Gododdin

From Freepedia

The Gododdin (pronounced [go'doðin]) were a Brythonic people of north-eastern Britain in the sub-Roman period, best known as the subject of the 7th century Welsh series of poems known as Y Gododdin, attributed to Aneirin.

The name Gododdin is the Modern Welsh form; it is derived, via earlier Welsh Guotodin, from Brythonic Votadini, attested in Latin texts.

Their kingdom extended from the Stirling area to the Northumberland kingdom of 'Brynaich', and including what are now the Lothian and Borders regions of eastern Scotland. Those living around Stirling were known as the Manaw Gododdin. Its capital was probably at first the Traprain Law hillfort in East Lothian, moving later to Din Eidyn (Edinburgh, still known as Dùn Èideann in Gaelic).

In the wake of Roman withdrawal around 400 Coel Hen (Old King Cole), who Kessler suggests may have been the last of the Roman Duces Brittanniarum (Dukes of the Britons), took over the northern capital at Eburacum (York) and became High King of Northern Britain, ruling over what had been the northern provinces, including the lands of the Votadini. After his death the North began to divide. By about 470 most of the Votadini's lands became the kingdom of Gododdin, while the southern part of their territory between the Tweed and the Tyne bacame a separate kingdom called Brynaich. Cunedda, legendary founder of the Kingdom of Gwynedd in north Wales, is supposed to have been a Gododdin warlord who migrated south-west about this time.

In the 6th century Brynaich was invaded by the Angles and become known as Bernicia. The Angles continued to press north. In ca. 600 about 300 men of the Gododdin fell in the battle of Catraeth (probably Catterick in North Yorkshire), as recorded in Aneirin's poem-cycle Y Gododdin.

By about 638 'Din Eidyn' had fallen, and the Gododdin came under the rule of Bernicia. To what extent the native population was replaced is unknown. Bernicia became part of Northumbria, and by 954 was overrun by the Danish kingdom of York. Shortly afterwards this came under a unified England, then in 1018 Malcolm II brought the region as far as the River Tweed under Scottish rule.

References

• Scotland Before History - Stuart Piggott, Edinburgh University Press 1982, ISBN -07524-1400-3
• Scotland's Hidden History - Ian Armit, Tempus (in association with Historic Scotland) 1998, ISBN 0-7486-6067-4

External links

• Ancient Lothian - Histories - Celtic Gododdin
• Kessler - Kingdoms of British Celts - Goutodin
• Kessler - The Kings of Northern Britain
• Kingdoms of British Celts - Goutodin
• Edinburgh Castle, and comment on "Y Gododdin"