Powys, House of

Ancient kingdom in Wales, bordering England in the east. It was frequently threatened from the east, and lands in the present English counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Shropshire were lost following the incursion of the Mercians in the period leading up to the construction in the late 8th century of Offa's Dyke between the two countries. The rulers of Powys often fought those of neighbouring Gwynedd. The last ruler of Powys as an intact kingdom was Madog ap Maredudd. His successors ruled over a Powys divided into north and south. The name was restored for the present county of Powys, formed in 1974 from the counties of Breconshire, Mongomeryshire, and Radnorshire.