Aidan of Gwynedd
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In the fictional universe of the Deryni novels of Katherine Kurtz, Aidan Haldane was the second King of Gwynedd, ruling from 673 to 698.
Aidan Alexander Haldane was born on October 12, 627, the eldest son of Lord Augarin Haldane and Queen Rosemaryn MacLean. Aidan rose from the son of a count to a royal prince when his father successfully conquered the neighboring lands of Carthane in 645 and was crowned as King of Haldane, though the official name of the kingdom was changed to Gwynedd in 647. King Augarin died in 673, but Aidan's right to throne was challenged by his half-brother Prince Donal, who claimed that there were several legal irregularities that nullified King Augarin's first marriage and thus made Aidan ineligible for throne. (As the eldest son of Augarin's second wife, Donal stood to become king himself if his claims could be proven.) Aidan summoned an ecclesiastical court led by the Archbishop of Valoret to review the charges, but the court ruled that Augarin's first marriage was indeed valid, thus certifying Aidan's claim to the throne. Aidan finally succeeded his father at the age of 45 and was crowned King of Gwynedd on April 11, 673. (Though he was only the second King of Gwynedd, he was officially crowned as King Aidan III, a style that referred to the two previous Aidans who had previously ruled the land as Counts of Haldane. This was the only time that a King of Gwynedd was crowned with a style that referenced the Counts of Haldane.) Aidan engaged in several military campaigns that successfully enlarged the borders of Gwynedd, effectively doubling the size of the kingdom by 679, when he assumed the subsidiary title of "Lord of the Purple March." However, a series of military defeats in the 680s halted further expansion, despite the king's continuous efforts. King Aidan Haldane was killed at the Battle of Ebor on July 7, 698, at the age of 70. Aidan's youngest and only surviving son, Prince Ifor, was severely wounded in the same battle and never assumed his father's throne. Aidan was eventually succeeded by his half-brother, Prince Llarik Haldane.
[edit] Family
- Married Princess Sinead of Kheldour on July 1, 659.
[edit] Sources
- Katherine Kurtz and Robert Reginald, Codex Derynianus, ISBN 0-89370-011-8
| Preceded by Augarin Haldane |
King of Gwynedd 673 - 698 |
Succeeded by Llarik Haldane |
