Emrys Wledig: a Cymric Hero, (Protector Ambrose)

Synonyms: Embrys Wledic, Ambrosius Aurelianus
Cym: Protector Ambrosius

Emrys Wledig, Ambrosius Aurelianus is an historical figure whose story has accrued a large number of myths and legends over the centuries. However, apart from a few Cymric folk-tales concerning him most of the information we have about Emrys Wledig comes from Gildas' De Excidio Britannia, Nennius' Historia Brittonum and Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. Though the accounts vary in terms of their detail and the amount of legendary within them something of the events concerning Ambrosius Aurelianus' life can still be discovered from them.

We start with Gildas who, in his extended sermon De Excidio Britannia (c 540 CE) mentions Ambrosius Aurelianus as one of the few characters actually named by him. Recalling events just after the Saxon revolt and describing the plight of the Britons, Gildas says 'After a time, when the cuel plunderers had gone home, god gave strength to the survivors. Wretched people fled to them from all directions, as eagerly as bees to the beehive when a storm threatens, and begged whole heartedly, 'burdening heaven with un-numbered paryers', that they should not be altogether destroyed. Their leader was Ambrosius Aurelianus, a gentleman who, perhaps alone of the Romans, had survived the shock of this notable storm; certainly his parents, who had worn the purple, were slain in it. His descendants in our day, have become greatly inferior to their grandfather's excellence. Under him our people regained their strength and challenged the victors in battle. The lord assented, the battle went their way.' This text is intresting for several reasons; in that Gildas, who hardly seems to have a kind word to say about anyone seems in awe of Ambrosius Aurelianus. It also indicates that several generations of the Aurelianii were known and that the dynasty was founded by a man who held high Roman office and thus 'wore the purple'. According to Gildas Ambrosius Aurelianus organised the survivors into a disciplined armed force and they gained the first major victory over the Saxon invaders.

Nennius' Historia Brittonum also preserves several fragments of lore concerning Ambrosius Aurelianus; the first of which is the tale of Gwrtheyrn's (Vortigern's) quest to build a fortress at Dinas Emrys (literally Ambrosius' fortification) where each time the fortress is built an earthquake demolishes it )surprisingly for Britain the region is geologically active and lies near one of our few geologic fault lines). Gwrtheyrn lears from his wise men that the city can only be built if the underlying rocks are given the libation of the blood of a fatherless child. Such a child is sought, and he is Ambrosius Aurelinus. But the precociouschild tells Gwrtheyrn that the earthquakes are caused by the battling of two dragons, a red (represinting the Cymric peoples) and a White (representing the invading Saxons) and that though the red dragon is currently oppressed by the white, it will eventually prevail. However, whilst the dragons fight no premanent structure can be built at the site of Dinas Emrys. Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae also relates the same tale but substitutes Myrddin Emrys/Merlin for Ambrosius Aurelianus. Later in the Historia Brittonum Nennius notes that Gwrtheyrn (Vortigern) lived in fear of Ambrosius. In a later chapter (66) various events are dated from the battle of Guolph (c 439 CE and identified with Wallop near Amesbury) where Aurelius did battle with 'Vitolinus' or 'Guitolinus' which is remarkably close the the Cymric form of Vortigern, Gwrtheyrn. Gildas also names Ambrosius Aurelianus as being present at the battle of Badon, where the forces of the Britons, generally held to be led by Arthur were victorous. From the Annales Cambriae, this battle can be identifeid as occurring in 516 CE, which gives us a problem for, to have been Vortigern's main opponent and to have also been present at Badon Ambrosius Aurelianus would have to have been at least ninety years old!

Could the Ambrosius Aurelianus who threatened Vortigern in the 425s and the Ambrosius Aurelianus who fought at Badon in 516 have been the same man? The answer is patently no... Thus we are left with two separate Ambrosii. The first who threatened the security of Vortigern and the second (possibly the original Ambriosius's son) who fought at Badon. If this were a dynastic succession it would explain the confusion apparent to all the early interpreters of the tale and might hint at an original Cymric mythos of two Ambrosii who subsequently became conflated. The first of these being Vortigern's opponent who was Gildas' 'wearer of the purple'. Assuming that Gildas was being literal with this statement then this narrows the list of potential candidates quite considerably. It should be noted, however, that for most of the history of Imperial Rome this would have been a very select few — emperors and consuls only. However, during his rule Constantine the Great instigated a number of reforms, placing more reforms in the hands of local governors, so that by the early fifth century the highest tier of Roman officialdom in Britain would have included the Vicarius (who are largely known to us) as the highest official and responisble for the whole of Britain to whom reported five provincial governors, one for each sub-division of Roman Britain. As a true Roman official, excercising Roman authority it is possible that Ambrosius Aurelianus' father was one of these governors (see this site for more in-depth analysis). This certainly seems to fit-in with Gildas who portrays Ambrosius' father as a 'Roman' ie part of the legitimate Roman power-base in Britain and thus not a native high-king or a proto-Roman usurper. For the sake of simplicity, the original Ambrosius, the Roman governor of one of the British provinces will be referred to as 'Ambrosius the Elder' and his son will be referred to as 'Ambrosius Aurelianus'; and with this distinction drawn we can examine the two men independently.

Ambrosius the Elder

It is obvious that the career of Ambrosius the Elder is intertwined with that of Gwrtheyrn (Vortigern). From the chronology of the Historia Brittonum Gwrtheyrn gained the high kingsip of the Britons in 425 CE. The Romans left Britain to its own devices in 410 CE and if Ambrosius the Elder was truly a provincial governor then, to be considered a Roman by Bede he would have been brough in from outisde Britain and would have assumed his role before the final Roman departure, perhaps in the 390s. From this we can suppose that Ambrosius the Elder was born in the 370s, putting him in his early forties at 425 CE. In 428 CE Gwrtheyrn posts the first Saxon fœderati in Kent; they being brought in to discourage raids from the Picts and the Irish as well as eliminating any chance that the Romans would return — which might well explain why the Saxons were housed in Kent to defend the south coast. As a representative of the old order Ambrosius the Elder might have been expected to support Gwrtheyrn as a stabilizing force. This may have been the case for the early years of Gwrtheyrn's reign, but it is undeniable that some kind of rift occurred between the two men. Was this because of Gwrtheyrn's posting of fœderati? If this was the case then it may have been that the Kentish posting of the Saxons was ajacent to the realm of Ambrosius the Elder's governorship. Certainly, tradition and placenames would suggest that the area of Ambrosius the Eder's activities were concentrated in southern Britain. Was he the governor of Maxima Caesarensis; the region of southern Britain covering Londinium and the south east.

Nennius records an event occurring c 437 CE where a council occurs betweeen Gwrtheyrn and Hengist, leader of the Saxons where Kent is ceded to the fœderati and it may be this event that led to the final break between Ambrosius the Elder and Gwrtheyrn. From this point it seems that conflict is inevitable and we have the battle of Wallop in Hampshire where Ambrosius the Elder does battle with Gwrtheyrn. Though there are no surviving records of the battle, it is clear tha Gwrtheyrn remained on the throne, which suggests that Ambrosius the Elder lost. Whether he was killed in this battle, in succeeding pogroms or the Saxon revolt that occured shortly after, it would seem that an attempt was made to destroy him and his family. If Geoffrey of Monmouth is recording a real tradition about Ambrosius that a 'comet was seen at the time of his death' then this would place his demise somewhere around he winter of 442 CE during the midst of the Saxon unrest. Subsequent to this Ambrosius the Elder's son went into hiding with Geoffrey placing him in Brittany (as was Geoffrey's want) whilst Nennius places his 'boy without a father' in South Wales. One of the few other things we can say about Ambrosius the Elder is that he was probably a christian, which would fit with Gildas' view of the Ambrosii and with Roman practices post Constantine the Great.

Emrys Wledig/Ambrosius Aurelianus

The date of Ambrosius Aurelianus' birth cannot be known for certain. However, if his father died c 442 and if the various traditions linking Gwrtheyrn and the 'fatherless boy' are based in some part on historic truth then Ambrosius Aurelianus would be younger that 16 in the mid 440s (sixteen being the Roman age of maturity) which might indicate that he was born in the mid 430s. All the sources agree with respect to Ambrosius Aurelianus' enmity with Gwrtheyrn, starting with the tale of the prophetic fatherless boy (though Geoffrey substitutes Myrddin Emrys for Emrys Wledig. Nennius says that the men of Gwrtheyrn found Ambrosius Aurelianus, the 'fatherless child', in Glywysin, what is now south-east Wales. In contrast, Geofrey presents the slightly garbled name of Aurelius Ambrosius the son of a 'King Constantine' and brother to Constans and Uthur Pendragon. This has generally been seen to be a mythic creation of Geoffrey's and an attempt to link the figures of Ambrosius and Arthur. However, many of Ambrosius' battles were in the 'Old North' which would seem to be his military power-base. The practice of fostering was also widespread during the time and there were strong links between Gwynedd and Powys and the 'Old North'. Might Gwoffrey's garble account, threfore contain a grain of truth as to where Ambrosius Aurelianus escaped to after his father's death? This would certainly explain why Ambrosius the younger falls into the orbit of Gwrtheyrn once more. If Ambrosius' power-base were the north-western part of the 'Old North'. Geoffrey records a battle between Ambrosius and Gwrtheyrn where Ambrosius is given 'all the kingdoms of the western side of Britain' which may represent his power base. By the late 450s Gwrtheyrn was in retreat in Dyfed until he took final refuge in his fortress of Caer Guorthigirn (Little Dowd in Herefordshire) which, according to Nennius, was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Subsequently Ambrosius made reconciliation with Gwrtheyrn's sons allowing them to retain their territories of Buellt, Gwrtheyrnion, Gwent and Powys. However, Pasgen of Buellt and Gwrtheyrnion rebelled and with the aid of the Saxons twice attempted to over-run Britain.

According to Gildas, Ambrosius Aurelianus rallied his troops and as a battle leader in the Dux Bellorum mould he halted the tide of Saxon advance. Chronicles indicate that Ambrosius may have been the leader who met Hengist, the Saxon leader in battle at Maes Beli (Beli's Field) and then Caer Cynan (Conisburgh). Later he beseiged Caer Efrawg (York) where the Saxons were defeated, but in an act of magnanimity Ambrosius allowed them to settle in Bryneich (Berenicia). Then there is Gildas' mention that Ambrosius Aurelianus was present at the battle of Badon (c 516 CE) where Arthur is said to have struck a decisive blow against the Saxons. This has lead to the proposition that Ambrosius Aurelianus was, himself, Arthur. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth Ambrosius was responsible for the construction of a monumental stone circle at Mount Ambrius (generally assumed to be Avebury or Stonehenge) to commemorate those who fell to Saxon treachery at the 'Night of the Long Knives' during Gwrtheyrn's reign. Geoffrey also says that Ambrosius was poiseoned by a Saxon at Caer Winntguig (Winchester) and that his head was buried within the stone circle he had created. In the fifteenth century Rhys Goch Eryri states a different tradition where Emrys Wledig's head was buried at Dinas Emrys: this being the place where Gwrtheyrn had attempted to build his fortress above the battling dragons. But because of his failure he had gifted the site to Ambrosius and because of this it became known as Dinas Emrys (Ambrosius' Fortress).

A Single Ambrosius

It is possible, of course, that there was only a single Ambrosius Aurelianus, born around the time of the Roman withdrawl and active during the reign of Vortigern. This, however, would rely on the battle of Badon occuring very early (the earlies possible date being estimated at c 486 CE) which would put Ambrosius Aurelianus in or near his seventies. An unlikely but possible age for the times. This would mean that Arthur was the actual battle leader but Aurelius Ambrosianus was the overall commander. From all the evidence this seems unlikely, but it is a possibility that cannot be entirely discounted.

Ambrosius and Cunedda

Cunedda was a leader of the Votadini tribe who led them against Pictish and Irish incursions north of Hadrian's wall. Subsequent to this it seems that Cunedda and his Votadini troops were re-located to Gwynedd to defend the region from Irish invasion. It seems likely that this action was orchestrated by a British leader of some description and the range of dates for these events are suggested to run from the late 370s (which would be at the time of Magnus Maximus to the late 440s. It has been suggested that this latter date would place these events under the control of Gwrtheyrn/Vortigern. But by this time he was under severe pressure from both the Britons and the Saxons. Could Cunedda's migration have been an act by Ambrosius Aurelianius. Certainly Ambrosius had a folkloric connection to Gwynedd (Dinas Emrys) and he would seem, from the evidence presented above, to have his power base in the 'Old North' around the borders of Hadrian's Wall. Interestingly, according to the genealogies Cunedda's grandson, Maelgwn Gwynedd was a contemporary of Gildas', which would make him a contemporary of Ambrosius Aurelius' grand-children, also mentioned by Gildas as his contemporaries which would also make Cunedda Ambrosius' contemporary. Though these genealogies are by no means historically accurate in the modern sense of the term, it is highly suggested. This also agrees with a legend that used to be knwon in Llŷn: The people of Gwynedd were plagued by the Gwyddel and Emrys Wledig (Aurelius Ambrosianus) commanded Arthur to take his painted army from the land of Prydyn to expel the invaders. The men of Llŷn acquiesced to the army and were given their own realm. But the men of Gwynedd fought until they were defeated and their lands were given to the men of Prydyn whom Arthur ruled. At the time of Ambrosius the Llŷn peninsula was an Irish settlement and, indeed, the name Llŷn is derived from the same root as the Irish Leinster. The tale is in some respects a just-so story telling how a Goidelic region becomes Brythonic and explaining the unusual position (semi-autonomous rule) that Llŷn had within Gwynedd. Still, it does tie Ambrosius to a movement of men from the 'Old North'. Could this represent the folk memory of the coming of Cunedda? This is possible but requires further historical examination.

The Cymric Tradition

In Cymric tradition Ambrosius Aurelianus is known as Emrys Wledig. The Emrys part of the name is simply the Cymric form of 'Ambrosius', but the gwledig epithet is interesting and requires careful analysis. The term has had many interpretations and translations. As an epithet, however, it is only ever applied to the nobles of northern and eastern Britain and seems to be applied to a leader of local militia in sub-Roman times. Again this would seem to link Ambrosius Aurelianus with the north-West and make him the battle leader described by Gildas and others. It should also be noted that Cunedda is only ever given the epithet 'gwledic' by later sources and sources closer to his own time do not acccord him this honour. Nor is this honour accorded to Gwrtheyrn and other purely Brythonic 'high kings'. Could Cunedda therefore have been acting under the orders of a 'gwledic'? A number of commmentators, most notably GK Chambers in the Arthur of Britain have suggested that the Cymric term 'gwledig' is the equivalent of the Roman title Protector and this is a title that had some currency in Britain, as evidenced by the toombsotone of Voteporix, a sixth-century prince of Dyfed who has this epithet inscribed on his headstone. This is certainly a title that is applicable to Ambrosius Aurelianus in terms of his battles with the Saxons. Battles that seemed to have reversed the Anglo-Saxon advance and halted it for over a generation.

Ambrosius the Elder

Emrys Wledig/Ambrosius Aurelianus

A Single Ambrosius

Ambrosius and Cunedda

The Cymric Tradition

Navigation