ROMAN BRITAIN
58 BCE–51 BCE – The Gallic
Wars of Imperator Gaius Iulius Caesar and Legatus Titus Atius Labienus, during
which they not only conquer all of Gallia Comata, but also invade Britannia and
Germania. Caesar's initial motive is to get himself out of debt.
55 BCE – Caesar’s first
invasion of Britannia.
At
this time, Eire is divided into five provinces, or coicids: Midhe, Ulaidh, Ol-nEchtmachta, Laighin, and
Mumhan.
54 BCE – Caesar’s
second invasion of Britannia. Uprising
of the Belgae under Ambiorix of the Eburones.
53-52 BCE – The Galli
rise up against Roman occupation under Vercingetorix, first and only King of
the Galli. The Battle of Lutetia on the plain of Garanella. The
Battle of Gergovia. The Seige and Battle of Alesia.
1 CE –
36 CE - According to the Ecclesiastical Annals of Caesar Cardinal Baronius, Joseph of Arimathea lands this year at Glastonbury in southwestern Britannia, with passengers that include Mary the mother of Jesus, the apostles Philip and James bar Alphaeus, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha of Bethany, Marcella the handmaid, Mary wife of Clopas, Salome, Maximin, Eutropius, Cleon, Saturninus, Marial, Trophimus, and Sidonius.
36 CE - According to the Ecclesiastical Annals of Caesar Cardinal Baronius, Joseph of Arimathea lands this year at Glastonbury in southwestern Britannia, with passengers that include Mary the mother of Jesus, the apostles Philip and James bar Alphaeus, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha of Bethany, Marcella the handmaid, Mary wife of Clopas, Salome, Maximin, Eutropius, Cleon, Saturninus, Marial, Trophimus, and Sidonius.
42
CE - Imperator Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus
Germanicus establishes the Classis Britannica at Bononia Gesoriacum (Boulogne-sur-Mer)
in preparation for the invasion of Britannia.
43
CE – Beginning of the Roman conquest of Britannia, under
Claudius Augustus. Though it takes decades to fully conquer the territory
it later holds, the provincia of Britannia is founded this year. Its
capital is Londinium.
After
all the territory south of the Solway and Tyne has been pacified, the native
Britonici are organized into civitates based on the tribes:
Atrebatum
(Calleva/Silchester)
Belgarum
(Venta/Winchester)
Brigantum
(Isurium/Aldborough)
Cantiacorum
(Durovernum/Canterbury)
Cornoviorum
(Viroconium/Wroxeter)
Dobunnorum
(Corinium/Circencester)
Dumnoniorum
(Isca/Exeter)
Icenorum
(Venta/Caistor)
Regnensium
(Noviomagus/Chichester)
Silurum
(Venta/Caerwent)
Catuvellaunum
(Verulamium/St. Alban's)
Durotrigum
(Durnovaria/Dorchester)
Parisorum
(Petuaria/Brough)
Demetarum
(Moridunum/Carmarthen)
Carvetiarum
(Luguvalium/Carlisle)
Corieltavarum (Ratae/Leicester)
Ordovicarum
(Segontium/Caernarfon)
Deceangliarum
(Canovium/Caerhun)
In
addition to the capitals of the civitates, four coloniae are established:
Camulodunum (Colchester), Lindum (Lincoln), Glevum (Gloucester), and Eboracum (York).
60 CE – Legatus Gaius Suetonius
Paulinus, consularis of Britannia, destroys the druidic school and sacred
groves on Ynys Mon (Anglesey) in an
attempt to eradicate their influence.
The
Boudican revolt of the Britonici led by the Iceni queen Boudica begins. Three Roman towns are entirely destroyed and
50,000 colonists killed, nearly convincing Imperator Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus to abandon
Britain, but Boudica’s army is annihilated at the Battle of Watling Street the
following year.
80 – Gnaeus Julius Agricola, consularis of
Britannia, reaches the River Tay and begins building a legionary fortress at
Inchtuthil, which he plans to be the largest in the Imperium Romanum, and other
fortifications north of the River Forth and River Clyde.
83 – Battle of Mons Graupius
between the Romans under Agricola and the Caledonii under Calgacus. Agricola marches as far into the north as
Cawdor, where his troops build a fort, then orders his praefetus classis to
sail around the north end of the island.
Upon his return to Londinum, he names the new territories (north of the
firths) Vespasiana.
Beginning
of the uprising of the Aitheachtuatha in Ireland. Battle of Tara; Agricola sends a
unit of Auxiliae to Eire in support of the deposed Tuathal Techtmar.
85 – The main base
of the Classis Britannica is moved to Dubris (Dover).
117 – The Legio IX Hispana marches
into the Highlands and disappears.
122-157 – Reign of Conn
Cétchathach as Ard Ri Eireann.
122-128 – Hadrian's
Wall is built from the mouth of the River Tyne to the Solway Firth, originally
anchored in the east by Pons Aelius (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
and in the west by Luguvalium (Carlisle),
until it is extended to the fort of Segedunum (Wallsend) in the east and the fort of Mais (Bowness-on-Solway) in the west.
A total of twenty-five forts in all support the Wall.
142-144 – The Antonine
Wall is built between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde, with eleven
forts along its length.
155 - After
their fifth or sixth rebellion against the Imperium Romanum, the Brigantes find
themselves bereft of their lands and with no monarch.
164 – The Romans abandon the
Antonine Wall and fall back to Hadrian’s Wall.
175 -
Imperator Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus stations a unit of 5500 Sarmatian
cavalry, the Cuneus Sarmatarum, in Britannia at Bremetennacum. Veterans
are noted in the area as late as the 5th century. No connection to the Roman commander Lucius
Artorius Castus, Praefectus Castrorum of Legio VI Victrix at Eboracum.
180 – The Caledonii (Coille Daon)
cross over Hadrian’s Wall to attack the Romans.
196 – Clodius Albinus, consularis of
Britannia, declares himself Imperator and invades Galliae in a revolt against
Imperator Lucius Septimius Severus
Augustus.
197 –
Severus
Augustus defeats Albinus at the Battle of Lugdunum. He sends Virius Lupus as chief governor of Britannia, which he divides the single
province of Britannia is divided into two:
Britannia Superior (Londinium)
Britannia
Inferior (Eboracum)
Lupus arrives to find the Maeatae (Miathi) and the Caledonii have broken their treaties with Roma and begun raiding the south. Lacking sufficient troops to halt them militarily, Lupus pays off the Maeatae, the southernmost of the two confederations, to cease.
Early 3rd century - The rise of the Connachta in the west of Ireland, displacing the Fir Ol nEchmachta and giving their name to the province.
Lupus arrives to find the Maeatae (Miathi) and the Caledonii have broken their treaties with Roma and begun raiding the south. Lacking sufficient troops to halt them militarily, Lupus pays off the Maeatae, the southernmost of the two confederations, to cease.
Early 3rd century - The rise of the Connachta in the west of Ireland, displacing the Fir Ol nEchmachta and giving their name to the province.
208-211 – Severus invades the North with three legions, 9000
imperial guards with cavalry support, and numerous auxiliaries and defeats the Caledonii, who have begun another war but is eventually forced back behind Hadrian’s Wall after losing too many men to guerrilla tactics by the defeated comined with an uprising of the Maeatae. He is preparing another invasion at Eboracum in 211 when he dies.
c. 220 - The Eóganachta dynasty is
established in Mumhan.
226-266 – Reign of
Cormac mac Airt as Ard Ri Eireann, which includes the activities of Fionn mac
Cumhaill as head of the Fianna Eireann, among which is the repulsion of a Roman
incursion at the Cath Finntraga.
259 – The Imperium Galliarum,
including Galliae, Hispaniae, and Britanniae, is established when Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus rebels
against Imperator Publius Licinius
Egnatius Gallienus Augustus, son of Imperator Publius Licinius Valerianus Augustus who is a prisoner of the
Sassanids.
270 – About this time, the system of
forts later known as the Litus Saxonicum (Saxon Shore) start being built, based
on the system of forts supporting the Classis Britannica (the coastal patrol),
at first in defense against the Frisii, for whom the North Sea is at the time
called Mare Frisicum.
274 – The Imperium Galliarum is
reunited with the Imperium Romanum.
284-285 - First
uprising of the Bagaudae, in Galliae and Hispaniae, against the imposition of
feudalism and serfdom.
286 – Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Valerius Carausius, commander of the
Classis Britannica, sets himself up as emperor of Britanniae and northern Galliae.
294 – Carausius is murdered by his
treasurer, Allectus, who takes his place.
297 - Allectus is
defeated in battle and killed by the Roman army and his dominions are reunited
with the Empire. Caesar Marcus Flavius Valerius Constantius Herculius
Chlorus divides Britannia Superior and Britannia Inferior into four new
provinces, making it a diocese headed by a vicarius, under the Prefecture of Galliae:
Maxima
Caesariensis (Londinium)
Britannia
Prima (Corinium)
Britannia
Secunda (Eboracum)
Flavia
Caesariensis (Lindum)
The
governor of the first is a consularis, those of the other three are praefecti.
First reference to the "Picti".
First reference to the "Picti".
305 – About this time a group of
Deisi establishes a colony among the Demetae; a group of Laighin is granted
land in Lleyn peninsula; and the Eoganachta are given lands in the later
Ceredigion (under Lethan), Dumnonia (under Corpre), and Circinn in the north
(under Fidig). The Ui Laithin have a
colony in Dumnonia. A group of Ui
Bairrche settle in Scotland.
306 – Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus, son of Constantius Chlorus Augustus, is
proclaimed Imperator Augustus by his troops at Eboracum.
315 - Constantinus
Augustus awards himself the title of Britannicus.
326 - Cairill mac Cairbre, aka Colla
Uais, Ard Ri Eireann, is overthrown by Muiredach Tirech and expelled to Alba,
along with his two brothers, Aed, aka Colla Menn, and Muiredach, aka Colla Co
Frith, and three hundred warriors.
331 - The Three Collas return to
Ireland, defeat the last Ulaidh high king of Ulster, destroy Emain Macha, and
create the kingdom of Airgialla, with the Ulaidh now confined to the northeast
of their former kingdom.
337 – At the death of Constantinus
Augustus, the Imperium Romanum is divided into three praetorian prefectures:
Prefecture
of Galliae (including Britanniae, Hispaniae, Germaniae, and Tingitana)
Prefecture
of Italiae (plus the Balkans and Africa
Prefecture
of the Orient (Thracia, Anatolia, Syria-Palestina, Aegyptus,
Libya)
The
Praefecti of these units have authority only over civil administration.
In addition to these regions, Roma and Constantinopolis each have their own
Praefectus.
The
Magister Militum per Galliae reports to the Magister Utriusquae Militiae, who
answers to the western Augustus. The military in the field is restructured
too. In the Diocese of Britanniae, there are three commands, who
officially report to the Magister Militum per Galliae:
Comes
Maritimi Tractus per Britanniae (limitanei of the Litus Saxonicum, 3000
foot, 600 horse)
Dux
Limitum Britanniarum (limitanei of the North, 14,000 foot, 900 horse)
Comes
Militum Britanniarum (comitatenses, 2200 foot, 200 horse)
Across
the Oceanus Britannica (English Channel), three commands fall under the
overall authority of the Comes Maritimi Tractus:
Dux
Belgicae Segundae (limitanei in coastal Belgica and Germania)
Dux
Tractus Armoricani et Nervicani (limitanei in coastal Armorica and Nervica)
Praefectus
Classis Britannica (based in Dubris and Bononia Gesoriacum)
347 - The vicarius
of Britanniae sets up a laeti colony of Frisii that later becomes known as Caer
Peris or Dun Fries.
350-353 – Revolt of Flavius Magnus Magnentius, who usurps
Imperator Caesar Flavius Julius
Constans Augustus, actively supported by Britanniae, Galliae, and
Hispaniae.
357 – Maine Mor establishes in Ol-nEchtmachta
the kingdom later known as Ui Maine.
360 - The Scoti and Picti raid the diocese of Britanniae.
364 – Raiding of the diocese of Britanniae by the Picti, Saxonici, Scoti, and Attacotti.
364 – Raiding of the diocese of Britanniae by the Picti, Saxonici, Scoti, and Attacotti.
366 – Second uprising of the
Bagaudae in Galliae, against feudalism and serfdom, in conjunction with an
invasion of the Alemanni.
367-369 – War against the confederation of the Picti, Attacotti, and Scoti attacking Britanniae and the Saxonici and Franci attacking northern Galliae. At this time, Roman sources report the Picti have consolidated into two known confederations, the Verturiones and the Dicalydones, though a third likely exists in the far north dominated by the Catti.
It begins after the Roman garrisons along Hadrian’s Wall rebel in conjunction with native frontier troops known as areani; northern and western Britanniae are overwhelmed. In the midst of the chaos, Valentinus and other exiles begin planning a revolt. In the fighting both Nectadarius, Comes Maritimi Tractus is killed, and Fullofades, Dux Britanniarum, captured. The “Great Conspiracy” is finally defeated by a force under Flavius Theodosius, Comes Britanniarum. Afterwards, Theodosius disbands the areani and organizes a new civil administration.
It begins after the Roman garrisons along Hadrian’s Wall rebel in conjunction with native frontier troops known as areani; northern and western Britanniae are overwhelmed. In the midst of the chaos, Valentinus and other exiles begin planning a revolt. In the fighting both Nectadarius, Comes Maritimi Tractus is killed, and Fullofades, Dux Britanniarum, captured. The “Great Conspiracy” is finally defeated by a force under Flavius Theodosius, Comes Britanniarum. Afterwards, Theodosius disbands the areani and organizes a new civil administration.
369 – An additional province,
Valentia, is added in the north, probably in southern Scotland between the
Walls, with its seat at Luguvalium. Its
governor is a consularis.
376-1022 - The Ui
Neill rule as Ard Ri Eireann/Ri hEireann Uile, with the exception of the two
decades of Brian Borumha.
376 – Death of Crimthann mac Fidaig,
first of the great raiding Ard Ri Eireann who prey on the Pictii, Britanniae,
Armoricae, and Galliae; succession of Niall Noígíallach, son of previous Ard Ri
Eochaid Mugmedón and Cairenn Chasdubh, daughter of the Pictish king of Fortrenn,
or Uerturio, at Inverness. His
half-brothers Brion, Ailill, and Fiachrae found dynasties in Ol-nEchtmachta,
which takes their family name, Connachta.
382 – Fourth wave of raiding by
Scoti, Picti, and Saxonici. Aed Brosc
of the Deisi is brought over to help repel the raids.
After
their defeat, Flavius Magnus Maximus, Magister Militum per Galliae, assigns
praefecti gentium to commands in the north:
Quintilius
son of Clemens at Alt Clut (Dinas y Brython/Dunbarton)
Paternus
son of Tacitus at Din Paladur (Traprain Law)
Catellius
Decianus at Din Gefron (Yeavering Bell)
Antonius
Donatus Gregorius (son of Magnus Maximus) in Novant; he later transfers to
Demetia in Wales.
Ruling
dynasties later trace their descent back to these praefecti.
383-388 – Revolt of
Maximiamus, who becomes Imperator Casesar Augustus at Meliandum. First wave of Britonici colonists to Armorica.
397 - Death of St. Martin of Tours,
who becomes one of the most important saints in Celtic Christianity.
400-800 – The Golden
Age of Eire. Learning, art, literature,
culture, international influence reach its peak.
Early 5th century - Niall of the Nine Hostages, progenitor of the Ui Neill, establishes himself at Tara as the first true High King of Ireland along with Meath as a province.
Early 5th century - Niall of the Nine Hostages, progenitor of the Ui Neill, establishes himself at Tara as the first true High King of Ireland along with Meath as a province.
402 – Flavius Stilcho, Magister
Utriusquae Militiae, withdraws some legions from Britanniae to face the Gothi
in Italiae. Meanwhile, Imperator Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus moves
his seat from Meliandum to Ravenna for
defensive purposes.
405 – Fourth wave of raiding by
Scotti, Pictii, and Saxonici. The Dal
Riata, pressured by the Ulaidh who are retreating before the northern Ui Neill,
begin to colonize Earr a’ Gaidheal.
Death
of Niall Noígíallach, Ard Ri Eireann, ancestor of the Ui Neill dynasty and
second of the great raiding High Kings; succession of Feradach Dathi mac
Fiachrae, his nephew.
406 – In response to the invasion of
Galliae by the Suebi, Alani, Vandali, and Burgundi, the legions of Britain
revolt and nominate a usurper named Marcus as emperor.
407 – Marcus is killed by his troops
and replaced with Gratian. Gratian is
killed by the troops because he would not order them to cross over to Galliae
to stop the “barbarians”. The troops in Britanniae
then nominate Flavius Claudius Constantinus, who moves to Galliae with the
remaining legions.
409-417 - Third
uprising of the Bagaudae, in the lower Loire Valley, against feudalism and
serfdom.
409 – The Vandali, Buri, Suevi, and
Alani ravage the Diocese of Galliae until driven into Iberia by the
Visigothi. The tribes establish kingdoms that are Arian rather than
Catholic.
The
Saxonici begin raiding the shores of Britanniae and Armorica in large numbers. Cut off by the chaos, the people of
Britanniae and of Armorica appeal to the central government for
assistance. Imperator Caesar Flavius Honorius Augustus tells them to
attend their own affairs; therefore, they expel their imperial officials and
declare independence.
HEROIC AGE OF
THE BRITONS
410-600 -
Sub-Roman Britain’s Heroic Age.
410 - Coelistius, aka Coel Hen,
assumes control of the North, the area known to the Cymry as Hen Ogledd, its
people as the Gwyr y Gogledd.
There are Irish incursions into Venedotia, Cornovia, Siluria, Demetia, and the Gower Peninsula.
There are Irish incursions into Venedotia, Cornovia, Siluria, Demetia, and the Gower Peninsula.
411 - Capture at Arles of Capture at
Arles of Imperator Caesar Flavius Claudius Constantinus Augustus, last emperor
from Britanniae, who is executed at Ravenna soon afterward.
411-429 – Raiding of Britanniae
by Pictii, Scotti, and Saxonici.
413 – Pelagian heresy said to begin.
417 – The revolts in Armorica and
Britanniae are suppressed, followed by the return of some level of imperial
presence in both regions.
418 – Descendants of Antonius
Donatus establish a Sub-Roman kingdom in Wyr Enouant (Novant), the area that eventually
becomes Galloway.
Pelagian
“heresy” outlawed in Roma after it is condemned at the Council of Carthage and
the decision affirmed by Pope Zozimus, but in Britanniae and Hibernia, along
with Gaul, enjoys much support from “pro-Celtic” faction. Traditionalists support Roma.
420 - Death of Coel Hen. The lands of his office are divided between
his descendants, becoming Ebrauc, Bryneich (Din
Guardi/Bamburgh), Deifr, Rheged, Argoed, Peak, Elmet, and Calchfynydd.
Other
Brythonic kingdoms in the North, probably his clients, include Manaw,
Eidyn, Gododdin, Alt Clud, Wyr Enouant, and Gwenydd. Other non-Brythonic
domains include Dal Riata, Ystrad Aeron, Circinn, Fortrenn, and the later
Anglish lands of Beornicia and Deira.
Eógan
mac Néill establishes the kingdom of Aileach (aka Tir Eogain) while his brother
Conall Gulban mac Neill establishes the kingdom of Tir Conaill, both in
territory carved out of Ulster.
421 - Death of Gradlon Mawr of
Armorica, which is now coming to be called Brittania Minor; division of
Armorica into Kernev (Cornouaille)
and Domnonea (Domnonée).
423 - Birth of St. Patrick in Banna
Venta Burniae (near Birdoswald).
425-450 – Marcus Conor
Mor flourishes in Dumnonia.
425 – Flavius Aetius, the “last of
the Romans”, becomes Comes and Magister Militum per Galliae.
Vortigern
comes to power, possibly as head of the Council of Britain, but almost
certainly as the supreme political figure.
427 – The Council of Britanniae
appeals to Comes Aetius for help, but gets no support.
428 – The Council of Britanniae
invites a number of Germanic foederati and laeti to aid in repelling the Scotti
and the Pictii, settling them in the Dorchester-upon-Thames area.
Death
of Feradach Dathi, Ard Ri Eireann, last of the great raiding High Kings, reportedly
in battle among the Alps.
429 - At the request of Palladius, a
British deacon, Pope Celestine I dispatches Bishops Germanus of Auxerre and
Lupus of Troyes to Britanniae to combat the Pelagian heresy. While in Britanniae, Germanus leads the
Britonici to victory near the Welsh border.
430 – The kingdom of Gwerthifyrwig
evolves out of Ewyas, the territory of Siluria, eventually becoming Gwent.
431 – St. Palladius is sent as
missionary bishop to Eire, making his seat in Mumha.
432 - Death of St. Ninian, Bishop of
Whithorn.
Comes Aetius becomes Magister Utriusque Militiae.
434 – The later St. Patrick is
captured by pirates and taken to Eire as a slave.
435 - Tibatto leads Armorican
movement for independence from Galliae.
War
breaks out between the Irish settlers in Garth Madrun and Powys. Anlach of Garth Madrun is defeated and forced
to send his son, Brychan, as a hostage to the Powysian Court.
Aetius
is raised to the rank of Patricius.
437 – Aurelius Ursicinus appears as
leader of the pro-Roman faction in Britain.
Vitalinus fights against him at
the Battle of Wallop.
Triffyn
Farfog of the Deisi takes Demetia by marrying Gweldyr, daughter of Clotri, and
the kingdom takes it name from his tribe as Dyfed.
Glywissing
is founded in southern Wales.
438 – Ard Ri na Eireann Loaghaire
appoints a commission to study, revise, and codify Irish law which promulgates
its code of the Laws of the Fenechas three years later as the Senchus Mor
(criminal code) and the Lebhar Acaill (civil code).
440-450 - Civil War and
famine in Britanniae, caused by Pictish incursions and tensions between
Pelagian/Roman factions. Migration of
pro-Roman citizens toward west.
440 - St. Patrick escapes from his
captors and returns to Britanniae, probably to Alt Clut.
Caer
Gwinntguic is founded.
Glywys
flourishes in Glywysing.
441 – German foederati in Britanniae
rise in revolt
443 - Death of Constantine Corneu of
Dumnonia. His realm is divided between
his two sons as Dumnonia (Dyfneint, later Dewnans) and Cornubia (Kernow).
446 – The Britonici appeal to Patricius
Aetius for military assistance against the Pictii and the Scotti, but he has
his hands full with Attila the Hun.
Vortigern Vorteneu authorizes the use of German foederati for the defence
of the northern parts against barbarian attack and to guard against further
Irish incursions. The Angli are given a
little land in the later that later becomes the kingdom of Lindsey (Linnuis).
447 – The second visit of Germanus
to Britannia, this time accompanied by Bishop Severus of Trier. He expels the Scotti from mountain territory of the Cornovii and
establishes Paganes (Powys), with Catellius, son of Categirn (Cadell Ddernllwg)
as Tribune, who is later succeeded by Bruttius, grandson of Vortigern. The Britonici, aroused to heroic effort, defeat
their enemies, the Pictii and the Scotti, decisively and are left in peace for
a brief time.
St.
Patrick founds the church at Ard Macha.
448 - Civil war and plague ravage
Britain.
450 - In the first year of Imperator
Caesar Flavius Marcianus Augustus at Constantinopolis, Hengest and Horsa arrive
on shores of Britain with "3 keels" of warriors.
Rheged
is formed out of Northern Britain. The
new domain reaches from the southern border of Alt Clud to the northern border
of Gwynedd.
451 – The armies of Patricius Aetius
and of the Visigoth king Theodoric I turn back the army of Attila the Hun in
the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains.
452 - Increasing Saxonici settlement
in Britanniae. Vortigern marries
Hengist's daughter, Rowena. Hengist
invites his son, Octha, from Germania with 16 keels of warriors.
Cunedda
Wledig ap Aeternus and his retinue are transferred from Manaw to Gwynedd,
called Venedotia in Latin (from Feni, the Irish); Germanius ap Coelistius is
transferred from Gododdin to Manaw; Ochta and Ebissa are sent to replace
Germanius.
453 - Raids on British towns and
cities becoming more frequent.
Increasing Saxon unrest.
454 – Patricius Aetius is
assassinated in Roma by Imperator Caesar Flavius
Placidius Valentinianus Augustus.
455 - Vortimer rebels against his
father, Vortigern, and fights Hengest at the Battle of Crayford. Hengest is victorious and the British army
flees back to Londinium.
The
troops of Geiseric, king of the Vandali and Alani, invade Italiae and sack
Roma.
456 - Battle of Aylesford (in Kent)
between Hengest's Iutae and the Britonici under Vortimer in which Catigern ap
Vortigern and Horsa of Kent are killed.
Aegidius,
one of Patricius Aetius' generals is made Comes et Magister Militum per
Galliae.
St.
Patrick leaves Britain once more to evangelise Ireland.
458-460 – Full-scale
migration of British aristocrats and city-dwellers across the Oceanus
Britannicus to Armorica (the “second migration”), led by Riothamus.
458 - Saxon uprising is in
full-swing. Hengest finally conquers
Ceint.
Imperial
forces under Comes Nepotianus, Magister Utrusque Militiae, and Comes Aegidius
invade southern Galliae and reconquer all of it except for Aquitania, which is
reduced from independence to foederati status. Their armies
also defeat the Bagaudae and recover the city of Lugdunum.
459 - The
armies of Comes Nepotianus and Comes Sunieric, Rei Militaris, force the
Visigothi to surrender Hispaniae except for Gallaecia.
460 – Aurelius Ambrosius, whom
Gildas calls the “last of the Romans”, takes full control of Britanniae and
leads the Britonici in years of back-and-forth fighting with Saxonici. British strategy seems to be to allow Saxon
landings and to then contain them there.
Nepotianus
and Sunieric reconquer Gallaecia from the Suebi.
461 - Cut off from the Imperium Romanum by the Visigothi and Burgundi and refusing to recognize Ricimer's puppet imperator, Comes Aegidius establishes an exclave of the empire in northern Galliae called the Kingdom of Soissons, with its seat at Noviodunum. It remains in regular contact with pro-Roman elements in the Diocese of Britanniae. The territory is the same as that of the Suessiones of Diviciacus in the 1st century BCE and of the later Frankish kingdom of Neustria.
462 – The Visigothi reacquire
Septimania (Gallia Narbonensis), leaving them in control of the entire south of
the Diocese of Galliae.
464 - Aegidius dies in the Battle of
Orleans against the Visigothi as ally of Childeric I of the Salian Francii to
his immediate east, and is succeeded by his second-in-command, Paulus, Comes of Adecavus (Angers).
465 - Battle of Wippedsfleet (Richborough), in which the Britonici
defeat the Saxonici, but with great slaughter on both sides. The latter are confined to the Thanet and
there is a respite from fighting.
466-473 - Period of
minimal Saxonici activity.
Re-fortification of ancient hillforts and possibly construction of the Wansdyke.
468 – St. Brigid founds Kildare
Abbey.
469 – Imperator Caesar Procopius
Anthemius Augustus appeals to the Britonici in Armorica for help against the
Visigothi. A 12,000 man force under Riothamus
responds. The bulk of the force is
wiped out in battle against Euric, the Visigothic king.
Comes Paulus of Soissons, formerly of Adecavus, dies in battle against the Visigoths and is succeeded by Dux Syagrius, son of Aegidius.
Comes Paulus of Soissons, formerly of Adecavus, dies in battle against the Visigoths and is succeeded by Dux Syagrius, son of Aegidius.
470 – Establishment of the kingdom
of Peak in the southern Pennines.
471-475
- Ecdicius Avitus rules the short-lived Ducatas
Arvernorum as an autonomous part of the Imperium Romanum. After 474, he
becomes Magister Militum Praesentalis, but is deposed the next year.
471 - Ceretic of Alt Clut raids the
Irish Coast and carries off some of St. Patrick's new flock and sells them into
slavery, receiving a written reprimand from the Irish evangelist.
472 - Attempted
rebellion against Anthemius Augustus by Arvandus, Praetorian Praefectus
Galliae, averted by Riothamus.
Successful
rebellion against Anthemius Augustus by Flavius Ricimer, Magister Utriusquae
Militiae, whose troops sack Roma once again.
475 – The Anglii begin arriving in
the territory of Caer Went. About the
same time, the Middlesex and Suthrig begin to infiltrate the lower Thames River
region.
Arvernia
falls to the Visigothi when Imperator Caesar Iulius Nepos Augustus trades it in
exchange for Septimania.
477 – The Saxon chieftain Aelle
lands on southern coast with his sons and founds the kingdom of Sussex. The Britonici engage him upon landing, but
his superior force besieges them at Pevensey and drives them into the Weald. Over next nine years, Saxon coastal holdings
are gradually expanded in Sussex.
The
Visigothi destroy the last remnants of the Prefecture of Galliae, except for
the Ducatas Noviodunum in the north.
480 – St. Erbin, king of Dumnonia,
abdicates in favour of his son, Geraint Llygesoc.
Death
of Glywys of Glywysing; his kingdom is divided into Gwynllwg, Penychen,
Gorfynedd, Edeligion and others.
485 – Arthurus Miles (Arthur the
Soldier) becomes “dux bellorum” in Britanniae.
486 - Aelle and his sons overreach
their normal territory and are engaged by the Britonici at the Battle of
Mercredesburne. The battle is bloody but
indecisive, and ends with both sides pledging friendship.
The Kingdom of Soissons is conquered by Clovis I, king of the Francii, leaving him
in control of all Galliae north of the River Loire. Dux Syagrius flees to
the protection of the Visigothi to the south, only to be executed by Alaric II.
488 - Hengest dies. His son, Oesc, takes over and rules for 34
years, founding the Oescingas dynasty.
Death
of Einion Yrth of Gwynedd. His kingdom
is divided into Gwynedd and Rhos.
493 – Death of St. Patrick.
495 – Ealdorman Cerdic, son of
Elesa, his son, Cynric, and 3 keels of the Gewissae land somewhere on the south
coast, near the Hampshire-Dorset border, establishing the beginnings of
Wessex.
Gwynllyw
of Gwynllwg carries off Princess Gwladys of Brycheiniog; war between the two
kingdoms is narrowly avoided by the intercession of Arthur.
The
Angli of Caerwent divide into the Norfolk and the Suffolk.
St.
Finnian establishes the abbey at Molville.
496 - Siege and Battle of Mons
Badonicus. The Britonici under Arthur defeat
the Angli under Esla of Bernicia and the Saxonici under Cerdic of the Gewissae.
496-550 - Following the
victory at Mt. Badon, the Saxon advance is halted with the invaders returning
to their own enclaves. A generation of
peace ensues.
497 - Death of Erbin of Dumnonia.
Late 5th century - The Fir Domnann in southeast Ireland are displaced by the Laighin, the former moving into the west, the latter giving its modern name to the province.
The Eoghanachta displace the Fir Mumhan, becoming rulers of what is now Munster.
Late 5th century - The Fir Domnann in southeast Ireland are displaced by the Laighin, the former moving into the west, the latter giving its modern name to the province.
The Eoghanachta displace the Fir Mumhan, becoming rulers of what is now Munster.
500-517 – Cadwallon
Lawhir expels the Irish from Anglesey.
500 – With help from Theodoric
(Tewdrig), commander of the Classis Britannica, and Marcellus (Maeliaw) of
Britannia Minor (Kernov), the Romano-British commander Agricola defeats the
forces of the Deisi at the Battle of Porthmawr and reconquers Dyfed to become
its governor as Tribune. Theodoric makes
his base in Gwent.
Theodoric
defeats in invasion force under Irish king Fingar and his British ally Guiner.
501 – Death of Fergus Mor mac Eirc,
who transferred the seat of the kings of the Dal Riata to Earr a’ Gaidheal.
504 – Muircheartach mac Erc, brother
of Fergus Mor, becomes Ard Ri Eireann.
507 – Death of Domangart Reti mac
Fergus of Ceann Tir; succession of Comgall mac Domangairt, ancestor of Cenel
Comgaill.
Campaign
of Theodoric, commander of the Classis Britannica, and Marcellus of Britannia
Minor in Armorica and both sides of the Oceanus Britannica.
508 - Cerdic of the Gewissae begins
to move inland and defeats British king, Nudd-Lludd, at the Battle of Netley.
510 - Battle of Llongborth, where
Geraint Llyngesoc of Dumnonia is killed.
Rivod
of Britannia Minor (Kernov) murders his brother, Marcellus, and usurps the
throne. Many of the royal family flee to Britannia Major, including
Maeliaw's sons Maxentius and Budic, seeking refuge at the court of Agricola in
Dyfed. Maxentius expels Budic, who returns to Dyfed. Agricola
dispatches Theodoric to expel Maxentius and return Budic. Upon his return
to Britannia Major, Theodoric defeats a combined invasion force under Fingar
mac Clito of Eire and Guiner, cousin of Maxentius.
511 - After the death of Clovis I of the Franks, his realm is divided among his four sons, and the territory of the former Kingdom of Soissons/province of Gallia Lugdunensis becomes the Kingdom of Neustria.
511 - After the death of Clovis I of the Franks, his realm is divided among his four sons, and the territory of the former Kingdom of Soissons/province of Gallia Lugdunensis becomes the Kingdom of Neustria.
515 - Death of Aelle of Sussex. The kingdom passes to his son, Cissa and his
descendents, but over time, diminishes into insignificance. Eventually much of their coastal territory is
taken over by the Jutish Meonwara.
517 - Battle of Camlann, where
“Arthur and Medraut fell”.
King
and Saint Constantine ruling in Dumnonia/Dewnans.
Death
of Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion of Gwynedd; his son Maelgwn takes the throne
after murdering his uncle, probably Owain Ddantgwyn of Rhos, and re-unites the
two kingdoms.
519 - Cerdic becomes King of the
Gewissae, beginning the dynasty of the Cerdicingas which rules until 1066 CE.
520 - Pabo Post Prydain of Peak
abdicates his throne and retires, as a hermit, to Ynys Mon.
Death
of Riwal Mawr Marchou of Domnonea. Budic II of Brittania Minor returns to
Kernev to claim the Breton throne.
The
Middle Angles first branch out from East Anglia.
523 - Death of Gwynllyw of Gwynllwg.
Gwnllywg and Penychen are united under his son, St. Cadoc.
525 - St. Samson founds the
Monastery of Dol-de-Bretagne.
Duonting,
or Dent, is established in the Pennines.
Gabran
mac Domangairt of Dal Riata, marries Lleian, daughter of Brychan (Briocan) of
Manaw and niece of Cedric of Alt Clut, and settles with his men and their
families in the region now known as Gowrie, from Gabhranaig.
527 – Aescwine founds the kingdom of
Essex.
528 - King St. Cadoc of Glywysing abdicates
in favour of Meurig ap Tewdrig of Gwent, who is joined in marriage to Cadoc's
aunt.
Banishment
of Princess Thaney of Gododdin; birth of her son, St. Kentigern.
530 – The Britons of the Isle of
Wight are defeated by Cerdic of the Gewissae at the Battle of Carisbrooke.
St.
Brendan the Navigator leads 14-60 companions across the Atlantic Ocean to the
Isle of the Blessed and back, reportedly travelling by curragh, a feat proven
possible in 1976.
535 - Sawyl Penuchel of Peak is
expelled from his kingdom by Bernicia and flees to Powys.
Death
of Meirchion Gul of Rheged; the southern part of the kingdom breaks away as
Argoed.
Death
of St. Illtud, abbot of Llanilltud Fawr and reported cousin of Arthur the
Soldier.
536 – The revived Prefecture of
Galliae falls to the Francii.
538 - Cynlas Goch of Rhos abandons
his wife in favour of his sister-in-law, a nun who he drags from her
convent. Civil war between Cynlas and
his cousin, Maelgwn Wledig. Maelgwn
enters a monastery, but soon returns to secular life and murders his nephew in
order to marry his widow.
Civil
war also in Powys due to the tyranny of Cyngen Glodrydd.
Gabran
mac Domangairt returns to Dal Riata.
540 -
Jonas of Domnonea is murdered by Conomor of Kernow and Poher. Conomor
marries Jonas' widow and rules Domnonea.
Death
of Comgall mac Domangairt of Dal Riata; succession of Gabran mac Domangart,
ancestor of the Cenel Gabrain.
Caradoc
Vreichfras of Gwent moves the royal court to Portskewett.
Probable
date of St. Gildas' De Excidio Britanniae;
in it he condemns Constantine of Dumnonia, Aurelius Caninus (Cynan Wledig) of
Gwent (and/or Powys), Vortiporius ap Agricola (Aircol) of Dyfed, Cuneglas ap
Owen Danwyn of Rhos (“charioteer to the Bear”), and Maglocunus ap Cadawallan
(Maelgwn Wledig) of Gwynedd.
541-797 - The
Plague of Justinian, Yersinia pestis, ravages Europe in periodic
waves.
543 – St. Colmcille establishes the
abbey of Durrow.
545 - Deaths of the joint-kings
Budic II and his son Hoel I Mawr of Britannia Minor. Tewdwr Mawr succeeds
to the throne, but is quickly ousted from Kernevby Macliau of Gwened (Vannetais).
Tewdwr flees to Kernow and sets himself
up as king of the Penwith region.
The
Synod of Brefi is held at Llandewi Brefi to condemn the Pelagian heresy.
St.
David becomes archbishop of South Wales.
Prince
Judwal of Domnonea flees from his murderous step-father to the court of
Childebert I of the Franks.
St.
Ciaran founds the abbey and school of Clonmacnoise.
546 - St. Gildas returns to Breizh/Bertaeyn
with St. Cadoc.
St.
Ita founds her abbey at Kileedy.
547 - The king of Bryneich is
expelled from his fortress of Din Guardi (Bamburgh)
by the Angles and Frisians, whose leader, Ida, becomes king of Bernicia.
Death
of the joint-king Hoel II Fychan of Breizh/Bertaeyn.
The
Plague of Justinian hits Britain, having travelled from Constantinopolis.
St.
Brendan founds the abbey of Clonfert.
548 - Conomor of Kernow, Poher, and
Domnonea marries Princess Triphine of Bro Waroch (Broërec).
549 - Yellow fever hits British
territories, causing many deaths, including Maelgwn of Gwynedd. Eire is also affected. Saxons, for some reason, are unaffected.
550 - Judwal of Domnonea retakes his
throne. Conomore of Kernev, Poher, and Domnonea flees
to Kernow.
Pompeius
Regalis (aka Pabo Riwal) leads a third wave of emigration from Britain to
Armorica.
Some
Britons in Armorica migrate further to Gallaecia in the northwest of Hispaniae,
where they establish Britonia.
War
between Alt Clut and Gwynedd.
552 - Cynric of the Gewissae lays
siege to the British at Old Sarum and puts them to flight.
Caer
Gwinntguic falls to the Gewissae.
St.
Comgall founds the abbey of Bangor.
555 - Death of Erb of Gwent; kingdom
is divided into Gwent and Ergyng.
556 - Cynric of the Gewissae lays siege
to the British at Barbury Castle and is victorious.
558 – Bro Waroch (Broërec) is attacked by Childebert of
the Franks. Canao II leads resistance.
559 – Deifr falls to the Angles and
Frisians under Aelle of the Angeln dynasty Icelingas, who renames it Deira.
560 – Last recorded Royal Feast at
the Hill of Tara.
Elidyr
of Alt Clut invades Gwynedd in right of his wife, trying to expel
brother-in-law, Rhun Hir ap Maelgwn, but dies at the Battle of the
Cadnant.
Death
of Gabran mac Domangairt of the Dal Riata; Conall mac Comgaill of the Cenel
Comgaill succeeds him.
561 – Battle of Cul Dreimhe (Cooldrevny) between the Clann Cholmain and other southern Ui Neill under Diarmait mac Cerbhaill, Ard Ri na Eireann, and the Cenel Eoghan and Cenel Connaill led by Domhnall Ilchealgach, king of Aileach, over the killing of Cunan, son of Aed mac Echach, king of Connachta, who was under the protection of St. Colmcille (Crimthann mac Felimid) of the Cenel Conaill, abbot of Doire. Cunan sought out Colmcille’s protection after accidentally killing the son of Diarmait’s steward in a hurley match. The northern Ui Neill of Aileach were victorious.
561 – Battle of Cul Dreimhe (Cooldrevny) between the Clann Cholmain and other southern Ui Neill under Diarmait mac Cerbhaill, Ard Ri na Eireann, and the Cenel Eoghan and Cenel Connaill led by Domhnall Ilchealgach, king of Aileach, over the killing of Cunan, son of Aed mac Echach, king of Connachta, who was under the protection of St. Colmcille (Crimthann mac Felimid) of the Cenel Conaill, abbot of Doire. Cunan sought out Colmcille’s protection after accidentally killing the son of Diarmait’s steward in a hurley match. The northern Ui Neill of Aileach were victorious.
A
later church legend ascribed the cause of the battle to an unauthorized copy of
a psalter belonging to St. Finnian of Clann Cholmain, abbot of Moville, scribed
secretly by Columba.
562 – St. Moluag founds the abbey of
Lismore.
563 – St. Colmcille establishes an
abbey on the Hebridean island of Iona, then travels to Inverness to meet with
Bridei mac Maelchon (Maelgwn Wledig), king of Fortrenn, to gain his permission
to stay there.
565 – Death of Diarmait mac
Cerbaill, last pagan High King of Ireland and the last to reign from the Hill
of Tara.
Riderch
Hael of Alt Clut mounts a revenge attack on Rhun Hir of Gwynedd. Rhun marches on Alt Clu and reinforces the
armies of his half-brother, Bridei, in Pictland.
Death
of St. Samson.
567 – The British settlements in
Britonia in Gallaecia are recognized at the Council of Lugo.
568 – The Cenel Loairn and the Cenel
nOengusa rise against Conall of Cenel Gabrain, but he defeats them with the aid
of Coman Bec of Midhe.
569 - St. David holds the Synod of
Victoria to denounce the Pelagian heresy.
Áedán
mac Gabráin of the Dal Riata establishes himself as king of Manaw by right through
his mother; he is married to Demlech, daughter of Maelgwn Wledig of Gwynedd.
570 - Death of St. Gildas.
The
kingdom of Elmet founded.
The
kingdom of Pengwern is founded.
Aodh
Caomh of the Dal gCais carves a kingdom out of the southernmost part of Connacht
that in the 7th century becomes Deisceart Mumhan and later Tuadh
Mumhan.
570-575 - The Northern
British Alliance is forged between kingdoms of Rheged, Alt Clut, Bryneich, and
Elmet. They fight the Northumbrians at
the Battles of Gwen Ystrad and the Cells of Berwyn.
571 - Cuthwulf of the Gewissae
invades the Midlands and defeats the Britons, probably under the king of
Calchfynedd, at the Battle of Bedford.
573 - Peredur and Gwrgi of Ebrauc
ally themselves with Dunod Fawr of Dent and Riderch Hael of Alt Clut. They march north to claim the fort at
Caerlaverock from Gwendoleu of Caer-Gwendoleu.
The latter is killed in the Battle of Arthuret and his bard, Myrddin
Wyllt, flees into the Coed Celyddon, where he goes mad and becomes a prophet.
St.
Mungo founds an abbey at Govan that later becomes Glasgow.
574 – Death of Conall of the Dal
Riata; succession of Aedan mac Gabrain of Cenel Gabrain, who is reportedly
enthroned by St. Colmcille and perhaps is the greatest king of the Dal Riata,
the first to truly unite under one rule its disparate small kingdoms, leading
expeditions to the Isle of Mann, mainland Scotia (Eire), the Orkneys, and the
east coast. He is also the son of Luan,
daughter of Brychan, and is married to Demlech, daughter of Maelgwn Wledig. Reportedly, he leaves Manaw in the capable
hands of his son, Artuir.
Colman
Mor founds the kingdom of Osraige.
575 - Owein of Rheged kills
Theodoric of Bernicia at the Battle of Leeming Lane.
The
North Folk and the South Folk of Caer Went combine to become the kingdom of
East Anglia.
The
Council of Druim Ceatt, hosted by St. Colmcille between Aedan mac Gabrain of
the Dal Riata in Alba, Colman mac Comgellan of the Dal Riata in Ulster, and
Aedan mac Ainmuir of the northern Ui Neill; they form an alliance against Báetán
mac Cairill of the Dál Fiatach, high king of Ulster, and agree that the Dal
Riata in Alba have no obligation to the High Kings.
577 – The Gewissae invade the lower
Severn Valley. Ffernfael of Caer-Baddan,
Cyndyddam of Caer-Ceri and Cynfael of Caer-Gloui are killed at the Battle of
Dyrham, and their kingdoms fall to the Gewissae. The Gewissae overrun the Cirencester
area.
Tewdwr
Mawr of Breizh/Bertaeyn returns to Kernev, reclaims his throne and kills
Macliau of Gwened in battle.
Baetan
of Ulster invades Ellan Vannin, completing his conquest the next year.
580 - The army of Peredur and Gwrgi
of Ebrauc marches north to fight Bernicia.
Both are killed by Adda's forces at Caer Greu.
The
Deirans rise up under Aelle, and move on the city of Ebrauc. Peredur's son Gwrgant Gwron is forced to
flee; Ebrauc falls, with Catraeth going to Rheged.
Death
of Galam (Cennalath), king of the Picts.
Aedan
of Dal Riata leads an expedition against the Picts of Orkney.
583 – Aedan of the Dal Riata attacks
the Ulstermen who have recently conquered Ellan Vannin, allegedly ending their
occupation of the island.
584 – The Britons are victorious
over Ceawlin of the Gewissae at the Battle of Fethanleigh and kill his brother,
Cuthwine. Ceawlin ravages the surrounding countryside in revenge.
Death
of Bridei of the Picts; accession of Garnait mac Dornelch (or mac Aedan).
588 - Edwin of Deira is ousted from
his kingdom by the Bernicians and seeks refuge at the court of Iago ap Beli of
Gwynedd.
Aedan mac Gabhrain wins the Battle of Leithri.
Aedan mac Gabhrain wins the Battle of Leithri.
589 - Death of St. Constantine, king
of Dumnonia.
Death
of St. David, archbishop of St. David’s.
590 - Siege of Lindisfarne. The Northern
British Alliance (Rheged, Alt Clut, Bryneich, Elmet) lays siege to Hussa of
Bernicia and almost exterminates the Northumbrians. Urien Rheged is assassinated at the behest of
his jealous ally Morcant Bulc of Bryneich.
Northumbrians recover while internal squabbles tear the British Alliance
apart.
Peak
falls to Bernicia.
591 - Dunod Mawr of Dent mounts an
invasion of Rheged, but is repulsed by its king, Owein, and his brother,
Pasgen. Elffin of Rheged is
simultaneously attacked by Gwallawc Marchawc Trin of Elmet.
St.
Columbanus emigrates to the Continent.
593 - Morcant Bulc of Bryneich
invades Rheged and kills Owein in battle.
Pasgen of Rheged flees to the Gower Peninsula. A greatly diminished Rheged probably
continues under the rule of their brother, Rhun.
594 - Battle of Manaw, or Miathi, between Aedan of the Dal Riata and Aodhan, with the former victorious, but with the loss of his sons Bran, Domangart, Eochaid Finn, and Artur.
595 - The aging Donud Mawr of Dent dies fighting off a Bernician invasion. His kingdom is overrun and his family flees to join his grandson in Gwynedd.
595 - The aging Donud Mawr of Dent dies fighting off a Bernician invasion. His kingdom is overrun and his family flees to join his grandson in Gwynedd.
597 – Death of St. Columcille. Succession of St. Blaithen as abbot.
598 - Mynyddog Mwynfawr of Din Eidyn
and Cynan of Gododdin ride south to fight Bernicia against enormous odds at the
Battle of Catterick, seat of Rheged. The
British are victorious, though Geraint of Dumnonia is killed in the fighting.
599 - Death of
Taliesin, poet for Urien map Cynfarch of Rheged, great-great-great-grandson of
Coel Hen, and for Owain map Urien. His works are collected in the Llyfr
Taliesin.
7th century - A branch of the Eoghanachta Ninussa conquers Deisceart Aidne, the area of modern Co. Clare, from the branch of the Connachta known as the Ui Fiachrach Aidne and establishes a kingdom of Tuadh Mumhan, or Thomond, there and in the Aran Isles. Two centuries later, it is conquered by the Deisi Tuiasceart, who become the Dal gCais.
7th century - A branch of the Eoghanachta Ninussa conquers Deisceart Aidne, the area of modern Co. Clare, from the branch of the Connachta known as the Ui Fiachrach Aidne and establishes a kingdom of Tuadh Mumhan, or Thomond, there and in the Aran Isles. Two centuries later, it is conquered by the Deisi Tuiasceart, who become the Dal gCais.
600 - Aneirin of Dent writes the
poem Y Gododdin recording the events
of the Battle of Catterick.
Essex
subjugates Middlessex and Suthrig.
EARLY MIDDLE
AGES
601 - Synod of Chester.
602 - St. Augustine of Canterbury meets
with the Welsh bishops at Aust near Chepstow, accuses them of acting contrary
to Church teachings, failing to keep Easter at the prescribed Roman time and
not administering baptism according to the Roman rite, and he insists that they
help in the conversion of the Saxons and look to Canterbury as their spiritual
centre. They decline.
603 - Battle of Degastan between Aethelfrith
of Bernicia and Aedan of the Dal Riata, with support from Máel Umai mac Báetáin
of the Cenél nEógain (son of Báetán mac Muirchertaig) and Fiachnae mac Báetáin
of the Dal nAraidi, king of Ulster, resulting in a devasting defeat for the Scotti
in which Artuir mac Aedan dies, along with Aethelfrith’s brothers Theodbald and
Eanfirth.
604 - Welsh bishops meet for a
second time with St. Augustine of Canterbury.
He neglects to rise to greet them, lectures them again, and insists they
submit. The Welsh kick him out.
606 – The Middle Angles form the
kingdom of Mercia.
607 - Death of Judhael of Domnonea. His son, Haelioc, takes the throne and
attempts to exterminate his brothers.
608 - Death of Aedan mac Gabhrain of
the Dal Riata.
610 – Caer Celimon falls to the
Gewissae.
612 - Death of St. Mungo, bishop of
Glasgow.
613 - Aethelfrith of Bernicia
invades Gwynedd in order to root out Edwin of Deira. A united British force (Gwynedd, Powys,
Pengwern and Dewnans) clashes with his army at the Battle of Chester. Iago of Gwynedd, Selyf Sarffgadau of Powys,
and Cadwal Cryshalog of Rhos are all killed but the victor is unclear. The Battle of Bangor-is-Coed follows in quick
succession. Bledric of Dewnans is killed
in the fighting.
Argoed
falls to Mercia.
614 - Cynegils of the Gewissae
invades Dewnans and defeats the local army at the Battle of Bindon. The Tarvin-Macefen boundary between Powys and
Mercia is delineated.
616 – Rheged falls to Mercia.
Aethelfrith
of Bernicia is killed by Edwin of Deira at the Battle of the River Idle, and
his children escape north, his heir, Eanfrith to Fortrenn while the rest go to
Eochaid Buide of the Dal Riata.
617 - Edwin of Deira conquers
Elmet. Ceretic of Elmet is killed in the
fighting.
620 - Tewdrig Fendigaid of Glywysing
and Gwent abdicates in favour of son Meurig.
Llywarch
Hen is expelled from Argoed, probably by Edwin of Deira, and flees to Powys to
become a famous bard.
622 – Domnall Brecc, son of Eochaid
Buide of the Dal Riata, and Conall Guthbinn mac Suibhne of Clann Cholmáin
defeat a rival branch of the Ui Neill in the Battle of Cenn Delgthan.
623 - Edwin of Deira is baptised by
Rhun of Rheged.
625 - Cadfan ap Iago of Gwynedd dies
and is buried at Llangadwaladr where his memorial stone can still be seen. His son, Cadwallon, succeeds to the
throne.
Aodh
Fionn mac Fergna establishes the kingdom of Breifne in Connacht.
626 - The rivalry between Cadwallon
of Gwynedd and Edwin of Deira reaches a climax.
Edwin invades the Isle of Man and then Anglesey. Cadwallon is defeated in battle and is
besieged on Puffin Island. He eventually
flees to Breizh/Bertaeyn.
627 – The churches of Mumha and
Laighin in Ireland accept Continental practice at the Synod of Mag Lene
629 – Battle of Fid Eoin in Ireland
in which Connad Cerr of the Dal Riata and his brother Failbe mac Eochaid Buide
along with Rigullan mac Conaig and Osric, formerly of Bernicia, fall to Máel
Caích, brother of Congal Cáech of the Dal nAraidi, king of Ulster, while
fighting for Dicuil mac Eochaid.
630 – The Gewissae invade
Gwent. Meurig defeats them, with the
help of his aging father, at the Battle of Pont-y-Saeson.
Calchwynedd
falls to the Middle Angles and the Chiltern Saxons.
Penda
of Mercia besieges Exeter. Cadwallon of
Gwynedd lands nearby from his Deiran imposed exile in Breizh/Bertaeyn. He negotiates an alliance with Penda, and a
united British and Saxon force moves north to re-take Gwynedd. The Deirans are defeated at the Battle of the
Long Mountain and Cadwallon chases them back to Northumbria. The British ransack Northumbria and bring
the kingdom to its knees.
632 - Idris of Meirionydd is killed
fighting the Gewissae on the River Severn.
633 - The British under Cadwallon of
Gwynedd meet the Northumbrians in the Battle of Hatfield Chase. Edwin of Deira is killed in the fighting and
Cadwallon is victorious. Cadwallon is
later besieged at Ebrauc by Edwin's cousin and successor, Osric, and is again
victorious.
The
Celtic rite of Britonia is abandoned in favor of the Mozarabic rite.
634 - Cadwallon ap Cadfan has both
Eanfrith of Bernicia and Osric of Deira assassinated rather than negotiate
peace with them. Eanfrith's
half-brother, Oswald, succeeds to a united Northumbria. He gathers a force, with support from Domnall
Brecc of the Dal Riata which includes monks from Iona, and clashes with
Cadwallon at the Battle of Heavenfield.
Cadwallon is killed and Oswald victorius.
Cadafael
Cadomedd ap Cynfeddw ousts Cadwaladr and usurps the Gwynedd throne. Civil War ensues in the kingdom.
Death
of the great bard, Llywarch Hen of Argoed, supposedly aged one hundred.
His works include Canu Hedledd and Geraint son
of Erbin.
635 – St. Judicael of Domnonea submits
to the overlordship of Dagobert I of the Franks. An alliance is drawn up and the borders of
the Breton kingdom agreed.
St.
Aidan is sent out from Iona to the Angles of Northhumbria, where he founds a
monastery on the island of Medcaut (Lindisfarena).
Meurig
of Glywysing and Gwent invades Ergyng and re-unites the two kingdoms in the
right of his wife.
636 - Judicael of Domnonea abdicates
in order to enter a monastery.
637 - Defeat of Domnall Brecc of the
Dal Riata and Congal Caech of Ulaidh and Dal nAraidi, supported by Oswald of
Northumbria, by Domnall mac Aedo, Ard Ri Eireann and king of Cenel Connaill along
with the Sil nAedo Slaine at the Battle of Mag Rath (Moira). Domnall Brecc’s force includes Scots, Picts,
Angles, and Brythons. That same day the
Ard Ri’s fleet defeats a combined fleet of the Dal Riata and the Cenel nEogain at
the Battle of Ceann Tir (Kintyre). The
outcome is domination of the north by the Ui Neill for the next thousand years
along with their subjugation of western Dal Riata, while eastern Dal Riata
becomes a client of Northumbria, then of Fortrenn.
638 – Din Eidyn is taken by
Northumbria and Gododdin/Lothian ceases to exist, its aristocracy escaping to
Alt Clut.
Rhianfelt,
heiress of Rheged, marries Oswiu of Northumbria. Northumbria embraces Rheged in a peaceful
takeover, and also becomes overlord of Circinn.
642 - Penda of Mercia commands a
united force including Cadafael Cadomedd of Gwynedd, Eluan of Powys, and
Cynddylan of Pengwern against Oswald of Northumbria. Oswald is killed, and possibly Eluan
also. The Mercians become dominant in
Midlands.
Owen
ap Beli of Alt Clut kills Domnall Brecc at the Battle of Strathcarron.
645 - Gwynedd and much of Cymru in
the grasp of famine. Would-be king
Cadwaladr Fendigaid of Gwynedd flees to Breizh/Bertaeyn; civil war continues in
his kingdom.
650 - Cloten of Dyfed marries
Princess Ceindrech of Brycheiniog and unites the two kingdoms.
Eanhere
and Eanfrith establish the sub-kingdom of the Hwicce in the former territory of
the Dobunni.
Mid 7th century – Vikings from Norway begin to colonize both Shetland and Orkney, in the later of which they find two tribes, the Peti and the Papae.
Mid 7th century – Vikings from Norway begin to colonize both Shetland and Orkney, in the later of which they find two tribes, the Peti and the Papae.
653 – Talorgan ap Eanfrith becomes
king of Fortrenn.
654 – Death of Dunchad Bec of the
Dal Riata in battle against Talorgan I of Fortrenn at Strath Ethairt.
655 - Cadafael ap Cynfeddw of
Gwynedd and his army join Penda of Mercia, Athelhere of East Anglia, and
Aethelwald of Deira to march on the Bernicians, but he and Aethelwald both
withdraw before the battle begins. Penda
and Athelhere clash with Oswiu at the Battle of the Winwaed, but Oswiu defeats
them and they are both killed; Oswiu then unites his kingdom with Deira to
become Northumbria.
Morfael
of Pengwern retakes the Wall.
656 - Oswiu of Northumbria invades
Pengwern and kills Cynddylan in battle.
His brother, Morfael, and the remains of the family flee to
Glastenning. The Mercians take control
of Pengwern and may have invaded Powys at this time.
658 - Cenwalh and the Gewissae make
a push against Dewnans. They are
victorious at Battle of Penselwood and Dewnans-Gewissae border is set at the
River Parrett. Glastenning ceases to exist and the Gewissae occupy its
territory.
661 - Cenwalh of the Gewissae
invades Dewnans and is victorious at the Battle of Posbury.
Saxon
settlers found Somerset, Dorset, and Wiltset in eastern Dewnans.
Wulfere
of Mercia gives the territory of the Meonwara to the Sussex.
663 – Oswiu of Northumbria invades
the southern Picts and establishes overlordship over Fibh, Circinn, and Strath
Eireann.
664-666 – The Yellow
Plague known in Ireland as the Plague of Connaill devastates Ireland, hitting
the Church particularly hard. Among its
notable victims is St. Fechin of Cong/Fore.
664 - Plague devastates
Gwynedd. Probable death of Cadafael
Cadomedd. Cadwaladr Fendigaid of Gwynedd
reasserts himself in his kingdom by sending his son, Ifwr, from Breizh/Bertaeyn
to be regent.
The
Synod of Whitby at the conhospitae of St. Hilda at Streonshal determines that
the northern kingdom of Northumbria and its client kingdom Mercia should comply
with the doctrines and practices of Rome, at which St. Colman resigns his see
and returns to Iona.
665 – Second Battle of Mount Badon.
670 – Ceannfaeld mac Blathmac
conquers Cymru and he and his family rule it, at least as overlords, for 59
years.
671 – Northumbria establishes the
sub-kingdom of Din Baer in the former territory of the Gododdin, also called
Lleuddiniawn (Lothian).
672 – Drest of Circinn is desposed
and replaced by Bridei, son of Beli I of Alt Clut.
673 – Domangart mac Domnaill of the
Dal Riata submits to Northumbria as overlord upon his accession.
674 – Ecgfrith of Northumbria repels Wulfhere of Mercia and seizes control of Lindsey.
674 – Ecgfrith of Northumbria repels Wulfhere of Mercia and seizes control of Lindsey.
679 – St. Adomnan becomes abbot of
Iona.
Ecgfrith of Northumbria is defeated by the Mercians, now under Wulfhere's brother Aethelfred, at the Battle of Trent, and forced to return Lindsey.
Ecgfrith of Northumbria is defeated by the Mercians, now under Wulfhere's brother Aethelfred, at the Battle of Trent, and forced to return Lindsey.
680 – Bridei of Fortrenn attacks Dunnottar.
682 – Bridei destroys Orkney as an independent kingdom.
682 – Bridei destroys Orkney as an independent kingdom.
683 – After a successful seige of
Dunadd, Bridei brings the Dal Riata under his hegemony.
The
kingdom of Wyr Enouant ruled by the line of Antonius Donatus falls to invasion from
Beornicia.
684 – Ecgfrith of Northumbria sends raiders to plunder coastal Brega.
684 – Ecgfrith of Northumbria sends raiders to plunder coastal Brega.
685 - St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
visits Carlisle.
Ecgfrith
of Northumbria marches his army north to engage the Picts at the Battle of
Nechtansmere. The Dal Riata and Alt Clut
Britons join the Picts in a thorough defeat of the Anglish forces. The latter lose much land south of the Forth
to Dumnagual II of Alt Clut in the process.
The
Gewissae take Suthrig from Essex.
686 – Sussex becomes subject to the
Gewissae.
Lindsey
is absorbed by Mercia.
688 - Cadwaladr Fendigaid of Gwynedd
dies on a pilgrimage to Rome.
Caedwalla
of the Gewissae likewise dies on a pilgrimage to Rome and is succeeded by Ine, under
whom the Gewissae become known as the West Seax, or Wessex.
696 – Death of Taran of Fortrenn;
succession of Bridei, son of Dargart mac Finguine of Cenel Comgaill and of
Der-Ilei, daughter of a Pictish king.
Bridei is the first of the Dal Riata to rule in Inverness, but he does not
rule the Gaels of Argyll. He changes the
patron saint of the Picts from St. Columcille to St. Peter.
697 – Council of Birr, a gathering
of Irish and Pictish notables led by St. Adamnan, abbot of Iona, enacts the Cáin Adomnáin (Lex Innocentium, or Law of Innocents), forbidding the killing and
making captive of women and children, exempting women and clerics from
compulsory military service, and setting forth harsh penalties for rape during
wartime, among other provisions. Also at
this council, the churches of Ulaidh, Midhe, and Connacht, along with that of
the Dal Riata in Earr a’ Gaidheal, adopt the practices of the Continental
church.
The
sub-kingdom of Deisi Mumhain is founded by the Deisi; the other non-Eoghanachta
kingdom in Munster is Ernaibh Mumhan, of the Ernai.
700 - Geraint of Dewnans receives a
letter from St. Aldhelm of Malmesbury during a synod in Wessex insisting that
the church of Dewnans comply with the doctrines of Rome, as agreed previously
at the Synod of Whitby.
The
Eoganachta begin to rule Mumhan.
704 – Death of St. Adomnan, abbot of
Iona.
705 - Geraint of Dewnans grants land
at Maker to Sherbourne Abbey in an attempt to strengthen his position in the
disputed regions of Dorset
The
churches of East Dewnans and Somersaete, under the kings of Wessex, accept Continental
practice as decreed at Whitby.
706 – Death of Bridei mac Dargart of Fortrenn; Nechtan mac Dargart of the Cenel Comgaill ascends the throne.
710 - Geraint of Dewnans clashes
with Ine of Wessex who manages to establish a fortress at Taunton.
Seisyll
of Ceredigion invades Dyfed and conquers Ystrad Tywi to create the greater
kingdom of Seisyllwg. A reduced Dyfed
and Brycheiniog both appear to have taken on the name of Rhainwg. Rhain's kingdom is now sliced in two.
The
churches in Fortrenn and Circinn accept Continental practice.
711 – Northumbria invades Circinn and
is defeated in Manaw.
717 – Nechtan mac Dargart of Fortrenn expels the Ionan clergy from his kingdom.
Later that year, the church of Iona decides to follow Continental
practice
720 - Contact between the Welsh
church and Yvi of Breizh/Bertaeyn is the last known link between the two Celtic
countries.
721 – The church of Alt Clut agrees
to follow Continental practice.
722 - Ine of Wessex attempts a takeover
of Dewnans. His armies are crushed and
have to withdraw.
Death
of Beli of Alt Clut; Teudebur ap Beli succeeds to the throne.
724 – Nechtan mac Dargart of Fortrenn retires to a monastery in favor of his nephew Drostan mac Talorcan.
725 – The Ui Bruin supercede the Ui
Fiachrae in Connacht.
726 – Drostan imprisons Nechtan and
is deposed by Alpin.
Kent
falls under the sway of Mercia.
729 – Oengus mac Fergus of the
Eoghanachta Mag Geirginn defeats Alpin in battle and restores Nechtan to the
throne of Fortrenn.
St.
Fillan founds the abbey of Glen Dochardt.
730 - Civil War between Tewdr of
Brycheiniog and a rival claimant to his throne, his cousin Awst; the latter is
slain and Tewdr is persuaded to live in peace with Awst's son, Elwystl.
Mercia
takes Middlesex.
731 – Elisedd ap Gwylog of Powys
expels the Mercians from his kingdom.
732 – Oengus mac Fergusa, married to
an heiress of the Cenel Loairn, becomes king of Fortrenn upon the death of
Nechtan; the throne in Inverness remains in his family until the disaster of
839.
733 – With the
death of Eochaid mac Echdach of the Cenél nGabráin, last overking of the
Dal Riata, comes the final separation of the western Dal Riata from those in
Argyll. Indrechtach of the Dal nAraide becomes overlord over the western
branch; his descendants are the O'Lynch clan. The ancestor of the
O’Quinns is direct king over the western Dal Riata in the Glens of Antrim.
A
fleet from the eastern Dál Riata in Argyll fights for Flaithbertach mac
Loingsig, chief of the Cenél Conaill (overlords of the eastern Dal Riata), in
his war with Áed Allán of the Cenél nEógan, and suffers heavy
losses. Dúngal mac Selbaig of the Cenel Loairn is deposed and replaced
with Muiredach mac Ainbcellaig.
734 – The Cenel Connaill abdicate
the overlordship of the northern Ui Neill, and the Cenel nEogan step into their
place.
736-839 - The
Eoghanachta Mag Geirginn/Cenel Loairn rule the North.
736 – Second campaign of Oengus of Fortrenn against Dal Riata, defeating both Dungal and Muiredach, ending the
kingdom’s independence, making him the first king of both Picts and Scots.
739 – Talorgan ap Drostan, king of Ath
Fodhla, is executed by drowning; first mention of Ath Fodhla.
740 - Death of Rhain of Dyfed and
Brycheiniog. His kingdoms are divided
between his two sons.
741 – Oengus of Fortrenn replaces the
cult of St. Peter with that of St. Andrew, establishing a cathedral in his name
at the royal site of Cenrigmonaid.
743 - Aethelbald of Mercia and
Ceolred of Wessex join forces to attack Gwent and Powys.
The
Clann Cholmain supercede the Sil nAeda Slaine as overlords of the southern Ui
Neill.
744 - Construction of Wat's Dyke on
the border between Mercia and Powys.
750 – The Alt Clut Britons under
Teudebur defeat Talorcan mac Oengusa at the Battle of Mugdock. Decline of the
power of Oengus I of Fortrenn.
Elidyr
ap Sandde moves the exiled royal house of Argoed from Powys to the Isle of
Man.
Tewdr
of Brycheiniog breaks the peace with his cousin, Elwystl, and murders him.
752 - Death of Teudebur of Alt Clut.
His son, Dumnagual, succeeds to the throne and promptly loses Kyle to Eadberht
of Northumbria.
754 - Death of Rhodri Molwynog ap
Idwal of Gwynedd. Caradog ap Meirion
succeeds him.
756 - Oengus I of Fortrenn and
Eadberht of Northumbria successfully attack Dumnagual of Alt Clut at Dinas y
Brython; however, Alt Clut subsequently wipes out Eadberht's entire force at
the Battle of Newburgh-on-Tyne.
760 - Battle of Hereford is fought
between Mercia and Brycheiniog under Nowy Hen.
761 – Death of Oengus mac Fergusa of Fortrenn.
766
- A branch of the Ui Bruin founds the kingdom of Breifne.
768 - Archbishop Elfoddw of Gwynedd
persuades the Church of North Cymru to accept the Continental dating of Easter
as agreed by the Northumbrian Church at the Synod of Whitby.
771 – Mercia takes Sussex from
Wessex.
774-821 - The
Icelingas of Mercia rule all England.
774 - Offa of Mercia
unites all England for the first time.
777 – The churches of South Cymru
adopts Continental practice
780 – The last king of the Hwicce
dies, and the kingdom is absorbed by Mercia.
784 - Construction of Offa's Dyke,
the artificial bank and ditch boundary between England and Cymru, is begun at
the command of Offa of Mercia.
AGE OF THE
VIKINGS
787-1030 – The Viking Age
in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.
789 – Accession to the throne of Fortrenn by Caustantin mac Fergusa, nephew of Alpin ap Feredach, who is credited
with founding the church at Dun Chaillean.
793-1066 – The Viking
Age in Northern Europe
793 - Lindisfarne is
destroyed by the Norse.
795 - Quarrels between Cynan
Dindaethwy ap Rhodri Molwynog and his brother Hywel leave the way open for
Caradog ap Meirion (of the House of Rhos) to usurp the throne of Gwynedd.
797 - Cymric forces clash with Mercia
at Battle of Rhuddlan, when Coenwulf of Mercia tries to re-assert his
domination of northeast Cymru. Maredydd
of Dyfed is killed in the fighting.
Mercians push on westward.
798 - Caradog of Gwynedd is killed
fighting Mercians of Coenwulf in Snowdonia. Cynan Dindaethwy succeeds to the throne.
800 – Buelt is absorbed by Seissylwg
and ceases to exist.
Vikings
found Wexford in Eire.
805 - Egbert of Wessex formally
establishes kingship over the people of Dewnans after a gradual integration
over many years.
806 – Vikings massace 68 monks at
Martyrs’ Bay on Iona.
807 - Death of of Arthwyr of
Ceredigion.
810 - St. David’s is burnt.
812 - Degannwy, capital of Gwynedd,
is struck by lightning and burnt to the ground.
Vikings
found Limerick.
813 - Hywel and Cynan Dindaethwy of
Gwynedd quarrel again and meet in battle.
Hywel is victorious.
814 - Gryffydd of Powys is slain
through the treachery of his brother Elisedd.
Cynan
Dindaethwy of Gwynedd invades Anglesey and attacks his brother, Hywel. Hywel is victorious and Cynan is driven from
his shores.
815 - Kernow is raided by Egbert of
Wessex and his Saxon armies.
816 - Hywel of Gwynedd is again
attacked by his brother Cynan, on Anglesey.
Cynan is killed.
The
English successfully invade Rhufoniog and also ravage the Snowdonia Mountains.
818 - Coenwulf of Mercia raids
Dyfed.
820-834 – Vicious
attacks by the Vikings against the north of Scotland.
820 – Death of Caustantin of Fortrenn; succession of Oengus II mac Fergus.
Feidlimid
mac Cremthanin of the Eóganacht Chaisil, a Celi De who is abbot of Cork and
Clonfert, becomes king of Mumha; he is the first in centuries not of the Ui
Neill to be called Ard Ri Eireann.
821 - Coenwulf of Mercia dies in
Basingwerk while preparing for another assault on Powys.
823 - The Mercians invade Powys, but
are beaten back by Cyngen. They also
destroy the Gwynedd capital, Degannwy.
824 – St. Blathmac leads a group of
Columban monks back to Iona. The next
year, there is another raid in which they are all massacred and the abbey
burned.
825 - Death of Rhodri of
Gwynedd. The kingdom is seized by his
grand-nephew, Prince Merfyn Frych of Mann and Argoed.
The
men of Kernow make a push into Saxon Devon and the two armies clash at the
Battle of Galford. The Cornish are
victorious.
Wessex
defeats Mercia and takes from it Kent, Essex, Sussex, and Suthrig.
829-1014 - The
Cerdicingas of Wessex rule all England.
829 - Egbert of
Wessex invades Mercia and drives Wiglaf, its king, into exile, becoming
Bretwalda, or King of all England.
830 – Nynniaw, abbot of Bangor Fawr,
compiles the Historia Britonum.
Britonia
in Gallaecia is attacked by Vikings.
834 – Death of Oengus II of Fortrenn.
836 – Gofraid mac Fergusa of Clann
Cholmain in Midhe marries the heiress of Cenel Comgaill to become ruler of Ceann
Tir and whose descendants later found the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles;
probable ancestor of the Ui Imhair.
838 - The Britons of Kernow join
forces with the Vikings and attack Wessex.
Egbert defeats them at the Battle of Hingston Down.
839 – Deaths of Eóganan mac Óengusa
of Fortrenn and Áed mac Boanta of Dal Riata in battle against the Vikings along
with a large portion of their leading warriors; succession of Feradach mac
Bargoit in Fortrenn.
Thorgest
founds the Norse kingdom of Dublin.
844-878 – Reign of Rhodri
Mawr ap Merfyn over Gwynedd.
844 – Rise of the kingdom of
Deheubarth, which includes Dyfed, Ceredigion, Brycheiniog, and, at times,
Gwynedd. Rhodri Mawr succeeds to the
throne of Gwynedd.
845 – First unified kingdom of Breizh/Bertaeyn
is declared by Nominoe after the defeat of Charles the Bald, King of the
Franks, in the Battle of Ballon.
846 – Death of Niall Caille mac Áeda
of the Cenel nEogain, who defeated Feidlimid mac Cremthanin of Mumhan;
succession of Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid to the throne of Tara. The annals of Mael Sechnaill’s reign refer to
him as Ri h’Eireann Uile, his warriors as Fir Eireann (men of Ireland) rather
than either Fir Midhe (men of Meath) or Clann Cholmain, and the terms Goidel and
Gall-Gaidheal first come into use.
848-1034 - The
Cenel nGabhrain rule Alba.
848 - The armies of Brycheiniog and
Gwent clash at the Battle of Ffinnant.
Ithel of Gwent is killed in the fighting.
Cináed
mac Ailpín of Cenel Gabrain becomes Ri Cruithintuath, largely with the help of
his Finn Gall and Gall-Gaidheal allies in the Hebrides; he moves the seminary
from Dull in Glen Lyon to Dun Chaillean (from which it is later moved to
Cenrighmonad, later St. Andrew’s).
850 – “Eliseg's Pillar” is erected
in Llantysilio-yn-Ial by Cyngen ap Cadel of Powys as a memorial to his great
grandfather Elisedd ap Gwylog and the power of the Powysian dynasty.
Bishop
Censteg of Dingerein (in Kernow) accepts the authority of Archbishop Ceolnoth
of Canterbury.
853 - Mercia and Wessex attack
Powys.
Conquest
by Breizh/Bertaeyn of the territory of Naoned/Naunnt (Nantes), which becomes
Britannia Nova.
Vikings
found Waterford.
854 - Cyngen of Powys dies on a
pilgrimage to Rome. His throne is seized
by his nephew, Rhodri Mawr of Gwynedd, and his sons expelled.
855 – Ynys Mons (Anglesey) is ravaged by Dublin Vikings.
856 - Rhodri Mawr of Gwynedd and
Powys repels a major Viking invasion of Cymru and kills their king, Gorm.
858 – Death of Cinaed at the palace
of Cinnbelachoir (Forteviot). His oldest daughter, Maelmuire, first marries
Aed Finnliath of Cenel nEogain, to whom she bore Niall Glundubh, ancestor of
the O’Neills, and second Flann Sinna of Clann Cholmain. His youngest daughter marries Rhun of Alt
Clud.
860 – Kent is completely absorbed into
Wessex, losing its separate identity.
866 - Devastation of Fortrenn by the Norse.
867 – Northumbria is conquered by the Great
Heathen Army; Deira is ruled directly while Beornicia is given an English earl.
870 – The Great
Heathen Army conquers East Anglia.
Bishop
Kentec of Cornwall accepts the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury,
thereby bringing that church into line with the decisions of Whitby.
871 – Dinas y Brython, seat of Alt Clut and
its king, Artgal, is destroyed by Olaf of the Norse kingdom of Dublin and his
Viking warriors. The capital of Alt Clut is moved to Govan and the
kingdom becomes referred to as Ystrad Clud, or Strathclyde.
Alfred
the Great becomes king of Wessex, later expanding his realm to include all of
that held by the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes and pushing back, though not driving
out, the Danish invaders, and begins using the titles “King of the Angles and
Saxons” and “King of the Anglo-Saxons”.
872 - Death of Gwrgon of Seisyllwg
by drowning. Throne of Seisyllwg taken by his son-in-law, Rhodri Mawr (Raudri
Mor) of Gwynedd and Powys.
Artgal
of Ystrad Clud is slain through the connivance of Causantin mac Cinaeda, Ri
Cruithintuath, and his Viking allies.
Artgal's son, Rhun, succeeds to the throne.
873 - Death of Imar, according to the Annals
of Ulster, “king of the Northmen of all Britain and Ireland” and founder of
the Ui Imair dynasty which became the most powerful political entity in the
Isles.
874 - The Great Heathen Army, joined by the
Great Summer Army, conquers Mercia.
875 – Haralde Harfagre of Norway annexes Orkney and Shetland to his kingdom because Vikings based there have been raiding not only the Pretanic Isles and Normandy but also Norway. Turf-Einar, son of Ragnvald
Eysteinsson, Jarl of More in Norway, becomes Jarl of Orkney, a territory
including Shetland.
876 - Death of Donyarth, the last
king of Kernow, drowned during a hunting accident and buried at St. Cleer.
877 - The Vikings invade Cymru once
more, and Rhodri Mawr of Gwynedd, Powys and Seisyllwg is forced to flee to
Ireland.
878 – The Annals of the Four Masters, Annals
of Ulster, and Chronicum Scotorum
mark this as the year in which the relics of St. Colmcille were removed from
the abbey of Iona and divided between the abbey of Kells in Ireland and the
abbey of Dunkeld in Alba, along with the primacy of the Columban family of
churches, though the Coarb of St. Colmcille in Ireland and Scotland remains as
abbot of Iona.
Death of Aed, Ri Cruithintuath; succession of Giric (Cyric) MacRath mac Dúngail of the Cineal Loairn, ancestor of Clann Grioghar and of Siol Alpin, as king of Fortrenn.
Death of Rhun of Ystrad Clud; succession of his son, Eochaid, who also rules Circinn by right of descent from his mother, a daughter of Kenneth I MacAlpin.
Rhodri
Mawr of Gwynedd, Powys, and Seisyllwg returns to his kingdoms, but is killed
fighting the army of Ceolwulf II of Mercia; his kingdoms are divided amongst
his three sons, Gwynedd going to Anarawd, Powys to Merfyn and Seisyllwg to
Cadell.
The
Vikings winter in Dyfed.
879 – The Danes in the Danelaw form
the kingdoms of Jorvik (York), of (Danish)
East Anglia, and of the Five Burghs (of Mercia).
880 - Anarawd of Gwynedd initiates a
revenge attack on the Mercian armies and defeats them on the River Conwy.
881 - Anarawd of Gwynedd and his
brothers begin extensive military campaigns to quell resistance in Powys and
Seisyllwg.
885 - Asser, a relative of Nobis, bishop
of St. Davids, is summoned to the court of King Alfred of England. He agrees to
spend six months of the year in the King's service. Asser helps to enhance the
literary status of the English Court and to negotiate the recognition of Alfred
as overlord of the southern Welsh kings Hyfaidd of Dyfed, Elisedd of Brycheiniog,
and Hywel of Glywysing who are harassed by the armies of Anarawd of Gwynedd and
seek his protection. Anarawd seeks an
alliance with the Norse kings of York.
889 - Eochaid and Giric Mac Rath of the
Picts and Ystrad Clud are deposed by Viking invaders. Domnall mac Caustantin becomes Ri
Cruithintuath, the last to be so called.
890 - Domnall Ri Cruithintuath
expels the Briton aristocracy of Ystrad Clud.
They flee south to North Cymru (Gwenydd).
Ketil Flatnose Bjornsson establishes the Kingdom of the Isles.
Ketil Flatnose Bjornsson establishes the Kingdom of the Isles.
894 - Anarawd of Gwynedd's shaky
alliance with the Vikings collapses. His
kingdom is ravaged by the Norsemen.
Anarawd is forced to ask for help from Alfred of England and submits to
his overlordship. Alfred imposes oppressive terms and forces Anarawd to
confirmation in the Catholic Church with Alfred as godfather.
Bishop
Asser of Sherborne writes his Life of
King Alfred.
895 - Anarawd of Gwynedd is supplied
with English troops to assist in reconquest of Seisyllwg. He is successful and
his brother, Cadell, is finally able to take his rightful place on the
Seisyllwg throne.
896 - Brycheiniog and Gwent are
ravaged by Hastein and his Viking pirate army.
900 - Tewdr of Brycheiniog
establishes his court on a crannóg in the middle of Llangorse Lake.
Death
of Domnall, Ri Cruithintuath; succession of Caustantin mac Aeda, the first to
use the title King of Alba.
Fortrenn,
now also called Moireabh, begins refusing to acknowledge the king of Alba at Scuin,
and its rulers are referred to as either Ri Fortrenn or Ri Moireabh in the
Irish Annals.
902 - The Norse are expelled from
Dublin. They attempt to settle in Seisyllwg, but are driven off by Clydog. They
move on and settle in the Wirral.
903 - The Vikings raid Anglesey.
904 - Marriage of Hywel Dda of Seisyllwg
to Elen, daughter of Llywarch ap Hyfaidd, of Dyfed. Death of her father. Llywarch's brother,
Rhodri, tries to claim the throne, but is forced to flee.
905 - Rhodri, nominally King of
Dyfed, is caught and executed, at Arwystli, probably by his niece's husband,
Hywel Dda, who claims the throne of Dyfed.
909 – The church of Cornwall becomes
the last in the Isles to accept Continental practice
910 - Death of Cadell of Seisyllwg;
his son, Hywel Dda, succeeds him.
911 – Rollo, descendant of Ragnald
of More, becomes Count of Rouen and ancestor of the later Dukes of Normandy, with
the northern province of Neustria, contiguous with the old Ducatas Noviodunum,
as his territory.
914 - Vikings harry the Welsh coast
and move up the Severn, but are driven out by Saxon levies from Hereford and
Gloucester.
915 – Defeat of Alba and the
Bernician exiles from Lothian by the Vikings of Dublin in the First Battle of
Corbridge.
916 - Death of Anarawd of Gwynedd.
English
raiders attack the court of Tewdr of Brycheiniog at Llangorse and make off with
the queen and 33 of her courtiers.
Death
of Flann Sinna, first King of all Ireland; succession of Niall Glúndub mac Áedo
of Cenel nEogain, ancestor of the O’Neills, as Ard Ri.
917 - Brycheiniog is ravaged by the
armies of Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, in revenge for the killing of one
Abbot Ecgberht.
918 - Idwal Foel of Gwynedd and
Hywel Dda of Seisyllwg submit to Edward the Elder of England.
The
Vikings raid Anglesey.
The
Second Battle of Corbridge, this time between Alba against the Danes and the
English, is indecisive.
Vikings
found Cork.
920 - Hywel Dda merges Seisyllwg
with Dyfed to create the kingdom of Deheubarth.
924 – Berengar I, King of Italy and
last successor of the imperial line of Charle le Magne, dies with no successor
appointed or crowned.
927 - Hywel Dda of Deheubarth and
Owain of Glywysing and Gwent submit to Athelstan of England at Hereford.
The
border between England and Cymru is set at the River Wye.
Kernow
falls to Athelstan and is given the same status as Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria,
and East Anglia as an earldom.
Athelstan
also subdues the Danelaw.
928 - Hywel Dda of Deheubarth,
Gwynedd and Powys begins the codification of Welsh law.
931 - Morgan Hen of Glywysing and
Gwent submits to Athelstan of England and attends his court with Hywel Dda of
Deheubarth and Idwal Foel of Gwynedd.
934 - Tewdr of Brycheiniog attends
the court of Athelstan of England and signs English land charters.
Hywel
Dda of Deheubarth, Idwal Foel of Gwynedd, and Morgan Mwynfawr of Morgannwg are compelled to accompany Athelstan on his
campaign against Constantine II of the Alba.
937 - Athelstan of England defeats a
combined Northern Army under Olaf of Dublin, Constantine II of Scots, and Owen
I of Strathclyde at the Battle of Brunanburh.
Idwal
Foel of Gwynedd distances himself from his English overlord.
The
Britons in Cymru begin to use the term “Cymry” to speak of themselves.
950 – Morgan Hen Fawr unites Gwent
and Glywssing as Glamorgan.
951 – The Dal gCais displace the
Eoganachta as kings of Mumhan.
954 – Eadred becomes first
recognized king of all England when the Danish kingdom of Jorvik falls to his
armies.
Maolcuim
I invades Moireabh to put down a revolt led by its Mormaer. After killing
Cellach, he is himself killed by the Moravians. This is the first known
outbreak of hostilities since central political power shifted to the east.
960 – Alba captures
Edinburgh/Dunedin, the former Din Eidyn.
967-1014 - The War
of the Irish with the Foreigners, led on the Irish side by Brian Borumha, king
of Mumha and later Ard Ri Eireann.
973 – Maccus mac Arailt of the
Isles, Kenneth III of Alba, and Malcolm of Strathclyde form a defensive
alliance.
Edgar I, the Peaceful, of the English, grants Laudian (Lothian) to Kenneth III of Alba as a fief.
Edgar I, the Peaceful, of the English, grants Laudian (Lothian) to Kenneth III of Alba as a fief.
1002 - Brian Bórumha mac Cennétig,
king of Mumha, is recognized as Ri hEireann Uile or “Imperator Scottorum”.
1014 – Battle of Clontarf between the
forces of Brian the Ard Ri, including Irish warriors of Connacht and Munster,
Manx mercenaries, gallowglasses from the Hebrides, and military forces sent by
Brian’s son-in-law, Maolchaluim II of Alba, versus the forces of Máel Mórda mac
Murchada of Leinster, Sigtrygg Silkbeard of Dublin, Brodir of the Isle of Mann,
and Jarl Sigurd Lodvesson of Orkney.
Brian’s
forces are victorious, but he is killed in the fighting and the high kingship
falls to Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill of Midhe, whom he had deposed. Domnall mac Malcolm and two of Alba’s Mormaers
also die at Clontarf; their heads form part of the guard of honor on Brian’s
bier on the way to Armagh, where they are buried with him.
DANES, NORMANS,
AND ANGEVINS (OH MY!)
1015 - Cnut the Great
of Denmark invades England with 200 longships and 10,000 Viking warriors.
1016-1042 – The Danish House of Harthacanute rules
in England.
1018 – Máel Coluim mac Cináeda brings
Bernicia north of the Tweed, the area later known as Dunbar, under
his control.
1020 – The Jarl of Orkney makes the
Mormaerdom of Caithness a fiefdom.
c.1025 - Suibne mac Cinaeda becomes the
first king of the Gallgaidheal in Galloway.
1031 – Maolcuilm II of Alba,
Macbethad mac Findlaech of Moireabh, and Echmercach mac Ragnaill of Mann and
the Isles submit to Cnut the Great at the River Tay.
1034-1040
-
The Cenel Connaill rule Alba.
1034 – The Cenel Conaill take the
throne of Alba when Donnchad mac Crínáin becomes king at Scuin; his father Crinan,
abbot of Dun Chaillean, Mormaer of Athfodhla, Abthane of Dull, Kirkmichael, and
Madderty, Seneschal of the Isles, and head of the Cenel Conaill in Scotland, is
the son-in-law of Maolchaluim II.
1040 – MacBethad mac Findlaich of the
Cenel Loairn, king of Moireabh/Fortrenn, becomes king of Alba, when his
predecessor dies in battle after having invaded Moireabh. In contrast to his portrayal by Shakespeare,
he is widely acknowledged as an
excellent ruler, and is the first king in Scotland to import Norman knights and
petty lords.
1042-1066 - The
Cerdicingas rule England for the second time.
1042 – Edward the Confessor, last ruling king of the Cerdicingas, assumes
the throne of England. Edward utilizes
numbers of Norman soldiers in his campaigns against the Danes.
1045 – Crinan of Dun Chaillean is
killed in battle against MacBethad.
1048 – Aedh O’Connor, king of
Connacth, defeats in battle, the O’Flahertys, kings of Iar Connacht reigning
in Magh Seola, and sacks their seat at Inis Loch. Two years later, Aedh moves his seat from the
ancient capital of Cruachan to Tuam in Magh Seola, the great plain of Iar
Connacht east of the River Galway.
1050-1250 – 12th Century Renaissance, which among other things spawned the genre of literature
known as the Matter of Britain, or the Arthurian cycle.
1054 – Sigurd the Dane, Jarl of
Northumbria, leads a large scale invasion of Scotland.
1057 – MacBethad of Alba is killed in
battle against the sons of Donnchad I, and is succeeded by his stepson Lulach,
who rules only one year, after which the Cenel Conaill of Alba retake the
throne in the person of Maolchaluim III Ceannmor mac Donnchad.
1058-1290 - The
Cenel Connaill rule Alba.
1061 – Following their defeat at the
Battle of Glen Patrick and the beheading of their chieftain, Ruadri, the O’Flahertys
remove their seat west of the River Galway.
1062-1063 – Harold
Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, conducts a series of campaigns against Gwynedd.
1064 – Harold of Wessex accompanies William,
Duke of Normandy, on his campaign against Conan II, Duke of Breizh/Bertaeyn.
1065 – Harold of Wessex supports
rebels in Northumbria against his own brother, Tostig, then Earl of
Northumbria, whom he replaces with Morcar of Mercia.
1066-1154 - The
House of Normandy rules England.
1066 – Edward the Confessor of
England dies, leaving vacant a disputed throne; the Witengamot names Harold as
his successor. Harald III of Norway
invades England with Harold’s brother Tostig as his ally, and Harold defeats
them at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
William of Normandy, accompanied by a sizable number of Normans, Flemings,
and Bretons, invades England, defeating and killing Harold at the Battle of
Hastings.
1068 – After joining a failed
rebellion, Edgar the Aetheling, last remaining male member of the Cerdicingas,
flees to the court of Maolchaluim III in Scotland. The next year Maolchaluim marries Edgar's
sister, the later St. Margaret, and joins an invasion of England along with
Sweyn Estridson of Denmark under Edgar’s leadership to attempt to regain his
throne. The effort is unsuccessful.
1069-1070 – The Harrying
of the North. The forces of William the
Conqueror devastate Northumbria by killing 100,000 outright and causing another
100,000 to die of exposure, starvation, and disease by destroying everything in
sight.
1099 – Edgar Aetheling and many of
his companions serve the Imperium Romanum in the Varangian Guard for a number
of years.
1111 – The Synod of
Fiadh-mic-Oenghusa aims to reduce the number of sees and begins to plan the organization
of regular territorial dioceses. Later
in the year, the Synod of Usnagh divides Meath between the bishops of Meath and
of Clonmacnoise.
1118 – The Synod of Rath Breasil
attempts to establish territorial dioceses with secular clergy as the norm in
Ireland, 24 dioceses divided between the metropolitan sees of Armagh and
Cashel, both of which claim primacy. Three
already existing territorial dioceses,
Dublin, Wexford, and Waterford, are not part of the synod, already having
joined themselves to Canterbury.
1124-1230 – The
MacWilliams-MacHeth Wars in Scotland.
The former descend from William, son of Duncan II, while the latter
descend from Alexander mac Crinan, Maolcuim Ceanmor’s elder brother. Both William and Alexander married into the
royal dynasty of Moireabh, and the wars, often fought with the two families as
allies, are a continuation of the Fortrenn-Circinn/ Verturiones-Caledonii
rivalry that goes back to the 2nd century CE.
1124 – David I mac Maolcoluim usurps
the throne of his nephew Maolcoluim mac Alexander I and assumes the throne of
Scone, uniting Alba with Strathclyde and Dunbar into the Kingdom of
Scots and Brets. The influx of Norman, Breton, and Flemish nobles increases
exponentially. David promulgates the Laws of the Brets and Scots, which
last until 1305.
1126 – Edgar the Atheling, last of
the Cerdicingas in the male line, dies in Scotland.
1130-1134 - Maolcoluim mac
Alasdair rises against David I in Alba with the support of Oengus mac mheic
Lulach, king of Moireabh. After David's Mercian general, Edward
Siwardson, defeats the Moravian forces, William fitz Duncan, son of Donnchad II
and son-in-law of Oengus mac mheic Lulach, becomes ruler of Moireabh and
progenitor of the MacWilliams.
1135-1154 – The
Anarchy. The Kingdom of England and the
Duchy of Normandy are consumed by civil war between Matilda, daughter of Henry
I, Empress of the Imperium Romanum Sacrum, and Countess of Anjou, and Stephen
of Blois, who usurped the throne of England upon Henry I’s death. The fighting ends with Stephen accepting
Matilda’s son by Geoffrey of Anjou as his heir.
1140 – Somerled mac Gillebride,
grandson of Gilledomnan of the Isles who was expelled to Ireland, becomes king
of Kintyre by marrying Ragnailt, daughter of Olaf, king of Mann and the Isles.
Turlough
O'Connor, king of Connacht, makes himself Ard Ri Eireann.
1152 – The Synod of Kells establishes
32 dioceses in Ireland, including those formerly subject to Canterbury (Dublin
and Waterford), distributed among 4 provinces headed by Dublin, Cashel, Tuam,
and Armagh, which is given the primacy of all Ireland.
1154-1485 - The
House of Plantagenet rules England, in three branches, the House of Anjou, the
House of Lancaster, and the House of York.
1154-1242 - The Angevin Empire in England, Anjou,
Normandy, Ireland, Gascony, Aquitaine (Guyenne), Poitou, Maine, Touraine,
Saintonge, Marche, Perigord, Limousin, Nantes, and Quercy. Clients
include Wales, Britanny, Cornwall, and Toulouse.
1154 – With the
succession of Henry of Anjou as to the throne England as Henry II of England,
the rule of the House of Plantagenet in England begins.
1155 – Pope Adrian IV, the first and
only English Bishop of Rome, issues a Papal Bull granting Henry II of England
lordship over Ireland.
Turlough
O’Connor, High King of Ireland, king of Connacht, and king of Teora Connacht,
assembles the most massive fleet in the history of Ireland to invade the
kingdom of Ailech and bring it to heel.
The northerners defend themselves with a fleet hired from Godred
Olafsson, of Mann and the Isles, Fergus of Galloway, and Somerled of Kintyre,
led by Mac Skellig. After plundering
most of Tir Connaill then Inishowen, O’Connor’s fleet meets the Hebrideans off the peninsula and begins a naval battle that
lasts two days. They defeat the
mercenaries, but have so many causalites, including their commander, Rory Mor
O’Dowd, they have to return south.
1156 – After the major but indecisive
Battle of the Epiphany against Godred, Somerled mac Gillebride, king of
Kintyre, becomes king of the South Isles when Godred agrees to cede the islands
south of Ardnamurchan: Islay, Jura, Mull, Tiree, Coll, Iona, Arran, and Bute.
Muirchertach
Mac Lochlainn of Aileach becomes Ard Ri Eireann upon the death of his old
nemesis, Turlough O’Connor.
1158 – Somerled drives Godred from
his seat on the Isle of Mann to become king of Mann and all the Isles as well
as lord of Kintyre.
1164 – Death of Somerled in Renfrew
at the hands of the House of Stewart after he comes ashore under a flag of
truce. Godred regains his pre-1158
territories.
1166 – Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn
dies, and Ruaidhri O Conchobhair, king of Connacht, becomes Ard Ri
Eireann. Ruaidhri and his allies,
Tiernan O’Rourke of Breifne and the Vikings of Dublin, depose Muirchertach’s
former ally Diarmud MacMurrough of Leinster, who seeks assistance among the
Cambro-Normans in Cymru.
1169 – Armies of Cambro-Normans under
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, also known as Strongbow, invade
Ireland, taking Waterford, Wexford, and Dublin at the invitation of Diarmud,
former king of Leinster, to help him regain his throne. MacMurrough is reinstated as king of Leinster
and Strongbow marries his daughter Aoife of Leinster.
1171 – Diarmuid dies and Strongbow
becomes king of Leinster.
1172 - Henry II, worried about
Strongbow’s growing power, invades Ireland in force and secures submission of
all the Hiberno-Norman lords and many of the Gaelic ones as well. Henry proclaims himself Lord of Ireland.
The
Synod of Cashel declares the Roman Church to be the only religion allowed in
Ireland and that tithes, now compulsory, be sent to Rome, resulting in
Ireland’s adoption of the feudal system in order to pay them.
1173-1174 – Revolt of
Eleanor of Aquitaine against her husband Henry II of England, along with three
of their sons and their supporters, including the kingdom of Breizh/Bertaeyn. It ends with the rebels’ defeat and ultimate
reconciliation with Henry.
1185 – John, younger brother of Richard
the Lionheart, King of England, is made ruler of Ireland but stays only eight
months, leaving under threat of a revolt.
1198 – Death of Ruaidri mac
Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair of Connacht, last of the old High Kings of Ireland.
1200-1240 – Reign of
Llywelyn the Great over Gwynedd and Wales.
1202-1214 -
Anglo-French War, between France and England, Normandy, and the Imperium
Romanum Sacrum. During the war, England loses Normandy to France and the
Imperium Romanum Sacrum gives up its quest to reunite the Carolingian Empire by
annexing the former Francia Occidentalis.
1213 - John I
Plantagenet, king of England, submits to the universal rule of the See of Rome.
1214 - A joint
invasion by Domnall Ban mac Domnaill of the MacWilliams, Cinaed of the
MacHeths, and an Irish prince is defeated by Ferchar mac in t-Sagairt, Abbot of
Applecross, who becomes Mormaer of the new territory of Ross.
The
Battle of Bouvines ends the Anglo-French War.
1215 – With the support of Prince
Louis of France and Alexander II, king of Scots, the twenty-five Barons of
Runnymede seize London and force John I, king of England, to sign the Magna
Carta; however, he breaks his word almost as soon as hostilities cease.
1215-1217 - First Barons'
War. The barons invite Prince Louis, son
and heir of Philip Augustus of France to intervene and take over the throne,
which he does, not only sending troops but coming himself. Although Louis comes to control nearly all
the country, save for two castles, the reason for the nobles support of him
dies along with John in late 1216, and the war ends early the next year with
the Treaty of Lambeth.
1223 - Fearchar mac an t-Sagairt, abbot of Applecross, delivers a final defeat
to the MacHeths, sending them north, where they become the Mackays of
Strathnaver.
1228 – First mention of Robin Hood of
Barnsdale in Yorkshire.
1230 – After the defeat of Gillescop,
last of the MacWilliam claimants, Alexander II of the King of Scots, orders
that his surviving three-year old daughter be brought to the town of
Forfar. Following the king’s explicit
instructions, William Comyn, Earl of Buchan and Justiciar of Scotland, takes
the toddler into the town square in full view of the people, and read the
king’s command for the little girl’s fate.
Finished, Comyn grabs the innocent girl’s ankles, and dashes her head
against the town pillar, destroying the poor young girl in a smear of brains
and blood and crushed bone, as per the royal instructions.
I
have ended the timeline here because with the destruction of Moray, the former Fortrenn, the last vestige of imperial Rome’s imprint upon the Pretanic Isles—save,
of course, for the towns and cities of England—disappeared. The kingdoms of Alba, originally Coille Daon
(Caledonii), and Moray, the earlier Fortrenn (Verturiones), arose from defensive
confederacies formed in the face of Roman invasions north of the Firths.
They continued well into the High Middle Ages as rival centers of power,
and with the final conquest of the latter by the former, the last political
dynamic resulting from Rome’s occupation vanished.
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