Caradog, King of Gwynedd
(c.730-798)
(Latin: Caratacus; English: Craddock)

King Caradog ap Meirion was a distant male-line descendant of King Cynlas Goch of Rhos. The family appears to have remained important lords in Eastern Gwynedd long after they ceased to be Kings. After the death of King Rhodri Molwynog of Gwynedd in AD 754, Caradog found himself in a position to seize power and proclaim himself King. He seems to have faced much aggression from the Anglo-Saxon of Mercia, under their new King Coenwulf, who wanted to make his mark and consolidate his border in Tegeingl. Caradog was almost certainly the king who fought them at the Battle of Rhuddlan in AD 796. Traditionally this was a massive defeat for the Welsh. Caradog was killed two years later in Snowdonia, when the Mercians invaded again and pushed deep into Gwynedd. He was succeeded by King Rhodri's deposed son, Cynan Dindaethwy.