Idwal ap Meurig (died 997), was

king of Gwynedd This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Many of them were also acclaimed "King of the Britons" or "Prince of Wales". List of kings or princes of Gwynedd House of Cunedda * Cunedda (Cunedda the Imperator) (c. 450 – c. 46 ...

. He was the son of Meurig ab

Idwal Foel Idwal Foele (Idwal the Bald) (died c. 942) or Idwal ab Anarawd (Idwal son of Anarawd) was a 10th-century King of Gwynedd in Wales. A member of the House of Aberffraw, he inherited the throne from his father, Anarawd ap Rhodri. William of Malmesb ...

, who, though the rightful heir to the throne, was killed in 986, in the course of one of the many struggles for the kingship which characterised the period from the death of

Hywel Dda Hywel ap Cadell, commonly known as Hywel Dda, which translates to Howel the Good in English, was a Welsh king who ruled the southern Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth and eventually came to rule most of Wales. He became the sole king of Seisyllw ...

in 950 until the time of

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ( – 5 August 1063) was the first and only Welsh king to unite all of Wales under his rule from 1055 to 1063. He had also previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys from 1039 to 1055. Gruffudd was the son of Llywelyn ap ...

. Idwal, on the death of his father, fled for safety to the collegiate establishment at

Llancarfan Llancarfan is a rural village and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The village, located west of Barry and near Cowbridge, has a well-known parish church, the site of Saint Cadoc's 6th-century clas, famed for its learning. Cainnech ...

Maredudd ab Owain Maredudd ab Owain (died ) was a Welsh monarch, ruling in Gwynedd, Deheubarth and Powys. A member of the House of Dinefwr, his patrimony was the kingdom of Deheubarth comprising the southern realms of Dyfed and Seisyllwg. Upon the death of hi ...

then succeeded in usurping the sovereignty of Gwynedd, and a few years after he marched on

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

with an army of Danish mercenaries and laid waste the country; his object was to seize the fugitive Idwal, but in this he was unsuccessful. By the year 995 the sons of Meurig gathered a sufficient following to return to North Wales, and, by defeating Maredudd at the battle of Llangwm, Idwal became king. The Danes had overrun the country during Maredudd's reign: the churches had been spoiled, the people were demoralised, and there was a scarcity of food. Idwal is eulogised in the ''Gwentian Chronicle'' for his bravery and statesmanship in attempting to repair these disasters. But he was killed in 997 in attempting to expel the Danes, who, under

Sweyn Sweyn is a Scandinavian masculine given name. Notable people with the surname include: Kings: * Sweyn Forkbeard (960–1014), King of Denmark, England, and Norway as Sweyn I * Sweyn or Svein Knutsson (c. 1016–1035), King of Norway as Sweyn II * S ...

, the son of

Harald Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 970) * Harald Hardrad ...

, were once more devastating

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

. He left an infant son,

Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig (died 1039) was a King of Gwynedd and of Powys. He was also referred to as " King of the Britons" in the ''Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, medieval Ireland. The entri ...

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Idwal ap Meurig Year of birth unknown 997 deaths Monarchs of Gwynedd 10th-century Welsh monarchs