Aurelius Conanus facts for kids
Aurelius Conanus or Aurelius Caninus was a Brittonic king who lived in the 6th century in sub-Roman Britain. The only sure historical record of him comes from the writings of his time, by a writer named Gildas. Gildas criticized him strongly, calling him a bad ruler. However, Aurelius Conanus might be one of several people with similar names who were active in Britain during this period. Later, in the 12th century, Geoffrey of Monmouth used Gildas's account for his book Historia Regum Britanniae. After that, Aurelius Conanus became known as a legendary King of Britain.
What We Know About Aurelius Conanus
Gildas wrote about Aurelius Conanus in his book De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae. In this part, Gildas criticized five kings for their various bad actions. He compared all these kings to animals from the Bible. Aurelius was called the "lion's whelp," which means a young lion. Gildas strongly spoke against Aurelius for his many wrongdoings. He warned Aurelius to change his ways. Gildas suggested Aurelius might face a similar fate to his family members who had also done bad things.
It is hard to say much else about Aurelius Conanus for sure. We do not even know which part of Britain he ruled. Some historians, like John Edward Lloyd, think the name Caninus might be a changed version of Cuna(g)nus. This name is similar to Cynan in Welsh. Because of this, Aurelius Conanus might be connected to other people named Cynan from that time. Examples include Cynan Garwyn from Powys or his relative Cynin ap Millo. Lloyd also thought Aurelius might be related to the descendants of the hero Ambrosius Aurelianus. If this is true, his kingdom might have been in the area that later became part of England.
In the 12th century, Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his famous book Historia Regum Britanniae. He took Gildas's story and added many fictional details. Geoffrey turned these regional rulers into powerful high-kings of all Britain. In Geoffrey's story, Aurelius Conanus was the nephew of the previous king, Constantine. Geoffrey claimed Aurelius took over the kingdom after Constantine's short rule. The kingship should have gone to another uncle of Aurelius. However, Aurelius fought a civil war to get the throne. He even put his relative in prison and harmed his sons. But Aurelius himself ruled for only two years before he died. After him, Vortiporius became king.
Later, the poem Layamon's Brut by Layamon added more details to the story. It said that Aurelius was not kind to his cousins and sisters. It also claimed he died by falling from a horse. The oldest version of the Prose Brut names "King Conaan" as the grandfather of the famous wizard Merlin. In this story, Merlin's mother was named Adhan.
