Cadwaladr facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon
King of Gwynedd
Reign	c. 655 – 682 AD
Predecessor	Cadafael
Successor	Idwal Iwrch (uncertain)
Died	682 AD
Issue	Idwal Iwrch
House	House of Gwynedd
Father	Cadwallon ap Cadfan

Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon was a king of Gwynedd in Wales. He ruled from about 655 to 682 AD. During his time, two serious illnesses, called plagues, hit the land. One was in 664, and the other in 682. Sadly, King Cadwaladr himself died from the second plague. We don't know much else about his time as king.

The red dragon (called Y Ddraig Goch in Welsh) has been a symbol of Wales for a very long time. You can find it in old Welsh stories like the Mabinogion. Since Henry VII became king of England, this dragon has often been called "The Red Dragon of Cadwaladr." People have linked the dragon to Cadwaladr for a long time, but we don't have strong historical proof for this connection.

Even though we don't know much about the real Cadwaladr, he became a legendary hero in Welsh culture. He is a main character in the exciting stories written by Geoffrey of Monmouth. In these stories, Cadwaladr is shown as the last king in a very old line of rulers of Britain. In Geoffrey's tale, Cadwaladr doesn't die from the plague. Instead, he gives up his throne in 688 to become a traveler seeking spiritual guidance. This happens because of a prophecy. The prophecy said that if he gave up his power, it would lead to a future victory for the Britons over the Anglo-Saxons. Geoffrey's story about Cadwaladr's prophecy and trip to Rome might be based on the life of another king, Cædwalla of Wessex. Cædwalla also gave up his throne and traveled to Rome in 688.

For later Welsh writers, this myth gave them hope. It suggested that Britain would one day be free from the rule of the Saxons. This story was also used during the Wars of the Roses. Both sides, the Yorkists and the Lancastrians, claimed their chosen leader would fulfill the prophecy. They said their leader would bring back the true royal family line that came from Cadwaladr.

Who Was King Cadwaladr?

A map showing the old regions of Gwynedd.

Cadwaladr was the son of a famous king named Cadwallon ap Cadfan. He took over as king after Cadafael. Cadwaladr's name appears in old family records, where he is called "Cadwaladr the Blessed."

It seems Cadwaladr suffered a big military loss against the West Saxons in 658. People said he was a "peaceful and religious" person. He also supported many churches. The church of Llangadwaladr in Anglesey says he was its founder.

Old writings mention Cadwaladr. The Historia Brittonum says he died from a terrible illness while he was king. A big plague in 664 affected both Britain and Ireland. Another plague in 682 is noted in the Annales Cambriae. This record says Cadwaladr was one of its victims.

Family records show Cadwaladr was the son of Cadwallon and the father of Idwal Iwrch. Idwal might have become king after Cadwaladr. Idwal later had a son named Rhodri Molwynog, who also became king.

Cadwaladr in Old Stories

Cadwaladr's name appears in several old Welsh stories. One is Armes Prydein, a poem from the early 900s. In this poem, Cadwaladr is a symbol of hope. Scholars believe the poem refers to the real Cadwaladr, son of Cadwallon. Even back then, he was seen as a leader who would save his people.

He is often linked with Conan Meriadoc, who founded British settlements in Brittany. Conan and Cadwaladr are seen as warriors who will return to bring back British power. The poem Armes Prydein says, "Cadwaladr will shine brightly, protecting armies in lonely places. Truly he [Conan] will come across the waves, fulfilling an ancient prophecy."

Some experts believe Cadwaladr was already known as a "prophesied deliverer" before Geoffrey of Monmouth changed his story. This might be because people saw him as the one who would continue his father Cadwallon's great achievements. Cadwallon was the last great war leader of the Britons. It's possible that people mixed up the father and son in their memories. This was made easier because Cadwaladr's name means "battle-leader," and he also shared his father's nickname, "Blessed."

Geoffrey of Monmouth's Story

Cadwaladr in an old Welsh book, from a translation of Geoffrey's History of the Kings of Britain.

Cadwaladr is a very important character in Geoffrey of Monmouth's exciting book, Historia Regum Britanniae (which means History of the Kings of Britain). The Cadwaladr in Geoffrey's book is mostly made up, using the name of a real person to make the story more interesting.

In Geoffrey's book, Cadwaladr is the last in a long line of kings. This line supposedly started with Brutus of Troy. The story says that Britain became almost empty because of a terrible plague. For eleven years, the country was "completely abandoned by all the Britons," except for parts of Wales. Cadwaladr goes to Brittany and is welcomed by King Alan Hir.

The Saxons take advantage of the empty land and invite more of their people to Britain once the plague lessens. From this point on, the Saxons become very powerful in Britain. The Britons then start to be called the "Welsh."

While in Brittany, Cadwaladr plans to return and take back the island. He asks King Alan for an army. The king agrees, but Cadwaladr hears a mysterious voice. The voice tells him he must give up his personal power for the good of his people. If he gives up his throne, his sacrifice will eventually lead to the Britons taking back control of the island in the future. This was predicted by Merlin to Vortigern. The voice also said that if Cadwaladr lived a holy life, he would become a saint. His bones would be hidden and protected. When his sacred bones are found and brought back to Britain, the Britons (Welsh and Bretons) will fully get their homeland back. Cadwaladr and Alan then look at Merlin's prophecies and are happy that this prediction will come true. Cadwaladr then travels to Rome as a pilgrim, where he dies in 689 after meeting the Pope.

So, in Geoffrey's story, Cadwaladr becomes a hero who sacrifices himself to save his people and help them get back their promised land. Cadwaladr's holy life ensures he becomes a saint. His son Ivor and his nephew Ynyr return to Britain with an army, but as predicted, they don't succeed in taking back control of the island.

In another part of the book, a list of Merlin's prophecies includes this prediction:

Cadwallader shall summon Conan and make an alliance with Alban. Then there will be a great slaughter of the foreign-born and the rivers will flow with blood. Then the hills of Armorica [Brittany] will crumble and he will be crowned with the diadem of Brutus. Wales will be filled with joy and the oaks of Cornwall will flourish. The isle will be called by the name of Brutus and the occupation of foreigners will pass away.

This seems to match the idea of Cadwaladr and Conan working together to restore Britain, as mentioned in Armes Prydein. The joining of the Welsh and Breton people is linked to an alliance with "Alban" (which probably means Scotland). The rule of the English will end, and Britain will return to its true identity as the land of the descendants of Brutus of Troy.

Cadwaladr and the Wars of the Roses

Henry VII's coat of arms, showing the "Red Dragon of Cadwallader".

During the Wars of the Roses, people used the prophecies about Cadwaladr to support their claims to the throne. This was connected to the story of the Red Dragon and the White Dragon, which was part of the Merlin myth. This myth was seen as a fight between the Celtic and Saxon peoples.

Edward IV claimed he was bringing back the true ancient royal line of Cadwaladr. He said he was fulfilling Merlin's prophecy about the red dragon winning. His chancellor even gave a speech saying that the British royal line, which ended with Cadwaladr's exile in 689, was restored by King Edward, who Merlin had predicted.

The Tudor family also claimed they were related to Cadwaladr. This helped them prove their right to rule all of Britain. Owen Tudor said he was a descendant of Cadwaladr and used a red dragon symbol. When Henry Tudor landed in Wales in 1485, he used the red dragon flag. He claimed he was returning to fulfill Merlin's prophecies, as written by Geoffrey of Monmouth. After his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, a poem greeted Henry, saying:

After this, the Welsh Dragon (Red Dragon) was called the "Red Dragon of Cadwallader." It became Henry's personal symbol. A Tudor historian named Thomas Gardiner created a family tree. It showed Henry's son, Henry VIII, was a direct descendant of Cadwaladr. He called Cadwaladr "the last king of that blood from whom by true and direct descent" the Tudors came.

Cadwaladr and Cædwalla: A Mix-Up?

Many believe that Geoffrey of Monmouth's story about Cadwaladr's journey to Rome came from a mix-up. He might have confused Cadwaladr with another king who lived around the same time, Cædwalla of Wessex (who ruled from 685 to 688). Geoffrey also seems to have mixed up Cadwaladr's son Ivor with Cædwalla's successor, Ine.

According to a writer named Bede, Cædwalla, king of Wessex, gave up his throne. He went to Rome in 688 to be baptized by the Pope and died soon after. Ine became king in 689.

The idea that Geoffrey confused Cadwaladr with Cædwalla became important in the late 1570s. At that time, when St. Peter's Church in Rome was being rebuilt, Cædwalla's tombstone was found. This proved Bede's story that he had died in Rome. However, some Welsh people in Rome, wanting to prove Geoffrey's stories were true, claimed the tomb was actually Cadwaladr's. This raised the exciting idea that his sacred bones could be returned to Britain, fulfilling the prophecy.

English critics, however, said that Geoffrey had simply mixed up the two kings. They argued that Cadwaladr's pilgrimage was just a made-up story. Some believed that the Welsh tried to "prove" the legend of Cadwaladr in Rome to strengthen Welsh identity. They thought it would protect Welsh people from English aggression, based on the supposed prophecy given to Cadwaladr. A writer named Raphael Holinshed summed up the English view in his 1577 book, Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland:

But herein appeareth the error of the British writers in taking one for another, by reason of resemblance of names, for where Ceadwalla king of the Westsaxons about that time moved of a religious devotion, after he was converted to the faith, went unto Rome, and was there baptised, or else confirmed of the foresaid pope Sergius, and shortly after departed this life in that city in the foresaid year of 689 or thereabouts. The Welshmen count him to be their Cadwallader: which to be true is very unlike by that which may be gathered out the learned writings of divers good and approved authors.

Stories about Ivor ap Alan and Ynyr traveling from Brittany to Britain are also thought to be from Geoffrey's imagination. The names Ivor and Ynyr might have been chosen because of some incorrect additions to the Laws of Edward the Confessor. These laws wrongly spoke of good relations between Wessex and the Welsh during the reign of King Ine of Wessex (688 – 726).

Images for kids

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  The Red Dragon was attributed as a badge referring to Cadwaladr during the High Middle Ages.