest Wales, projects towards the Bristol Channel. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom ...

Margam Margam is a suburb and community of Port Talbot in the Welsh county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, close to junction 39 of the M4 motorway. The community had a population of 3,017 in 2011; the built up area being larger and extending into T ...

Penychen Penychen was a possible minor kingdom of early medieval Wales and later a cantref of the Kingdom of Morgannwg. Penychen was one of three cantrefi that made up the kingdom of Glywysing, lying between the rivers Taff and Thaw, the other two being G ...

Gwynllwg Gwynllŵg was a kingdom of mediaeval Wales and later a Norman lordship and then a cantref. Location It was named after Gwynllyw, its 5th century or 6th century ruler and consisted of the coastal plain stretching between the Rhymney and Usk rive ...

Gorfynydd Glywysing was, from the sub-Roman period to the Early Middle Ages, a petty kingdom in south-east Wales. Its people were descended from the Iron Age tribe of the Silures, and frequently in union with Gwent, merging to form Morgannwg. Name a ...

, and another. These were typically ruled together by the head of the family and sometimes treated as

appenage An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...

subkingdoms. However historians and researchers claim that this is highly inaccurate as Cydweli and Gwyr were highly likely to be independent cantrefs within the

Ystrad Tywi Ystrad Tywi (, ''Valley of the Tywi'') is a region of southwest Wales situated on the banks of the River Tywi and possibly the River Loughor. Although Ystrad Tywi was never a kingdom itself, it was historically a valuable territory and was fough ...

ruled by local warlords and were not under any ruling Kingdom until

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...

sometime around the late 5th to early 6th Century.

Location

The borders changed over time, but it is generally thought that its lands originally lay between the

Afon Llwyd The Afon Lwyd or Afon Llwyd ( en, 'grey river') is a long river in south-east Wales which flows from its source northwest of Blaenavon, through Abersychan, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, Llanfrechfa and Cwmbran before flowing, at Caerleon, into the R ...

and either the

River Towy The River Towy ( cy, Afon Tywi, ) is one of the longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales. Its total length is . It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing. Route The Towy rises within of the source of the River Teifi on the lower sl ...

, the

River Loughor The River Loughor () ( cy, Afon Llwchwr) is a river in Wales which marks the border between Carmarthenshire and Swansea. The river is sourced from an underground lake at the Black Mountain emerging at the surface from Llygad Llwchwr which trans ...

, or the

River Neath River Neath ( cy, Afon Nedd) is a river in south Wales running south west from the point at which its headwaters arising in the Brecon Beacons National Park converge to its mouth at Baglan Bay below Briton Ferry on the east side of Swansea Bay. ...

.At times they expanded eastwards in union with both Gwent and

Ergyng Ergyng (or Erging) was a Welsh kingdom of the sub-Roman and early medieval period, between the 5th and 7th centuries. It was later referred to by the English as ''Archenfield''. Location The kingdom lay mostly in what is now western Herefordshir ...

. The Gower had either returned or was inherited from Dyfed to Glywysing by 928 prior to the reign of King

Morgan the Old Morgan Hen ab Owain or Morgan the Old (died 974), first known as Morgan ab Owain of Gwent and also known as Moragn Hen Fawr, was the king of Morgannwg. He ruled from AD 942 to 974. In 931, Morgan was one of the Welsh rulers who submitted to Athel ...

.Ashley, Mike (1998) ''The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens '' (Carol & Graf) Today the area of Glywysing is known as

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

Morgannwg

First under King

Morgan the Generous __NOTOC__ Morgan ap Athrwys or Morgan Mwynfawr ('Morgan the Generous'; fl. ) was a king of Gwent and Glywysing (i.e., Morgannwg) in southeast Wales. He was the grandson of Meurig ap Tewdrig and the son of Athrwys ap Meurig. Reign Morgan was the ...

(fl. ) until the end of the reign of his descendant Ithel (d. c. 745), and later again under King

(r. 942-74), the kingdom merged with Gwent and changed its name to Morgannwg or Gwlad Morgan in honour of the Morgan Kings.Lloyd, John E. ''A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest'', Vol. 1
p. 274
Longmans, Green, & Co. (London), 1911. Accessed 22 Feb 2013. During such unions Glywysing and Gwent seem to have been together or occasional sub-kingdoms or principalities of the Kingdom of Morgannwg. After the death of Morgan the Old, Gwent and Glywysing were separated again from 974 to 1055, but Glywysing alone was often referred to as Morgannwg. Both areas were conquered by

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Gruffydd ap Llywelyn ( 5 August 1063) was King of Wales from 1055 to 1063. He had previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys in 1039. He was the son of King Llywelyn ap Seisyll and Angharad daughter of Maredudd ab Owain, and the great-gre ...

in about 1055, subsequently

King of Wales King of Wales was a rarely used title, because Wales, much like Ireland, rarely achieved a degree of political unity like that of England or Scotland during the Middle Ages. While many different leaders in Wales claimed the title of "King of Wale ...

, but on Gruffydd's death in 1063, Glywysing was regained by the native lineage under

Caradog ap Gruffudd Caradog ap Gruffydd (died 1081) was a Prince of Gwent in south-east Wales in the time of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and the Norman conquest, who reunified his family's inheritance of Morgannwg and made repeated attempts to reunite southern Wales by c ...

. Morgannwg, the union between Gwent and Glywysing, was reconstituted. How this occurred is unclear; possibly the Kings of Glywysing were also Kings of Morgannwg and the Kings of Gwent were semi-independent under-Kings, or vice versa.

Norman conquest

With Gwent increasingly overrun by the

Norman conquest of Wales The Norman invasion of Wales began shortly after the Norman conquest of England under William the Conqueror, who believed England to be his birthright. Initially (1067–1081), the invasion of Wales was not undertaken with the fervour and purpose ...

, the last native King of Morgannwyg and Glywysing was

Iestyn ap Gwrgan Iestyn ap Gwrgant (or Jestyn ap Gwrgant) ( eng, Iestyn, son of Gwrgant) (1014 – 1093) was the last ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Morgannwg, which encompassed the counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. Lineage Iestyn ap Gwrgant was the l ...

(1081–1090), who was subsequently deposed by

Robert Fitzhamon Robert Fitzhamon (died March 1107), or Robert FitzHamon (literally, 'Robert, son of Hamon'), Seigneur de Creully in the Calvados region and Torigny in the Manche region of Normandy, was the first Norman feudal baron of Gloucester and the Norma ...

. Iestyn's sons became Lords of Afan, while Owain ap Caradog ap Gruffudd contented himself with

and founded the line of the Lords of

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

. The name ''Morgannwg'' is still used in Wales for the former

Marcher Lord A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in F ...

ship and county of

(itself a corruption of the term ''Gwlad Morgan'') and its successor counties

List of rulers

Glywysing

Eugenius Eugenius (died 6 September 394) was a usurper in the Western Roman Empire (392–394) against Emperor Theodosius I. While Christian himself, Eugenius capitalized on the discontent in the West caused by Theodosius' religious policies targeting p ...

, son of

Magnus Maximus Magnus Maximus (; cy, Macsen Wledig ; died 8 August 388) was Roman emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 383 to 388. He usurped the throne from emperor Gratian in 383 through negotiation with emperor Theodosius I. He was made emperor in B ...

(c.383 - c.440) * Marius, son of Eugenius (c.440 - c.450s) * Congar, son of Marius (c. 450s) * Solar, son of Marius (fl c.470) *

, son of Solar (c. 470–c. 480), who gave his name to the kingdom **

Gwynllyw Gwynllyw Filwr or Gwynllyw Farfog (), known in English in a corrupted form as Woolos the Warrior or Woolos the Bearded ( la, Gundleus, Gundleius or Gwenleue; 450 – 500 AD) was a Welsh king and religious figure. He was King of Gwynllwg in South ...

, son of Glywys, ruler of

(c. 480–523), cantref of Glywysing **

Pawl A pawl is a movable lever that engages a fixed component to either prevent movement in one direction or restrain it altogether. As such, it is a type of latch and can also be considered a type of dog. It typically consists of a spring-loaded le ...

, son of Glywys, ruler of

(c. 480–540), cantref of Glywysing ** Mechwyn, son of Glywys, ruler of

(c. 480–c.500), cantref of Glywysing ** Edelig, son of Glywys, King of Edeligion, (fl c.480 - 500?) *

Cadoc Saint Cadoc or Cadog ( lat-med, Cadocus; also Modern Welsh: Cattwg; born or before) was a 5th–6th-century Abbot of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorgan, Wales, a monastery famous from the era of the British church as a centre of learnin ...

, son of Gwynllyw, ruler of Gwynllwg (523–580) and Penychen (540–580), died without heirs ''Glywysing is ruled by the Kings of Gwent until Rhys ap Ithel'' * Rhys ap Ithel/

Rhys ab Idwal Rhys or Rhŷs is a popular Welsh given name (usually male) that is famous in Welsh history and is also used as a surname. It originates from Deheubarth, an old region of South West Wales, with famous kings such as Rhys ap Tewdwr. It is pronounc ...

, son of the Kings of Gwent (c. 755–785), with brothers,

Rhodri Rhodri is a male first name of Welsh origin. It is derived from the elements ''rhod'' "wheel" and ''rhi'' "king". It may refer to the following people: *Rhodri Molwynog ap Idwal (690–754), Welsh king of Gwynedd (720—754) * Rhodri Mawr ap ...

and Meurig *

Arthfael Hen ap Rhys Arthfael Hen ap Rhys, also called Arthfael the Old, was the king of the Kingdom of Glywysing (in modern-day Wales) between 785 and approximately 825 AD. History Arthfael was the second son of Gweirydd ap Brochfael and a descendant of Saint Tewd ...

(Arthfael the Old) (785–c. 825) with Brochfael ap Rhys * Rhys ap Arthfael, (c. 830–c. 840) * Hywel ap Rhys, (c. 840–886) * Owain ap Hywel (886–) **

Gruffydd ab Owain Gruffydd ab Owain (died ) was a joint king of Glywysing in Wales along with his brother Cadwgan. His other brother Morgan ruled in Gwent. His death was recorded in the ''Annals of Wales''.The Annals of Wales The (Latin for ''Annals of Wale ...

(–934) King of Gower ** Cadwgan ab Owain (–950) King of West Glywysing * Morgan the Old ( Morgan Hen or Morgan ab Owain or Moragn Hen Fawr) (930–974) ''united the former kingdoms of Gwent and Glywysing in 942 under the name of Morgannwg, but they were broken up again immediately after his death, remaining separate until about 1055'' * Morgan the Old's son, Owain ap Morgan (974–c. 983) * brothers of Owain ap Morgan (Idwallon, Hywel and Cadell) (dates unknown) * his son, Rhys ab Owain (c. 990–c. 1000) ''who ruled Glywysing jointly with his brothers'' * Ithel the Black, son Idwallon (990) **

Hywel ab Owain Hywel ab Owain was a Welsh king of a part of Glywysing Glywysing was, from the sub-Roman period to the Early Middle Ages, a petty kingdom in south-east Wales. Its people were descended from the Iron Age tribe of the Silures, and frequently in ...

(c. 990–c. 1043) ''and'' ** Iestyn ab Owain (c. 990–c. 1015) * his son,

Rhydderch ap Iestyn Rhydderch ap Iestyn (died 1033) was king of Gwent and Morgannwg in south Wales and later took over the kingdom of Deheubarth and controlled Powys. Comparatively little has been recorded about Rhydderch ab Iestyn in the annals. He appears to have o ...

(c. 1015–1033) * his son,

Gruffydd ap Rhydderch Gruffydd ap Rhydderch (d. AD 1055) was a king of Gwent and part of the kingdom of Morgannwg in south Wales and later king of Deheubarth. Gruffydd was the son of Rhydderch ab Iestyn who had been able to take over the kingdom of Deheubarth from 1 ...

(1033–1055) * Gwrgant ab Ithel the Black (1033 - 1070) *

, invader and prince of Gwynedd (1055–1063) * Gruffydd ap Rhydderch's son,

Caradog ap Gruffydd Caradog ap Gruffydd (died 1081) was a Prince of Gwent in south-east Wales in the time of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and the Norman conquest, who reunified his family's inheritance of Morgannwg and made repeated attempts to reunite southern Wales by c ...

(1063–1081) ''who was a subject of the King of Gwent and King of Morgannwg

Cadwgan ap Meurig Cadwgan ap Meurig (fl. 1045 – 1074) was a medieval Welsh ruler who reigned over the petty kingdoms of Gwent and Morgannwg in the tumultuous years of dynastic struggle leading up to the Norman invasion of Wales. The chronicler Orderic Vital ...

before he deposed him and took the kingdom for himself'' * Iestyn ap Gwrgan(t) (1081–1091) ''Iestyn was the last ruler of an independent Morgannwg, which was thereafter in the possession of the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

and became the lordship of

References

{{coord, 53, 14, N, 4, 1, W, type:country, display=title 1091 disestablishments States and territories established in the 940s History of Glamorgan History of Monmouthshire 942 establishments