Nest ferch Cadell
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Nest ferch Cadell was the daughter of
Cadell ap Brochfael Cadell ap Brochfael ( en, Cadell, son of Brochfael; died c. 808), also known as Cadell Powys, was an 8th- and 9th-century king of Powys. He was the son of Brochfael ap Elisedd, whom he succeeded to the throne c. 773. The ''Annals of Wales'' men ...
, an 8th-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 ...
, the wife of
Merfyn Frych Merfyn Frych ('Merfyn the Freckled'; Old Welsh ''Mermin''), also known as Merfyn ap Gwriad ('Merfyn son of Gwriad') and Merfyn Camwri ('Merfyn the Oppressor'), was King of Gwynedd from around 825 to 844, the first of its kings known not to have de ...
,
King of Gwynedd Prior to the Conquest of Wales by Edward I, Conquest of Wales, completed in 1282, Wales consisted of a number of independent monarchy, kingdoms, the most important being Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd, Kingdom of Powys, Powys, Deheubarth (originally ...
. On the death of her brother
Cyngen ap Cadell Cyngen ap Cadell (English: Cyngen son of Cadell) or also (Concenn), was King of Powys from 808 until his death in 854 during a pilgrimage to Rome. Biography Cyngen was of the line of Brochwel Ysgithrog, and, after a long reign as king of Powys, h ...
in 855, authority over the Kingdom of Powys was claimed by
Rhodri the Great Rhodri ap Merfyn ( 820 – 873/877/878), popularly known as Rhodri the Great ( cy, Rhodri Mawr), succeeded his father, Merfyn Frych, as King of Gwynedd in 844. Rhodri annexed Powys c. 856 and Seisyllwg c. 871. He is called "King of the Britons" ...
, who had previously inherited the Kingdom of Gwynedd on the death of his father in 844. Rhodri thus united the Kingdoms of Powys and Gwynedd. Traditionally, Nest was claimed to be Rhodri's mother, hence his claim to Powys would have been matrilineal. However, it is unclear why the inheritance of Powys would have passed through Nest to her son, and not to one of the sons of Cyngen:
Elisedd ap Cyngen Elisedd ap Cyngen ap Cadell Biography He was a son of Cyngen ap Cadell the last King of Powys of the Gwertherion ( Vortigern) Dynasty who claimed descent through Brochwel Ysgithrog. Cyngen died in Rome in 855 having fled the aggression of Gwyned ...
, Ieuaf ap Cyngen, Aeddan ap Cyngen, and Gruffudd ap Cyngen. The texts of Welsh laws which survive to us were written down no earlier than the 12th century, but they provide no evidence that women were capable of transmitting legal title of kingship or lordship. Equally, although Rhodri's pedigree in a manuscript in Jesus College Oxford states Nest as his mother, another pedigree in a fourteenth-century manuscript in the National Library of Wales records his mother as Essyllt ferch Cynan. There are no strong grounds to accept either manuscript as reliable, but it is reasonable to believe that the royal house of Gwynedd promoted the view that the Kingdom of Powys had passed to
Rhodri the Great Rhodri ap Merfyn ( 820 – 873/877/878), popularly known as Rhodri the Great ( cy, Rhodri Mawr), succeeded his father, Merfyn Frych, as King of Gwynedd in 844. Rhodri annexed Powys c. 856 and Seisyllwg c. 871. He is called "King of the Britons" ...
through his mother in order to legitimise their control over it. Either way, this possible genealogical manipulation became part of the accepted story of the unification of the two kingdoms. Most now take Nest ferch Cadell to be the Nest who was married to Gwerstan son of Gwaithfoed, whose Grandson Bleddyn founded Powys's ruling
House of Mathrafal The Royal House of Mathrafal began as a cadet branch of the Welsh Royal House of Dinefwr, taking their name from Mathrafal Castle, their principal seat and effective capital. They effectively replaced the House of Gwertherion, who had been ruling ...
. Rhodri's mother is instead taken to be Essylt daughter of
Cynan Dindaethwy __NOTOC__ Cynan Dindaethwy ( en, "Cynan of Dindaethwy") or Cynan ap Rhodri ("Cynan son of Rhodri") was a king of Gwynedd (reigned c. 798 – c. 816) in Wales in the Early Middle Ages. Cynan was the son of Rhodri Molwynog and ...
, last King of the House of Cunedda; it follows that Essylt was not Merfyn's mother, but his wife. Consequently, those taking this view conclude that Nest's alleged marriage to Merfyn (or Rhodri) was merely a rumour spread and recorded by supporters of Gwynedd to demean the Kings of Powys, and to claim lordship over them. The House of Gwynedd's Kingship is recorded being passed
jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title ''suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could becom ...
through Essylt to her husband Merfyn, and thence distaff (i.e. by the female line) to their son Rhodri on Merfyn's death, the same going for Rhodri's wife Angharad, the daughter of Meurig King of Seisyllwg when her brother Gwgon drowned without an heir, allowing Rhodri to rule Seisyllwg jure uxoris, and his son Cadell to inherit it matrilineally.


See also

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Kings of Wales family trees Family trees of the kings of Gwynedd, Deheubarth and Powys and some of their more prominent relatives and heirs. The early generations of these genealogies are traditional and their historical accuracy is debated by scholars. ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nest Ferch Cadell House of Gwertherion Monarchs of Gwynedd Monarchs of Powys 8th-century Welsh monarchs 8th-century Welsh people 8th-century Welsh women