King Gwrfoddw ( la, Gurvodius rex Ercyg, died c. 619) was the King of

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 ...

, a south-east Welsh kingdom of the

early medieval 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 ...

period. He usurped the throne from Gwrgan ap

Cynfyn King Cynfyn ( la, Conbinus; died c. 615) was the King of Ergyng, a kingdom of south-east Wales in the early medieval period. He was the son of Peibio Clafrog Peibo Clafrog (alternatively, Pepiau Glavorawc, or in Latin, Pepianus Spumosu ...

Life

According to the

Book of Llandaff The Book of Llandaff ( la, Liber Landavensis; cy, Llyfr Llandaf, ', or '), is the chartulary of the cathedral of Llandaff, a 12th-century compilation of documents relating to the history of the diocese of Llandaff in Wales. It is written primaril ...

, Gwrfoddw was victorious against the

Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

and granted lands on the Wye to the Bishops of Ergyng in thanks. Dr.

Wendy Davies Wendy Elizabeth Davies (born 1942) is an emeritus professor of history at University College London, England. Her research focuses on rural societies in early medieval Europe, focusing on the regions of Wales, Brittany and Iberia. Career Da ...

calculates his reign to have taken place between about 615 and 619. His son, Erfig, was ousted upon his death in favour of King Cynfyn's son,

Gwrgan Fawr Gwrgan Fawr (meaning ''Gwrgan the Great''; also, in Latin, Gurgantius; English Fergus; died c. 645) was a king of Ergyng, a south-east Welsh kingdom of the Early Middle Ages. He was the son of Cynfyn and rightful heir to the Ergyng throne whic ...

Gwrbothu Hen

Scholars

Rachel Bromwich Rachel Bromwich (30 July 1915 – 15 December 2010) born Rachel Sheldon Amos, was a British scholar. Her focus was on medieval Welsh literature, and she taught Celtic Languages and Literature in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at ...

and D. Simon Evans note that Gwrbothu Hen, a brother of

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

who was killed by

Twrch Trwyth Twrch Trwyth (; also Trwyd, Troynt (MSS.''HK''); Troit (MSS.''C1 D G Q''); or Terit (MSS. ''C2 L'')) is an enchanted wild boar in the ''Matter of Britain'' great story cycle that King Arthur or his men pursued with the aid of Arthur's dog Cavall ( ...

in the 11th/12th century Welsh text ''

Culhwch and Olwen ''Culhwch and Olwen'' ( cy, Culhwch ac Olwen) is a Welsh tale that survives in only two manuscripts about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, c. 1400, and a fragmented version in the Whit ...

'', may refer to Gwrfoddw. Later legendary genealogies fix him and his brothers Llygadrudd Emys, Gweir Paladr Hir, and Gweir Gwrhyd Ennwir as sons of

Amlawdd Wledig Amlawdd Wledig (Middle Welsh and other alternative spellings present in relevant sources include Amlawd, Amlawt, Anlawdd, Anlawd, Amlodd, Amlwyd, Aflawdd and Anblaud) was a legendary king of sub-Roman Britain. The Welsh title '' ledig'', archai ...

. The Arthurian legends are generally set in the late 5th or early 6th century, some time before Gwrfoddw, though medieval stories are not always precise with their chronology. Gwrbothu's epithet ('the old' or 'the elder') is sometimes known to denote an ancestor or dynastic forebearer, which provides the possibility that Gwrbothu Hen was a forefather or predecessor of Gwrfoddw.

References

{{reflist

External links

Britannia EBK Biographies: Gwrfoddw Hen
One interpretation of the evidence 7th-century deaths Monarchs of Ergyng 7th-century Welsh monarchs Year of birth unknown