Athrwys ap Tewdrig, King of Glywyssing & Gwent

For a discussion of the confusion concerning Arthwys ap Tewdrig and his nephew Arthwys ap Meurig, please see Darrell Wolcott, http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id24.html (April 10, 2017; Anne Brannen, curator)

There has been some speculation that this is the historical prototype of the legendary King Arthur (see below), generated in large part by the seeming similarities of the names Arthur and Arthwys, but the names have different roots. Arthwys is well attested, however, in the medieval Welsh genealogies, and was most probably a ruler of Gwent and what is now Glamorgan. (September 6, 2016; Anne Brannen, curator)

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Now recognized to be the one known as KING ARTHUR of current fame and legendary. A war-leader and defender of his country - the right man in the right place at the right time.

482 - Birth of Arthur at Boverton in South Glamorgan.

497 - Ambrosius (Emrys Wledig) nominates Arthur as his successor and appoints his brother Uthyr and his nephew Geraint Llyngesog as Pendragons to head the British forces against the Saxons. The death of Ambrosius coincides with the appearance of a comet which is described by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Arthur is crowned leader of the Britons at Caer Vudei "the Camp in the Wood," by St. Dyfrig (Dubricius).

533 - Deroch requests help against an invasion of the Visigoths, and Arthur, as a result, is away from his own kingdom for four years. Medraut seizes Arthur's realm and Queen.

537 - He returns with all that survives of his army; Lands at the little harbor (now called Cadlan, "Place of Battle") on the Lleyn Peninsula, where the family of Medraut have territory. During the ensuing Battle of Camlan, Medraut is slain and Arthur is critically injured. He is taken to Ynys Afallach (Bardsey Isnald - Isle of Avalon) to have his wounds tended. After recovering from his injuries, he abdicates, handing over his crown to Constantine, the son of Cadwys. Following the fall of Arthur, the great confederacy of British kingdoms, which has been so effective in keeping the saxon invaders at bay, disintegrates into its component parts.

546 - Death of ?St. Dubricius (Dyfrig) in retirement on Bardsey Island (Isle of Avalon).

549Marcus Conomorus (King Mark), who has by now settled in Armorica, assassinates Jonas, the son of Deroch. In order to obtain the regency, Conomorus marries Jonas's widow, and Judwal, the rightful heir, is forced to fell for his life to the cort of the Frankish King Childebert in Paris.

554 - Arthur quarrels with the usurper Conomorus and goes to Paris, where he does his best to persuade Childebert to displace Conomorus and restore Judwal. Arthur's nephew Samson arrives and together they manage to break down Childebert's opposition. they then return to Armorica to organize an insurrection on behalf of Judwal.

555 - The combined forces of Samson, Judwal, and Arthur, together with reinforcements provided by King Childebert, meet the forces of Conomorus near B rank Aleg at the foot of Montagnes d'Aree. They fight three fierce battles over three days. Finally, Judwal runs the userper through with a javelin. Conomorus falls wounded throm his horse and is trampled to death in the press of the charge. Judwal, now King of Armorican Domnonia, rewards Arthur for his services by granting him land on the river Seiche, where today stands the village of St. Armel des Boschaux. Here he establishes a monastery. It is significant that the whole region of the Ille at Villaine, which was granted to St. Armel (Arthur) by Judwal for services rendered, is the area in Brittany most associated with the legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and that here their memory still lingers.

562 - Death of Arthur (St. Armel) at St. Armel des Boschaux, where he is buried in a stone sarcophagus. He lived to be 80 years of age. (The true identity of this highly venerated soldier-saint from Glamorgan was previously unknown to the Bretons. Research only made available with the publication of the book: Journey to Avalon: The Final Discovery of King Arthur

565 - During the next eleven years, three of King Arthur's most important contemporaries die and it is significant that they also spent their final years in Armorica: Death of St. Samson, the nephew of Arthur, at his monastery in Dol, Armorica, where his shrine used to attract large numbers of pilgrims.

570 - Death of St. Paul Aurelian, (a contemporary of Arthur who was also born at Boverton in South Glamorgan) at his monaster, St. Pol de Leon in Armorica. He was 86.

http://books.google.com/books?id=zkcY3BalVb4C&pg=PA313&lpg=PA313&dq...

Athrwys (or Arthwys) was the eldest son of King Meurig ap Tewdrig of Gwent & Glywysing. He is generally supposed to have lived in the mid 7th century and Dr Wendy Davies suggests that he did not outlive his father. They may, however, have ruled jointly in the 640s & 50s, after Athrwys became King of Ergyng in right of his mother. Upon the death of his maternal grandfather, King Gwrgan Fawr, in about AD 645, Athrwys - presumably with the help of his father's armies - appears to have seized the throne of Ergyng from his uncles, Caradog & Morgan. He ruled there for about ten years before his death.

Athrwys may have made quite an impression as a young warrior as well as a king; for it seems likely that many Southern Welsh stories associated with High-King Arthur actually refer to King Athrwys. Particularly relevant are King Arthur's associations with Caer-Legeion-guar-Uisc (Caerleon) which was said to have been one of his major courts. This is, of course, deep in the heart of King Athrwys' home kingdom. Blackett & Wilson followed by Barber & Pykitt further argue that King Athrwys actually was the King Arthur by pushing his lifetime back to the traditional Arthurian period in the early 6th century. They suggest that either Athrwys or his father were buried on Mynydd-y-Gaer in Mid-Glamorgan.

http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/athrwgt.html