Gruffydd ap Cynan

Liberation of Gruffydds ap Cynan from dungeon in Chester (illustration from 1900)

Gruffydd ap Cynan (around 1055 in Dublin ; † 1137 ) was a king of the Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd . After his grandfather lost his kingdom in 1039, he regained it for his family and thus laid the foundation for his descendants to dominate the Welsh princes until the English conquered Gwynedd in 1283.

origin

Gruffydd was a son of Cynan ap Iago, who lived in exile in Ireland, and of Rhagnell or Ragnhildr, a daughter of Olaf Sihtricson, a Viking chief from Dublin . His grandfather, Iago ap Iadwal, was treacherously murdered in 1039 and the royal family was expelled. Gwynedd fell to Gruffydd ap Llywelyn , who became ruler over all of Wales. After Gruffydd from Llywelyn's death in 1063, Wales again split into several principalities, and Gwynedd fell to Bleddyn ap Cynfyn , who was murdered in 1075. His heir and successor was Bleddyn's cousin Trahern ap Caradog , King of Arwystli .

Life

In the same year Gruffydd ap Cynan returned to Gwynedd with the support of the Irish Vikings to recapture his grandfather's land. He landed on the island of Anglesey and, with the help of the Norman Lord Robert of Rhuddlan, defeated Cynwrig, a follower of Trahern and Lord of Lleyn . Cynwrig fell in battle, and Gruffydd himself defeated Trahern in a battle at Meirionnydd, forcing him to retreat to Arwystli. As the new king of Gwynedd, Gruffydd attacked the castle of Rhuddlan in vain, despite the support he had received from Robert . Because of this defeat and because of quarrels with Gruffydd's Viking warriors, the Welsh of Lleyn turned back to Trahern, who defeated Gruffydd at the Battle of Bron-vr-erw near Clynnog and forced him back into exile in Ireland. In 1081 he returned and landed with a force of Vikings and Irish at Porthclais in Dyfed . He was supported by Rhys ap Tewdwr , who also came from exile and fought for his inheritance in Deheubarth . They defeated Trahern in the Battle of Mynydd Carn , in which Trahern fell. Gruffydd then marched north, pillaging Arwystli and Powys, and conquering Gwynedd. His conquests threatened the Norman territories on the Welsh border. In the same year Gruffydd was betrayed by his henchman Meirion Goch, captured by Robert von Rhuddlan at Corwen and delivered to his cousin Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester . Gruffydd remained a prisoner for over twelve years and was only released under unclear circumstances around 1094. During his imprisonment in Chester Robert von Rhuddlan occupied large areas of Gwynedd and built castles in Bangor , Caernarfon and Aberlleiniog (near what later became Beaumaris ).

After he was released, Gruffydd was together with the Prince of Powys, Cadwgan ap Bleddyn to the leader of the Welsh uprising of 1094, in which he unsuccessfully attacked Aberlleiniog Castle and captured Nefyn Castle on Lleyn. In 1098 a targeted Norman attack on Gwynedd took place from Chester and Shrewsbury . Gruffydd had to withdraw to the island of Anglesey together with Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, from where he fled to Ireland again. However, after one of the Norman leaders, Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury in the fight against the Norwegian King Magnus III. had fallen, Gruffydd returned to Anglesey in 1098 and remained ruler of the island with the consent of the Normans. Over the next few years he was able to expand his rule over the areas of Gwynedd west of the Conwys . The English King Henry I appeared in Gwynedd in 1114 with a powerful army, whereupon Gruffydd had to submit to the king and pay him tribute. Gruffydd was allowed to keep his territories, but the pressure of the English king was so strong that in 1115 Gruffydd wanted to hand over the young Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth, who had sought refuge in Gwynedd, to the king. He also delivered Maredudd ap Bleddyn von Powys to the English king in 1121. Nevertheless, Gruffydd became the undisputed ruler of North Wales and was able to occupy the bishopric of Bangor with his candidate David the Scots in 1120 . After 1120, his sons began further conquests. Cadwallon and Owain conquered Meirionydd from 1124. The following year, Cadwallon occupied Dyffryn Clwyd , where he killed three of his uncles, his mother's brothers, making the House of Gwynedd the most powerful family in north-east Wales. Cadwallon fell near Llangollen in 1132 during a raid on Powys. In 1136 Owain and Cadwaladr began to conquer Ceredigion, which was under Anglo-Norman rule . Gruffydd died in 1137, aged over 80, an old and blind man, and was buried in Bangor Cathedral.

According to tradition, he promoted the Welsh bards and established uniform rules for their poetry. He is the only medieval Welsh prince to have a contemporary biography, the Historia Gruffud, written from Kenan . The eulogy was probably written by a cleric towards the end of the 12th century.

Family and offspring

He married Angharad around 1095 († 1162), the daughter of Owain from Edwin von Dyffryn Clwyd. The couple had eight children, including

• Cadwallon († 1132)
• Owain Gwynedd
• Cadwaladr
• Gwenllian ∞ Gruffydd ap Rhys, Prince of Deheubarth
• Marared
• Rainillt
• Annest
• Susanna ∞ Madog ap Maredudd († 1160).

In addition, he is said to have had five sons and three daughters of at least three lovers.

Web links

Commons : Gruffudd ap Cynan  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Huw Pryce: Gruffudd ap Cynan (1054 / 5-1137). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004
• Thomas Parry: Gruffudd ap Cynan In: Welsh Biography Online

predecessor	Office	successor
Trahern ap Caradog	Prince of Gwynedd 1081–1137	Owain Gwynedd