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Cador () is a legendary Duke of
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, known chiefly through
Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (; ; ) was a Catholic cleric from Monmouth, Wales, and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur. He is best known for his chronicle '' The History of ...
's pseudohistorical ''
Historia Regum Britanniae (''The History of the Kings of Britain''), originally called (''On the Deeds of the Britons''), is a fictitious account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the List of legendary kings o ...
'' and previous manuscript sources such as the ''Life of Carantoc''. In Welsh genealogical records, he appears as Cado (), the son of Cornish king Geraint. Early sources present him as a relative of
King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...
, though the details of their kinship are usually left unspecified.


Historicity

Many stories involving Arthurian figures were told orally, leading to many interpretations and versions of the people, events, and characters. Scholars question the historical accuracy of these tales and most have been discredited, so the people associated with him could conceivably have been added by later storytellers. One such figure was Arthur's close associate Cador, successor to Geraint ab Erbin, described by genealogist Peter Bartrum as "perhaps the invention of Geoffrey of Monmouth." According to legendary accounts, Cador the Duke of Cornwall was summoned to Arthur's court and may have been a real historical figure, but the diversity of interpretations and stories that include him make it difficult to understand his true context. The book ''King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend'' explains how Arthurian events mix fact and fiction, stating that while many people and events could not have been real, The factuality of many details is debatable. Arthur gave his crown to Constantine, son of Cador Duke of Cornwall, as he died May 21, 542 AD, which sets the time period in which Cador could have lived. Cador is described as the son of a
Dumnonia Dumnonia is the Latinised name for a Brythonic kingdom that existed in Sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries CE in the more westerly parts of present-day South West England. It was centred in the area of modern Devon, ...
n king named Gerrens, whom he succeeded as monarch. Traditionally, he was Arthur's good friend and even shared his throne in the ''Vita Sanctus Carantoci'' (Life of St. Carantoc). He seemed to have a good relationship with King
Caradoc Caradoc Vreichvras (; Modern , ) was a semi-legendary ancestor to the kings of Gwent. He may have lived during the 5th or 6th century. He is remembered in the Matter of Britain as a Knight of the Round Table, under the names King Carados and C ...
of Gwent. Four hillforts all named "Cadbury"—one near
Clevedon Clevedon (, ) is a seaside town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, England. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 in 2019. It lies ...
, one in Congresbury, one in
Sparkford Sparkford is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Weston Bampfylde. It is situated near the junction of the A303 road, A303 from London to Exeter and the A359 road, A359 from Frome to Yeovil. In 1 ...
in Somerset, and one by the
Exe Exe or EXE may refer to: * .exe, a file extension * exe., abbreviation for Executive (disambiguation)#Role, title, or function, executive Places * River Exe, in England * Exe Estuary, in England * Exe Island, in Exeter, England Transportation a ...
in
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
north of
Crediton Crediton is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon, England. It stands on the A377 road, A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, Devon, Tiverton, north w ...
—may have been named after Cador since the name may mean "Cado's fort". Similarly, Cadson Bury hillfort lies just outside Callington and is also known as " Celliwig" in Cornwall.


Name

The name ''Cador'' does not match any early Welsh sources, so the name itself stems from a misinterpretation of either the name ''Catgur'' in the Harley genealogy, or the British ''Catigern''. These names are similarly interpreted: ''Cador'' means 'battle notable' or 'fighter' since ''cat'' means 'battle' and ''gur'' means 'man' or 'warrior', and ''Tigern'' means 'leader'. While the name is not found in early Welsh sources, letters could easily have dropped out of ''Catgur'' or ''Catigern'', leaving the name ''Cador''. Cador, mainly mentioned by Geoffrey of Monmouth, has also been called by two other names, Cado and Cadwy, in the ''Myvyrian'' and ''Life of S. Carannog'' and in early fifteenth century pedigrees. The Duke of Cornwall title took different forms over time because Cornwall was once a part of the Roman
civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by Roman law, law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilitie ...
of
Dumnonia Dumnonia is the Latinised name for a Brythonic kingdom that existed in Sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries CE in the more westerly parts of present-day South West England. It was centred in the area of modern Devon, ...
, giving Cador the often-seen title "King of Dumnonia".


Cador’s battles

Cador's battles are not recorded in the ''
Historia Brittonum ''The History of the Britons'' () is a purported history of early Britain written around 828 that survives in numerous recensions from after the 11th century. The ''Historia Brittonum'' is commonly attributed to Nennius, as some recensions ha ...
'' Arthurian battle list but are mentioned in many different works. He battled and defeated an invading force of
Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
on their way to
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
, then took York himself. The Saxons surrendered, pledged peace, and retreated. Later, they broke that pledge, which led to another battle between Arthur and the Saxons in which Cador killed the Saxon leader Chelric. Thereafter, following a few small altercations (like the Roman War), Cador's next big battle was at Camblan, after which he was found dead with some of his troops. Some scholars speculate that Cador's battles can be seen through the ''
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...
'' presumably written by
Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...
. Since it names only one British commander,
Vortigern Vortigern (; , ; ; ; Old Breton: ''Gurdiern'', ''Gurthiern''; ; , , , etc.), also spelled Vortiger, Vortigan, Voertigern and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in Sub-Roman Britain, Britain, known perhaps as a king of the Britons or at least ...
, scholars have aligned the timelines in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' and the ''
Historia Regum Britanniae (''The History of the Kings of Britain''), originally called (''On the Deeds of the Britons''), is a fictitious account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the List of legendary kings o ...
'' to assess the legitimacy of Cador. Many similarities between the battles can be noted, starting with an encounter in York, or along the
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
–London road with 3,000 to 4,000 British soldiers. Arthur and the British retreat to London in both versions. Cador's supposed next battle was in Thanet, which is noted in both texts. The unnamed British commander in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' has been posited to be the Cador of ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' because of their similarities.


Arthurian pseudohistory and legend

Cador, Duke of Cornwall, appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' (ca. 1135). He is a man of power, referred to as both a duke () and a king (). He is best known for his heroism in the battles of York and
Isle of Thanet The Isle of Thanet () is a peninsula forming the easternmost part of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel, it is no longer an island. Archaeological remains testify to its settlement in a ...
, recounted in the ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. The historicity of Cador's involvement in these wars is still questioned by scholars. He won both battles, easily defeating the army in York and also killing Chelric, the leader of the Saxons, on the Isle of Thanet. Arthur's most successful siege, the
Battle of Badon The Battle of Badon, also known as the Battle of Mons Badonicus, was purportedly fought between Britons and Anglo-Saxons in Post-Roman Britain during the late 5th or early 6th century. It was credited as a major victory for the Britons, st ...
, precedes the battle at the Isle of Thanet, which seems strangely illogical given the timeline. Because no Saxon or British historians note any battle in that region before the sixth century, this battle could plausibly have been completely fabricated for literary purposes. Cador was reputedly the son of Geraint (; ), King of Dumnonia and a historic hero who died quite early, leaving his crown to Hoel because Cador was not of age. He was known to have children himself: Constantine (), Peredur, and Cadoc. He shared a lineage with King Arthur as a great-grandson of Arthur's duke, based on the equivalency of Custennyn's and Constantine's genealogies.Ashely, Mike. ''The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens''. Constable & Robinson Ltd, 1998. Cador also had three brothers named Cyngar, Iestyn, and Selyf, all saints of Llancarfan; they are mentioned as related to Cador in the ''Myvyrian''. In addition to his brothers, he had a sister named Gurguint who married Caradoc Vreichfas, a legend of Welsh prehistory who lived at same time period as Arthur. Many historians believe Caradoc Vreichfas was
Cerdic of Wessex Cerdic ( ; ) is described in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' as a leader of the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, being the founder and first king of Wessex, reigning from around 519 to 534 AD. Subsequent kings of Wessex were each claimed by th ...
, Anglo-Saxon founder of the
House of Wessex The House of Wessex, also known as the House of Cerdic, the House of the West Saxons, the House of the Gewisse, the Cerdicings and the West Saxon dynasty, refers to the family, traditionally founded by Cerdic of the Gewisse, that ruled Wessex in ...
and the first king of Saxon Wessex (reign 519–534). According to Geoffrey, Cador married a woman named Ygerna (
Igraine In the Matter of Britain, Igraine () is the mother of King Arthur. Igraine is also known in Latin as Igerna, in Welsh as Eigr (Middle Welsh Eigyr), in French as Ygraine (Old French Ygerne or Igerne), in ''Le Morte d'Arthur'' as Ygrayne—ofte ...
), who was courted and seduced by Arthur's father
Uther Pendragon Uther Pendragon ( ; the Brittonic languages, Brittonic name; , or ), also known as King Uther (or Uter), was a List of legendary kings of Britain, legendary King of the Britons and father of King Arthur. A few minor references to Uther appe ...
while Cador was away at war. Cador is thought to be related to Arthur because in different texts he is addressed as such.
Layamon Layamon or Laghamon (, ; ) – spelled Laȝamon or Laȝamonn in his time, occasionally written Lawman – was an English poet of the late 12th/early 13th century and author of the ''Brut'', a notable work that was the first to present the legend ...
, an English poet, wrote that Arthur said, "Cador, thou art mine own kin." However, some works say that Cador's son Constantine was Arthur's cousin, making Cador possibly an in-law rather than a blood relative. In Geoffrey's ''Historia'' and elsewhere, Arthur's future queen
Guinevere Guinevere ( ; ; , ), also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First mentioned in literature in the early 12th cen ...
is said to have been raised as Cador's ward. Cador is also said to be of Roman stock. His son Constantine was given the kingship of Britain by Arthur as he lay ailing on the field of Camlann. In the '' Brut Tysilio'', the translator adds that Cador was the son of
Gorlois In Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend, Gorlois () of Tintagel was the List of legendary rulers of Cornwall, Duke of Cornwall. He was the first husband of King Arthur's mother Igraine and the father of her daughters, King Arthur's family, Arthu ...
, presumably by Igraine, which would make him Arthur's maternal half-brother. The same text also gives Cador a son, Mayric, who dies fighting the Romans. This story appears in Richard Hardyng's ''Chronicle'' which refers to Cador as Arthur's brother "of his mother's syde." In Layamon's ''Brut'', Cador appears as a leader who takes charge of Uther's host when it is attacked by Gorlois as Uther secretly lies with Igraine in
Tintagel Tintagel () or Trevena (, meaning ''Village on a Mountain'') is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle ...
. Most of the later works, such as the English '' Alliterative Morte Arthure'' and Malory's ''
Le Morte d'Arthur ' (originally written as '; Anglo-Norman French for "The Death of Arthur") is a 15th-century Middle English prose reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the ...
'', however, refer to Cador as Arthur's cousin, though in the ''Alliterative'' text, Arthur calls him his sister's son. William Worcester travelled to Cornwall in 1478 and recorded in his ''Itineraries'' that "Tador Duke of Cornwall, husband of the mother of Arthur was slain" at
Castle an Dinas Castle an Dinas is an Iron Age hillfort at the summit of Castle Downs, Cornwall, Castle Downs near St Columb Major in Cornwall, UK () and is considered one of the most important hillforts in the southwest of Great Britain, Britain. It dates fro ...
. This is sometimes interpreted directly as Cador, and is generally interpreted as a conflation of Cador with Gorlois (the husband of Igraine in ''Historia Regum Britanniae''), but likely reflects a local tradition, as the ''Historia'' is the only authority for Gorlois as Igraine's husband. In '' The Dream of Rhonabwy'', a medieval romance associated with the ''
Mabinogion The ''Mabinogion'' () is a collection of the earliest Welsh prose stories, compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, created –1410, as well as a few earlier frag ...
,'' Cador is "Cadwr Earl of Cornwall, the man whose task it is to arm the king on the day of battle and conflict" – i.e. at the Battle of Badon Hill, which the writer situates close to the upper
River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...
.Jeffrey Gantz (translator), ''The Dream of Rhonabwy'', from ''The Mabinogion'', Penguin, 18 November 1976.


Notes


References

{{Geoffrey of Monmouth British traditional history Knights of the Round Table Monarchs of Cornwall