Elidurus the Dutiful (''

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

:'' ''Elidyr map Morydd'') was a legendary king of the

Britons British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mod ...

as recounted by

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiograph ...

. He was the third son of King

Morvidus Morvidus ('' Welsh:'' ''Morydd map Daned'') was a legendary king of the Britons from 341 to 336 BCE., as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the illegitimate son of Danius by his mistress Tangustela.Geoffrey of Monmouth, ''Historia Regum Bri ...

and brother of

Gorbonianus Gorbonianus ('' Welsh:'' ''Gorviniaw map Morydd'') was a legendary king of the Britons as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the eldest son of King Morvidus, and the brother of Archgallo, Elidurus, Ingenius, and Peredurus. According to ...

Archgallo Archgallo (''Welsh:'' ''Arthal map Morydd'') was a legendary king of the Britons as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the second son of King Morvidus and brother of Gorbonianus. Archgallo began as an evil king bent on destroying the nobl ...

, Ingenius, and

Peredurus Peredurus ( cy, Peredur) is a legendary king of the Britons in Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical chronicle ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. According to Geoffrey, he was the youngest son of King Morvidus and brother of Gorbonianus, Archgall ...

. Elidurus became king following the deposition of his brother, Archgallo. He found his brother wandering in a forest five years after Elidurus was crowned. He embraced him as a brother and took Archgallo in secrecy to a nearby city. Faking a sickness, he summoned all the nobles of the kingdom to that city to visit him. Once there, Elidurus demanded they all repledge their allegiance to Archgallo under penalty of death. Once done, Elidurus took Archgallo to

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and removed his own crown and reinstated Archgallo as king of the Britons. For this, he was surnamed ''the Dutiful''. Ten years later, Archgallo died and Elidurus became king once again. He reigned for a few years in the manner of his eldest brother, Gorbonianus. Soon after, though, his two younger brothers, Ingenius and

, built armies and attacked Elidurus. They seized him and locked him in a guarded tower in

Trinovantum Trinovantum is the name in medieval British legend that was given to London, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'', when it was founded by the exiled Trojan Brutus, who called it ''Troia Nova'' ("New Troy"), which was g ...

. He remained locked in the tower for more than seven years. When his youngest brother, Peredurus, finally died, the realm returned to Elidurus for a third time. He reigned for a short while in justice and virtue then died. He was succeeded by an unnamed

son of Gorbonianus The son of Gorbonianus was a legendary king of the Britons as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was a son of King Gorbonianus but was never given a name in the text. According to Geoffrey, he was a good and prudent king who emulated his uncle ...

. His son, Gerennus, would later become king of Britain.

References

{{Geoffrey of Monmouth Legendary British kings 4th-century BC rulers 3rd-century BC rulers