Rhydderch Hael ( en, Rhydderch the Generous), Riderch I of Alt Clut, or Rhydderch of Strathclyde, ( ''fl.'' 580 – c. 614) was a ruler of

Alt Clut Dumbarton Castle ( gd, Dùn Breatainn, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dumba ...

, a

Brittonic Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to: *Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain *Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic *Britons (Celtic people) The Br ...

kingdom in the ''

Hen Ogledd Yr Hen Ogledd (), in English the Old North, is the historical region which is now Northern England and the southern Scottish Lowlands that was inhabited by the Brittonic people of sub-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages. Its population sp ...

'' or "Old North" of Britain. He was one of the most famous kings in the ''Hen Ogledd'', and appears frequently in later medieval works in Welsh and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

.MacQuarrie, pp.6–7.Clarkson, T. (2014), ''Strathclyde and the Anglo-Saxons in the Viking Age'', Birlinn, Edinburgh, p. 30

Historical / Semi-historical references

Rhydderch appears in Adomnán's Vita Sancti Columbae, written around 700, where he sends a secret message to the saint asking him to prophesy the method of his death. The king is concerned if he should die by the hand of one of his enemies, but the saint tells him that he will die at home in his bed. The description of his death is assumed to be accurate, as Adomnán was writing at a time when Rhydderch's life was probably still relatively well known, and he would be unlikely to attribute a false prophecy to St Columba. In the 9th century

Historia Brittonum ''The History of the Britons'' ( la, Historia Brittonum) is a purported history of the indigenous British ( Brittonic) people that was written around 828 and survives in numerous recensions that date from after the 11th century. The ''Historia B ...

, Rhydderch is one of four Brythonic kings (along with

Urien Urien (; ), often referred to as Urien Rheged or Uriens, was a late 6th-century king of Rheged, an early British kingdom of the Hen Ogledd (today's northern England and southern Scotland) of the House of Rheged. His power and his victories, ...

Gwallog Gwallog ap Lleenog (Old Welsh ''Guallauc'', Middle Welsh ''Gwallawc''; his father's name is spelled variously ''Lleinauc'', ''Lleynna '', ''Lleenawc'', and ''Llennawc'') was a hero of the Hen Ogledd. He has long been considered a probable sixth-cen ...

and Morcant) named as fighting against

Hussa of Bernicia Hussa was the seventh known ruler of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia, ruling for seven years from about 585 to about 592. Though his succession has led some to conclude that Hussa was another son of Ida, founder of the kingdom of Bernicia, he ...

. This is often interpreted as an alliance of Northern Brythonic kings, though it is not explicitly stated that they fought together against Hussa. If they did fight together, Rhydderch may have been present at the siege of Ynys Metcaut (the Island of Lindisfarne), where Urien was assassinated by Morcant. Rhydderch was possibly the leader of the victorious army at the

Battle of Arfderydd The Battle of Arfderydd (also known as Arderydd) was fought, according to the Annales Cambriae, in 573. The opposing armies are variously given in a number of Old Welsh sources, perhaps suggesting a number of allied armies were involved. The main ...

(dated 573 by the Annals Cambriae). The earliest (12th century copy of presumed 10th century original) manuscript of the AC dates the battle, but does not give the combatants. The 13th century Black Book of Chirk contains a story about a military expedition by

Clydno Eidyn Clydno Eidyn was a ruler of Eidyn, the district around modern Edinburgh, in the 6th century. Eidyn was a district of the Gododdin kingdom in the Hen Ogledd, or "Old North", the Brittonic-speaking parts of Northern England and southern Scotland in t ...

and the Tri Hael (Rhydderch, Nudd Hael and Mordaf Hael), where they travel to Gwynedd to avenge the death of Elidir Mwynfawr. Elidir had apparently been killed in a dispute with Rhun Hir over the succession of the kingdom following the death of the previous king

Maelgwn Gwynedd Maelgwn Gwynedd ( la, Maglocunus; died c. 547Based on Phillimore's (1888) reconstruction of the dating of the ''Annales Cambriae'' (A Text).) was king of Gwynedd during the early 6th century. Surviving records suggest he held a pre-eminent position ...

. The historical validity of this story is doubted.

Legendary material

Life of St Kentigern In the Life of St Kentigern, Rhydderch is the royal patron of the saint, and through this tied to the founding of the city of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. One of the saint's miracles was to save Rhydderch's adulterous Queen Languoreth from the king's wrath, by rediscovering her lost ring and thereby proving her innocence. The

coat of arms of Glasgow The Coat of arms of Glasgow is the official emblem of the City of Glasgow, and has been in use in various forms since 1866. History The Lord Lyon first granted a patent for a coat of arms for the city of Glasgow in 1866. Before this time, the ...

features a salmon with a ring in its mouth in reference to this story. Welsh mythology Rhydderch appears in several of the

Welsh Triads The Welsh Triads ( cy, Trioedd Ynys Prydein, "Triads of the Island of Britain") are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a ...

, along with many characters and events associated with him, indicating a once well known story now lost. He is the owner of one of the

Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain The Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain (Welsh: ''Tri Thlws ar Ddeg Ynys Prydain'') are a series of items in late-medieval Welsh tradition. Lists of the items appear in texts dating to the 15th and 16th centuries.Jones, Mary"Tri Thlws a ...

: a magical sword called Dyrnwyn (white-hilt). The list also attempts to justify Rhydderch's epithet 'Hael' in describing the sword: "if a well-born man drew it himself, it burst into flame from its hilt to its tip. And everyone who used to ask for it would receive; but because of this peculiarity everyone used to reject it. And therefore he was called Rhydderch the Generous."

References

Sources

* Bromwich, Rachel, ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain''. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1978; revised ed. 1991
Clarkson, Tim. "Rhydderch Hael." ''The Heroic Age'', Autumn/Winter 1999
* MacQuarrie, Alan, "The Kings of Strathclyde", in A. Grant & K.Stringer (eds.) ''Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community, Essays Presented to G. W. S. Barrow'', (Edinburgh, 1993), pp. 1–19. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhydderch Hael 610s deaths Monarchs of Strathclyde 6th-century Scottish monarchs 7th-century Scottish monarchs Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain Mythological swordfighters