Elystan Glodrydd (or, occasionally, Elstan Glodrydd; died 1010), also known as "Æthelstan the Famous" and "The Renowned," was, according to Welsh genealogical tracts, the founder of the fifth Royal Tribe of

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. He was the Prince of

Buellt Buellt or Builth was a cantref in medieval Wales, located west of the River Wye. Unlike most cantrefs, it was not part of any of the major Welsh kingdoms for most of its history, but was instead ruled by an autonomous local dynasty. During the ...

, and later also of Fferreg (also known as Ferlix); in the century after his death, Fferreg split into Maelienydd and Elfael Very little is known about Elystan himself, but his descendants, including Cadwallon ap Madog, continued to rule Ferlix, a minor principality in mid Wales, and the main part of Rhwng Gwy a Hafren—the land between the Wye and the Severn. An early Welsh genealogical tract links him to Gwrtheyrnion, while other descendants of Gwrtheyrnion ruled Maelienydd, Elfael., and Cedewain. These territories lay in an area roughly equivalent to the later counties of

Radnorshire Radnorshire () was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974, later becoming a Districts of Wales, district of Powys from 1974 to 1996. It covered a sparsely populat ...

and southern

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...

, in today's county of

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

. It has been conjectured by historian Paul Remfry that these territories formed a polity known as Cynllibiwg. However, this is not generally accepted. A Welsh genealogical source makes Elystan the seventh in descent from Iorwerth Hirflawdd, who probably died in the mid 9th century. Elystan married either Gwenllian, daughter of Einon ap Hywel Dda, or Gwladis, daughter of Rhyn ap Ednowen, prince of Tegengl. One of his sons, Cadwgan, lord of Radnor, was the ancestor of the Cadogan family.

References

Sources

Elystan Glodrydd
at '' Dictionary of Welsh Biography''

External links

Elystan Glodrydd
at elystan.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Elystan Glodrydd 10th-century Welsh people Welsh royalty 1010s deaths 11th-century Welsh people Year of birth unknown