Ffernfael ap Meurig ( owl, Fernmail map Meuric; Modern cy, Ffernfael ap Meurig; fl. c. 880) was a 9th-century

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ...

of Gwent in southeast

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. He ruled jointly with his brother Brochfael.

Asser Asser (; ; died 909) was a Welsh monk from St David's, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join the circle of learned men whom Alfred was recruiting for hi ...

says in his biography of Alfred the Great that in the 880s: "Brochfael and Ffyrnfael, (sons of Meurig and kings of Gwent), driven by the might and tyrannical behaviour of Ealdorman Æthelred and the Mercians, petitioned King Alfred of their own accord, in order to obtain lordship and protection from him in the face of their enemies". His name seems to mean "strong ankles",Todd, James H. & al. (trans.)
''Leabhar breathnach annso sis'': the Irish version of the ''Historia Britonum'' of Nennius
'. Irish Archaeological Society (Dublin), 1848. Accessed 12 Feb 2013. while his brother's meant "strong arm". Their father Meurig ap Arthfael Hen had also been king of Gwent.

References

Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Monarchs of Gwent 9th-century Welsh monarchs {{wales-hist-stub

See also

References