Mandubracius

King of the Trinobantes in the time of Julius Caesar (ca. 55 BCE).

In De Bello Gallico, Mandubracius is mentioned as a king of the Trinobantes. He was deposed by Cassivellaunus, king of the Catuvellauni, until restored by Caesar in his war against Cassivellaunus.

In some manuscripts of Paul Orosius' Seven Books of History Against the Pagans, a popular work in Britain, Mandubracius is named as Mandubragius, but in some he is Andragorius. It is this varation that gave rise to the medieval name Androgenus (in Welsh Afarwy) as the foolish duke of Trinovantum (London) in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History. In Geoffrey, he is the son of Lud and nephew of Cassibellaunus, who becomes king instead of the young Adrogenus. Androgenus is given the dukedom of Trinovantum, echoing Mandubracius' kingship of the Trinobantes.

In some manuscripts, his father is identified as Imanuentius. Because of this--and the story of his deposition by Cassivellaunus--John Koch has identified him as the origin of Manawydan in the Mabinogi. Like Mandubracius, Manawydan was deposed of his kingship by Caswallawn. Koch also derives Manawydan from the reconstructed Mannuetiagnus "son of Mannuetios", based on the assumption that Imanuentius was originally Mannue:tios.

Certainly, it seems that part of Manawydan's story is derived from Mandubracius; what this means for Manawydan, or even Manannan mac Lir, is unclear.

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