Hugh of Rhuddlan
Hugh of Rhuddlan, also known as Hue de Rotelande, was a Cambro-Norman poet who wrote in Anglo-Norman in the late 12th century. He was a cleric from Rhuddlan and worked in Credenhill, Herefordshire. His patron was Gilbert de Monmouth Fitz Baderon, a grandson of Gilbert Fitz Richard.
He produced two long verse romances, Ipomedon and Protheselaus, each more than 10,000 lines long and written in octosyllabic verse, in the 1180s. The names come from Le Roman de Thèbes, and the stories are set in Italy. Protheselaus is sometimes criticized for its weak narrative. The plot follows a hero who learns that Medea has rejected him, faces danger, serves at Medea’s court, is imprisoned, and is eventually reunited with Medea and they marry.
Ipomedon was translated into Middle English several times, sometimes called Ippomedon in sources. A 16th-century translation, The Life of Ipomydon, was made by Robert Copland and printed by Wynkyn de Worde.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:19 (CET).