Deheubarth

2025-08-07T18:26:30Z

2A02:C7C:86AD:2800:F839:22C4:F188:5654:

{{Short description|Term for the medieval realms of southern Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name = {{native name|cy|Teyrnas Deheubarth}}
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Deheubarth
| common_name = Deheubarth
| era = [[Middle Ages]]
| government_type = [[Monarchy]]
| event_start =
| year_start = 920
| event_end =
| year_end = 1197
| date_end =
| p1 = Seisyllwg
| flag_p1 =
| p2 = Kingdom of Dyfed
| flag_p2 =
| s1 = Principality of Wales
| flag_s1 =
| image_flag =
| flag_type =
| image_coat =
| symbol_type =
| image_map = Medieval_Wales.JPG
| image_map_caption = Medieval kingdoms of Wales.
| capital = [[Dinefwr Castle|Dinefwr]]
| common_languages = [[Old Welsh]]
| leader1 = [[Hywel Dda]]
| year_leader1 = 920–950
| leader2 = [[Rhys ap Tewdwr]]
| year_leader2 = 1081
| leader3 = [[Rhys ap Gruffydd]]
| year_leader3 = 1155–1197
| religion =
| currency = [[ceiniog cyfreith]] & [[ceiniog cwta]]
| national_anthem = [[Unbennaeth Prydain]] "The Monarchy of Britain"<ref>[[Wade-Evans, Arthur]]. ''[[s:Page:Welsh Medieval Law.djvu/451|Welsh Medieval Law]]''. Oxford Univ., 1909. Accessed 1 Feb 2013.</ref><ref>Bradley, A.G. ''[https://archive.org/stream/owenglyndwrlasts00bradrich#page/24/mode/2up Owen Glyndwr and the Last Struggle for Welsh Independence]''. G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York), 1901. Accessed 1 Feb 2013.</ref><ref>Jenkins, John. ''[https://archive.org/details/thepoetryofwales18523gut Poetry of Wales] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607164442/http://www.archive.org/details/thepoetryofwales18523gut |date=2008-06-07 }}''. Houlston & Sons (London), 1873. Accessed 1 Feb 2013.</ref>
| footnotes =
| today = {{Plainlist|*
[[United Kingdom]]
*  '''∟'''[[Wales]]}}
}}

'''Deheubarth''' ({{IPA|cy|dɛˈhəɨbarθ}}; {{lit|Right-hand Part}}, thus 'the South')<ref>The orientation of Medieval maps and geographical thinking was towards the east. Facing east, north was thus on the "left-hand" side and south on the right.</ref> was a regional name for the [[Welsh kingdoms|realms]] of [[south Wales]], particularly as opposed to [[kingdom of Gwynedd|Gwynedd]] (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under the [[House of Dinefwr]], but that Deheubarth itself was not considered a proper kingdom on the model of Gwynedd, [[Kingdom of Powys|Powys]], or [[Kingdom of Dyfed|Dyfed]]<ref>Ellis, Thos. P. ''[http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/ellis/WelshTribalLaw01.pdf Welsh Tribal Law & Custom in the Middle Ages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230700/http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/ellis/WelshTribalLaw01.pdf |date=3 March 2016 }}'', Vol. I, iii, §3. 1926. Accessed 1 February 2013.</ref> is shown by its rendering in [[Medieval Latin|Latin]] as ''dextralis pars'' or as ''Britonnes dexterales'' ("the Southern Britons") and not as a named land.<ref>[[Wade-Evans, Arthur]]. ''[[s:Page:Welsh Medieval Law.djvu/435|Welsh Medieval Laws]]''. Oxford Uni., 1909. Accessed 31 January 2013.</ref> In the oldest British writers, ''Deheubarth'' was used for ''all'' of modern Wales to distinguish it from ''[[Hen Ogledd]]'' (''[[Y Gogledd]]''), the northern lands whence [[Cunedda]] originated.<ref>Williams, Jane. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=DIXiB0AX-rAC&pg=PA499 A History of Wales]''. Cambridge University Press, 2010. Accessed 1 February 2013.</ref>

==History==
{{see also|List of Welsh kings|House of Dinefwr}}
[[File:Deheubarth.PNG|left|thumb|''[[Cantref]]i'' of Deheubarth, c. 1160.]]
[[File:The south view of Denefawr-Castle, in the county of Caermarthen.jpeg|thumb|left|[[Dinefwr Castle]], 1740]]
Deheubarth was united around 920 by [[Hywel Dda]] out of the territories of [[Seisyllwg]] and [[Kingdom of Dyfed|Dyfed]], which had come into his possession. Later on, the [[Kingdom of Brycheiniog]] was also added. [[Caerleon]] was previously the principal court of the area, but Hywel's dynasty fortified and built up a new base at [[Dinefwr Castle|Dinefwr]], near [[Llandeilo]], giving them their name.

After the high-water mark set by Hywel, Dinefwr was repeatedly overrun. First, by the Welsh of the north and east: by [[Llywelyn ap Seisyll]] of Gwynedd in 1018; by [[Rhydderch ab Iestyn]] of [[Kingdom of Morgannwg|Morgannwg]] in 1023; by [[Gruffydd ap Llywelyn]] of Gwynedd in 1041 and 1043. In 1075, [[Rhys ab Owain]] and the noblemen of [[Ystrad Tywi]] succeeded in killing their lord [[Bleddyn ap Cynfyn]].<ref>{{cite ODNB |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/23462 |last1=Lloyd |first1=J. |last2=Thornton |first2=D. |title=Rhys ab Owain (d. 1078), ruler in Wales }}</ref> Although Rhys was quickly overrun by Gwynedd and [[Kingdom of Gwent|Gwent]], his cousin [[Rhys ap Tewdwr]] {{ndash}} through his marriage into Bleddyn's family and through battle {{ndash}} reestablished his dynasty's hegemony over south Wales just in time for the second wave of conquest: a prolonged [[Norman invasion of Wales|Norman invasion]] under the [[Marcher Lords]]. In 1093, Rhys was killed in unknown circumstances while resisting their expansion into [[Brycheiniog]] and his son [[Gruffydd ap Rhys|Gruffydd]] was briefly thrown into exile.

Following the death of [[Henry I of England|Henry I]], in 1136 Gruffydd formed an alliance with [[Kingdom of Gwynedd|Gwynedd]] for the purpose of a revolt against Norman incursions. He took part in [[Owain Gwynedd]] and [[Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd]]'s victory over the Normans at [[Battle of Crug Mawr|Crug Mawr]]. The newly liberated region of [[Kingdom of Ceredigion|Ceredigion]], though, was not returned to his family but annexed by Owain.

The long and capable rule of Gruffydd's son the [[Lord Rhys]] {{ndash}} and the civil wars that followed Owain's death in Gwynedd {{ndash}} briefly permitted the South to reassert the hegemony Hywel Dda had enjoyed two centuries before. On his death in 1197, though, Rhys redivided his kingdom among his several sons and none of them ever again rivalled his power. By the time [[Llywelyn the Great]] won the wars in Gwynedd, in the first half of the 13th century, lords in Deheubarth merely appear among his clients.

Following the [[conquest of Wales by Edward I]], the lords in Deheubarth became vassals of the [[Kingdom of England]] under the [[Treaty of Aberconwy]], but after joining [[Dafydd ap Gruffudd]]'s unsuccessful rebellion in 1282 they lost control of Deheubarth and the South was divided into the [[historic counties of Wales|historic counties]] of [[Ceredigion|Cardiganshire]], [[Carmarthenshire]] and [[Pembrokeshire]] by the [[Statute of Rhuddlan]].

==Religion==
In the arena of the church, [[Sulien]] was the leader of the monastic community at [[Llanbadarn Fawr, Ceredigion|Llanbadarn Fawr]] in Ceredigion. Born ca. 1030, he became [[Bishop of St David's]] in 1073 and again in 1079/80. Both of his sons followed him into the service of the church. At this time the prohibition against the marriage of clerics was not yet established. His sons produced a number of manuscripts and original Latin and vernacular poems. They were very active in the ecclesiastical and political life of Deheubarth. One son, Rhygyfarch (Latin: ''Ricemarchus'') of Llanbadarn Fawr, wrote the ''Life of [[Saint David]]'' and another, Ieuan, was a skilful scribe and illuminator. He copied some of the works of [[Augustine of Hippo]] and may have written the ''Life of St. Padarn''.

== List of rulers ==
{{Section citations needed|date=July 2022}}
The kingdom of Deheubarth was formed by the union of the kingdoms of Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Dyfed. Ceredigion was absorbed into Seisyllwg and Dyfed was merged with Seisyllwg to form Deheubarth in 909.
=== Ceredigion ===

* [[Ceredig|Ceredig ap Cunedda]] (424–453)<ref name="A history of Wales">A history of Wales</ref><ref>The Cambrian</ref><ref name="Encyclopaedia of Wales">Encyclopaedia of Wales</ref>
* Usai (453–490)
* Serwyl (490–525)
* Boddw (525–560)
* Arthfoddw (560–595)
* Arthlwys (595–630)
* Clydog I (630–665)

=== Dyfed ===

* [[Ednyfed]] - realm also included the Caer-Went part of Gwent (his brother received the remainder)
* [[Clotri]]
* [[Triffyn Farfog]]
* [[Aergol Lawhir]] (?-c. 515)
* [[Vortiporius]] (c. 540)
* [[Arthur ap Pedr]]
* [[Cloten of Dyfed and Brycheiniog|Cloten]] (c. 630) married Ceindrech of Brycheiniog, uniting the two kingdoms of Dyfed and Brycheiniog
* [[Rhain ap Cadwgan]] (c. 690-740) - also king of Brycheiniog. On his death, his kingdoms were divided again by his sons.
* [[Tewdwr ap Rhain]]
* [[Maredudd ap Tewdws]] (c. 740–797)
* [[Rhain ap Maredudd]] (c. 797–808)
* [[Owain ap Maredudd (Dyfed)|Owain ap Maredudd]] (c. 808–810)
* [[Triffyn ap Rhain]] (?-c. 814)
* [[Hyfaidd]]
* [[Llywarch ap Hyfaidd]] (c. 893-904)
* [[Rhodri ap Hyfaidd]] (c. 904-905)
* [[Hywel Dda]] ("Hywel the Good") (c. 905-909), an invader from Seisllywg who conquered Dyfed (but later chronicles claim he acquired it by marrying Llywarch's daughter)

=== Seisyllwg ===

* [[Seisyll ap Clydog]], prince of [[Ceredigion]] (eponym and possibly founder of Seisyllwg)<ref name="Lloyd">{{cite book |last=Lloyd |first=John Edward |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_NYwNAAAAIAAJ |title=A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest |publisher=Longmans, Green, and Co. |year=1912 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_NYwNAAAAIAAJ/page/n279 257] and note |quote=Lloyd history of Wales. |author-link=John Edward Lloyd |access-date=February 5, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Arthen]] (?-807)<ref name="Lloyd" />
* [[Dyfnwallon]]<ref>Heritage Consulting. Millennium File [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003.</ref>
* [[Meurig of Seisyllwg]]
* [[Gwgon of Seisyllwg]] (?-c. 870/871)

''House Manaw''

* [[Angharad ferch Meurig]] (?-872) and [[Rhodri the Great]] (?–873/877/878) - stewards<ref name="A history of Wales" /><ref name="Encyclopaedia of Wales" />
* [[Cadell ap Rhodri]], second son of Anghared and Rhodri (872–909)<ref name="A history of Wales" />
* [[Hywel Dda]] (Hywel the Good) (909-920) - he ruled Seisyllwg in 920 and shortly thereafter merged it with Dyfed into Deheubarth

=== Deheubarth ===

* [[Hywel Dda]] (Hywel the Good) (920–950)<ref name="Encyclopaedia of Wales" />
* His son, [[Owain ap Hywel Dda|Owain ap Hywel]] (950–986)
** [[Rhodri ap Hywel]] (950–953) ''and''
** [[Edwin ap Hywel]] (950–954)
* Owain ap Hywel's son, [[Maredudd ab Owain]] (986–999)
* [[Cynan ap Hywel]], prince of Gwynedd (999–1005)
* the sons of Einion ab Owain (brother of Maredudd ab Owain), who ruled jointly:
** Edwin ab Einion (1005–1018)
** Cadell ab Einion (1005–1018)
* [[Llywelyn ap Seisyll]], prince of Gwynedd (1018–1023)
* [[Rhydderch ap Iestyn]], prince of Glywysing (1023–1033)
* Edwin ab Einion's son, [[Hywel ab Edwin]] (1033–1044)
* Rhydderch ap Iestyn's son, [[Gruffydd ap Rhydderch]] (1047–1055)
* [[Gruffydd ap Llywelyn]], invader and prince of Gwynedd (1055–1063)
* Edwin ab Einion's grandson, [[Maredudd ab Owain ab Edwin]] (1063–1072)
* his brother, [[Rhys ab Owain]] (1072–1078)
* his second cousin, [[Rhys ap Tewdwr]] (1078–1093)

''Deheubarth was in the possession of the [[Norman dynasty|Normans]] from 1093 to 1155''

* [[Gruffydd ap Rhys]] (1116–1137) ''ruled a portion of Deheubarth with Norman permission''
* his son, [[Anarawd ap Gruffydd]] (1136–1143)
* his brother, [[Cadell ap Gruffydd]] (1143–1151)
* his brother, [[Maredudd ap Gruffydd]] (1151–1155)
* his brother, [[The Lord Rhys]] (Rhys ap Gruffydd) (1155–1197)
* his son, [[Gruffydd ap Rhys II|Gruffydd ap Rhys]] (1197–1201) ''who for a time ruled jointly with his brother,''
* [[Maelgwn ap Rhys]] (1199–1230) ''who disputed the territory with his brother,''
* Rhys the Hoarse ([[Rhys Gryg]]) (1216–1234)

''From 1234 to 1283, Deheubarth was subject to the princes of Gwynedd''

* Rhys the Hoarse's son, Rhys Mechyll (1234–1244) ''ruled a portion of Deheubarth''
* his brother, Maredudd ap Rhys (1244–1271) ''ruled a portion of Deheubarth''
* his son, Rhys ap Maredudd (1271–1283) ''ruled a portion of Deheubarth''

==See also==
* [[Goronwy Foel]]
* [[House of Dinefwr]]
* [[List of rulers in Wales]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
* ''The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales''. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2008 {{ISBN|978-0-7083-1953-6}}

==External links==
{{Regions of Wales|state=collapsed}}
{{Wales topics}}

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[[Category:1197 disestablishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Kingdoms of Wales]]
[[Category:States and territories established in the 10th century]]
[[Category:920 establishments]]
[[Category:10th-century establishments in Wales]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 1190s]]

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Deheubarth