Establishing the Kingdom of Gwynedd, Cunedda Wledig

The establishment of The Kingdom of Gwynedd, circa 401, by Cunedda Wledig (Wikipedia links used)

After the Roman occupation (c. 400s), the original tribal boundaries of Wales were changed. This was when tribal Wales was divided into four kingdoms: The Kingdom of Gwynedd (north), The Kingdom of Powys (east), The Kingdom of Gwent (south), and The Kingdom of Dyfed (west). Of the original 4 Welsh Kingdoms, Gwynedd's Mona (Anglesey) settlement of Aberffraw was the location of the Princes of Wales' principal seat.

 

Image of the main Kingdoms of Wales (Gwynedd north-west), courtesy of Wiki Commons, attributed to Notuncurious.

Historically, the Welsh Royal Family of Aberffraw descended from sub-Roman Britain and the Kingdom of Gwynedd (Medieval Latin: Venedotia). The founding member and ancestor of the Kings of Gwynedd was King Cunedda Wledig (386-470). He was a Roman soldier and warlord who came from Manaw Gododdin which is modern Clackmannanshire, Scotland to Gwynedd in 401 (the year Kingdom was founded) to help repel the invasion of Irish Picts in the area of north-west Wales, these Celtics would have been part of the Gangani tribe. 

Cunedda's grandmother was the granddaughter of Conan Meriadoc, King of Dumnonia, (modern-day Cornwall), heir (nephew) of the legendary Governor of North Cambria (North Wales), Eudaf Hen, Earl of Ewias and Irechenfeld. The Earldom (in Hereford, England) later became the Welsh medieval Kingdoms of Ergyng and Ewyas in what is now on the Wales and England border, southeast of Wales. It was with the help from a Celt from the Iberian peninsula (Spain & Portugal) as the Roman Emperor, Magnus Maximus (Welsh: Macsen Wledig, c. 383) that Conan was given the fellow Celtic nation, Armorica in Celtic Gaul territory (modern Brittany, northwest France) for him to rule. Cunedda's grandfather was Padarn Beisrudd, son of Tegid, also named Paternus of the Scarlet Robe. Paternus (Padarn) wore a scarlet robe because of his importance as a high-ranking officer in the Roman army stationed in the north of England defending Haidran's wall, a border between England and Scotland where the Picts would invade the Roman territories in England. His immediate family included King Coel Hen, the British-Romano ruler of the city of York (Eboracum) in the north-east of England, and Coel's (Cole) daughter Gwawl. Cunneda had at least 7 sons, his son Einion Yrth ap Cunedda founded the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and his other sons ruled former Kingdoms around north and west Wales. Cunneda's grandson, Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion (Einion's son) had a presence on Anglesey and helped repel the Irish Celts who invaded the island prior to 500 AD. Lawhir defeated Serggei Wyddel (Irish in English) at the battle of 'Cerryg y Gwyddyl' near Trefdraeth in the Aberffraw cantref, Anglesey. This was the first recorded instance of a King of Gwynedd on Anglesey, Lawhir built a palace at Aberffraw. Lawhir also established a home at what is today Bodysgallen hall, Conwy, as the King of North Wales from 442 AD. His descendants have inhabited the area ever since, as the Wynn family and the Mostyn baronets.

 

Image is drawn of Cunedda, courtesy of Wiki Commons, attributed to Llywelyn2000.

The Kings, and rulers of the Welsh Kingdoms (modern-day President) would inter-marry and eventually were all considered a part of the Royal House of Cunedda from Gwynedd. Cunedda's male line descendants would go on to rule Wales for nearly a millennium, they would eventually divide and conquer Britain as descendants of the House of Tudor in England. The Tudor's successors (Stuarts) inter-married with European Royalty as part of the Jacobite succession. Those descendants eventually conquered a quarter of the world through the British Commonwealth. The Welsh have since migrated to modern nations in the world, including the United States of America, South Africa, and Argentina.