Cynan ab Iago

This Welsh name means Cynan son of Iago.

Cynan ab Iago (c. 1014^{[citation needed]} – c. 1063) was a Welsh prince of the House of Aberffraw. His father, Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig, became King of Gwynedd in 1023, and his son, Gruffudd, later became king.

Cynan ab Iago
Prince of Gwynedd
Born	c. 1014
Died	1063 (aged 48–49)
Spouse	Ragnhild of Dublin [cy][1][2]
Issue	Gruffudd ap Cynan
House	House of Aberffraw
Father	Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig

Iago was King of Gwynedd from 1023 to 1039 but was killed (possibly by his own men) while Cynan was still young. The throne was seized by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, a member of a cadet branch of the royal dynasty. Cynan fled to Ireland and took refuge in the Kingdom of Dublin. He married Ragnhild (Old Norse: Ragnhildr),^[3][4][a] the daughter of Olaf Arneid (lit. 'Olaf the Blind'; a.k.a. Olaf Sigtrygsson and Amlaíb mac Sitriuc) and the granddaughter of King Sigtrygg Silkbeard.^[6] His wife was descended from Brian Boru through her father's mother Sláine ingen Briain and his wife's mother was the daughter of a son of King of Leinster Túathal mac Úgaire [ga].^[6] The spelling Ragnailt appears on the list of fair women known as Bansenchas [de; cy] recorded in the Book of Leinster^[5] and elsewhere.

It can be inferred that he died soon after the birth of his son Gruffudd, as the twelfth century work^[7] written in Middle Welsh titled "Historia hen Gruffud vab Kenan vab Yago"^[7][8] (lit. 'Ancient History of Gruffudd ap Cynan ap Iago')^[7][9] details Cynan's ancestry but omits him from its account of Gruffudd's youth. Instead, Gruffudd's mother tells him about his father and the patrimony he should claim across the sea.^[10] Following two major Saxon invasions under Harold and Tostig Godwinson, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was killed in 1063: the later Welsh Brut y Tywysogion reported he was done in by his own men, while the Ulster Chronicle states he was killed by Cynan ab Iago in 1064.

The only record referring to Cynan as King of Gwynedd is the Historia hen Gruffud vab Kenan vab Yago. It is believed that the Historia was written from an earlier Latin manuscript written after the death of Gruffudd ap Cynan and during the early reign of Owain Gwynedd.^[7][11] It was first published as Buchedd neu Hanes Gruffud ap Kenan (lit. 'The Life and History of Gruffudd ap Cynan') in The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales in the nineteenth century.^[12] Gruffudd, his son, was unusually referred to as grandson of Iago rather than the son of Cynan, which suggests Cynan was not well known.^[9]

Children

• Gruffudd