kingdom · British Isles

Kingdom of Meirionnydd

450 CE – 1000 CE (approx.)

Early Welsh kingdom between the Mawddach and the Dyfi, named after a grandson of Cunedda, which gave its name to the later county of Merioneth.

Origins

According to Welsh genealogical tradition, Meirionnydd took its name from Meirion, a grandson of Cunedda, who was granted the land between the rivers Mawddach and Dyfi in the 5th century. Like other Cunedda stories, this is a later legend, but a separate royal line for Meirionnydd is recorded in medieval genealogies.

Rule and society

Little is recorded of its government. The kingdom covered a mountainous coastal region including Cadair Idris, with farming on the valley floors and the coast, and its people were linked by sea with the rest of Cardigan Bay. Its kings appear to have been subordinate to the more powerful rulers of the Kingdom of Gwynedd for much of their history.

Decline and legacy

Meirionnydd was absorbed into the Kingdom of Gwynedd, probably by the 10th century, becoming one of its cantrefi. After the English conquest of 1283 it formed the core of the county of Merioneth, and the name survives in the region of Meirionnydd today.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Meirionnydd. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-meirionnydd
MLA
“Kingdom of Meirionnydd.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-meirionnydd. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Meirionnydd.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-meirionnydd.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Meirionnydd’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-meirionnydd (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻