Merfyn Frych: Welsh Conqueror and King
Medieval Welsh History 825-950: The Merfynion Dynasty Part 1: Merfyn Frych
Hi all, and thank you so much for your continued support - I am very glad that my resources are helping someone! My policy on this blog has generally been, write what I know about, so I figured the first real history post should be on a topic that I know pretty well, and is pretty inaccessible to most readers: the Merfynion dynasty. This part of history is what I am completing my A level coursework on, so I know from extensive google searches that there are virtually no reliable, accessible online resources on it. (The Wikipedia pages are a mess - don't bother!) I'm going to try and make you as excited about this period as I am...
In this article I will be telling you about the first Merfynion king, who gave his name to the Second Dynasty of Gwynedd. If you are new to Celtic studies, or stuck on accessing resources, you may want to check out my article that gives you an overview on how to self-teach Celtic studies. If you're as fascinated by medieval Wales as I am, and not afraid to delve into the literature, you may want to delve into my article that gives a feminist perspective of the Mabinogi. I am very excited today as I will be attending a zoom seminar at 5:30 on the Irish classroom - I'll let you know how it goes!
The story of Merfyn Frych
It's the ninth century. Wales is composed of a number of small, proud, ever fighting kingdoms - one of the most famous and most aggressive is Gwynedd in the North. Let's paint a picture of Gwynedd c.825. The First Dynasty of Gwynedd, the Maelgyning, is still reigning. It must have seemed like they had been ruling forever, with their ancestors such a Cadwallon famous for their triumphs against the English, and their ultimate descent said to be from the legendary Cunneda. But, as with any soon-to-collapse rule, all is not well.
There has been a fairly continuous civil war between two families who have been vying for kingship in Gwynedd since the seventh century - the descendants of Maelgwn Gwynedd, probably based in West Anglesey, and the descendants of Maelgwn's cousin, Cynlas, based in Rhos (a small kingdom that lies to the east of Gwynedd, soon to be engulfed by it). At the time we're talking about Cynan Dindaethwy of the Anglesey family and Hywel ap Caradog of the Rhos family are continuing the tradition of rivalry. Alongside this, there have been numerous incursions into Gwynedd by the ruthless Mercian king (Ceolwulf).Bad weather has been the source of a period of famine. Hywel is recorded to have expelled Cynan from Anglesey 'with major losses to his army' in 813 - and then in 816 he himself was expelled from Anglesey by Cynan. Cynan was likely king of Gwynedd now - but his victory was short-lived. His death occured the same year, followed by the English invasion of Eryri (Snowdonia) and the kingdom of Rhufiniog (to the east of Gwynedd). No English attacks on Cynan are recorded, suggesting perhaps some sort of alliance - regardless after 816 Hywel seems to have acquired kingship. The resurgence of English attacks show Cenwulf's opposition to him.
Zoom out of Gwynedd and on to a freckled, determined man. An odd fact is that nobody actually knows where Merfyn comes from. Records say that he comes from Manaw, but that is used as the name of two places. The first, and less popular, and probably less likely, is North Britain. It would be nice - the home of the mythical kings, Arthur, Urien, Llywarch Hen...and it perfectly echoes the Cunedda legend. Cunedda came from North Britain. Maybe he promoted the idea that he was from the North, Manaw Gododdin, the land of heroes. Indeed, the heroic poem, the Cyfoesi Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei Chwair, implies it. If it were true, maybe some kind of Anglo-Saxon pressure was what caused the king to look west. The second, which historians have found a lot more supporting evidence for, is the Isle of Man. Evidence for this includes a stone cross inscribed with the words CRUX GURIAT, which may refer to the father of Merfyn, Gwriad. So picture a family, highly ranked, that has ruled over Man for centuries - since the sixth century at least, where his ancestor, Merfyn is recorded. But in the ninth century, things have begun to happen. Viking attacks are increasing. There is a power change in Ireland, meaning that they are less inclined to defend the north coast - leaving Man vulnerable. The elite set their eyes on the kingly seat of Aberffraw in Anglesey, which would give them power over the sea. Merfyn is the successful, chosen noble. Perhaps he made alliances with Cynan, Hywel's precursor, or even with bands of Vikings. The genealogies record a marriage between he, or his father, and Essylt, the daughter of Cynan. This takeover, however it has come about, has been planned and executed by someone who knew exactly what he was doing.
The reign of Merfyn is something that we know almost nothing about. It has been described by historians as a thalassocrasy - a state with control over the sea, indicated by the key position of Anglesey and Man in the Irish sea, ideal for trade and communication. Few documents survive from this period - one, however, is the Historia Brittonum [available online here], compiled by the anonymous writer who later went by the name of Nennius. Another was the fascinating Bamberg cryptogram [online here]. The latter eventually spells out 'Merfyn the King greets Cyngen' - Cyngen being the king of Powys. There is another significant, if flimsy, piece of evidence for fostering of alliances between Gwynedd and Powys by Merfyn, and this is the records of the marriage between either Merfyn or his father Gwriad to Nest, the daughter of Cyngen. This would be hugely significant if true - but there are no records for it preceding the fourteenth century. Yet the Historia Brittonum shows attacks of Powysian legitimacy - maybe the precursor to a Merfynion takeover of Powys. What the Historia Brittonum and the Bamberg cryptogram show us is promotion of travel and culture at the court of Merfyn. A letter from Suadbar, one of four Irish scholars on the continent, to their teacher Colgu, relates that they had been left a cryptic message from the Irish scholar Dubhtacht, which contained a cryptogram to put their wisdom to test.
Nothing is known about the death of Merfyn Frych in 844, although it occurs the same year as the Battle of Cetyll in the Annales Cambriae [available online here]. Perhaps he died in this unknown battle, as so many British kings were wont to do. The fourteenth century Brut y Tywysogion [here] is more colourful, telling of the Battle of Cyveiliawc, a "very severe engagement" between the Welsh and Berthwryd, king of Mercia, where Merfyn was killed. However his death came about, his legacy was the seeminly unchallenged succession of his son Rhodri Mawr - or rather, Rhodri the Great to his throne, and the continually increasing power of the Merfynion, which would come to exert its influence over almost all of Wales.
Want to continue the story?
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Merfyn Frych was most likely from the Isle of Man. You've mentioned the second dynasty of Gwynedd, but not the first, am I right in saying the 'House of Cunedda?
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