Aeddan ap Blegywryd (died 1018) was a King of

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

in medieval

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 ...

. He became ruler in 1005 but the circumstances of his accession are unclear as he does not seem to have been closely related to his predecessor,

Cynan ap Hywel Cynan ap Hywel (ruled 999–1005) was a Prince of Gwynedd, one of the kingdoms or principalities of medieval Wales. He was the son of Hywel ap Ieuaf, a previous king from the line of Idwal Foel (his grandfather). On Hywel's death, the realm was ru ...

. Aeddan ap Blegywryd was defeated in battle in 1018 and was killed, along with his four sons.

Idwal ap Meurig Idwal ap Meurig (died 997), was king of Gwynedd. He was the son of Meurig ab Idwal Foel, who, though the rightful heir to the throne, was killed in 986, in the course of one of the many struggles for the kingship which characterised the period fr ...

had been dispossessed of his lands in Gwynedd but recovered them in 993. However, in 1000, Aeddan ap Blegywryd wrested control of the whole of North Wales and Idwal's son, Iago, fled to Ireland. At this time,

was a Prince of

, one of the kingdoms or principalities of medieval

, ruling from 999 to 1005. After he died in 1005, the throne of Gwynedd fell to Aeddan ap Blegywryd, who was apparently out of the direct line of succession. It is not known whether or not Aeddan seized the throne by force, but his lack of connection to the ruling family of Gwynedd suggests that he did. It seems that the Welsh at the time were pragmatic in their approach to their leaders. The princes of the house of Anarawd were not beloved by their subjects because of the great cruelties they exhibited; people who opposed them were dispossessed of their belongings, murdered, tortured by having their eyes pulled out and treated unlawfully in other ways. So the Welshmen were prepared to accept new rulers, such as Aeddan ap Blegywryd, without considering them to be

usurper A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it as ...

s. Around this time, Iago died in Ireland, but over a period of some years, his son Cynan was helped by Irish Danes to attempt to recover the principality of North Wales. In these efforts he was unsuccessful. In 1018, Aeddan ap Blegywryd was challenged for leadership by

Llywelyn ap Seisyll Llywelyn ap Seisyll (died 1023) was an 11th-century King of Gwynedd, Powys and Deheubarth. Llywelyn was the son of Seisyll, a man of whom little is known. Llewelyn first appears on record in 1018, the year he defeated and killed Aeddan ap Blegyw ...

, whose ancestry is unknown. A battle took place and Aeddan ap Blegywryd was defeated, being killed along with four of his sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blegywryd, Aeddan Ap Aeddan ap Blegywryd, Prince of Gwynedd Monarchs of Gwynedd Aeddan ap Blegywryd, Prince of Gwynedd 11th-century Welsh monarchs Year of birth unknown Monarchs killed in action