View source for Marganus

{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Marganus I
| succession   = [[List of legendary kings of Britain|King of]] [[North Britain]]
| predecessor  = [[Cordelia of Britain|Cordelia]]
| successor    = [[Cunedagius]]
| father       = Maglurus, Duke of Albany
| mother       = [[Goneril]]
}}

'''Marganus''' (''[[Welsh language|Welsh]]:'' '''Margan''') was a legendary king of the [[Britons (historic)|Britons]] as accounted by [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]. He came to power in 850BC.<ref>[http://www.monarchie-noblesse.net/angleterre/bretons/bretons.htm Monarchie Nobelesse website, ''Bretons'']</ref>

He was the son of Maglaurus, Duke of [[Alba]]ny, and Goneril, the daughter of King [[Leir of Britain|Leir]].

Marganus, grandson of Leir, despised the rule of his aunt [[Cordelia of Britain|Cordelia]] in [[British Iron Age|Britain]]. With the help of his cousin [[Cunedagius]], Marganus took over the kingdom from Cordelia and ruled half of it. Following Cordelia's suicide, Marganus came to rule the region of Britain northeast of the [[Humber]].

Marganus was eldest male heir of Leir and, influenced by his peers, became discontent with ruling only half of Britain. He began a scorched earth march through [[Cornwall]] until reaching the army of Cunedagius. Cunedagius defeated Marganus and Marganus fled. Cunedagius followed him throughout Britain until cornering him in [[Wales]]. There, Cunedagius killed Marganus and became king of all Britain. He named the place Margon in honour of his cousin.<ref>Cunliff, John W., ''Early English Classical Tragedies'', Clarendon Press, 1912, p.300.</ref>

==Later tradition==
Marganus and Cunedagius' conflict is mentioned twice in [[Thomas Norton]] and [[Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset|Thomas Sackville]]'s play ''[[Gorboduc (play)|Gorboduc]]'' (1561), as a warning against the possibility of civil strife:
"Morgan slaine did yeld his conquered parte unto his cosins sworde in Camberland" (Act I, Scene II); "the cruell sworde bereft Morgan his life with cosyns hand" (Act III, Scene I).

{{House of Brutus family tree|navbox=yes}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{s-start | noclear = true }}
{{s-reg | leg }}
{{s-bef | before = [[Cordelia of Britain|Cordelia]] }}
{{s-ttl | title = [[List of legendary kings of Britain|King of]] [[North Britain]] }}
{{s-aft | after = [[Cunedagius]] }}
{{s-end}}

{{Geoffrey of Monmouth}}

[[Category:Legendary British kings]]