Elidurus the Dutiful ('' Welsh:'' ''Elidyr map Morydd'') was a legendary king of the

Britons British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs modern British citizenship and nationality, w ...

as recounted by

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 ...

. He reigned in the late fourth century BC.Monarchie Nobelesse website, ''Bretons''
/ref> He was the third son of King Morvidus and brother of Gorbonianus, Archgallo, Ingenius, and Peredurus. Elidurus became king following the deposition of his brother, Archgallo. He found his brother wandering in a forest five years after Elidurus was crowned. He embraced him as a brother and took Archgallo in secrecy to a nearby city. Faking a sickness, he summoned all the nobles of the kingdom to that city to visit him. Once there, Elidurus demanded they all repledge their allegiance to Archgallo under penalty of death. Once done, Elidurus took Archgallo 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 ...

and removed his own crown and reinstated Archgallo as king of the Britons. For this, he was surnamed ''the Dutiful''. Ten years later, Archgallo died and Elidurus became king once again. He reigned for a few years in the manner of his eldest brother, Gorbonianus. Soon after, though, his two younger brothers, Ingenius and Peredurus, built armies and attacked Elidurus. They seized him and locked him in a guarded tower in

Trinovantum Trinovantum is the name in medieval British legend that was given to London, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'', when it was founded by the exiled Troy, Trojan Brutus of Troy, Brutus, who called it ''Troia Nova'' ("N ...

. He remained locked in the tower for more than seven years. When his youngest brother, Peredurus, finally died, the realm returned to Elidurus for a third time. He reigned for a short while in justice and virtue then died. He was succeeded by an unnamed son of Gorbonianus. His son, Gerennus, would later become king of Britain.

References

{{Geoffrey of Monmouth Legendary British kings 4th-century BC legendary monarchs 3rd-century BC legendary monarchs