Of course, King Stephen did “steal” his uncle’s throne, and he and the Empress Matilda engaged in a nearly twenty year battle to restore that throne to its rightful heirs. In the end, the Church backed Henry I’s grandson, and so began the reign of the Plantagenets.
Maelgwn ap Cadwallon, also known as Maelgwn Gwynedd, was also a true historical figure. He was the Dragon Lord of Anglesey and he did inherit the dragon pennants from his father. Although little is known of him, precisely, I tried to remain true to what I learned. According to contemporary sources, he was actually an ally of Rome, and he fought many, many battles with them against invading Saxons. He did kill his uncle, and he did enter a monastery. He was also said to have died of a “Yellow Plague.” One tale claims he was cursed by Taliesin, another claims he was cursed by a sword—perhaps Excalibur? According to some sources, he’s buried at Llanrhos Church in Wales and to others, on Puffin Island.
Uther himself is a shadowy figure. What is known of him comes from fragments of literature in the Welsh Triads and various other epic poems, including a death song in the Book of Taliesin. His biography, as we know it, was first written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae. But, in fact, the name “Uther” has never appeared otherwise in contemporary records. Some historians believe that his name Uther is a descriptor, derived from Welsh uthr meaning “terrible” and that he was possibly a historical figure called Vortigern, who is sometimes named as King Arthur’s father.
However, though much is written about King Arthur (generally speaking), and he doesn’t live in my story, except as brief mentions, there’s actually no proof that Arthur existed either.
As for Taliesin (also known as Merlin and Emrys throughout literature), he has many mentions throughout the Mabinogion, and there are intriguing new sources that give him an entirely new identity and history, placing him in Scotland. If you want to read more about that, you might enjoy Finding Arthur or Finding Merlin by Adam Ardrey.
Naturally, I took many liberties with all their stories in order to create a rich tapestry, and alternate history for you, one I hope will live in your hearts as much as it does in mine.
In the end, I very much feel these people could have lived in that time and place, and I’m sad to see this story end. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end, and so, with much love, until next time, I leave you with the immortal words of William Butler Yeats from The Celtic Twilight:
“I have desired, like every artist, to create a little world out of the beautiful, pleasant, and significant things of this marred and clumsy world…”