General Notes

[Joanne's Tree.1 GED.GED]

2  SOUR S332582
3  DATA
4  TEXT Date of Import: 14 Jan 2004


[daveanthes.FTW]

Cadwallon grew up with King Edwin of Deira: in Gwynedd and also at the court of King Salomon of Brittany, where they received a fine British education. The two were like brothers: but the brothers
fought. A petty rivalry was born between them that, in manhood, turned to war!
After Edwin left the Royal Gwynedd Court, he was able to recover a united Northumbrian crown with the help of the Saxon Bretwalda, King RSwald of East Anglia in 616. He then appears to have turned
to expansionism. First, Edwin conquered the British Kingdom of Elmet. Then, after Cadfan's death, he turned on Gwynedd. He attacked Ellan Fannin (Isle of Man) by sea and, from here,
spring-boarded to Ynys Mon (Anglesey) where Cadwallon underwent some crushing defeats. The King of Gwynedd was pushed back to the tiny Ynys Lannog (Isle of Priestholm) where he was besieged for
several weeks before managing to escape to Ireland. From here he moved on to Guernsey and then to the court of his cousin, King Salomon II of Brittany. Together they plotted revenge.
Cadwallon sent an advance party to Britain to rally his men and those of the other British kingdoms, while he prepared a Breton invasion force. The advance guard landed in Dumnonia, but were
immediately caught up in a Mercian siege of Caer-Uisc (Exeter). King Clemen was, thus, in no position to help the Gwynedd cause. However, Cadwallon soon arrived with his army and crushed the
Mercians,
forcing their King, Penda, into a mutual anti-Northumbrian alliance. Together, they marched north to regain Gwynedd at the Battle of Cefn Digoll (Long Mountain near Welshpool). They did not stop
there, however, and hounded the Northumbrians back to their own kingdom. Here they wreaked revenge on the Northern Angles, burning York, sacking Yeavering (Ad Gefrin) and butchering Northumbrians as
they went. So savagely did Cadwallon treat them that the Northern Angles thought they were all to be exterminated.
Edwin was finally killed at the Battle of Meicen (Hatfield Chase) in 633, but this did not entice Cadwallon to leave Northumbria. Edwin's cousin, Osric, managed to rally the Nothumbrian troops and
besieged the King of Gwynedd at York. Cadwallon, however, broke out, caught Osric unawares and destroyed his entire army. ¡thelfrith of Bernicia's son, Eanfrith, then returned from Pictland and
tried to
negotiate peace with Cadwallon. The King would have none of it though and Eanfrith was also slain. Within a year, however, Eanfrith's half-brother, Oswald, marched south from his exile in Scottish
Dalriada and encountered Cadwallon at Catscaul or "Cad-ys-gual", the Battle of the Wall (Heavenfield, near Hexham). Here Cadwallon died. Conflicting evidence suggests he may have survived the battle
and died in 659, though this is unlikely. Tradition says he was buried beneath the Ludgate of Caer Londein, where he still occasionally held court over both Britons and Saxons. A mounted statue of
him was raised upon its top.

GIVN Cadwallon ap
SURN Cadfan
DATE 22 JUL 1999
TIME 00:00:00