Selyf ap Cynan or Selyf Sarffgadau (died 616) appears in
Old Welsh genealogies as an early 7th-century
King of Powys
Prior to the Conquest of Wales, completed in 1282, Wales consisted of a number of independent kingdoms, the most important being Gwynedd, Powys, Deheubarth (originally Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Dyfed) and Morgannwg (Glywysing and Gwent). Bounda ...
, the son of
Cynan Garwyn Cynan Garwyn was king of Powys in the north-east and east of Wales, who flourished in the second half of the 6th century. Little reliable information exists which can be used to reconstruct the background and career of the historical figure. Availa ...
.
His name is a
Welsh form of
Solomon, appearing in the oldest genealogies as Selim. He reputedly bore the nickname Sarffgadau, meaning battle-serpent. According to the ''
Annals of Ulster'' and the
''Annals of Wales'', in 616 he died at the
Battle of Chester
The Battle of Chester (Old Welsh: ''Guaith Caer Legion''; Welsh: ''Brwydr Caer'') was a major victory for the Anglo-Saxons over the native Britons near the city of Chester, England in the early 7th century. Æthelfrith of Northumbria annihilated ...
, fighting against
Æthelfrith of Northumbria
Æthelfrith (died c. 616) was King of Bernicia from c. 593 until his death. Around 604 he became the first Bernician king to also rule the neighboring land of Deira, giving him an important place in the development of the later kingdom of Nort ...
. The
Annals of Ulster entitle him
King of the Britons, perhaps because he led a combined force from more than one
Brythonic kingdom at that battle against the
Northumbrians. In Jesus College MS 18, Selyf is identified as father of Beli and subsequently ancestor of the later kings of Powys; in other genealogies, he is father of an Eiludd ap Selyf, and in another, he is identified as grandfather of a Beli ap Mael Myngan ap Selyf. Breneu Powys, or the Privileges of Powys, by Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr, the court poet of the major Kingdoms of Wales at the time, refers to Selyf's descendants as serpents of battle, most likely in reference to the Mathrafal dynasty, which ruled Powys at the time. This suggests that Eiludd, who is most commonly identified as progenitor of the continuation of the House of Gwerthrynion, was likely to have been a son of Selyf.
References
* Kari Maund (2000) ''The Welsh Kings: The Medieval Rulers of Wales'' (Tempus)
*Jesus College Ms.18
External links
*
6th-century births
616 deaths
Monarchs of Powys
House of Gwertherion
7th-century Welsh monarchs
{{Wales-bio-stub