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Birth:          ABT 1025 of Montgomeryshire, Wales
Death:          1073 
Cause of Death: killed by King Rhys ab Owain of Dyfed

Notes
Chart of the Lords of the Manor of Deytheur, in "Collections Historical and 
Archaeological Relating to Montgomeryshire, vol 28"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleddyn_ap_Cynfyn

Bleddyn ap Cynfyn (Old Welsh: Bled?nt uab K?n??n;[1] d. AD 1073), sometimes 
spelled Blethyn, was an 11th-century Welsh king. He was installed by Harold and 
Tostig Godwinson as king of Gwynedd in 1063 on his father's death, during their 
destruction of the kingdom of Bleddyn's half-brother, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. He became 
king of Powys on his brother Rhiwallon's death in 1069. His descendants continued to 
rule Powys as the House of Mathrafal.
Background[edit]

Bleddyn was born to an Powys nobleman named Cynfyn[2] His mother, Llywelyn ap 
Seisyll's widow Angharad, was the daughter of King Maredudd of Dyfed, whose realm 
had been lost to the Irish pretender Rhain before its conquest by Llywelyn.

Gruffydd, Angharad's son by her first husband and Bleddyn's half-brother, was initially 
dispossessed upon his father's early death. Slowly, however, he rebuilt his father's 
realm, annexing its successor states. Although bards and annalists had called many 
leaders "King of the Britons", Gruffydd was the first to rule all the free Welsh after he 
conquered Morgannwg in response to its invasion of Dyfed.

As this was going on, Bleddyn seems to have been resident in Powys, where he 
married Haer ferch Cillyn, daughter of the Lord of Gest Cillyn y Blaidd Rudd ("Cillyn the 
Red Wolf").

Reign[edit]

Gruffydd's consolidation of power and alliance with Ælfgar of Mercia made him a threat 
to Harold Godwinson, earl of Hereford. Upon Ælfgar's death in 1060, Harold and his 
brother Tostig quickly invaded; the following year, they invaded again and were left in 
mastery of Wales after traitors among his men killed Gruffydd during a retreat. The 
south was restored to the Houses of Dinefwr and Morgan, but Powys and Gwynedd 
were given to Gruffydd's half-brothers Bleddyn and Rhiwallon. These two submitted to 
Harold and swore themselves vassals and allies of Edward the Confessor.[n 1]

Closely allied with Harold, the brothers joined the Saxon resistance to William the 
Conqueror following his conquest of England. In 1067, they joined the Mercian Eadric 
the Wild in his attack on Norman Hereford, ravaging the lands as far as the River 
Lugg. In 1068, they joined Earls Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumbria in their 
attacks as well.

Gruffydd's sons finally challenged Bleddyn and Rhiwallon in 1070. The Battle of 
Mechain killed Rhiwallon and Idwal and Maredudd[clarification needed][where should 
the comma go?] died of exposure soon afterwards: Bleddyn was left sole king over 
Gwynedd and Powys.

In 1073, Robert of Rhuddlan stealthily established his forces on the banks of the 
River Clwyd and attempted to ambush and capture Bleddyn. He narrowly failed, but 
seized valuable booty in raids further south.

Bleddyn was killed in 1073 by King Rhys ab Owain of Dyfed, having been betrayed by 
the lords of Ystrad Tywi. When Rhys was later defeated at the 1078 Battle of 
Goodwick by Bleddyn's cousin and successor Trahaearn ap Caradog and killed by 
Caradog ap Gruffydd of Gwent shortly afterwards, this was hailed as "vengeance for 
the blood of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn".[citation needed] After his death, Gwynedd was 
seized by Trahaearn and later recovered for the House of Aberffraw by Gruffudd ap 
Cynan; but in Powys, Bleddyn was the founder of a dynasty which lasted until the end 
of the 13th century.

Legacy[edit]

Bleddyn's legacy in the Chronicle of the Princes was that of a benevolent ruler:


The most lovable and the most merciful of all kings… he was civil to his relatives, 
generous to the poor, merciful to pilgrims and orphans and widows and a defender of 
the weak… the mildest and most clement of kings… [he] did injury to none, save when 
insulted… openhanded to all, terrible in war, but in peace beloved.

Bleddyn was also responsible for a revision of the Welsh law which continued in force 
in his dynasty's domain of Powys. Gwynedd's Venedotian Code noted that he changed 
the legal composition of the homestead (tyddyn) for purposes of inheritance etc., 
varying its size depending on the social status of the owner. The homestead of a 
nobleman (uchelwr) was 12 Welsh acres, that of an serf (Med. e?llt, Mod. aillt) had 8, 
and that of a bondsman or slave (Med. goda?auc) had 4. (The text, however, notes 
the uncommonness of this division and says it was generally understood as 4 acres 
regardless of status.)[1]

Children[edit]

Bleddyn had at least five children:
Maredudd (d.1132)
Cadwgan (d.1111)
Madocke
Ryryd
Iorwerth (d.1111)

Parents
AP GWERYSTAN Cynfyn (ABT 1002 - )
VERCH MAREDYDD Angharad (ABT  982 - )

Siblings
VERCH CYNFYN Iwerydd (ABT 1024 - )
AP CYNFYN Rhiwallon (ABT 1025 - 1070)
AP CYNFYN Bleddyn (ABT 1025 - 1073)

Marriage To VERCH CILLIN Haer (ABT 1025 - )
    m.  

Notes

Parents
AP BLAIDD Cillin (ABT  993 - )
----- ----- ()

Children by VERCH CILLIN Haer ABT 1025 - 
AP BLEDDYN Maredudd (ABT 1047 - 9 Feb 1132)

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