Wales, Iron Age to sub-Roman Britain, pt.1

The original boundaries of Wales for over a millennium, starting with the early Iron Ages until sub-Roman Britain and the Old North (Wikipedia links used).

Image courtesy of Wiki commons, attributed to Notuncurious, map of the original boundaries of Britain.

The boundaries of the countries of Great Britain have changed from their foundation over millennia ago. Firstly, during the early Iron Age, Britain was split into regions based on the tribal land borders of the newly emerging Celts. This was an era when Britain was a land lived by Giants. Gogmagog inhabited Britain (Albion) circa 3,000 years ago and fought a battle against Brutus of Troy, the giant died defending Britain against the invader who came from Troy. Brutus' family had escaped the Greek empire after the siege of the city of Troy during the Trojan War, in 1184 BC (Eratosthenes estimate, others 940 BC) from what is now the Republic of Türkiye. His family fled to Italy, and then sailed via Aquitaine in France to Totnes in Cornwall, England, a stone in the village still commemorates his arrival. Brutus' ancestors were Greek Gods, namely Zeus of the 12 Olympians, they ruled what was once the ancient Greek empire. Ancient Greece controlled cities for trade and influenced people from as far afield as India in Asia to the East, then France in western Europe, that's over a 7,000 km distance. Greece was considered to be the centre of the ancient world during its peak circa 333 BC and the age of Alexander the Great; the Roman and then British Empires are seen as its successors. Brutus divided his newly conquered land into 3 sections, Cambria, Lloegyr, and Alba. These placenames are similar to those used today in Welsh and other Celtic languages e.g. Lloegr: England; Alban: Scotland and Cambria is the original name of Wales which in Welsh is similar to Cymru (Cymry). Brutus of Troy identified 3 different peoples of Britain and gave his sons their own provinces to rule as the first governors and Kings of Britain. Camber (c. 1100 BC) was given Cambria, Wales as the ancestor of the Chief Governors of Cambria or Governor of North Cambria and also the Earls of Ewias and Urtchingfild; Locirnus was given England and Albanactus, Scotland. Britain was called Albion and Wales, Cambria. The ancient Britons were divided by Brutus and his immediate family, it was centuries later that the British Iron Age began in Western Europe, a timeline which coincided with the emergence of the Celts, the era lasted for nearly a millennium (roughly 800 BC - 0 AD) until the Roman occupation of Britain. One of the Emperors of Rome would later claim descent from Brutus a millennium prior, he likened himself to fellow kin from the same ancestor as British Kings. The original boundaries of Wales were intact for over 1,500 years until the creation of the early medieval Kingdoms of Wales in the 5th century AD. The Kingdoms of sub-Roman Britain between the 5th to 7th centuries were influenced by the Anglo-Saxon settlement by Germanic tribes from northern Europe. The Welsh had once incorporated the midlands and the north of England as part of its territories, they used Welsh language names, such as Elmet, Rheged, and Deira in the north (Yr Hen Olgledd) and Ergyng and Ewyas (Ewias) in the south of Wales. During this era of establishing Kingdoms, the families were once directly connected to the Kingdom of Gwynedd by the royal family of the Kings of Britain who divided lands through marriage alliances or battles and wars.

 

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons, attributed to Notuncurious, map of the old north of Britain (Yr Hen Ogledd), c. 7th century.

The land border of north-east Wales and north-west England had been a Welsh territory. This division eventually became the Norman Marcher Lordship (c. 1200 AD) on the England-Wales border. The land connection enabled the likes of the founder of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, Cunedda Wledig to migrate from Scotland to Gwynedd without haste. Even the Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndwr in the 1400s spoke of his familial descent from Brutus of Troy as the ancestor of the Welsh Kingdom. Glyndwr was attempting to recreate the original land borders of Wales by proclaiming a republic of Wales which could have been free of English rule. Glyndwr's vision was to incorporate the north of England into a newly formed country of Wales and also a wish as a gesture of good faith, Glyndwr wanted to grant some of his potential English territories to the House of Percy, they were Norman descendants. Glwydwr's political position was that if his rebellion was successful and if he could have reclaimed his ancestral lands of England and Wales permanently, then Wales would grow as a nation to dominate parts of England like before the English rule of Wales. The country of Wales (Cymru) was originally known as Cambria and is considered a Celtic nation. Today, some of those Celtic countries have modern borders based on the original territories, i.e. Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. However, in addition to modern nations, there are provinces (also island countries) in countries that still identify as Celtic nations. In England is Cornwall and in France is Brittany and there are also small islands surrounding the British Isles, including the Isle of Man, and the Islands of Guernsey and Jersey, etc. The people inhabiting the nation of Wales are part of the United Kingdom, also known as Great Britain, they were once called Brythons (Brythoniaid in Welsh), or today they are known as Britons. This term was coined as the official name of the people of British and Irish islands.

During the year 634, Cadwallon the King of Gwynedd was given a eulogy after his death by the poet Afan Ferddig. Ferddig first mentioned the name of the country Cymru (Wales). He also noted that Cadwallon was a foster brother of Edwin of Northumbria and the King had battled against the newly formed Kingdom of Northumbria in northern England and against Penda, King of Merica who became his brother-in-law. Cadwallon's son, Cadwaladr as King of Gwynedd was also one of the last Kings of Britain, however, more would emerge from the Royal House of Aberffraw. The royal title of British King is an insight into life between the north of Wales and also the north of England as one entity of the same culture, this explains how the land border of Wales was once greater than it is today. The movement between the 2 countries is how Cadwallon was given the title King of the Britons. The British Royal title was used by the Kings of Gwynedd because of the ancestral history all over the British Isles, not just Wales.