The Search for the Historical King Arthur The First Post-Roman Generation

A look at the progenitors of the Brythonic Heroic Age

Setting the Stage for the Rise of ‘Big Men’

“In 410 Britannia rejected Rome.” Max Adams succintly claims in his recent book “The First Kingdom”, but of course it’s more complicated than that. Prior to 410 there seems to have been quite a bit of civil strife between pro-Roman factions, and pro-British factions, with this conflict likely lasting until the time of Ambrosius. The leaders of the Civitates seemed to be solidly pro-Roman, and in favor of remaining part of the Empire, while it seems the Vicarius of the time, controlling larger areas were in favor of taking power themselves. This generation likely consists of these men and other local ‘Big Men’, who shifted into the role of the feudal warlord we are all so familiar with. Ultimately the people of Britain had no say in whether they remained in the Empire or not, and were told by Honorius to “Look to your own defenses”. In the wake of this, men like Coel Hen, stepped up and took power. These are men who remembered what Rome was, and very likely served the Empire themselves, and I imagine as they aged they became more and more acutely aware that they were struggling to maintain something that could not be saved.

With each of these figures we visit I am including a small family tree, to help link these different figures in your mind. I will be including these with each subsequent figure in this series as well. There are numerous connections between these figures to keep up with, so an aid to keep the familial connections straight should be helpful.

Coel Hen

Coel seems to have ruled a significant territory in the north between Hadrian's wall all the way to the southern Pennines. Coincidentally the Dux Britanniarum during the Roman period was in control of a similar territory. This is not to say he was the Dux Britanniarum of his time, but it is interesting that he is ruling the same territory, and it would seem that he may have been intimately familiar with the Roman military, and it's way of life.

Coel was one of the men who arises to fill the vacuum left by Rome after roughly 410AD. Being born in the late 4th century it is a possibility that Coel was a son of a Romano-British family, or a high ranking British Aristocrat, maybe even of the Dux Brittaniarum. Actual hard information on Coel's background is scant. Interestingly enough though he may have gone by the Roman name Agricola, of which the Welsh equivalent is Aircol. Possibly unrelated but interesting is that Aircol of Dyfed is listed as Vortipor's father, Coel's title Guotepauc is romanized as the same name Vortiporius. This could be conflation, coincidence, an example of Coel's range of influence that he would have power from the wall all the way to Dyfed, a combination of all three, or honestly, none.

Coel has a prodigious number of descendants, including people we have previously met in this series. Ceneu, Peredur, Gwrgi, Arthwys, Mor, Pabo, Gwenddoleu, Urien of Rheged, Ellifer of the Great Host, and more speculatively Aneirin the Bard, Gildas, and many others. The famous Clydno Eidyn is often listed as one of Coel’s decendants, however this is likely not correct. The roots of the misattribution likely lies with Clydno’s father, Cynfelyn with a later copyist assuming Clydno ap Cynfelyn was son of Cynfelyn ap Arthwys, when in fact Clyndo is decended from Ceredig Wledig, another of these progenitor figures like Coel.

Coel the Old does not seem to be the inspiration behind the common Nursery Rhyme Old King Cole but maybe the roots run that deep and we just can’t find them?

We can glean more information about Coel through Welsh Poetry. In Y Gododdin, the "Son's of Godebog (Coel's epithet meaning protector)" are mentioned. Descendants of Coel in this period are numerous, including Owain ap Urien, Cadrod Calchfynydd, and possibly the Poet Aneirin himself!

In "Marwnat Cunedda" or "The Death-song of Cunedda" It is alluded to that Cunedda once made war upon Coel and Coel's descendants, Which with some speculation is likely what led Coel to wed his daughter Gwawl to Cunedda.

Legend also holds that Coel, made war upon the Picts and the Irish who were establishing themselves on the Western Coast, which according to legend Coel then tried to play them against one another, but instead they united. After a small campaign of back and forth fortune and misfortune Coel was eventually overrun at a fortified camp at what later became Coylton. He then wandered through the unfamiliar territory, and ultimately lost, drowned in a bog near Coilsfield.

Coel like many others in this first Sub-Roman generation seemed to try their best to continue Roman practices and style of rule, but as seen time and time again, despite best efforts, without Rome's massive infrastructure, things still crumbled. Coel is sometimes considered the last Dux Britanniarum. In my mind he seems a solemn ruler, commanding from a collapsing Roman Fort on the Wall, painfully aware of what has come before, all the while striving to maintain what has been lost.

Cunedda Wledig

This leads us to Cunedda Wledig the progenitor of the kings of Gwynedd.

Cunedda was born in Manaw Gododdin in the late 4th century. Supposedly decended from men who ruled with Roman authority (Aeternus, Paternus, and Tacitus), he also claimed decent from Eudaf Hen, father-in-law to Magnus Maximus. He was semi-contemporaneous with Coel Hen, and Ceredig Wledig, the progenitors of the Coelings and the kings of Alt Clut respectively. Likely 10-20 years younger than his contemporaries. He likely got his start as a warlord of the Gododdin, also known as the Votadini, fighting the Irish and Picts in the late 4th, early 5th century. It seems many warlords of this period cut their teeth fighting the Irish and Picts, as Coel does the same.

Sometime after establishing himself as a capable Warlord, Cunedda and his warband turn up the area that becomes known as Gwynedd. Nennius' Historia Brittonum states that he "Expelled the Scots with much slaughter" Scots being the Irish Gaels who had settled there.

We can only speculate why Cunedda found himself there, with a quite speculative earlier date it could have been at the behest of Macsen Wledig (Magnus Maximus), or in a more likely timeline some other Over-king of the period, Which I would suggest was Coel Hen. I would think this is likely as well, not only because the time line works out that way, but because Coel Hen was said to have fought the Irish on the western coast as well before. Not only that, but Cunedda was married to Coel's daughter Gwawl. If we speculate a bit, this marriage could have been the ultimate result of the conflict between Coel and Cunedda, leading Coel to marry his daughter, and allow him to set up a kingdom in Gwynedd, an area Coel seemed to have much influence in.

After clearing out the Irish, Cunedda set himself up as king of the area, establishing the "Kingdom of Gwynedd" Little is known of him from this point onward.

I will do a little bit of speculation here that shouldn't be taken as fact, but I do find it compelling.

Cunedda does have some parallels with Vortigern. I do think that multiple people contributed to the later idea of the "Usurper" described in Gildas, and I think that Cunedda may have been one of them. He is in the right time and roughly place, and his death falls around the same time as Vortigern/Vitalinus would have died fighting against a young Ambrosius (Who is roughly a generation younger) But this is just speculation, as all we can do is compare what little facts and timelines we have.

Cunedda had a prodigious amount of children (not to the level of Llywarch Hen with his 29 or 39 depending on who you talk to) with known children Tybion, Ysfael, Rhufon, Dunod, Ceredig, Afloeg, Einion, Dogfael, and Edern, with most eventually ruling sub-kingdoms of their own, such as Ceredigion and Meirionnydd

His son Einion Yrth takes over after his death around 467a.d. Einion is the father of two famous sons Owain Ddantwyn and Cadwallon Lawhir, both who have interesting stories in their own right.

Ceredig Wledig

Ceredig Wledig, also known as Caradog, or the latin Coroticus, ruled from a mighty fortress on Dumbarton Rock, Altclut. Like Cunedda, he also seems to be descended from Roman stock being descended from Clemens (great grandfather) Quintilius (Grandfather) and Quintilupus (father).

We find a reference to Ceredig in an odd place… One of the surviving letters of St. Patrick. Patrick bemoans that Ceredig’s warband had forsaken their duties as Romans

Soldiers whom I no longer call my fellow citizens, or citizens of the Roman saints, but fellow citizens of the devils, in consequence of their evil deeds; who live in death, after the hostile rite of the barbarians; associates of the Scots and Apostate Picts; desirous of glutting themselves with the blood of innocent Christians, multitudes of whom I have begotten in God and confirmed in Christ.

Further stating that he is excommunicating Coroticus’ warband.

We can help date both Ceredig, and St. Patrick because of this letter. This would have to have been shortly after Rome had been expelled/ left, with Patrick still viewing himself, and his fellow Britons as being Roman citizens. Working backwards from genealogies from figures we have more certain dates for gives us this early 5th century date for them both, with the supposed early 4th and late 3rd century datings holding less water.

Little else is known of Ceredig, but many of his descendants will make appearances elsewhere in subsequent articles. Men like the Tri-Hael, Mordaf, Nudd, and the famous Rhydderch, as well as his grandson Dyfnwal Hen, and Clydno Eidyn.