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| Maelgwn Hir"The Tall" ap Cadwallon , King of Gwynedd Wales ** | |
| LDS Baptism: 3 Aug 2001 OGDEN |
| LDS Endowment: 14 Sep 2001 OGDEN |
| LDS Sealing Child: 25 Mar 2005 CRIVE |
| Changed: 11 Apr 2008 17:08:06 |
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Individual:
Reigned 520 - 534
Mælgwn Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd (Latin, Maglocunus/English, Malcolm).Mælgwn Hir (the Tall) wa s so associated with his kingdom that he is usually known as Mælgwn Gwynedd. Gildas wrote unfavourably of him in the early 6th century, telling of Mælgwn's murder of his own uncle, probably Owain Ddantgwyn (White-Tooth), in order to secure Gwynedd's crown (See Gildas the Monk & Mælgwn the Murderer). Gildas did, however, acknowledge the King's leading position amongst the monarchs of the age and gives him the, not unflattering, title of 'Dragon of the Isle': a reference to Ynys Mon (Anglesey). Geoffrey of Monmouth considered him to be a High-King of Britain following Arthur's heir, Constantine, and this is not impossible. Legend tells how, soon after taking the throne, Mælgwn was forced to call together all the petty-kings of North Wales, and probably the rest of Britain, in order to obtain their acceptance of him as their over-king. They met on the sands of what is now called Traeth Maelgwyn, near Ynyslas, and agreed upon a strange competition: as the tide started coming in, all those present sat in chairs along the shoreline; the one who dared to remain seated for the longest would take the High-Kingship. Mælgwn, however, had already made special preparations. His chair had been fitted with waxed bird-wings, so he floated above the waterline and won his prize. Though the Royal capital remained at Aberffraw, Mælgwn mostly liked to hold court at Din-Ganwy (Degannwy) on the Conwy, which became a major centre for the bardic arts. He had another palace at Caer-Gybi on Holy Island that he eventually gave away to St.Cybi to found a monastery. Other saintly men had more troublesome encounters with the king. Mælgwn once heard that St.Padarn, the Bishop of Llanbadarn, had a large store of gold, so devised a plan to trick him out of it. He sent some Royal messengers to the Bishop with sacks of moss and pebbles. Pretending this was the content of the Royal treasury they asked Padarn to retain it in safe keeping while Mælgwn and his armies went off to war. Months later, the messengers returned to collect their sacks but, of course, found them filled with grass and stones. Padarn was immediately dragged before the king and accused of theft. Upon refusing to replace the treasure, the Bishop was forced to undergo a trial by ordeal. Both he and his accusers were obliged to plunge their arms into a pot of boiling water. After a period of healing time, their wounds were examined. The messengers' arms were still raw and painful, but Padarn's burns were completely healed. The saint was thus declared an innocent man, and Mælgwn was forced to admit his deceitful plot. As penance, the King gave Padarn a grant of all the land between the Clorach and the Rheidol. On another occasion, King Mælgwn sent his best white horses to St.Tydecho at Llany Mawddwy, near Dinas Mawddwy for stabling. Instead of setting the animals out to pasture, however, the saint let them run wild in the mountains, eating the heather. When Mælgwn called for his horses' return, he was shocked to find that they had all turned yellow! He confiscated Tydecho's oxen as punishment, but the saint charmed some woodland stags to pull his plough instead. Later Mælgwn was hunting in the area when he rested on a large rock. He became stuck to the spot, until St.Tydecho arrived to free him. As with many powerful men, Mælgwn was quite the lady's man. The Pictish people, of what is now the Scottish Highlands, even chose him to father the heir to their throne. Their matriarchal society required a man of Royal blood to impregnate their Princess Royal and thus continue the Royal female line. Both Mælgwn's grandmother's were Pictish, and he was therefore considered to be such himself. There is an old story about one of Mælgwn's many partners, that reminds us of his incessant jealousy, though a similar version is also told of King Riderch Hael (the Generous) of Strathclyde's queen. Upon his first marriage, Mælgwn had presented the beautiful Princess Nesta of the Southern Pennines with the traditional gold ring worn by all Queens of Gwynedd. Soon afterwards, however, the new queen lost the ring while bathing in a pool on the River Elwy. Afraid of what her husband would say, she visited the Bishop of Llanelwy (St.Asaphs), St.Asaph, to ask for his help. The saint invited the Royal couple to dinner that evening, where he explained to Mælgwn what had become of the Queen's ring. Mælgwn was furious and immediately accused Nesta of giving the ring away to an impoverished lover. Asaph managed to calm the situation enough for them to sit down to eat, and they all prayed to God that the ring might be found. Fresh fish, caught in the River Elwy, was served first and when the sceptical King cut into his dish, there was the ring inside! Mælgwn abdicated the throne, late in his reign, and entered a monstery but, finding it not to his liking, he returned to the secular way of life, murdered his second queen and his nephew, and married the latter's widow. Soon afterwards, in 539, he fled the Royal court to escape the great yellow fever plague that was spreading through the country. He prostrated himself before the altar of the church of Llanrhos and prayed for his life, but it was too late. He died a few days later.
[David NashFord, Early British Kingdoms, Biographies]
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Of these lineages, the most powerful by 540 was that of Maglocunus, a ruler portrayed by Gil das as a man of impressive sinfulness. Maglocunus was the Maelgwn Fawr or Maelgwn Gwynedd of Welsh tradition. The pedigrees state that he was a descendant of Cunedda who, according to Nennius, came to Gwynedd from among the Men of the North--the inhabitants of southern Scotland.
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Marriage 3 Mrs-Maelgwn Hir ap Cadwallon
(Wife of His Nephew
She encouraged Maelgwyn to murder husband and marry her.)
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Sources:
AFN: HPGD-9L
Title: Ancestral File (TM) Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Publicatio n: Copyright (c) June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998
Title: Ordinance Index (R) Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Publicatio n: 1993 02 28 Edition
Title: David Nash Ford's Early British Kingdoms website, Url: http://freespace.virgin.net/dav id.ford2/Early%20British%20Kingd oms.html
Title: The Age of Arthur, Url: http://www.gwarnant.demon.co.uk/arthurage.htm Page: d 547
Title: Bloodline of the Holy Grail; the Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed, Record Number: ISBN : 1-85230-870-2 Author: Laurence Gardner Publication: Element Books, 1996 Page: reigned 535-548
Title: King Arthur Author: Norma Lorre Goodrich Publication: Perennial Library, Harper & Row , New York, 1986
Page: Maelgwyn 'Gwynedd' King of North Wales, no parents Page: reigned abt 520 to 551
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