Rhys ap Gruffydd

Rhys ap Gruffydd , 1132?-1197, ruler of South Wales and, after the death (1170) of Owain Gwynedd , leader of the Welsh princes. The failure (1165) of the English troops under Henry II in Wales and Henry's later domestic troubles contributed to Rhys's power. In 1171 he signed a pact with Henry, and he helped the king suppress the rebellion of 1173-74. After Henry's death, however, Rhys revolted against the absent Richard I. The first recorded eisteddfod was held by Rhys in Cardigan in 1176.

Rhys ap Gruffydd (1132–97), king of Deheubarth (1155–97), known as ‘the Lord Rhys’. The younger son of Gruffydd ap Rhys, king of Deheubarth, and Gwenllian, daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan, king of Gwynedd, he married Gwenllian, daughter of Madog ap Maredudd, king of Powys. He acknowledged the overlordship of Henry II (1158), who tried to limit his dominion; but Rhys rebelled and in 1164–5 seized Cardigan. Henry II respected his power and after Anglo‐Norman lords were diverted to Ireland (1169) they came to terms. Richard I was less sympathetic and hostilities marred the years before Rhys's death on 28 April 1197. In the hands of his quarrelsome sons, his kingdom disintegrated.

Rhys ap Gruffydd (1132–97), king of Deheubarth (1155–97), known as ‘the Lord Rhys’. The younger son of Gruffydd ap Rhys, king of Deheubarth, and Gwenllian, daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan, king of Gwynedd, he married Gwenllian, daughter of Madog ap Maredudd, king of Powys. He did not unite the three kingdoms, but after Owain Gwynedd's death (1170) he was regarded as ‘the unconquered head of all Wales’. He helped his brother Maredudd to combat the Anglo-Normans and when Maredudd died (1155) he became king. He acknowledged the overlordship of Henry II (1158), who tried to limit his dominion; but Rhys rebelled and in 1164–5 seized Cardigan and surrounding territory. Henry II respected his power and after Anglo-Norman lords were diverted to Ireland (1169) they came to terms, and Rhys was receptive to Anglo-Norman culture and organization. He rebuilt Cardigan and Dinefwr castles, extended his power in Dyfed, exploited his resources effectively, and encouraged the new religious orders; he even held an eisteddfod at Cardigan (1176) and may have codified Welsh law. Richard I was less sympathetic and hostilities marred the years before Rhys's death on 28 April 1197 (and burial in St David's cathedral). In the hands of his quarrelsome sons, his kingdom disintegrated.

Ralph Alan Griffiths