Post-Roman foundation and Irish influence While there is little written history in the period following the
Roman withdrawal from Britain, lists of the Kings of Dyfed do feature in
Medieval sources such as the
Harleian genealogies and later
genealogies from Jesus College MS 20. These lists start with the semi-legendry figure of
Triffyn Farfog and his son and heir,
Aergol Lawhir Triffyn's name may derive from the
Latin title
tribunus, and he is variously stated to be the son of Owain Fraisg, a descendant of the
Roman Emperor Constantine I and the Roman usuper
Macsen Wledig. of Dyfed, found at Castell Dwyran dating from circa.550 AD. The Latin inscription (centre) gives the late Imperial title of "protector", while the
Ogham inscription (along the left edge) is evidence of Irish influence. It was during this period that Dyfed saw much
Irish settlement, and Triffyn is possibly named as
Triphun in the Irish narrative,
The Expulsion of the Déisi as a great-grandson of
Eochaid Allmuir ("Eochaid the Foreigner"). The narrative describes how Eochaid traveled oversea with his descendants and settling in a place named
Demed, before giving a line of his descendants down to Tudor map Regin (named as
Tualodor mac Rígin). The Irish influence on the early kingdom lasted until the 5th century but is evidenced by the twenty
Ogham stones found in the area. Some of the stones are
bilingual and show a mix of Roman and Celtic heritage. The Ogham inscription on a stone at Castelldwyran, near
Narberth dedicated to the 6th century king
Vortiporius still gives him the late Imperial Roman title of "protector".
Church life During the
Age of the Saints, Dyfed may have had as many as seven
bishops, called in Latin
sacerdotes, one for each cantref; their sees were called
parochia. However, by the High Middle Ages the
Diocese of St Davids emerged as one of only three episcopal
dioceses in Wales, with St Davids covering all of
West Wales and part of
Mid Wales.
Viking raids Dyfed was subject to extensive raids during the
Viking Age between the 8th and 11th centuries, causing social and political instability, and with the Vikings establishing settlements in southern Dyfed. By the latter part of the 9th century, the rulers of Dyfed had grown cautious of the influence of the sons of
Rhodri the Great, and sought out an alliance and the patronage of
Alfred the Great of England. Historical attempts have been made to cast the relationship as one as a confederation of Christian unity on the isle of Britain, under the leadership of Alfred, against the heathen Danes. However, there evolved a significant degree of coercion in the relationship, according to Davies. "The recognition by Welsh rulers that the king of England had claims upon them would be a central fact in the subsequent political history of Wales," according to Davies. In about 904, Dyfed's ruler,
Llywarch ap Hyfaidd, died, leaving his daughter Elen ferch Llywarch (893–943) as his heiress. Elen was married to
Hywel Dda, ruler of neighbouring
Seisyllwg and grandson of
Rhodri the Great through his second son,
Cadell ap Rhodri.
Through his marriage to Elen, Hywel incorporated Dyfed into an enlarged realm to be known as
Deheubarth, meaning the "south part", and later went on to conquer
Powys and
Gwynedd. However, both Powys and Gwynedd returned to their native dynasties on Hywel's death in 950. Hwyel's grandson
Maredudd ab Owain recreated the kingdom of his grandfather, but his rule was beset with increasing Viking raids during the latter part of the 10th century. It is during this period that Viking settlements increased, particularly in the area in the
cantref of Penfro, with other Viking settlements and trading station at
Haverfordwest,
Fishguard and
Caldey Island in Dyfed. Viking raids upon the Welsh were "relentless", according to Davies, and Maredudd was compelled to raise taxes to pay the ransoms for Welsh hostages in 993, and in 999 a Viking raiding party attacked St Davids and killed Morganau, the bishop.
Norman invasion Dyfed remained an integral province within Deheubarth until the Norman invasions of Wales between 1068 and 1100. In the Dyfed region, the cantrefi of
Penfro, Rhos,
Cemais and Pebidiog became occupied by Norman overlords. The Normans influenced the election of the Bishops of St Davids, in Pebidiog, from 1115 onwards. The Princes of Deheubarth, and later Llywelyn the Great as the Prince of a virtual Principality of Wales from 1216, fought to recover the region until the
Conquest of Wales by Edward I in 1284 settled the matter. The 1284
Statute of Rhuddlan established the English counties of
Pembrokeshire and
Carmarthenshire out of the region formally known as
Dyfed. By 1138 Dyfed was incorporated into a new
shire called
Pembrokeshire after the
Norman castle built in the
Cantref of Penfro and under the rule of the
Marcher Earl of Pembroke. ==See also==