Deheubarth (; lit. "Right-hand Part", thus "the South") was a regional name for the realms of south

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 ...

, particularly as opposed to Gwynedd (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under the

House of Dinefwr The Royal House of Dinefwr was a cadet branch of the Royal House of Gwynedd, founded by King Cadell ap Rhodri (reign 872–909), son of Rhodri the Great. Their ancestor, Cunedda Wledig, born in late Roman Britain, was a Sub-Roman warlord who f ...

, but that Deheubarth itself was not considered a proper kingdom on the model of Gwynedd,

Powys Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. Geog ...

, or

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...

is shown by its rendering in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

as ''dextralis pars'' or as ''Britonnes dexterales'' ("the Southern Britons") and not as a named land. In the oldest British writers, ''Deheubarth'' was used for ''all'' of modern Wales to distinguish it from '' Hen Ogledd'' ('' Y Gogledd''), the northern lands whence Cunedda and the Cymry originated.

History

The south view of Denefawr-Castle, in the county of Caermarthen

Deheubarth was united around 920 by

Hywel Dda Hywel Dda, sometimes anglicised as Howel the Good, or Hywel ap Cadell (died 949/950) was a king of Deheubarth who eventually came to rule most of Wales. He became the sole king of Seisyllwg in 920 and shortly thereafter established Deheubart ...

out of the territories of

Seisyllwg Seisyllwg () was a petty kingdom of medieval Wales.Davies, p. 85 It is unclear when it emerged as a distinct unit, but according to later sources it consisted of the former Kingdom of Ceredigion plus the region known as Ystrad Tywi. Thus it cover ...

and

, which had come into his possession. Later on, the

Kingdom of Brycheiniog Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Norma ...

was also added. Caerleon was previously the principal court of the area, but Hywel's dynasty fortified and built up a new base at Dinefwr, near

Llandeilo Llandeilo () is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. Its population was 1,795 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to the westernmost point of the ...

, giving them their name. After the high-water mark set by Hywel, Dinefwr was repeatedly overrun. First, by the Welsh of the north and east: by

Llywelyn ap Seisyll Llywelyn ap Seisyll (died 1023) was an 11th-century King of Gwynedd, Powys and Deheubarth. Llywelyn was the son of Seisyll, a man of whom little is known. Llewelyn first appears on record in 1018, the year he defeated and killed Aeddan ap Blegy ...

of Gwynedd in 1018; by Rhydderch ab Iestyn of

Morgannwg Morgannwg was a medieval Welsh kingdom formed via the merger of the kingdoms of the Kingdom of Glywysing and the Kingdom of Gwent. Formation of Morgannwg First under King Morgan the Generous (fl. ) until the end of the reign of his descendant ...

in 1023; by

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Gruffydd ap Llywelyn ( 5 August 1063) was King of Wales from 1055 to 1063. He had previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys in 1039. He was the son of King Llywelyn ap Seisyll and Angharad daughter of Maredudd ab Owain, and the great-gre ...

of Gwynedd in 1041 and 1043. In 1075, Rhys ab Owain and the noblemen of

Ystrad Tywi Ystrad Tywi (, ''Valley of the Tywi'') is a region of southwest Wales situated on the banks of the River Tywi and possibly the River Loughor. Although Ystrad Tywi was never a kingdom itself, it was historically a valuable territory and was foug ...

succeeded in treacherously killing their English-backed overlord

Bleddyn ap Cynfyn Bleddyn ap Cynfyn ( owl, Bledẏnt uab Kẏn ỽẏn; AD 1075), sometimes spelled Blethyn, was an 11th-century Welsh king. Harold Godwinson and Tostig Godwinson installed him and his brother, Rhiwallon, as the co-rulers of Gwynedd ...

. Although Rhys was quickly overrun by Gwynedd and Gwent, his cousin Rhys ap Tewdwr through his marriage into Bleddyn's family and through battle reestablished his dynasty's hegemony over south Wales just in time for the second wave of conquest: a prolonged Norman invasion under the Marcher Lords. In 1093, Rhys was killed in unknown circumstances while resisting their expansion into

Brycheiniog Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Norman ...

and his son Gruffydd was briefly thrown into exile. Following the death of Henry I, in 1136 Gruffydd formed an alliance with Gwynedd for the purpose of a revolt against Norman incursions. He took part in

Owain Gwynedd Owain ap Gruffudd ( 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great ( cy, Owain Fawr) and the first to be ...

and Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd's victory over the English at Crug Mawr. The newly liberated region of

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...

, though, was not returned to his family but annexed by Owain. The long and capable rule of Gruffydd's son the Lord Rhys and the civil wars that followed Owain's death in Gwynedd briefly permitted the South to reassert the hegemony Hywel Dda had enjoyed two centuries before. On his death in 1197, though, Rhys redivided his kingdom among his several sons and none of them ever again rivalled his power. By the time Llywelyn the Great won the wars in Gwynedd, in the first half of the 12th century, lords in Deheubarth merely appear among his clients. Following the

conquest of Wales by Edward I The conquest of Wales by Edward I took place between 1277 and 1283. It is sometimes referred to as the Edwardian Conquest of Wales,Examples of historians using the term include Professor J. E. Lloyd, regarded as the founder of the modern academi ...

, the South was divided into the historic counties of Cardiganshire,

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

and Pembrokeshire by the

Statute of Rhuddlan The Statute of Rhuddlan (12 Edw 1 cc.1–14; cy, Statud Rhuddlan ), also known as the Statutes of Wales ( la, Statuta Valliae) or as the Statute of Wales ( la, Statutum Valliae, links=no), provided the constitutional basis for the government of ...

Religion

In the arena of the church, Sulien was the leader of the monastic community at Llanbadarn Fawr in Ceredigion. Born ca. 1030, he became

Bishop of St David's The Bishop of St Davids is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids. The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, ...

in 1073 and again in 1079/80. Both of his sons followed him into the service of the church. At this time the prohibition against the marriage of clerics was not yet established. His sons produced a number of manuscripts and original Latin and vernacular poems. They were very active in the ecclesiastical and political life of Deheubarth. One son, Rhygyfarch (Latin: ''Ricemarchus'') of Llanbadarn Fawr, wrote the ''Life of Saint David'' and another, Ieuan, was a skilful scribe and illuminator. He copied some the works of Augustine of Hippo and may have written the ''Life of St. Padarn''.

List of rulers

The kingdom of Deheubarth was formed by the union of the kingdoms of Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Dyfed. Ceredigion was absorbed into Seisyllwg and Dyfed was merged with Seisyllwg to form Deheubarth in 909.

Ceredigion

* Ceredig ap Cunedda (424–453)A history of WalesEncyclopaedia of Wales * Usai (453–490) * Serwyl (490–525) * Boddw (525–560) * Arthfoddw (560–595) * Arthlwys (595–630) * Clydog I (630–665)

Dyfed

* Anwn Ddu (Welsh rendering of ''Antonius the Black''). According to Welsh legend, born in Greece, and later appointed to the rule of Demetia (Dyfed) by Magnus Maximus. Also known as Anwn Dynod (rendering ''Antonius Donatus''). Realm included Gwent and

. * Ednyfed - realm also included the Caer-Went part of Gwent (his brother received the remainder) * Clotri * Triffyn Farfog *

Aergol Lawhir Aergol Longhand (Modern Welsh: ''Aergol Lawhir''; c. 437 c. 515) was a legendary king of Dyfed and son and heir of King Triffyn Farfog. His name is the Welsh form of the Latin Agricola, just as his father's 'name' is the Cambrian form of "tribun ...

(?-c. 515) * Vortiporius (c. 540) * Arthur ap Pedr * Cloten (c. 630) married Ceindrech of Brycheiniog, uniting the two kingdoms of Dyfed and Brycheiniog *

Rhain ap Cadwgan Rhain ap Cadwgan ( en, Regin son of Cadogan; died c. 740) was an 8th-century king of Dyfed and Brycheiniog in Wales of the Early Middle Ages. He succeeded his father Cadwgan, who succeeded his father Caten ap Cloten. Biography Rhain's great-gr ...

(c. 690-740) - also king of Brycheiniog. On his death, his kingdoms were divided again by his sons. *

Tewdwr ap Rhain Tudor most commonly refers to: * House of Tudor, English royal house of Welsh origins ** Tudor period, a historical era in England coinciding with the rule of the Tudor dynasty Tudor may also refer to: Architecture * Tudor architecture, the fin ...

* Maredudd ap Tewdws (c. 740–797) * Rhain ap Maredudd (c. 797–808) * Owain ap Maredudd (c. 808–810) * Triffyn ap Rhain (?-c. 814) *

Hyfaidd Hyfaidd ap Bleddri (born ) was a king of Dyfed. Triad 68"Three Kings who Sprang from Villeins"lists Hyfaidd among their number, meaning that his father Bleddri or Bledrig was held to have been a serf rather than a member of Dyfed's old royal fam ...

Llywarch ap Hyfaidd Llywarch ap Hyfaidd (died ) was a king of Dyfed from until its conquest around 904 by King Cadell of Ceredigion / Seisyllwg and his son Hywel. Upon Llywarch's death, the kingdom passed briefly to his brother Rhodri, but Hywel soon consolida ...

(c. 893-904) * Rhodri ap Hyfaidd (c. 904-905) *

("Hywel the Good") (c. 905-909), an invader from Seisllywg who conquered Dyfed (but later chronicles claim he acquired it by marrying Llywarch's daughter)

Seisyllwg

* Seisyll ap Clydog, prince of

(eponym and possibly founder of Seisyllwg) * Arthen (?-807) * DyfnwallonHeritage Consulting. Millennium File atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003. * Meurig of Seisyllwg * Gwgon of Seisyllwg (?-c. 870/871) ''House Manaw'' * Angharad ferch Meurig (?-872) and Rhodri the Great (?–873/877/878) - stewards * Cadell ap Rhodri, second son of Anghared and Rhodri (872–909) *

(Hywel the Good) (909-920) - he ruled Seisyllwg in 920 and shortly thereafter merged it with Dyfed into Deheubarth

Deheubarth

(Hywel the Good) (920–950) * His son, Owain ap Hywel (950–986) ** Rhodri ap Hywel (950–953) ''and'' ** Edwin ap Hywel (950–954) * Owain ap Hywel's son, Maredudd ab Owain (986–999) *

Cynan ap Hywel Cynan ap Hywel (ruled 999–1005) was a Prince of Gwynedd, one of the kingdoms or principalities of medieval Wales. He was the son of Hywel ap Ieuaf, a previous king from the line of Idwal Foel (his grandfather). On Hywel's death, the realm was ru ...

, prince of Gwynedd (999–1005) * the sons of Einion ab Owain (brother of Maredudd ab Owain), who ruled jointly: ** Edwin ab Einion (1005–1018) ** Cadell ab Einion (1005–1018) *

, prince of Gwynedd (1018–1023) * Rhydderch ap Iestyn, prince of Glywysing (1023–1033) * Edwin ab Einion's son, Hywel ab Edwin (1033–1044) * Rhydderch ap Iestyn's son, Gruffydd ap Rhydderch (1047–1055) *

, invader and prince of Gwynedd (1055–1063) * Edwin ab Einion's grandson, Maredudd ab Owain ab Edwin (1063–1072) * his brother, Rhys ab Owain (1072–1078) * his second cousin, Rhys ap Tewdwr (1078–1093) ''Deheubarth was in the possession of the

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...

from 1093 to 1155'' * Gruffydd ap Rhys (1116–1137) ''ruled a portion of Deheubarth with Norman permission'' * his son,

Anarawd ap Gruffydd Anarawd ap Gruffydd (died 1143) was a Prince of Deheubarth in Southwest Wales. Lineage Anarawd was the eldest son of Gruffydd ap Rhys. On the death of his father in 1137, Anarawd took over the rule of Deheubarth. Resistance In 1136 he and ...

(1136–1143) * his brother, Cadell ap Gruffydd (1143–1151) * his brother,

Maredudd ap Gruffydd Maredudd ap Gruffydd (1131–1155) was a prince of the kingdom of Deheubarth in Southwest Wales. Maredudd was the fifth of six sons of Gruffydd ap Rhys, and the third of four by Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd;Cadw, Welsh Government (Crown Copyright), ...

(1151–1155) * his brother, The Lord Rhys (Rhys ap Gruffydd) (1155–1197) * his son, Gruffydd ap Rhys (1197–1201) ''who for a time ruled jointly with his brother,'' *

Maelgwn ap Rhys Maelgwn ap Rhys (c. 1170–1230) was prince of part of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south west Wales. Maelgwn was the son of Rhys ap Gruffydd (''The Lord Rhys'') by his wife Gwenllian ferch Madog, daughter of Madog ap Maredudd prince of Powys. He a ...

(1199–1230) ''who disputed the territory with his brother,'' * Rhys the Hoarse ( Rhys Gryg) (1216–1234) ''From 1234 to 1283, Deheubarth was subject to the princes of Gwynedd'' * Rhys the Hoarse's son, Rhys Mechyll (1234–1244) ''ruled a portion of Deheubarth'' * his brother, Maredudd ap Rhys (1244–1271) ''ruled a portion of Deheubarth'' * his son, Rhys ap Maredudd (1271–1283) ''ruled a portion of Deheubarth''

References

* ''The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales''. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2008

External links

{{coord, 51.8768, N, 4.0184, W, source:wikidata, display=title 1197 disestablishments in Europe Kingdoms of Wales States and territories established in the 10th century 920 establishments 10th-century establishments in Wales