Corineus

Corineus was the first king of Cornwall a and the founder of the Kingdom of Cornwall. One of the most legendary people in British history, Corineus laid the foundation for Cornish identity and culture.

Born in 827 BC, Corineus defended his home community in Truro from giant attacks during the Giant Wars. Eventually, he gathered the leaders of the other villages and towns and asked of them to combine their forces to defend against the giants. This led him to being declared leader of the region in 791 BC and ordered the construction of a wall along the Cornish border. This mitigated the giant problem greatly and allowed Cornwall to industrialise and grow whilst under protection, officially forming the Kingdom of Cornwall in 790 BC. Despite their best efforts, however, the giant leader, Gogmagog pressed with his attacks while culminated in the Siege of Cornwall in 788 BC.

The sudden arrival of a band of Europeans on the Cornish shore led by Brutus turned the tide of the battle and defeated the giants. Corineus met with Brutus after killing Gogmagog and formed a good friendship with the Latin exile.

Corineus began his retaliations against the giants for the next 10 years until he was killed by the giant Goemagot. Brutus, angered at the death of his friend, began a campaign to eradicate giants from the British Isles, which, by 760 BC, he was successful in his task.