Y Rhew

Chronicle Entry

Recorded by Brother Wyn of Caermynach, Anno Domini 917
Period of Practice: Early Iron Age to approximately 587 BC
Region: Borderlands between Powys and Brycheiniog
Translation: The Frost

Y rhew was a maintained peace arrangement between the Ordovices of Powys and the Silures of Brycheiniog during the Early Iron Age. The term translates as "the frost."

The Record

Y rhew functioned as a cold peace between two rival powers. Villages situated in the gap between the Ordovices of Powys to the north and the Silures of Brycheiniog to the south paid tribute to both chiefdoms, which created a balance that discouraged open conflict. Each side benefited from these payments and neither wished the other to gain advantage through conquest of the borderland settlements.

The arrangement kept both chiefdoms prosperous through tribute while preventing the destruction that accompanies war. Warriors from both sides understood that genuine conflict would burn the borderlands first, consuming the villages that provided regular payments. The stability served the interests of both powers, though it required the villages caught between them to maintain careful neutrality.

Knowledge of y rhew was closely guarded by those who benefited from its continuation. Warriors from both chiefdoms coordinated to eliminate threats to the arrangement. Any person who possessed detailed understanding of how y rhew functioned became dangerous, as that knowledge could destabilize the balance between the powers.

History

Y rhew developed during the Early Iron Age as the Ordovices of Powys and the Silures of Brycheiniog established their respective territories. Villages in the borderlands between the two chiefdoms were too distant from either power to be effectively controlled, yet close enough to be taxed. The solution required these settlements to pay tribute to both sides.

This arrangement proved more profitable than warfare. The villages remained productive, the chiefdoms received regular payments, and neither side gained territorial advantage over the other. Warriors from both Powys and Brycheiniog enforced the system, occasionally cooperating to protect their shared interests despite their rivalry.

The villages under y rhew included Garth, Beulah, and settlements near Builth Wells. Each sent annual tribute of livestock or goods to both chiefdoms. The payments kept the villages small and prevented them from uniting, as neither chiefdom wished to see a consolidated power emerge in the gap between them.

In 587 BC, knowledge of y rhew became known to a healer named Nest ferch Ifor, who had treated warriors from both sides and learned details of the arrangement from fevered men. Warriors from both chiefdoms pursued her with unusual coordination, recognizing that her knowledge threatened the stability of y rhew. Her fate thereafter was not recorded in church documents.

In Practice

Villages under y rhew lived with constant awareness of their position between two powers. They maintained strict neutrality and avoided actions that might give either chiefdom cause to view them as aligned with the other. The tribute payments were substantial but predictable, allowing for planning.

The arrangement discouraged village cooperation. Each settlement dealt separately with both chiefdoms, and any attempt to combine forces or share resources would have been viewed as a threat by the powers above them. This isolation was intentional, keeping the borderland villages weak enough to be controlled but productive enough to be worth preserving.

Warriors from Powys and Brycheiniog met occasionally to coordinate enforcement of y rhew. Despite their rivalry, both sides recognized that the cold peace benefited them more than conquest would. Open conflict would destroy the villages that generated tribute, and neither chiefdom wished to bear the cost of occupation while the other reaped advantage elsewhere.

Final Entry

Y rhew began to fracture around 587 BC, though the arrangement did not collapse entirely. The cold peace continued in different forms for several centuries thereafter, adapting to changing circumstances in the borderlands. Various settlements maintained versions of the dual tribute system, each modified according to local conditions and the shifting balance between the powers.

The arrangement persisted until the emergence of Buallt on the south banks of the Wye. The rise of this settlement altered the balance in the borderlands sufficiently that y rhew in its original form could no longer be maintained. By the time of this writing, the system has transformed beyond recognition, though traces of the old arrangements remain in how certain villages relate to their overlords.

Category: Laws and Customs
Tags: Powys, Brycheiniog, Tribute, Cold Peace