Gwrtheyrn

Revision History

loadingDate    Editor    Change Summary
1/21/2022, 9:40 PM Mike C update #111
11/20/2020, 10:42 PM Mike C update #109
11/16/2019, 11:04 AM Mike C update #105
12/8/2017, 12:41 PM Mike C update #97
2/12/2007, 1:03 AM Mike C earliest recorded revision

Gender Masculine
Usage Old Welsh (Modernized)

Meaning & History

From Old Welsh Guorthigirn meaning "supreme king", from guor meaning "over" and tigirn meaning "king, monarch". It is possible that this is not a name, but a title. According to medieval chroniclers, Gwrtheyrn (also known as Vortigern) was a 5th-century king of the Britons. It was he who invited the brothers Hengist and Horsa to Britain, which eventually led to the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England.