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55-694: Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages . It allied with the Mercian kingdom in the post Roman era, to stabilise and control a central (Marches) area key to dominance over central Proto- England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Armorican Normans (many of Brythonic diaspora of C6th) between 1088 and 1095, though it remained Welsh in character. It

110-512: A century (though parts of Brycheiniog may have been granted out, from time to time, as lordships for younger sons). In the mid 8th century, Seisyll (king of Ceredigion ) invaded, conquering Ystrad Tywi , and thus physically cleaving apart Dyfed and Brycheiniog. Rhain ap Cadwgan , great-grandson of Cloten and king of Dyfed-Brycheiniog, initially attempted to retain the union; the surviving parts were consequently known as Rhainwg . The impracticalities of ruling two regions physically separated by

165-509: A force to be reckoned with; Æthelflæd successfully resisted his attempts, and, in the early summer of 916, pushed her advantage by invading Brycheiniog. On 19 June, Æthelflæd stormed the royal llys (court) in Llangorse lake , and captured the queen of the land and 34 others. Hwgan responded by seeking an alliance with the Danes , but died soon afterwards while defending Derby (a Danish-held city) from

220-515: A more militarily advanced castle – Brecon Castle – at a more strategic location three miles away, demolishing Caer-Bannau to re-use the material. Rhys and Bleddyn sought to use this to their advantage, by attacking Bernard while the new castle was unfinished, but at the subsequent Battle of Brecon , in April that year, Rhys and Bleddyn were killed; the Welsh Annales clearly state that Rhys was killed "by

275-505: A rival kingdom meant that Rhain's brother, Awst, was eventually made governor of Brycheiniog, while Rhain now directly ruled only Dyfed. Following the death of Rhain and Awst, Rhain's son Tewdwr challenged the authority of Awst's son Elwystl. According to the Book of Llandaff , they were persuaded to divide Brycheiniog between them, swearing on the altar of Llandaff Cathedral to keep to this settlement. Soon after, Tewdwr murdered Elwysti, regaining

330-540: Is described in the records as being king of Brycheiniog in the time of King Alfred . In Elisse's time, the Viking raids threatened Brycheiniog, so in the 880s Elisse became a vassal of Alfred, to help protect his realm; indeed, in the spring of 896, Brycheiniog, Gwent and Gwynllwg were devastated by the Norsemen who had wintered at Quatford near Bridgnorth that year. According to Asser 's contemporary account, Elisse also feared

385-546: Is not described as having defeated a king of Brycheiniog). This past behaviour of Welsh princes naturally made the Normans ill-disposed towards them when an anti-Norman revolt broke out in Northern England ten years later. Over the previous century, Deheubarth had been contested between the heirs of Maredudd ab Owain 's brother Einion (such as Hywel ab Edwin ), those of his daughter Angharad (such as Gruffydd ap Llywelyn ), and

440-558: Is the sixth in descent from Ceredig , the traditional founder of Ceredigion. The Harleian also names him as the father of Arthgen , presumably the King of Ceredigion whom the Annales Cambriae record as dying in 807. Seisyll's name appears to derive from the notional Late Latin *Saxillus , which comes from the same root as the Welsh sais , meaning Saxon or Englishman . Seisyll ap Clydog

495-599: The Holy Roman Empire are generally not considered to be petty kingdoms since they were at least nominally subject to the Holy Roman Emperor and not fully independent. Beyliks were small Turkish principalities (or petty kingdoms) governed by Beys , which were founded across Anatolia at the end of the 11th century in a first period, and more extensively during the decline of the Seljuq Sultanate of Rum during

550-628: The Mamluks , and his son Süleyman the Magnificent who more or less completely united the present territories of Turkey (and much more) in his 1534 campaign. Many of the former Anatolian beyliks became the basis for administrative subdivisions in the Ottoman Empire. Before the Kingdom of England was established as a united entity, there were various kingdoms in the area—of which the main seven were known as

605-701: The Parts of Lindsey , Lincolnshire ) and the Wihtwara (Isle of Wight). These are commonly referred to as "petty kingdoms". During the 9th and 10th centuries, the Norse also established the Kingdom of Jórvík centred around York, and the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw ( a.k.a. Danish Mercia). They also controlled the Kingdom of East Anglia during this period. Prior to the arrival of

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660-412: The heptarchy . These were Wessex , Mercia , Northumbria (which also extended into present-day Scotland and originally formed from the earlier kingdoms of Deira and Bernicia ), East Anglia (formed from the union of the early kingdoms of Suffolk and Norfolk ), Sussex , Kent , and Essex . Other small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms existed at various points, including Hwicce , Lindsey (which survived as

715-935: The unification of Nepal by the Shah Dynasty there were dozens of petty kingdoms. The Karnali region was called the Baise Rajya ( Nepali : बाइसे राज्य ), i.e. 22 Kingdoms, and the Gandaki region to the east was called Chaubisi Rajya ( Nepali : चौबिसी राज्य ), i.e. 24 Kingdoms. The petty kingdoms of Norway numbered at least 28: The Pre-colonial petty kingdoms of the Philippines were locally known as Barangays and can be divided into culture groups, over whether they were predominantly Malay, Indianized, Sinified or Islamized. Medieval Serbia comprised, at various time periods, smaller kingdoms of Rascia , Zeta (Dioclea, corresponding to portions of contemporary Montenegro), Syrmia and

770-652: The 2nd century. He names the Vennicni , Rhobogdi , Erdini , Magnatae , Autini , Gangani , Vellabori , Darini , Voluntii (identified as the Ulaid nation or Uluti tribe), Eblani , Cauci , Menapii , Coriondi and Brigantes tribes and kingdoms. Irish medieval pseudohistory gives a seemingly idealized division of kingdoms. The island is traditionally divided into five provinces or "fifths" (Old Irish cóiceda , Modern Irish cúige ), four of which survive today: Ulaid ( Ulster , modern Irish Ulaidh ) in

825-606: The Angles, Saxons and Jutes (the later Anglo-Saxons) what is now England was ruled by numerous Brittonic kings, which are discussed under Wales below. The taifa were the various Islamic petty kingdoms that existed in Iberia after the collapse of the Caliphate of Cordoba in 1031. There were various Christian petty kingdoms as well on the peninsula that, in the Middle Ages, consolidated into

880-684: The Book of Baglan still have Dryffin's descendants as rulers of Brycheiniog; Hwgan (and hence Dryffin) is named there as a direct descendant of Tangwydd. What state the kingship of Brycheiniog was in at this time is not completely certain; Elisse ap Tewdwr's son, Tewdwr ap Elisse, was certainly ruling between 927 and 929. Tewdwr ap Elisse is reported to have witnessed a charter at the English royal court in 934, along with Hywel Dda . After Tewdwr ap Elisse, no more kings of Brycheiniog are recorded from his line. Gerald of Wales states that after Tewdwr's death, Brycheiniog

935-513: The Brycheiniog side of the battle. Subsequent kings of Ferlix descended from Tangwydd are identified in the Book of Baglan as also ruling Brycheiniog, even though this raises the question of how Gruffudd's descendants could rule it at the same time; possibly this is what led to the Battle at Ffinnant. Gruffydd (whoever his parents were), had a grandson – Elisse ap Tewdwr (also known as Elisedd) – who

990-608: The Chaggaland, were a pre-colonial series of a Bantu sovereign states of the Chagga people on Mount Kilimanjaro in modern-day northern Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania . The mountain was divided into kingdoms, which the British authority ultimately degraded to chiefdoms and which, by 1886, were governed by sovereign independent mangis (kings in Kichagga ). After that, Kilimanjaro was included in

1045-705: The French who were inhabiting Brycheiniog" (which also implies that the kingdom of Brycheiniog had been destroyed by this point). The lands of Brycheiniog became Bernard's Lordship of Brecknock , ruled by his descendants for many years. Bernard confined Bleddyn's eldest son, Gwrgan, in Brecon Castle (though Gwrgan was allowed to travel elsewhere, if accompanied by Bernard's knights); nevertheless, Bernard gave Gwrgan, and his brother, some lands within Bernard's Lordship, to sustain their dignity. From Gwrgan descends Rhys ap Hywel , who

1100-557: The Irish petty kingdoms, there was a Norse presence on the island from the 9th century. They conquered Dublin, where they established the Kingdom of Dublin (Old Norse: Dyflin , Old Irish: Duibhlinn ), which at various points was closely tied with the Norse Kingdom of Jórvík which was centred on modern York, England. The Norse also controlled several other coastal settlements, including Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Limerick. Before

1155-467: The Middle Ages. At various points in history there existed a High King of Ireland , who ruled over the other kings as suzerain , much like the British High Kings and Anglo-Saxon Bretwalda . There also existed Kings of Tara who did not rule all of Ireland but were recognised as holding positions of authority over the other kings. These two titles were not mutually exclusive and were often held by

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1210-576: The North West of England. These are collectively known as Hen Ogledd or 'the Old North'. With the exception of Ystrad Clut , which became part of Scotland in around the 11th century, most of these had been absorbed into Anglo-Saxon kingdoms by the 8th century. Seisyll ap Clydog Seisyll ap Clydog was King of Ceredigion in Wales some time in the late 7th or early 8th century. He gave his name to

1265-585: The Saxons. The earlier Anglo-Saxon Chronicle also reports these events, but without naming the Brycheiniog king, or mentioning his raid against Mercia; it was, though, Æthelflæd who defeated the Danes at Derby. As a result of Hwgan's behaviour, his son, Dryffin (also known as Tryffin) was forced by King Athelstan to pay tribute. Athelstan's godson and namesake, Elystan Glodrydd , deprived Dryffin of Ferlix, merging it with his own realm of Buellt . Nevertheless, records like

1320-563: The Welsh people shared a deeply felt sentiment of nationality, as reflected in Welsh law codified in the 10th century. According to historian Professor John Davies, there are four geographic regions more or less equal in terms of resources and population, from which four principalities emerged: Ynys Môn for Gwynedd, the Severn river valley for Powys, the Vale for Glamorgan and the lands up to the Wye (Morgannwg), and

1375-612: The Ystrad Tywi (Valley of the Tywi) for Deheubarth. Rhodri the Great inherited Gwynedd from his father and Powys through his mother, and married Angharad of Seisyllwg (Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire) and ruling there by right of his wife. Rhodri exerted great influence in the rest of Wales as well, and after his death his realms were divided amongst his sons. Nevertheless, the House of Aberffraw of Gwynedd, as

1430-511: The duchy of Hum (roughly corresponding to present-day Herzegovina and some of its surroundings). There were many petty kingdoms in Scotland before its unification. They can be grouped by language: According to the Norse sagas , and modern history, Sweden was divided into more-or-less independent units in some areas corresponding to the folklands and the modern traditional provinces. According to

1485-470: The governing structure, and the "chiefs" authority was constrained accordingly. From 1886 to 1916, Kilimanjaro was governed by the Germans as part of German East Africa. From 1916 to 1961, it was governed by the British as a part of the territory that had been renamed Tanganyika. In December 1961, it was incorporated into the independent sovereign state of Tanganyika. However, as of 1899, there were 37 Kingdoms atop

1540-438: The king of Ferlix (the adjacent realm at the heart of Rhwng Gwy a Hafren ) gained a claim on Brycheiniog by marrying a daughter of Elwystl, or of Rhain's grandson Elisse ap Tewdwr / Elisse ap Nowy Hen, who had only daughters. Geoffrey of Monmouth identifies Gruffydd (as Grifud map Nogoid - i.e. Gruffudd ap Nowy) as one of the princes present at the coronation of King Arthur . The Harleian Chronicle states that in 848 (about

1595-461: The later kingdom of Seisyllwg , which consisted of Ceredigion plus the region known as Ystrad Tywi ; as such he was possibly the king responsible for the expansion. However, there is no contemporary evidence of this, and almost nothing is known of his life or reign. Seisyll appears in the Harleian genealogies for the kings of Ceredigion. Here, he is named as the son of Clydog or Clitauc Artgloys, and

1650-692: The malevolence of the kings of Seisyllwg and Gwynedd who had succeeded Rhodri Mawr ; his vassalage to Alfred provided him with potential support against Seisyllwg. According to an early 14th century writer, a king of Brycheiniog and Ferlix named Hwgan ( Huganus in Latin), noting that Edward the Elder (king of Mercia ) was preoccupied by the Great Heathen Army , attempted to conquer (or raid) Mercia. He had not known Edward's sister, Æthelflæd (the daughter of King Alfred and widow of Earl Æthelred of Mercia ), would be

1705-435: The mid 5th century. The remainder of Tewdrig's lands — Gwent — was inherited by Tewdrig's son. Historical sources of a much later date, such as the 12th century Book of Llandaff , name the next three generations of rulers of the eastern part — the descendants of Tudwal — as: In the time of Idwallon, the aggressive Cynan Garwyn (king of Powys ) invaded a number of lands, including Brycheiniog. Rhiwallon succeeded due to

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1760-531: The mid-5th century, though this event is shrouded in legend. Brychan was a son of Anlach, an Irish settler who had peacefully taken control of the area by marrying Marchell, the heiress of Garth Madrun. Tradition says that Brychan fathered an extremely large number of children, many becoming saints in Wales and Cornwall. Brychan's eldest son (or grandson, depending on which manuscripts are reliable), Rhain Dremrudd (i.e. Rhain

1815-663: The modern states of Spain and Portugal . Over time, these consolidated into two "Crowns" that were themselves unified in the late 15th and early 16th centuries to the unified Kingdom of Spain . These include: The Kingdom of Portugal remained independent throughout most of the period of consolidation, except for a period of 60 years (1580–1640) when it was part of the Iberian Union . The earliest known kingdoms or tribes in Ireland are referred to in Ptolemy 's Geography , written in

1870-494: The mountain, according to August Windenmann, a German surgeon stationed at Moshi in the 1890s. Rarely has the country of Wales formed one cohesive kingdom. For the greater part of its history, Wales evolved into four kingdoms, or principalities, following the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century. Mountainous terrain, forested river valleys, and remote upland moors contributed to a strong sense of localism and autonomy, though

1925-420: The north, Cóiced Ol nEchmacht ( Connacht ) in the west, Mumha ( Munster , modern Irish an Mhumhain ) in the south west, and Laigin ( Leinster , modern Irish Laighin ) in the south east. The fifth kingdom, Mide (whose name has survived in the modern counties of Meath and Westmeath , modern Irish an Mhí and an Iarmhí ) in the centre/east, ceased to exist in

1980-660: The parallel mainland Southeast Asian political model , petty kingdoms were known as mueang . By the European High Middle Ages , many post-Roman Early Middle Ages petty kingdoms had evolved into principalities , grand duchies , or duchies . By the European Early Modern era , many of these principalities had been mediatized into larger monarchies, but the ruling families were not considered morganatic for marriage considerations, and ranked equal to royal families in society. The various small states of

2035-524: The red-faced ), founded a dynasty which ruled the kingdom uninterrupted until the mid 7th century; manuscripts list his descendants (and successors) as: During this era, the Irish raiders had begun to invade various western parts of Britain, with Triffyn Farfog (son of Aed Brosc  [ it ] , a Deisi magnate) already having taken over Dyfed from Edynfed's heirs. Traditional Welsh accounts claim that Triffyn had gained his power by peaceably marrying Edynfed's heiress (they do not indicate whether this

2090-770: The regional kings were at various points independent of their provincial over-king and indeed rivalled them in power and territory. Bréifne was originally part of Connacht but much of it lay in what is today Ulster. It later split into East and West Bréifne . Airgíalla (Oriel) and Cenél nEógain (also known as the Northern Uí Néill, in contrast to the Southern Uí Néill who ruled Mide ; In Fochla or In Tuaiscert , both meaning "the North"; Ailech ; and Tyrone/ Tír Eoghain ) were nominally part of Ulaid . Osraige (Ossory)

2145-413: The rulers of Morgannwg . Rhys was of Einion's line. In 1088, Gruffydd's son-in-law, and his son-in-law's son-in-law, Bernard de Neufmarché , took part in a rebellion against King William Rufus , without being punished for it. Emboldened by this, Bernard launched attacks on an area under Rhys' influence – Brycheiniog – while the sons of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn , Gruffydd's half-brother, attacked Deheubarth; this

2200-509: The sagas, the folklands and provinces of eastern Svealand were united under the Swedish king at Gamla Uppsala . Moreover, the domains of this king could also include parts of Götaland and even southern Norway. This probably reflects the volatile politics of Iron Age Scandinavia. The province of Småland once consisted of several petty kingdoms; indeed, the name Småland means small lands/countries. Chagga Kingdoms, also historically referred to as

2255-546: The same individual. Each of the kings of these kingdoms (titled rí ruirech or 'king of over-kings') was himself an over-king of several regional kings (titled rí buiden or rí tuath ), who in turn ruled over several túatha , whose rulers held the title rí benn or ri tuaithe . The territories and hierarchy of all of these constantly shifted as old dynasties died and new ones formed, and as lower kings took higher positions. Many of these túatha survived as later Irish baronies . Several of

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2310-681: The second half of the 13th century. The Ottoman Empire quickly collected itself under Mehmed I and his son Murad II re-incorporated most of these beyliks into Ottoman territory in a space of around 25 years. The final blow for the Karamanids was struck by Mehmed II who conquered their lands and re-assured a homogeneous rule in Anatolia. The further steps towards a single rule by the Ottomans were taken by Selim I who conquered territories of Ramadanids and Dulkadirids in 1515 during his campaign against

2365-456: The senior line descendants of Rhodri the Great , claimed overlordship over the whole of Wales, though they would encounter resistance by junior dynasts of Dinefwr. It would not be until the 1216 Council of Aberdyfi that the Aberffraw line under Llywelyn the Great would be able to secure their position as Prince of the Welsh. There existed other Brittonic petty kingdoms outside modern Wales and

2420-421: The subsequent collapse of Powysian power, under pressure from Dogfeiling , and the extreme youth of Cynan's later successor . Rhiwallon is the last direct male descendant of Brychan reported by any historic manuscript. His daughter, Ceindrych, married Cloten , the king of Dyfed. This 7th century marriage united the kingdom of Brycheiniog with Dyfed (which at that time bordered it), a union which lasted for about

2475-709: The time of Gruffudd, or his son Tewdwr), Ithel ap Hywel (king of Gwent) was killed by men from Brycheiniog in the Battle of Ffinnant (probably referring to either the Ffinnant near Soar in Brycheiniog, or the Ffinnant near Duhonw in Buellt ); the cause and participants of the battle are not otherwise reported, but the Chronicle of the Princes states that the killing of Ithel had become infamous as treachery, possibly implying that he had been on

2530-509: The whole of Brycheiniog; the Church apparently forced him to donate Cwmdu to the church, as punishment for breaking his oath. At this point, records about Brycheiniog's leadership become primarily genealogical, and certainly vague, but are unfortunately quite inconsistent with one another, and appear sometimes to be confused with genealogies of other realms. There are a number of possible conclusions: Complicating matters further, Tangwydd ap Tegid,

2585-584: Was divided between the three sons of Tewdwr's brother, Griffri: Tewdos (or Tewdwr), Selyf, and Einon; the three cantrefi of Brycheiniog: Tewdos (also known as Mawr), Selyf, and Talgarth were their respective portions. Tewdwr ap Griffri is the last of his line to be named in the Jesus College genealogies. Several genealogical manuscripts report that Dryffin's son, Maenyrch, married the daughter of Selyf's granddaughter, Elinor. The Book of Baglan reports that Maenyrch's son Bleddyn became king of Brycheiniog; Bleddyn

2640-659: Was included in a publication ( Monasticon Anglicanum by Roger Dodsworth) which amalgamated it with another of Bernard's charters, the latter being dated 1088; the charter mentioning Brycheiniog was then republished in an 1867 work ( Historia et cartularium Monasterii Sancti Petri Gloucestriae by William Hart), with the added marginal gloss "AD 1088"; some people conclude from the 1867 gloss that Bernard must already have regarded himself as lord of all Brycheiniog in 1088. With Irish aid, Rhys gradually re-established himself in Deheubarth. In 1093, Bernard replaced Caer-Bannau, by constructing

2695-408: Was likely a co-ordinated action between Bernard and Bleddyn's sons. Bleddyn was defeated at the Battle of Caer-Bannau (one of Bleddyn's castles, and a former Roman army camp), while Rhys was forced to flee to Ireland. An undated charter of Bernard de Neufmarché mentioned "all the tithes of his lordship which he had in Brycheiniog in the woods and plains" (as well as Glasbury ). In 1655, this charter

2750-559: Was one of the search party who caught King Edward II , in 1326, resulting in Edward's effective, and then actual, imprisonment for the rest of his life. Rhys ap Hywel's second son was Einion Sais , who militarily supported the campaigns of Edward's son, King Edward III ; Einion's great-great grandson was Sir Dafydd Gam , an enemy of Owain Glyndŵr and hero of Agincourt , from whom descend the present Earls of Pembroke . Petty kingdom In

2805-602: Was originally part of Mumha , but lay between Mumha and Laigin and was controlled by both at various points. Dál Riata was also an Irish (sub-)kingdom, which mostly lay in modern Argyll and Bute in Scotland but originated in and initially extended into north-eastern Ireland and was (nominally) subject to Ulaid . In the 12th century Munster was split into two smaller over-kingdoms: Deasmhumhain (Desmond, literally South Munster) and Tuadhmhumhain (Thomond, literally North Munster). In addition to

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2860-589: Was probably founded by Irish raiders in the late fifth century, very likely the Uí Liatháin , whose power had grown great in Wales until they were reduced by the sons of Cunedda (although this may just be propaganda for Gwynedd ’s power) as reported in the Historia Brittonum . Traditionally, it was founded by and named after a legendary Hiberno-Welsh prince named Brychan out of the old Welsh kingdom of Garth Madrun (believed to have been centered on Talgarth ) in

2915-468: Was the ruler at the time of the Norman invasion of England . Bleddyn married the sister of Rhys ap Tewdwr , the king of Deheubarth . Many Welsh princes had been vassals or allies of the Saxon kings, so actively supported the rebellion of Eadric the Wild against the Norman presence in England. In 1070, after suppressing Eadric's forces in England, William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford , attacked South Wales, defeating three of its kings (but notably, he

2970-439: Was transformed into the Lordship of Brecknock and later formed the southern and larger part of the historic county of Brecknockshire . To its south was the Kingdom of Morgannwg . The main legacy of the kingdom of Brycheiniog is etymological and geographical. It has lent its name to Brecknockshire ( Welsh : Sir Frycheiniog , the shire of Brycheiniog) and Brecon (known as Aberhonddu in Welsh). The kingdom of Brycheiniog

3025-455: Was under duress). The power of Irish raiders, particularly the Uí Liatháin , grew increasingly strong, and was not weakened until it was reduced by the sons of Cunedda , as reported in the Historia Brittonum . Traditionally, Tewdrig carved out from his lands the region around Talgarth ( Garth Madrun ) as a dowry for his daughter, Marchell, when she married Brychan mac Anlach , the grandson of Triffyn's fraternal nephew, Cormac mac Urb , in

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