Everything about Hywel Dda totally explained
Hywel Dda (c.
880?–
950), (English
Hywel the Good, sometimes anglicized to
Howell the Good and even described as Hywel the Goods on account of his extensive terrain and concubinage) was a well thought of, king of
Deheubarth in
south-west Wales, who, using his cunning eventually came to rule most of
Wales. As a descendant of
Rhodri Mawr through his father
Cadell, Hywel was a member of the
Dinefwr branch of the dynasty. It is now thought that his name was actually
Hywel Ddu (
Howel the Black), but that this was later romanticised by Welsh nationalist historians.
He is remembered as one of the most responsible native Welsh rulers prior to the
Norman Conquest, and was known as
King of the Britons. His name is particularly linked with the development of the
Welsh laws, often called the
Laws of Hywel.
As of April 2008 the NHS Trust for South West Wales has been named in his honour. However, Hywel dda was certainly a well educated man, even by modern standards,
having a good knowledge of Latin, English and Welsh. The requirements for Kingship have changed considerably over the centuries, physical prowess being far less of an issue, the more recently in to history that we examine.
Biography
Hywel Lewis was born in around 880, the younger son of Cadell ap Rhodri, himself the son of
Rhodri the Great. In
905, Cadell, having conquered
Dyfed, gave it to his son to rule on his behalf. Hywel was able to consolidate his position by marrying Elen, whose father
Llywarch ap Hyfaidd had ruled Dyfed until his death. Following his father's death in
909, he acquired a share of
Seisyllwg, and on his brother's death in
920, he merged Dyfed and Seisyllwg, creating for himself a new kingdom, which became known as
Deheubarth. Following the death of his cousin
Idwal Foel in
942, he also seized the principality of
Gwynedd.
Accomplishments
Peace with England
Hywel's reign was a violent one, and he achieved an understanding with
Athelstan of England. Athelstan and Hywel ruled part of Wales jointly. Such was the relationship between the neighbouring countries that Hywel was able to mint his own coinage in the English city of
Chester. He was the only Welsh ruler ever to produce coinage. His study of legal systems and his visit to
Rome in
928 (on a pilgrimage) combined to enable him to formulate advanced ideas about Law. A comparative study of Law and law making at the time reveals a deep concern for law and its documentation throughout Europe and also the Islamic world, the Cordoba Islamic Law translation schools being a fine example, from Greek to Arabic to Latin. The Hywel 'Law' book was written partly in Latin, about Laws of Court,Law of Country and the Law of Justices.
Opinions vary as to the motives for Hywel's close association with the court of Athelstan.
J.E. Lloyd claimed Hywel was an admirer of
Wessex, while D.P. Kirby suggests that it may have been the action of a pragmatist who recognized the realities of power in mid-
10th century Britain.
It is notable that he gave one of his sons an Anglo-Saxon name, Edwin. His policies with regard to England were evidently not to the taste of all his subjects. Athelstan and Hywel had similar interests. They both developed a coinage; they both had a kingdom; both were attributed a Law book. Hywel was aware of the greater power and acceded to it.
A
Welsh language poem entitled
Armes Prydein, considered by Sir
Ifor Williams to have been written in
Deheubarth during Hywel's reign, called for the Welsh to join a confederation of all the non-English peoples of Britain and Ireland to fight the Saxons. The poem may be linked to the alliance of Norse and Celtic kingdoms which challenged Athelstan at the
Battle of Brunanburh in
937. No Welsh forces joined this alliance, and this may well have been because of the influence of Hywel. On the other hand neither did he send troops to support Athelstan.
The law
The conference held at
Whitland circa
945, was an assembly in which
Welsh law was codified and set down in writing for posterity, much of the work being done by the celebrated clerk, Blegywryd. Following Hywel's death, his kingdom was soon split into three. Gwynedd was reclaimed by the sons of Idwal Foel, while Deheubarth was divided between Hywel's sons. However, his legacy endured in the form of his laws, which remained in active use throughout Wales until the conquest and were not abolished by the English Parliament until the 16th century. A surviving copy of the Law (mss Peniarth 28) is held at The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth and can be seen online.
(External Link
)More than 30 manuscripts were recently selected for a discussion of the "Law" of Hywel, by a Welsh professor of Medieval studies, Hywel Emanuel. Only five of them were considered to be of sufficient antiquity, dating back to the 13thC or earlier, to merit serious attention. Three of them were in Latin and two in Welsh.
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