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Cyngen ap Cadell (also spelled Concenn) was King of
Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...
from 808 until his death in 854 during a pilgrimage to
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.


Biography

Cyngen was of the line of Brochwel Ysgithrog, and, after a long reign as king of
Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...
, he went on a pilgrimage to
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
and died there in 854. He is thought to be the first Welsh ruler to visit Rome after the healing of the breach between the Welsh branch of the Celtic Church and Rome over the date of
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. Cyngen raised a pillar, originally a round-shafted cross, in memory of his great-grandfather Elisedd ap Gwylog which stands near the later abbey of Valle Crucis. This memorial had a lengthy inscription and is known as the Pillar of Eliseg owing to a typographical mistake by the original carver. Cyngen was the last of the original line of kings of
Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...
of the Gwertherion dynasty. He had three sons, but on his death Powys was annexed by Rhodri Mawr, ruler of
Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...
. Rhodri was his nephew, as Rhodri's father Merfyn Frych had married his sister, Nest ferch Cadell.Lloyd, John Edward (1911)
A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest
vol. I (2nd ed.), London: Longmans, Green, and Co. (published 1912), p. 324-325
Although, certain later manuscript pedigrees (like Jesus College 20) claim that Rhodri was the son of Cyngen's sister, Nest ferch Cadell, others (like Mostyn 117) claim he was the son of Essyllt ferch Cynan (thought to be the daughter of Cynan Dindaethwy, of Gwynedd). In any case, traditional Welsh law does not seem to allow female inheritance, so Rhodri is presumed to have taken Powys by conquest. Cyngen had the following children: * Elisedd ap Cyngen; * Ieuaf ap Cyngen; * Aeddan ap Cyngen; * Gruffydd ap Cyngen.


See also

* Family tree of Welsh monarchs


References


Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cyngen ap Cadell 790s births 854 deaths Monarchs of Powys House of Gwertherion 9th-century Welsh monarchs