House of Gwynedd

The House of Gwynedd was a royal house during medieval Wales (c. 500 – 1500). The dynasty is seen as being divided between the founding of the kings settlement in Gwynedd during the Roman invasion of Britain and the subsequent kingdoms in Wales until after the Norman invasion of Wales and the subsequent incorporation of the separate kingdoms into the Principality of Wales.

The royal house is defined by the timeline of the Kings of Gwynedd as direct male line descendants of the founder of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, Cunedda Wledig c. 401, until the subsequent era of the founding of the palace (Welsh: Llys) at Aberffraw c. 873, after the male line expired in the 8th century, because Gwynedd was inherited by Merfyn Frych, a female line descendant of Gwynedd from the Isle of Man. The dynasty lasted until the conquest of Wales by Edward I in the 13th century, and the deposition of the direct line of kings in 1283, and then the senior line of male heirs in medieval Wales, up until the 15th century.

The House of Gwynedd, divided between the earlier House of Cunedda , which lasted from c.401 to 825, was eventually replaced by the later House of Aberffraw , beginning in 844.^[1] The first is so named after Cunedda (386-460), the founding King of Gwynedd in late Roman Britain; following the departure of Magnus Maximus in the 380s, and the second after Aberffraw, the old capital of the Kingdom of Gwynedd.^{[1] [2]}

This House was the first not being descended from the male line of Cunedda, as king Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog was the last in the direct male line. Through inheritances from the great uncle of Merfyn the Oppressor, the line of Cunedda continued from the maternal side through the House of Aberffraw, and through the House of Dinefwr through Rhodri's son, King Cadell ap Rhodri.^{[3] [1] [4] [5] [6]}

The Senior line of the House of Aberffraw descended from Prince Llywelyn the Great in patrilineal succession and became extinct on the death of Owain Lawgoch in 1378, while the House of Dinefwr was succeeded by its cadet branch, the House of Mathrafal .^{[7] [8]}

The House of Gwynedd claimed descent from the mythical king Beli Mawr through the line of Cunedda (b. 386), as appears in the Harleian genealogies and Jesus College MS 20 genealogies.^{[9] [10] [11]}

The House of Aberffraw began with the accession of Rhodri Mawr to the throne of Gwynedd.^[12] His father Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad had seized the throne of Gwynedd on the death of the last of the old royal line Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog, Merfyn was descended from Hywel's father, but through the female line, representing a new start for the family of his son, Rhodri, who settled Aberffraw on Anglesey.^{[12] [13]} He was his maternal grandnephew via the former king's niece Esyllt verch Cynan ap Rhodri Molwynog.

The descent of Beli Mawr, legendary king of Britain and father in law to Llŷr; and his wife, Anna the Prophetess, cousin of the Virgin Mary.^{[14] [a] [b]}

• Bold for kings & princes e.g. Llywelyn the Great .
• Italics for royal house or family e.g. House of Tudor .
• 'Standard font' for members of a royal family, i.e. heirs, children and spouses of monarchs e.g. Ethyllt ferch Cynan.

• House of Gwynedd topics
• Medieval Wales topics
• Monarchs of Gwynedd

• People of medieval Wales
• House of Gwynedd
• Monarchs of Gwynedd
• Welsh royal houses
• Medieval history of Wales

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