Rhodri Molwynog ("Rhodri the Bald and Grey"; died ), also known as Rhodri ap Idwal ("Rhodri son of Idwal") was an 8th-century

king of Gwynedd 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). Bou ...

. He was listed as a King of the Britons by the ''Annals of Wales''. This era in the history of Gwynedd is very obscure and, given the lack of reliable information available, several serious histories of

medieval Wales {{Commons category Period Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to t ...

including John Davies'sdo not mention Rhodri at all, while othersincluding John Lloyd'smention him only in passing, quoting the undated entry of the ''Annals of Wales'' recording his death., ''Annales Cambriæ''. la, Rotri rex brittonum moritur. Phillimore's reconstruction places the entry in the year 754. The ''Annals'' do not mention the death of an earlier king within a reasonable time frame, so the date that he became king is not known, nor is the name of his predecessor. Rhodri's name also appears in genealogies such as those in Jesus College MS. 20 (where he is described as the son of

Idwal Iwrch Idwal Iwrch ( en, Idwal the Roebuck), or Idwal ap Cadwaladr ( en, Idwal son of Cadwaladr), is a figure in the genealogies of the kings of Gwynedd. He was the son of King Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon (reigned c. 655 – 682) and the father of King R ...

son of Cadwaladr Fendigiad) and the

Harleian genealogies __NOTOC__ The Harleian genealogies are a collection of Old Welsh genealogies preserved in British Library, Harley MS 3859. Part of the Harleian Library, the manuscript, which also contains the ''Annales Cambriae'' (Recension A) and a version of ...

(where he is described as the son of Tutgual son of Cadwaladr). It remains, however, unclear to what extent the genealogies at that point were recording the lineage of the Cuneddion dynasty regardless of their rule or recording the rulers regardless of their connection to the main branch of the dynasty. The ''Annals of Wales'' mention a war in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

around 722 without giving the names of the individuals involved. The '' Brut y Saeson'' says that in 721 there was "an extensive war between Rhodri Molwynawg and the Saxons in Cornwall". The ''Brut Aberpergwm'' also recorded this event but, while it was accepted for a time by the editors of the '' Myvyrian Archaiology'', Thomas Stephens has since shown that it was one of

Iolo Morganwg Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10 March 1747 – 18 December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encyclop ...

's many forgeries., ''The Book of Aberpergwm''. The ''Rotri'' appearing in the ''Annals'' has sometimes been misidentified as 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 ...

(modern

Dumbarton Rock Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

), the Brythonic kingdom later known as

Strathclyde Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government et ...

.MacQuarrie, p. 11. He was succeeded by his son,

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 ...

References

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodri Molwynog Year of birth unknown 750s deaths Year of death uncertain Monarchs of Gwynedd 8th-century Welsh monarchs

See also

References