Cadafael Cadomedd ap Cynfeddw

Who was Cadafael Cadomedd ap Cynfeddw?

Cadafael ap Cynfeddw was King of Gwynedd. He came to the throne when his predecessor, King Cadwallon ap Cadfan, was killed in battle, and his primary notability is in having gained the disrespectful sobriquet Cadafael Cadomedd.

Unusual for the era, King Cadafael was not a member of one the leading families of Gwynedd. His name appears in the Welsh Triads as one of the "Three kings, who were of the sons of strangers", where he is identified as "Cadafael, son of Cynfeddw in Gwynedd".

Cadafael's reign was a critical time for the future of the Cymry. There was an alliance of the Cymry with Penda of Mercia initially forged by Cadwallon ap Cadfan, and there was ongoing warfare against the then-ascendant Kingdom of Northumbria.

Though the alliance was effective and enjoyed several notable successes, it would end disastrously with the death of Penda and a Northumbrian supremacy both in the north and in the English Midlands. The kingdoms of Pengwern, Manaw Gododdin, Gododdin, and Rheged would be permanently obliterated. The kingdoms of Gwynedd, Powys, and Alt Clud would be diminished. The blame for it fell hardest on Cadafael's reputation.