Maredudd ap Cynan

Who he is

Name

Maredudd ap Cynan ab Owain Gwynedd

Title

Lord of Eifionydd, part of Ardudwy and Meirionnydd

Since

Eifionydd and part of Ardudwy from 1173-74 (noted by Gerald in 1188); Meirionnydd from his brother about 1194

Born

Not pinned (younger son of Cynan ab Owain Gwynedd)

Family

Brother of Gruffudd ap Cynan; sons Llywelyn Fawr and Llywelyn Fychan. Died 1212; his elegy was sung by Prydydd y Moch.

Confidence

medium

DWB: Maredudd ap Cynan (d. 1212).

What it holds

• Eifionydd (around Criccieth and Dolbenmaen)
• Part of Ardudwy (around Harlech)
• Meirionnydd (Talybont and Ystumanner, from Barmouth to the Dyfi)
• Patronage of Cymer abbey

How it was acquired

Inheritance and grant from his brother.

Allies and rivals

Ally: his brother Gruffudd. Rival: Llywelyn, who strips him of Llyn in 1201 and of the rest in 1202.

How things stand that morning

Holds his lands; a beaten but independent lord.

Wealth

Cattle and the coastal townships; the Dyfi and Mawddach fisheries.

Military

His teulu; the old castle of Cynfal near Tywyn (built 1147) stood in Meirionnydd; Harlech and Criccieth castles do not yet exist.

Threats

• Llywelyn

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

In 1200

1. 1200 (after Gruffudd's death)Maredudd takes Llyn from his dead brother's share.Depends on: Gruffudd's death Stopped by: Llywelyn moving first

Later, on the likely course

1. 1201Llywelyn takes Llyn from him for suspected treachery.Depends on: Llywelyn's strength Stopped by: A protector for Maredudd
2. 1202Llywelyn takes the rest of his lands; Meirionnydd later goes to his nephew Hywel ap Gruffudd.Depends on: As above Stopped by: As above

Places of note

• Cymer abbey: Cistercian abbey he co-founded in 1198-99
• Dolbenmaen: Llys of Eifionydd

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: DWB gives the stages of his holdings by year.

On the map: Boundaries follow the later Caernarfonshire and Merioneth lines; Mawddwy is left to Powys.

Primary sources for Gwynedd

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

• Annals of Wales, Anonymous (St Davids and other Welsh houses) (10th to 13th centuries; the B and C texts continue to 1286 and 1288). Short Latin annals whose later versions are kept at St Davids and Cistercian houses. Read online
• Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
• Chronicle of the Princes, Anonymous (Welsh translation of a lost Latin chronicle kept at Strata Florida) (Latin original to about 1282, compiled from contemporary annals; Welsh versions about 1300 and later). The native Welsh record of the year. Read online
• The Patent Rolls and Close Rolls of King John (1201 to 1216 (patent), 1204 to 1227 (close), at the royal chancery). Not direct witnesses to 1200: the surviving patent rolls begin in May 1201 (3 John) and the close rolls in 1204. Read online
• The Journey through Wales; The Description of Wales, Gerald of Wales (Giraldus Cambrensis) (Itinerarium 1191, revised to about 1214; Descriptio 1194). The standing description of Wales a decade before 1200: the cantrefs and their lords, the castles of the March, the bishoprics, the Welsh way of fighting and living, and Gerald's advice on how the Welsh might be conquered and how they might resist. Read online