Medieval Welsh Genealogy: An Introduction and Textual Study

Description

Genealogy was a central element of life in medieval Wales. It was the force that held society together and the framework for all political action. For these reasons, genealogical writing in medieval Wales, as elsewhere in Europe, became a fundamental tool for representing and manipulating perceptions of the socio-political order across historical and literary time. From its beginnings within an early medieval Insular genre of genealogical writing, Welsh genealogy developed across the Middle Ages as a unique and pervasive phenomenon. This book provides the first integrated study of and comprehensive introduction to genealogy in medieval Wales, setting it in the context of genealogical writing from Ireland, England and beyond and tracing its evolution from the eighth to the sixteenth century. The three most important collections of secular genealogies are carefully analysed and their composition is considered in relation to medieval Welsh politics. Particular attention is devoted to the pedigrees of the kings and princes of Gwynedd, which were subject to many intricate alterations over time. The book also includes fresh critical editions of the most significant extant collections of secular genealogy. List of Illustrations Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations A Note on Orthography, Manuscripts, Tables and Translations 1. Medieval Welsh Genealogy and its Contexts Kinship and Society in Medieval Wales Literary Genealogy in the Insular World Formal and Structural Conventions of Insular Literary Genealogy Literary Genealogy in Medieval Wales Modern Approaches to Medieval Welsh Genealogy 2. The Earliest Welsh Genealogical Collections: The St Davids Recension and the Gwynedd Collection of Genealogies The Harleian Genealogies The St. Davids Recension in Llancarfan 3. A Southern Genealogical Anthology: The Jesus 20 Genealogies The Manuscript The Extant Form of the Jesus 20 Genealogies The Jesus 20 Genealogies, Source II The Jesus 20 Genealogies, Source I The Sources of the Morgan ab Owain Genealogies 4. Reframing the Welsh Past in Early Thirteenth-Century Gwynedd: The Llywelyn ab Iorwerth Genealogies Textual History Textual Analysis 5. The Pedigrees of the Kings of Gwynedd Early Versions Traced through Cunedda Wledig The Pedigree from Beli Mawr to Adam The Pedigree of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd The Exeter 3514 Genealogies Mortimer Genealogies The Fifteenth-Century Extended Galfridian Pedigree Coda Appendix A: Supporting Material A.2.1: Manuscripts of the St Cadog Genealogies A.2.2: The St Cadog Genealogies A.2.3: Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Use of the St Davids Recension A.3.1: The Contents of Jesus 20 A.3.2: The Jesus 20 King-list A.3.3: Pedigrees from the Pseudo-Rhodri Mawr Recension A.3.4: A Welsh Version of the Brychan Narrative: 'Sarth Marthin gynt, ynawr Brycheiniawc' A.3.5: Witnesses to the Ceredig Tract A.3.6: The Sons of Glywys A.4.1: Witnesses to Ieuan Brechfa’s Lost Manuscript(s) A.4.2: Witnesses to Henry Salesbury’s Lost Manuscript A.4.3: 'Bonedd y Llwythau' A.4.4: Additional Material in 'Llyma Dalm o Weheliaethau a Llwythau Cymru' A.4.5: The Use of 'De gestis Britonum' in the Pedigree of Beli Mawr A.4.6: The Use of 'Historia Gruffud vab Kenan' in the Llywelyn ab Iorwerth Genealogies A.4.7: Pedigrees from the St Davids Recension A.5.1: 'Cyprius quidam filius Ieuan' and its Relatives A.5.2: The Fifteenth-Century Extended Galfridian Pedigree Appendix B: Editions B.1: The St Davids Recension B.2: The Jesus 20 Genealogies B.3: Gwehelyth Morgannwg B.4: The Llywelyn ab Iorwerth Genealogies B.5: The Gutun Owain Recension of the Llywelyn ab Iorwerth Genealogies B.6: 'Llyma Dalm o Weheliaethau a Llwythau Cymru' B.7: 'Llyma Frychan Brycheiniog a’i blant' B.8: 'Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd' B.9: The Mostyn Genealogies B.10: The 'Cwtta Cyfarwydd Genealogies' B.11: 'Brenhinllwyth Morgannwg' Bibliography General Index Index of Genealogies Index of Manuscripts