The Celts (6)
I was telling you about the Celtic kingdom – Rheged. Urien was the king
at the end of the sixth century. He and other British kings worked
together against the Angles. But Urien was killed by another Celt and
that weakened the Celtic cause.
Urien’s son, Owain map Urien, was alive only a few years. He was also
killed, and by another Celt. Old Welsh manuscripts tell us about a
battle between the Britons and the Angles at Catterick. The Angles won.
In the sixth century, Rheged disappeared as a Celtic kingdom.
The language didn’t disappear immediately, however. The Welsh talk
about the Hen Ogledd – the old north – the area in which the Old
Brythonic language was spoken. The language survived until around the
twelfth century.
But what happened to the British kingdoms in the south of Scotland?
Well, Lothian came under the influence of the Angles in the sixth
century. But Strathclyde continued as a British kingdom for a period.
The headquarters of the Britons in Strathclyde was in Dumbarton.
At the end of the ninth century, the Vikings laid siege to Dumbarton.
After four months the Britons surrendered. The Vikings took hundreds of
people to Ireland.
The Gaels and the Picts – who were now united – were influencing
Strathclyde around this time. Some of the Britons left for Wales. The
last British king of Strathclyde was killed at the Battle of Carham in
the Borders in the year 1018. He was fighting for Scotland against the
Northumbrian English.
Finally, there were just two places where the P-Celts were strong –
Cornwall and Wales. Through the middle ages the people of Cornwall were
still very Celtic. Cornwall came under the control of England, but the
language and culture continued, and they had strong connections to
Brittany.
Then the Tudors came to the English throne. In spite of the fact that their
roots were in Wales, they were not well-disposed to the Cornish, as we
shall see next week.
Na Ceiltich (6)
Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mun t-seann rìoghachd Cheiltich – Rheged. B’ e Urien
an rìgh aig deireadh an t-siathamh linn. Dh’obraich e fhèin agus rìghrean
Breatannach eile còmhla an aghaidh nan Anglach. Ach bha Urien air a
mharbhadh le Ceilteach eile agus lagaich sin cùis nan Ceilteach.
Bha mac Urien, Owain map Urien, beò dìreach beagan bhliadhnaichean. Bha
esan air a mharbhadh cuideachd, agus le Ceilteach eile. Tha seann
làmh-sgrìobhainnean Cuimreach ag innse dhuinn mu bhatail eadar na
Breatannaich agus na h-Anglaich aig Catterick. Bhuannaich na h-Anglaich.
Anns an t-seachdamh linn, chaidh Rheged à bith mar rìoghachd Cheilteach.
Cha do dh’fhalbh an cànan sa mhionaid, ge-tà. Bidh na Cuimrich a’ bruidhinn
mun Hen Ogledd – an seann cheann a tuath – an sgìre anns an robhar
a’ bruidhinn na Seann Bhreatannais. Bha an cànan beò gu timcheall an dàrna
linn deug.
Ach dè thachair do na rìoghachdan Breatannach ann an ceann a deas na
h-Alba? Uill, thàinig Lodainn fo bhuaidh nan Anglach anns an t-siathamh
linn. Ach lean Srath Chluaidh mar rìoghachd Bhreatannach airson ùine. Bha
prìomh àros nam Breatannach ann an Srath Chluaidh aig Dùn Breatann.
Aig deireadh an naoidheamh linn, chuir na Lochlannaich Dùn Breatann fo
shèist. An dèidh ceithir mìosan ghèill na Breatannaich. Thug na
Lochlannaich na ceudan dhaoine air falbh a dh’Èirinn.
Bha na Gàidheil agus Cruithnich – a bha a-nise aonaichte – a’ toirt buaidh
air Srath Chluaidh mun aon àm. Dh’fhalbh cuid de na Breatannaich don
Cuimrigh. Bha an rìgh Breatannach mu dheireadh aig Srath Chluaidh air a
mharbhadh aig Blàr Charham anns na Crìochan anns a’ bhliadhna mìle ʼs
ochd-deug (1018). Bha e a’ sabaid às leth Alba an aghaidh Sasannaich
Northumbria.
Mu dheireadh, bha dìreach dà àite far an robh na P-Ceiltich làidir – a’
Chòrn agus a’ Chuimrigh. Tro na meadhan-aoisean bha muinntir na Cùirn
fhathast gu math Ceilteach. Thàinig a’ Chòrn fo smachd Shasainn, ach lean
an cànan ʼs an cultar, agus bha ceanglaichean làidir aca leis a’ Bhreatainn
Bhig.
An uair sin thàinig na Tudoraich gu rìgh-chathair Shasainn. A dh’aindeoin
ʼs gun robh am freumhaichean anns a’ Chuimrigh, cha robh iad bàigheil ris
na Còrnaich, mar a chì sinn an-ath-sheachdain.
