Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Bledri
BLEDRI, surnamed Ddoeth or the Wise (d. 1022?), was an early bishop of Llandaff. His history is almost entirely derived from suspicious or late sources. But, if they can be believed, his election as bishop by the kings, clergy, and people of Morganwg, his investiture with the pastoral staff by Æthelred the Unready in the royal court, and his consecration by Archbishop Ælfric of Canterbury, illustrate very remarkably the dependence of Wales on England, which the imperial policy of Eadgar and Dunstan had produced, and the way in which the metro-political jurisdiction of Canterbury followed the temporal supremacy of the English king. As Ælfric was archbishop between 995 and 1005, Bledri's appointment must have taken place within those years, and not in 983 as the original authority puts it. During Bledri's episcopate three important grants of land were made to the see of Llandaff, one of which came from Edwin, king of Gwent, as compensation for an outrage inflicted upon the bishop. A dispute had arisen between Edwin and Bledri, which resulted in a tumult, in which the bishop was wounded by some of Edwin's household. A synod of the clergy met at Llandaff, excommunicated the offenders, and placed Gwent under an interdict. The terrors of the church's censures led to Edwin's submission.
Bledri was called the Wise, and is said to have been the first scholar of his time in Wales. At a time when the famous school of St. David's was falling into decay. Bledri revived and disseminated learning in his diocese, by insisting that every priest should establish a sort of school in his church, 'that every one might know his duty to God and man.' Bledri died in 1022 or 1023.