THE RISE OF NORTHUMBRIA

The Roman Legacy
AD 410–420

The Romans began to withdraw from Britain around 401 and the old administrative areas were left to the various governors in office at the time. Britannia Secunda was ruled by Coel Hen, a native Briton who held the Roman office of Dux Bellorum (Military Governor). Without the support of the Roman legions, Coel Hen restructured the military using native levies, and reformed the governance of his province around the old tribal allegiances of the Britons. The greatest threat came from the vigorous raids by the Pictii and Scotti from the ‘barbarian’ north. Ominously, Vortigern, the governor of Britannia Prima, began to employ Saxon mercenaries to replace the lost Roman legions.

The “Old North”
AD 430–440

Coel Hen died in 426, and Britannia Secunda was split between his eldest sons (Coelings). Ceneu took the heartland around the capital at Caer Eborac (modern York) and the northwest districts to the Solway; Garban, took the northeast district of Bryneich, the old Votadini tribal lands. Coel’s daughter, Gwawl, married Cunadda of Manau Gododdin, a mormaer whose Votadini warriors fought the Picts. Cunadda also campaigned in northern Wales, defeating the Irish raiders and founding the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Like Vortigern, Ceneu brought in bands of Anglian warriors to fight the raiding Picts and Scots. He settled these in Deifr, immediately north of the Humber.

The “Old North”
AD 450–470

When Ceneu died in 444, his eldest sons split the kingdom in two. Mor inherited the throne of the eastern heartland based on the old capital at Caer Eborac and included the districts of Deifr, Elmet, Pennines and The Peak. Gwrast took the western lands (including Salway, Llwyfenydd, Ribble and Mærsea) and called his new kingdom Rheged (a legendary god) with his capital at Caer Lugus. Gwrast was a warlike ruler, and when Mor died in 476, he annexed the Pennines, The Peak and Elmet from Mor’s heir, Einion. Einion’s younger brother, Arthwys, reconquered the Pennines in 478, but Elmet remained lost to Rheged. In Bryneich, Dyfnwal had come to the throne on the death of his father, Garbon, in 450.

The “Old North”
AD 500

Gwrast map Ceneu died in 490, and his eldest son, Meirchion, took the throne of central Rheged (Salway & Llwyfenydd), while his younger son, Masgwid, became the first king of a newly independent Elmet. Rheged was now a vastly reduced kingdom, and the southern districts in the Ribble and Mærsea valleys had become ungovernable. In 500, Pabo map Arthwys had succeeded to the throne of the Pennines and The Peak – and in 505, Eliffer followed his father, Einion, as the ruler of Eborac.
Dyfnwal died in 481 and the throne of Bryneich passed to his eldest son, Bran. At this time, Bryneich held suzerainty over its tribal kinsmen in Gododdin.

The “Old North”
AD 542

By this time, Tudwal of Strathclyde had brought Gododdin under his control and installed his uncle Cynbelin as his liege. Cuncar now ruled in Bryneich, and he was constantly skirmishing with the Anglian settlers in the Tees Valley. Pabo had died in 530, and his sons Donad and Sawyl ruled the Pennines and The Peak. Peredur succeeded his father to the throne of Eborac in 540, but his uncle Ceido had no inheritance due to Arthwys’ occupation of Elmet. In 542, he seized Rheged’s province of Salway, and that seriously weakened the unity of the Britons in the years to come. In Gwynedd, Maelgwn still ruled after having come to the throne in 517 after murdering his uncle Owain.

Anglian Revolts
AD 562

There were major revolts by Anglian settlers in 547 and 560. The first saw the collapse of Bryneich (renamed Bernicia) and the death of its king, Cuncar. His son, Morcant Bulc, fled to the hills to wage a long-term guerilla war. The second revolt saw Ælle seize Deifr from Eborac and renamed Deira. Ceido had died in Salway, and his son, Gwenddeleu, now ruled. Prince Gwallog of Elmet annexed The Peak in 550, and became king of both on his father death in 564. Maelgwn died in 549, and his illegitimate son, Rhun, now ruled Gwynedd, opposed by the House of Rhos who favoured his sister’s claim. Rheged was ruled by the great King Urien, and Riderch had come to the throne of Strathclyde in 554.

The Britons Resist
AD 588

The Britons finally crushed the usurper Gwenddeleu in 573 (at Arderydd) and Rheged retook Salway and annexed Catraeth. Ælle crushed Peredur’s forces at the battle of Caer Greu in 580 and overran Eborac; however, Urien of Rheged had won several major battles against the Bernicians who had lost 4 kings in battle and were now ruled by Hussa son of Glappa. In Gwynedd, the House of Rhos had ousted Rhun, and Iago map Beli now ruled. Riderch map Tudwal still ruled in Strathclyde and held suzerainty over Mynyddog of Gododdin. For the present, the Britons looked united, and it seemed that one last push would rid them of the Angles.

A “New North”
AD 610

In 590, with victory at hand, Morcant Bulc had Urien murdered to promote his own leadership of the ‘victorious’ Britons. The plan failed and warfare broke out amongst the Britons and Riderch of Strathclyde occupied Salway and parts of Catraeth in 592. Æthelfrith came to the throne of Bernicia. In short order he overran parts of Rheged, the remnants of Bryneich, annexed the Pennines (595) crushed the Britons at Catraeth (598), defeated the Dalriadan army at Degsaston (603), and annexed Deira (604). Edwin of Deira went into exile, and Æthelfrith pursued him to Gwynedd (Battle of Caerlegion 613). Edwin then sought refuge with King Rædwald of East Engle.

Northumbria
AD 638

In 616, Æthelfrith marched south to deal with Edwin, but was defeated and killed at the battle of the River Idle by Rædwald. Edwin seized control of both Northumbria and Elmet and Æthelfrith’s children (Æthelings) fled north seeking asylum in Pictland and Dál Riada. Edwin became a Christian, but had to face the invasion of Cadwalla of Gwynedd and Penda of Mercia. In 633, Edwin was killed at the battle of Hæthfelth by Cadwalla who then plundered Northumbria. Æthelfrith’s eldest son, Eanfrith, returned from Pictland to reclaim his father’s throne, but was brutally murdered by Cadwalla in 634.

Cont. …

With Eanfrith dead, Æthelfrith’s next eldest, Oswald, led an army of Dalriadans and Bernician exiles south, where he crushed Cadwalla at the battle of Hæfenfelth in 635. Penda of Mercia was still ravaging the countryside, but Oswald immediately invited Bishop Aiden to found a monastary at Lindisfarne and convert his kingdom to Christianity.

In 638, Oswald had his brother Oswiu marry Princess Reinmellt, the daughter of Royth, king of Rheged, bringing Rheged under the direct suzerainty of Northumbria. That same year, Oswiu besieged Din Eityn (modern Edinburgh), and when that fell, Gododdin was annexed by Northumbria. However, Owen of Strathclyde maintained his grip on Salway and parts of Catraeth and this stopped Oswald from making further encroachments to the north. When Royth died in 640, Oswald annexed the entire province – so, 220 years after Coel Hen first forged that vast kingdom, Rheged had ceased to exist.