Forward from: Celtic Europe
Portrait of king Urien of Rheged. 🏴🏴 credit: Web: www.arthwys.com / X: @ActualAurochs.
Urien, son of Cynfarch Oer, was a late 6th century king in Sub-Roman Britain. He ruled the Kingdom of Rheged, a large and powerful polity in what’s now northern England and some parts of southern Scotland. Rheged was one of many Brythonic kingdoms that emerged from the fracturing of a larger polity that had been formed by Urien’s ancestor, Coel Hen (“Coel the Old”). These included Brynaich, Elmet, Ebrauc (York), Rheged, and a few others. Coel had formed his kingdom in the aftermath of the collapse of Roman rule in Britain (mid 5th century), and dedicated his life to fighting against the Pictish and Irish raiders who’d been plaguing Britain at the time; tradition has it that he died in battle against them.
Urien was the last Celtic king to exercise dominion in the Brythonic “Old North” (i.e. northern England/southern Scotland). He and his son, prince Owain (the inspiration for the Arthurian character Ywain) were credited with winning several battles: At Gwen Ystrad/Catraeth against the Britons of the Kingdom of Gododdin, at Alclud Ford against Anglian invaders, and at Argoed Llwyfain, also against Anglian invaders. Sadly, these victories against the Angles proved insufficient, and it was during conflict with them that Urien’s downfall came about. While besieging the invaders at Ynys Metcaut (now Lindisfarne), Urien was assassinated at the instigation of his supposed ally, king Morcant Bulc of Brynaich. The northern kingdoms lifted the siege, leaving the astonished Angles to recover. They then fell to destroying each other in a brutal war of brothers; Owain himself ended up dying in battle against the same Morcant. Rheged was so beset by its fellow Britons that it was forced to ally itself with the Angles, precipitating their rise to power in the north and takeover of the Kingdom of Brynaich (later Anglicized to Bernicia). Bernicia became Northumbria by conquering the Angles of Deira in AD 604. By the mid 7th century, it had also absorbed Rheged, peacefully by means of dynastic intermarriage.
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Urien, son of Cynfarch Oer, was a late 6th century king in Sub-Roman Britain. He ruled the Kingdom of Rheged, a large and powerful polity in what’s now northern England and some parts of southern Scotland. Rheged was one of many Brythonic kingdoms that emerged from the fracturing of a larger polity that had been formed by Urien’s ancestor, Coel Hen (“Coel the Old”). These included Brynaich, Elmet, Ebrauc (York), Rheged, and a few others. Coel had formed his kingdom in the aftermath of the collapse of Roman rule in Britain (mid 5th century), and dedicated his life to fighting against the Pictish and Irish raiders who’d been plaguing Britain at the time; tradition has it that he died in battle against them.
Urien was the last Celtic king to exercise dominion in the Brythonic “Old North” (i.e. northern England/southern Scotland). He and his son, prince Owain (the inspiration for the Arthurian character Ywain) were credited with winning several battles: At Gwen Ystrad/Catraeth against the Britons of the Kingdom of Gododdin, at Alclud Ford against Anglian invaders, and at Argoed Llwyfain, also against Anglian invaders. Sadly, these victories against the Angles proved insufficient, and it was during conflict with them that Urien’s downfall came about. While besieging the invaders at Ynys Metcaut (now Lindisfarne), Urien was assassinated at the instigation of his supposed ally, king Morcant Bulc of Brynaich. The northern kingdoms lifted the siege, leaving the astonished Angles to recover. They then fell to destroying each other in a brutal war of brothers; Owain himself ended up dying in battle against the same Morcant. Rheged was so beset by its fellow Britons that it was forced to ally itself with the Angles, precipitating their rise to power in the north and takeover of the Kingdom of Brynaich (later Anglicized to Bernicia). Bernicia became Northumbria by conquering the Angles of Deira in AD 604. By the mid 7th century, it had also absorbed Rheged, peacefully by means of dynastic intermarriage.
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