Bledri (died 1022) was

Bishop of Llandaff The Bishop of Llandaff is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. Area of authority The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The bishop's cathedra, seat is in the Llandaff Cathedral, Cathedral Chu ...

from the late 10th century (probably 983 or 993) until his death in 1022. He is considered to have succeeded Bishop Marcluith and was succeeded by Bishop Joseph (d. 1064). His appointment is recorded in 'Liber Landavensis' (

Book of Llandaff The Book of Llandaff (; , ', or '), is the cartulary of the cathedral of Llandaff, a 12th-century compilation of documents relating to the history of the diocese of Llandaff in Wales. It is written primarily in Latin but also contains a signific ...

).1. Stubbs W. WELSH BISHOPS, &c. In
''Registrum Sacrum Anglicanum: An Attempt to Exhibit the Course of Episcopal Succession in England from the Records and Chronicles of the Church''. Cambridge Library Collection
- British and Irish History, General. Cambridge University Press; 2013:152-157.

Biography

Bishop Bledri's existence is only known from the ' ''Liber Landavensis''', (also known as the ''Book of Llandaff'', ''Llyfr Llandaf'', ''Llyfr Llan Dâv'', or ''Llyfr Teilo'') the

cartulary A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll ('' rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the fo ...

of the cathedral of Llandaff, a 12th-century compilation of documents recording the history of the

diocese of Llandaff The Diocese of Llandaff is an Anglican (Church in Wales) diocese that traces its roots to pre-Reformation times as heir of a Catholic bishopric. It is headed by the Bishop of Llandaff, whose seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Pet ...

in South East

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 ...

. The Book of Llandaff recorded that Bledri was chosen as Bishop of Llandaff in 983 by the sons of

Morgan Hen ab Owain Morgan Hen ab Owain or Morgan Hen (the Old) (died 974), first known as Morgan ab Owain of Gwent and also known as Moragn Hen Fawr, was the king of Morgannwg. He ruled Gwent from c. 930 and Morgannwg from AD 942 to 974. In 931, Morgan was one of ...

(d. 975), king of Morgannwg, and other princes, with the support of both the clergy and people of the diocese. This decision was then confirmed by King Ethelred and Archbishop Elfric of Canterbury. During a conflict between Bledri’s men and troops working for King Edwin of Gwent (known in Welsh as Edwyn ap Gwriad), Bledri intervened and attempted to calm the situation down, but was wounded. He survived but as a result of the incident, King Edwin and his men were

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

by a synod of the church and his lands laid under an interdict. Eventually the two parties reached terms of agreement and a

royal vill A royal vill, royal ''tun'' or ''villa regalis'' () was the central settlement of a rural territory in Anglo-Saxon England, which would be visited by the King and members of the royal household on regular circuits of their kingdoms. The royal vill ...

belonging to Edwin (thought today to have been

Undy Undy () is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, adjoining the village of Magor with which it forms the community and parish of Magor with Undy. It is located about west of Caldicot and east of Newport, close to the junction of the ...

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

) was gifted to the

See of Llandaff The Bishop of Llandaff is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. Area of authority The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The bishop's seat is in the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (the site of a ...

as means of apology.

Legacy

Welsh

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

, collector of

Medieval Welsh literature Medieval Welsh literature is the literature written in the Welsh language during the Middle Ages. This includes material starting from the 5th century AD, when Welsh was in the process of becoming distinct from Common Brittonic, and continuing t ...

and forger

Iolo Morganwg Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10March 174718December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia''. R ...

(1747–1826) gave Bishop Bledri a history of being a scholar with the title 'the Wise'. Morganwg credited Bledri with having set up schools in every parish of his diocese, which was repeated by later historians, but this is now considered to be one of his personal creations.

References

11th-century Welsh bishops 1022 deaths 10th-century Welsh bishops {{authority control People from Llandaff