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A Welsh Classical Dictionary

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A Welsh Classical Dictionary A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY CONMOR. According to Pierre Le Baud (d.1515) Comorus was Count of Léon (Histoire de Bretagne, 1638, p.65). He is also called Count of Poher with its centre at Carhaix (Nora K.Chadwick, Early Brittany, pp.221-2). In the Life of St.Hernin we are told that the saint settled as a hermit in Duault, near Carhaix, where he died and was buried. Conmor, Count of Poher, being impressed by a miracle, ordered a chapel to be erected over the saint's grave (LBS II.465 s.n. Ernin, and LBS III.282 s.n.Hoiernin). According to the seventh century Life of St.Samson (§53, where he is un-named) Conmor was an unjust and unprincipled stranger who had caused Ionas, the hereditary ruler [of Domnonée] to be put to death, so that all the country was in distress. Iudual, the son of Ionas, had been delivered into captivity. In the Life of St.Leonore we are told that Conmor seized power and married the widow of the dead king [Ionas] (wrongly called Righuel, see Riwal). Conmor suspected that his wife was plotting his death for the sake of her son's advancement. When she knew of his suspicions she sent Iudual to take sanctuary with St.Leonore. But hearing of Conmor's approach, Leonore sent Iudual off by sea and when Conmor arrived and demanded the surrender of Iudual, Leonore was able to tell him that he had already left and gone to sea to seek refuge with Childebert [king of Paris 511 - 558]. Conmor at once sent a deputation to Childebert and persuaded him to keep Iudual at Paris in restraint (LBS III.345-6). Childebert had confirmed Conmor in his usurpation and made him his lieutenant in Brittany (LBS I.50- 1, III.345). Conmor granted land in Léon to St.Goueznou (LBS III.222). (Gouesnou, 6 km. norh of Brest). One Easter Eve St.Malo happened to be at Corseul (20km. SSW of St.Malo) and celebrated Mass before Conmor. See s.n. Malo §5. In the Life of St.Melor we are told that Conmor befriended the saint when fleeing from his uncle Rivold, giving him his castle at Beuzit, about a mile west of Lanmeur (11 km. NE of Morlaix) (G.H.Doble, The Saints of Cornwall, III.22). At that time Conmor was married to Melor‘s aunt, the daughter of Budic (1). This was perhaps the widow of Ionas, above (See LBS I.51, 53). Gregory of Tours calls him Chonomer and says that he befriended Macliau of Bro Weroc when he was being pursued by his brother Canao. (History of the Franks, IV.4). When Samson came to Dol (c.550) he at once employed his kinsman, Meven, to agitate against Conmor (LBS III.485). Saints Leonore and Tudual were thorns in the side of Conmor. They fomented discontent and prepared the ground for the rising under the skilful leadership of St.Samson (LBS III.346). St.Armel was another who got on bad terms with Conmor. He was obliged to leave and go to Paris, where he did his utmost to induce Childebert to displace Conmor and restore Iudual. But his efforts were unavailing (LBS I.171) In order to strike terror into the mind of Conmor and to impress on the minds of the people a conviction that he was predestined to defeat and death, a convocation was summoned to meet on the Menez Bré, a rounded hill, about 700 feet high, and conspicuous in the district. It was “an assembly of bishops and people for the excommunication of Conomerus, prefect of the king.” Among those summoned was St.Huervé, a blind saint (From the Life of St.Huervé (Hoernbiu), LBS III.277-8). Samson, filled with compassion, set forth to go to king Hiltbert on Iudual's account (Life of Samson §53). In spite of much opposition at first, the king was finally ‘desirous of pleasing St.Samson in all things.’ (§§54-58). When Samson wished to go back to Brittany with Iudual, the king willingly consented. ... Men, being well-known to St.Samson, at his request came with one accord with Iudual to Brittany. ... God gave victory to Iudual, so that with one blow he overthrew Commorus, the unjust oppressor and himself reigned over all Domnonia with his offspring (§59). Conmor was defeated in three battles and was killed on the slopes of the Monts d'Arée, at Plounéour-Nevez in Léon [Plounéour-Ménez? 17 km. south of Morlaix]. Then Iudual became king over Léon and Domnonia, and richly rewarded the abbots and bishops who had worked so strenuously for him (LBS III.422, 471). 160 A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY The following approximate dates are given by Arthur le Moyne de la Borderie (Histoire de Bretagne, Rennes and Paris, 1896): Conmor becomes Regent of Domnonée 540, befriends Macliau 552, killed 555. In the Breton Life of St.Gildas, which is very legendary as far as Brittany is concerned, we are told that Conomerus was a tyrant who made it a practice, as soon as he learnt that his wife had conceived, to put her to death at once. As a result no man of discretion would have anything to do with him. He demanded that a certain prince named Werocus should give him his daughter in marriage (§20). Weroc would only agree if Conmor would give him St.Gildas as surety. Gildas was persuaded to undertake the protection of Weroc's daughter and to restore her safely to him (§21). When she conceived she realised that Conmor was thinking of killing her, and ran away secretly. But he found her, cut off her head and returned home (§22). The matter was brought to the attention of Gildas who caused the destruction of Conmor's dwelling (§23), restored the girl, Trifina, to life and brought her to her father (§24). She gave birth to a son who was to be named Gildas, but to avoid confusion the Bretons call him Trechmorus. He lived a blessed and saintly life (§25). Weroc, Count of Bro-Weroc, mentioned by Gregory of Tours, reigned 577 to 594? (De la Borderie). Thus if we are to accept the Gildas legend we must either assume two persons named Conmor or two named Weroc. De la Borderie assumed an earlier Weroc I who died c.550 (op.cit., I.442). LBS spells Conmore, but Wade-Evans prefers Conmor (= Welsh Cynfor). (WCO 229, 231). In the Life of St.Paul of Léon mention is made of ‘king Marc who is called by another name, Quonomorius, a powerful monarch under whose rule lived people of four different languages.’ (§8 translated by G.H.Doble in The Saints of Cornwall, I.16). It is surely unparalleled that a king should have two such different names, and it seems probable that the biographer misidentified two different princes with whom St.Paul of Léon came into contact - Marcus in Wales or Cornwall (see March) and Quonomorius (Cunomor) in Léon. Otherwise there is no mention of a prince of Léon in the Life of St.Paul, only the local chief, Withur (PCB, 6 - 8 - 83). CONNYN ap CAW. See Caw of Prydyn. CONSTANS. (Fictitious bishop). Bishop of Winchester at the second consecration of the cathedral in A.D.293 (Thomas Rudborne, Historia Major Wintoniensis (1454) in Henry Wharton's Anglia Sacra, I.186. Quoted William Stubbs, Registrum Sacrum Anglicanum, 2nd. ed. 1897, p.215). CONSTANS son of CONSTANTINUS. CONSTANS ap CUSTENNIN FENDIGAID. (440) Fictitious king of Britain. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth he was the eldest son of Constantinus, who had come from Armorica to take the British throne after the departure of the Romans. On the death of Constantine there was disagreement about the succession, as Constans had become a monk at the church of St.Amphibalus in Winchester. However Vortigern persuaded Constans to quit the monastic order and allow himself to be made king by Vortigern in London. Constans allowed Vortigern to take the government into his own hands, and Vortigern, having gathered all the power to himself, finally arranged to have Constans assassinated by some Picts (HRB VI.5-8). Brut y Brenhinedd calls him Constans Fynach, ‘the monk’. In a triad (TYP no.51), where his death at the instigation of Gwrtheyrn Gwrtheneu is mentioned, he is called Custennin Fychan. There is no doubt that Geoffrey of Monmouth obtained the basic idea of his story from that of Constans, son of the usurping emperor Constantinus. This Constans was also a monk, and nevertheless was raised to the rank of Caesar by his father. See s.n. Constantinus, usurping emperor. Wace called him Constant, but in Arthurian Romance he first appears in the ‘Merlin’ of Robert de Boron under the name Moyne (Maines) (Bruce II.315), evidently because French moine = ‘monk, friar’ 161 A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY CONSTANTINUS, usurping emperor. (d.411). Britain had been devoid of troops since 402, but in the year 406 a force of Roman troops was sent to Lower Britain to protect the country against raids. These troops soon rebelled against the imperial government and a succession of local ‘emperors’ were set up - Marcus, Gratian, and finally in 407 Constantine. In the same year he passed over into Gaul with all the remaining Roman troops. Constantine gained a great victory over the barbarian invaders in Gaul, and soon made himself master of Gaul and Spain, so that the emperor Honorius reluctantly gave him a share in the imperial authority. Constantine had a son Constans, who was a monk, but in spite of this fact he was made Caesar by his father.
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