Iestyn ap Gwrgant (or Jestyn ap Gwrgant) () (1014–1093) was the last ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Morgannwg, which encompassed the

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

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 ...

and

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

Lineage

Iestyn ap Gwrgant was the last ruler of the

royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or Royalty (disambiguation), royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Ill ...

house of Morgannwg, which had a lineage stretching back over five centuries to

Tewdrig Tewdrig ap Teithfallt (; ), known simply as Tewdrig, was a king of the Sub-Roman Britain, post-Roman Glywysing, Kingdom of Glywysing. He abdicated in favour of his son Meurig ap Tewdrig, Meurig (Maurice) and retired to live a hermitical life, b ...

(c. 500–520). The members of this royal house had links to the other royal houses of Wales through marriage, and were descendants of the celebrated

Rhodri Mawr Rhodri ap Merfyn, commonly known as , was a Welsh king whose legacy has impacted the history of Wales. Rhodri rose to power during a tumultuous era, where the fate of Welsh kingdoms was often determined by the power of their leaders. Early life ...

. Iestyn ap Gwrgant's base is believed to have been at

Dinas Powys Dinas Powys (; also spelt "Dinas Powis" in English) is a town and community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Its name means "fort of the provincial place" and refers to the Dinas Powys hillfort, Iron Age hillfort which ...

, south west of Cardiff.

Norman invasion

Iestyn probably ruled Morgannwg for a little less than a decade (c. 1081–1090) and is believed to have built castles in the regions of Cardiff and Kenfig. The popular version of historical events is that Iestyn, following a dispute with his rival Einion ap Collwyn, invited Robert Fitzhamon and his twelve knights into the region to settle the matter. Once invited in, they refused to leave. He was deposed c. 1090 by Norman ruler Robert Fitzhamon, lord of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

, who established a lordship based in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

and subsequently conquered the lowlands of Glamorgan (the

Vale of Glamorgan The Vale of Glamorgan ( ), locally referred to as ''The Vale'', is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf t ...

), which was parcelled out to his followers. The mountainous parts of Glamorgan were left in Welsh control.

Caradog ap Iestyn Caradog, Caradoc, Caradawg, or Cradawg, Latinised as Caratacus and anglicised as Craddock, is a given name for men in the Welsh language. It may refer to: People * Caradog ap Bran, son of Bran the Blessed in Welsh mythology * Caratacus, first-cen ...

, the eldest son of Iestyn ap Gwrgant, was the only Welsh lord to retain lands in the Glamorgan lowlands after Fitzhamon had conquered them. He retained the land between the

River Neath River Neath () is a river in south Wales running south west from the point at which its headwaters arising in the Brecon Beacons National Park converge to its mouth at Baglan Bay below Briton Ferry on the east side of Swansea Bay. Course U ...

and the

River Afan The River Afan () is a river in Wales whose valley formed the territory of the medieval Lords of Afan. The Afan Valley encompasses the upper reaches of the river. The valley is traversed by the A4107 road. Settlements in the area include Cwma ...

, and he and his descendants were known as the " lords of Afan." His descendants are thought to include the Williams family of Aberpergwm and the Powell Wilkins family of Carreg Cennen, Carmarthenshire.

Modern interpretation

Iestyn ap Gwrgant's arms can be seen today in a modern context as a banner of the arms forms the

Flag of Glamorgan The Glamorgan flag () is the flag of the county of Glamorgan. It was registered with the Flag Institute on 24 September 2013. __TOC__ Design The flag is a banner of the arms of Iestyn ap Gwrgant, the last ruler of the Kingdom of Morgannwg, the ...

which itself forms a charge on the flag of Cardiff. Additionally the arms are found within the crest of Pontypridd Rugby Football Club, a Rugby Union team from Pontypridd within the ancient boundaries of Morgannwg.

Richard Williams Morgan Richard Williams Morgan (1815–1889), also known by his bardic name Môr Meirion, was a Welsh people, Welsh Anglican priest, Welsh nationalism, Welsh nationalist, campaigner for the use of the Welsh language and author. Morgan's outspoken critic ...

claimed that a reference to a son of

Caratacus Caratacus was a 1st-century AD British chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe, who resisted the Roman conquest of Britain. Before the Roman invasion, Caratacus is associated with the expansion of his tribe's territory. His apparent success led ...

called

Saint Cyllin Cyllin was a legendary, and possibly historical British king of the 1st century AD, early Christian saint and the last pendragon of Great Britain. His existence is based on very limited evidence. Richard Williams Morgan claimed that a reference to ...

was found in the family records of Iestyn ab Gwrgant and used this as evidence of early entry of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

"Cyllin ab Caradog, a wise and just king. In his days many of the Cymry embraced the faith in Christ through the teaching of the saints of Cor-Eurgain, and many godly men from the countries of Greece and Rome were in Cambria. He first of the Cymry gave infants names; for before, names were not given except to adults, and then from something characteristic in their bodies, minds, or manners."

References

External links

*
National Library of Wales Dictionary of Welsh Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iestyn Ap Gwrgant 1040s births 1093 deaths 11th-century Welsh monarchs Monarchs of Gwent Monarchs of Morgannwg Monarchs of Glywysing