King of the Britons

The title King of the Britons (Latin: Rex Britannorum, Welsh: Brenin y Brythoniaid) was used (often retrospectively) to refer to the most powerful ruler among the Celtic Britons, both before and after the period of Roman Britain up until the Norman conquest of England. The Britons were the Brittonic-speaking peoples of what is now England, Wales, and southern Scotland, whose ethnic identity is today maintained by the Welsh, Cornish and Bretons.
The same title was also used to refer to some of the rulers of Brittany in the ninth century, but there it is best translated as King of the Bretons (Roue an Breizhad). This page concerns only rulers in Britain (with the exception of Riothamus, who may have ruled both in Britain and Continental Europe.)
At least twenty kings were referred to as "King of the Britons", while others were given related titles or descriptions. The table below also contains the paramount native Welsh rulers in the Norman and Plantagenet periods – by this time only Wales (or parts thereof) remained under Brittonic rule in Britain and the term "Britons" (Brythoniaid, Brutaniaid) was used in Britain to mean the Welsh people (Cymry in modern Welsh). This, and the diminishing power of the Welsh rulers relative to the Kings of England, is reflected in the gradual evolution of the titles by which these rulers were known from "King of the Britons" in the 11th century to "Prince of Wales" in the 13th.
Although the majority of the rulers listed below had their power base in Gwynedd in North Wales, most insular Brittonic areas from the 7th century on are to be found in the list below, from Dumnonia in the West Country, to Strathclyde in southwest Scotland.
== Historical rulers referred to as King of the Britons (or a related title) ==
 
Name 	Reign 	Regional power base 	Recorded title or description 	Source 	Notes
Cunobeline 	c. 9 – c. 41 	lands of the Trinovantes and Catuvellauni 	King of the Britons 	Suetonius 	perhaps retrospective
Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus	mid- to late 1st century 	lands of the Regni, Atrebates, and Belgae 	Great King of the Britons (or perhaps: Great King of Britain) 	marble inscription at Chichester 	contemporary, self-description
(Roman rule) 	(Roman rule) 	(Roman rule) 	(Roman rule) 	(Roman rule) 	(Roman rule)
Vortigern 	mid-5th century 	unknown, but traditionally Powys 	King of the Britons (in c. 449) 	Bede 	probably retrospective
Riothamus 	c. 469 	unknown, but active in Gaul 	King of the Britons (in c. 469) 	Jordanes 	may refer only to Britons in Gaul
Ambrosius Aurelianus 	late 5th century 	probably in the south 	Leader [of the Britons] 	Gildas 	near contemporary
unnamed 	c. 545 	unknown 	King over them [the Britons] 	Procopius 	contemporary but distant
Maelgwn Gwynedd 	?–549? 	Gwynedd 	King [who] reigned among the Britons 	Historia Brittonum 	retrospective
Selyf ap Cynan 	?–c. 613 	Powys 	King of the Britons (in c. 613) 	Annals of Ulster 	near contemporary
Ceretic of Elmet 	c. 614 – 617 	Elmet 	King of the Britons (in 614) 	Bede 	may refer only to Britons in Elmet
Cadwallon ap Cadfan 	?–634 	Gwynedd 	(Cadwalla,) King of the Britons (in 633) 	Bede 	
Idris 	?–635 	unknown. perhaps Meirionnydd 	King of the Britons (in 635) 	Annals of Ulster (sub anno 633)Annals of Ulster, 633.1 "Bellum Iudris regis Britonum"	
Eugein I of Alt Clut 	c. 642 	Strathclyde 	King of the Britons (in 642) 	Annals of Ulster 	
Cadwaladr 	c. 654 – c. 664 	Gwynedd 	[King who] reigned among the Britons 	Historia Brittonum 	retrospective
Geraint 	?670–c. 710 	Dumnonia 	King of the Welsh (=Britons) (in 710) 	Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 	may refer only to Britons in Dumnonia
Rhodri Molwynog 	c. 712 – 754 	Gwynedd 	King of the Britons (in 754) 	Annales Cambriae 	perhaps retrospective
Cynan Dindaethwy 	798–816 	Gwynedd (insecurely from 754) 	King of the Britons (in 816); The King (in 816) 	Annals of Ulster; Annales Cambriae 	
Merfyn Frych 	825–844 	Gwynedd 	King of the Britons (in 829); Glorious King of the Britons 	Historia Brittonum; Bamberg Cryptogram 	contemporary
Rhodri the Great 	844–878 	Gwynedd, from 855 also Powys, from 872 also Seisyllwg 	King of the Britons (in 878) 	Annals of Ulster 	
Anarawd ap Rhodri 	878–916 	Gwynedd 	King of the Britons (in 916) 	Annales Cambriae 	
Idwal Foel ap Anarawd 	916–942 	Gwynedd 	King of the Britons (in 927) 	William of Malmesbury 	
Hywel Dda 	942–950 	Deheubarth (from 920), from 942 also Gwynedd and Powys 	King of the Britons (in 950) 	Annals of Ulster and Annales Cambriae 	
Dyfnwal ab Owain 	930s–970s 	Strathclyde 	King of the Britons (in 973) 	Annals of Ulster 	
Maredudd ab Owain 	986–999 	Deheubarth and Gwynedd and Powys 	King of the Britons (in 999) 	Brut y Tywysogion 	
Llywelyn ap Seisyll 	1018–1023 	Gwynedd and Powys; from 1022 also Deheubarth 	King of the Britons (in 1023) 	Annals of Ulster 	
Iago ab Idwal 	1023–1039 	Gwynedd and Powys 	King of the Britons (in 1039) 	Annals of Ulster 	
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn 	1039–1063 	Gwynedd and Powys, from 1057 also the rest of Wales 	King of the Britons (in 1063; in 1058) 	Annals of Ulster; Brut y Tywysogion 	
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn 	1063–1075 	Gwynedd and Powys and Seisyllwg 	Support[er of] the whole Kingdom of the Britons (in 1075); Chiefest of the Britons 	Brut y Tywysogion (sub anno 1173; sub anno 1113) 	
Rhys ap Tewdwr 	1079–1093 	Deheubarth (insecurely until 1081) 	[Upholder of the] Kingdom of the Britons (in 1093) 	Brut y Tywysogion 	
Gruffudd ap Cynan 	1136–1137 	Gwynedd (insecurely from 1081) 	King of all the Welsh (in 1137) 	Brut y Tywysogion 	
Owain Gwynedd 	1137–1170 	Gwynedd 	Prince over the British nation (in 1146); King of Wales, King of the Welsh, Prince of the Welsh	Brut y Tywysogion; contemporary charters 	
Rhys ap Gruffydd 	1171–1197 	Deheubarth (from 1155) 	Head of all Wales (in 1197); Prince of the Welsh (in 1184), Prince of Wales 	Brut y Tywysogion; contemporary charters 	
Llywelyn the Great 	1208–1240 	Gwynedd (from 1194), from 1208 also Powys, from 1216 also Deheubarth	Prince of the Welsh (in 1228); Prince of Wales (in 1240) 	Brut y Tywysogion; contemporary charters 	probably retrospective;
Dafydd ap Llywelyn 	1240–1246 	Gwynedd 	Prince of Wales (from 1220) 	treaty with England 	
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd 	1258–1282 	Gwynedd (from 1246), at times also Powys and Deheubarth 	Prince of Wales (in 1264; in 1258; in 1267; 1258–82) 	Brut y Tywysogion; treaty with Scotland; treaty with England; letters, charters etc. 	
Dafydd ap Gruffydd 	1282–1283 	Gwynedd 	Prince of Wales (in 1283) 	letters 	
Madog ap Llywelyn 	1294–1295 	Gwynedd 	Prince of Wales (in 1294) 	Penmachno Document 	
Interregnum (English rule) 	Interregnum (English rule)	Interregnum (English rule) 	Interregnum (English rule) 	Interregnum (English rule) 	Interregnum (English rule)
Owain Glyndŵr 	1400 – c. 1410 	Northern Powys, by 1404–5 all Wales, by 1409 only Gwynedd 	Prince of Wales (from 1400) 	contemporary records e.g. coronation ceremony (1404) 	
==See also==
*List of legendary kings of Britain
*Pendragon
*Bretwalda
==References==
 
Category:Celtic Britons
Britons, King of the
Britons, King of the
Britons, King of the