Idwal Foel (Idwal the Bald; died c. 942) or Idwal ab Anarawd (Idwal son of Anarawd) was a 10th-century
King of Gwynedd in
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 ...
. A member of the
House of Aberffraw
The Royal House of Aberffraw was a cadet branch of the Kingdom of Gwynedd originating from the sons of Rhodri the Great in the 9th century. Establishing the Royal court ( cy, Llys) of the Aberffraw Commote would begin a new location from which t ...
, he inherited the throne from his father,
Anarawd ap Rhodri.
William of Malmesbury credited him as "
King of the Britons
The title King of the Britons ( cy, Brenin y Brythoniaid, la, Rex Britannorum) was used (often retrospectively) to refer to the most powerful ruler among the Celtic Britons, both before and after the period of Roman Britain up until the Norma ...
" in the manner of his father.
[William of Malmesbury. '' Gesta Regum Anglorum''.]
Life
Idwal inherited the throne of
Gwynedd
Gwynedd (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County B ...
on the death of his father
Anarawd around 916. He allied himself with
Æthelstan of England upon the latter's accession in 924. As Æthelstan was eager to establish his authority across Britain, Idwal honoured him by visiting the English court in 927, 928, and 937. On the first of these visits, he signed charters agreeing to campaign with Æthelstan against the Scots, and marched with
Hywel Dda of
Deheubarth and
Morgan ab Owain of
Gwent against
Owain ap Dyfnwal, King of Strathclyde that year. Owain was forced to submit to the English king and appear at court by Christmas.
Æthelstan died in 939 and was succeeded by his half-brother
Edmund
Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''Ä“ad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector".
Persons named Edmund include:
People Kings and ...
. In 942 Idwal, apparently fearing that the Saxons would support Hywel in usurping him, launched an attack on the Saxons in Wales along with his brother
Elisedd. The ''
Annales Cambriæ'' record his failure: "Idwal and his brother Elisedd are killed in battle against the Saxons". The throne of Gwynedd should have passed to Idwal's sons
Iago and
Ieuaf, but Hywel invaded and drove them from the kingdom. He reigned for eight years before they were able to return and reclaim their patrimony.
Children
*
Meurig Meurig is a Welsh name of Brittonic origin and may refer to:
*Meurig ap Tewdrig (, the son of Tewdrig (St. Tewdrig), and a king of the early Welsh kingdoms of Gwent and Glywysing
*Meurig ap Idnerth, king of Buellt, a Welsh kingdom from c. 510 to 54 ...
,
[Williams, Jane. ''A History of Wales: Derived from Authentic Sources'']
p. 151
Longmans, Green, & Co., 1869. Accessed 19 Feb 2013. whose grandson was
Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig
*
Iefan[
* Iago
* ]Cynan Cynan (also spelled Conan or Kenan) is a Welsh masculine given name. It may refer to:
* Cynan, the bardic name of Albert Evans-Jones (1895–1970), Welsh poet and dramatist
* Cynan ab Iago (11th century), prince of Gwynedd and father of Gruffyd ...
[
* Idwal, also called "Ieuaf" ("the younger") or "Idwal Fychan" ("little Idwal")
* Rhodri
]
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Idwal Foel
940s deaths
Year of death uncertain
Year of birth unknown
10th-century Welsh monarchs
House of Aberffraw
Monarchs of Gwynedd
Welsh princes