Cunedagius ( Latinized form; cy, CuneddaHenry Lewis (ed.), ''Brut Dingestow'' (University of Wales Press, 1942), p. 31.) was a legendary king of the

Britons British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mod ...

, as recounted by

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography ...

. He was the son of Henwinus,

Duke of Cornwall Duke of Cornwall is a title in the Peerage of England, traditionally held by the eldest son of the reigning British monarch, previously the English monarch. The duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in England and was established by a r ...

, and

Regan The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...

, the daughter of King Leir. Cunedagius, grandson of Leir, despised the rule of his aunt Cordelia. With the help of his cousin

Marganus Marganus ('' Welsh:'' Margan) was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the son of Maglaurus, Duke of Albany, and Goneril, the daughter of King Leir. Marganus, grandson of Leir, despised the rule of his aunt ...

, Cunedagius took over the kingdom from Cordelia and ruled half of it. Following Cordelia's suicide, Cunedagius came to rule the region of Britain southwest of the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between ...

.Geoffrey of Monmouth: The History of the Kings of Britain : an Edition and Translation of De Gestis Britonum (Historia Regum Britanniae), Boydell & Brewer, 1 Jan 2007, p.44. Two years after they split the island, Marganus invaded

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...

and destroyed much of the land. Cunedagius met him in battle and defeated him. Marganus fled throughout Britain until he was cornered in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. Cunedagius killed him and became king of all of Britain. He ruled all of Britain for 33 years and was succeeded by his son

Rivallo Rivallo ('' Welsh:'' Rhiwallon) was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the son of King Cunedagius and was noted as a young king who reigned with moderation. Geoffrey describes him as a "peaceful and fortuna ...

. Geoffrey synchronizes Cunedagius' reign with the ministry of the Jewish prophet

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...

and the founding of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (, ) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf sucklin ...

. Both events are dated to the 8th century BC.

References

{{Geoffrey of Monmouth Legendary British kings