Kingdom of Gwynedd (Guynet)

The extinction of Cunedda's lineal (direct descendant) male line inheritance of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. The emergence of the Merfynion dynasty from the House of Manaw in the 9th century, and the beginnings of the Cambro-Norse era (Wikipedia articles linked). The Kingdom of Gwynedd had firmly established itself as a contender for supremacy as ruler of the British Isles after the Roman occupation of Britain at the end of the 4th century. Then came the Anglo-Saxon invasions between the 5th to 11th centuries. This was the prequel to and at the same time as the Cambro-Norse era against the Vikings, lasting between the 850s to the 1100s, culminating in the Norman invasion. The consecutive invasions of Wales meant a need for a change in personnel to protect the Kingdom, this forced the emergence of the Merfynion dynasty, named after a 9th century King of Gwynedd,  Merfyn Frych  (Merfyn the Freckled, Old Welsh: Mermin, Merfyn the oppressor). Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, a...

Explaining the founding of the Royal House of Aberffraw, its position in Wales as the preferred family seat, and Aberffraw's significance as a settlement for the Kings of Gwynedd. (Wikipedia articles linked). The concept of a royal house  or dynasty in Wales stems from the idea that a Kingdom would have a preferred location to dwell as a royal palace. But in Welsh Kingdoms there were many royal courts (llysoedd in Welsh), of all the residences in the Kingdom, one of them would be the preferred chief location (modern capital) connected to the royal house and its family associated with the dynasty, e.g.  House of Windsor  of the  United Kingdom  and their preferred family seat  Windsor castle , although the residence is owned by the crown and is not privatised. A family seat is a permanent settlement for a noble to surround himself (or herself) with family and friends or an entourage, and to come and go as they pleased. In this case, the Kingdom of Gwyn...

The Viking invasions of Wales, it was named the Cambro-Norse era spanning the years 850s to 1100s. The emergence of the Royal House of Aberffraw and the prequel to the Norman invasion of the British Isles (Wikipedia articles linked). The Cambro-Norse (Welsh-Scandinavian) era began with the Viking invasion of the British Isles from the 9th century onwards for 200 years. The medieval invasive forces were from northern Scandinavia and they raided and pillaged for centuries, this was after the Anglo-Saxons invaded in the 5th century continuously by integrating into English Kingdoms. By the 850s, the Kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys in North Wales had been subjugated by the English Kingdom of Mercia aided by the Saxons for a century. However, everything was about to change. By the decade of the 870s, the Royal House of Aberffraw was emerging as a new dynasty in Gwynedd. Rhodri the Great (Welsh: Mawr) was the King of Wales and the King of the Britons. He had gone to war with his neighbourin...

The laws of Wales (Cyfraith Hywel). The internal factions battling for the Kingdom of Gwynedd, civil wars, and conquests to and from Wales, circa. 900-1300 (Wikipedia articles linked). The founding of the Royal House of Aberffraw in Gwynedd saw a new era of governance within the monarchy. Rhodri the Great (Mawr) divided Wales into factions as Kingdoms ruled by Royal Houses. Although Rhodri's descendants were cousins in separate royal households, they were also competitors, and stability was needed to control the country of Wales . This era saw the new laws written for Wales for the first time in over a millennium after the Iron Age. The original laws were the  Molmutine Laws  and had been written by Dyfnwal Moelmud, circa 400 BC. A descendant of Camber (c. 1,000 BC), the first King of Wales and King of Britain in his own right. The next time was  Hywel Dda (Howel the Good) in the 10th century, he was a grandson of Rhodri Mawr, King of Gwynedd, and son of Cadell, the fo...

The family tree of Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd, King of the Welsh, and his royal descendants claimed the original Celtic (native) title of Prince of Wales, era circa 1137 -1283. And also the effects of the Norman invasion on Wales' royalty (Wikipedia articles linked). The original Princes of Wales were not of English or French origins as presumed from the investiture of the first Prince of Wales, Edward I of England in 1301, that is the history taught as common knowledge today. There is a different history of the Princes, an obscure origins story starting in the 11th century. Those original Princes of Wales were Welsh monarchs from respective Kingdoms within the borders of Wales who claimed Celtic ancestry and then newly mixed with Viking blood ( Northern European ). The era of the native (Celtic) Princes of Wales officially began just before 1165, and then continued sporadically for 200 years until the death of the hereditary male line lineal successor of the Aberffraw d...

Wales' Norman-built stone castles and English  expansion.   Llywelyn the Great's expedition during 1215, and Welsh built castles. (Wikipedia articles linked). Castles in Wales had been originally built with wood, but they did not last long. Some of these fortifications were adapted from pre-existing  hillforts , and these forts were built using the natural earthworks from the local vicinity, but, in some cases, the fortifications constructed would have a  motte and bailey . For a generation after the  Norman invasion of Wales  in the 1080s, Norman castles were built in the Kingdom of Gwynedd, such as  Aberlleiniog Castle  on Anglesey which was similar to previous fortifications, however this time they were built with stone and capable of withstanding the harsh terrain of Northern Europe.  The Norman fortifications were a few centuries before the new era of castle building which became known as the  Ring of Iron  (1277-1320s) e.g. Ca...