Gruffudd ap Rhydderch (d. AD 1055) was a king of Gwent and part of the kingdom of Morgannwg in south

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, and later king of

Deheubarth Deheubarth (; , thus 'the South') was a regional name for the Welsh kingdoms, realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under ...

. Gruffudd was the son of Rhydderch ab Iestyn, who had been able to take over the kingdom of Deheubarth from 1023 to 1033. He received the lordship of

Caerleon Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable ...

in 1031 and strengthened its fortifications.Jermyn, Anthony.
4: Caerleon Through the Centuries to the Year 2000
". 2010 Accessed 13 February 2013. Already king of part of Morgannwg, Gruffudd became involved with Deheubarth when that kingdom was taken over from Hywel ab Edwin by

Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ( – 5 August 1063) was the first and only Welsh king to unite all of Wales under his rule from 1055 to 1063. He had also previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys from 1039 to 1055. Gruffudd was the son of Llywelyn ap ...

, already king of

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

, in 1044. Gruffudd ap Rhydderch was, however, able to expel him in 1045 and became king of Deheubarth himself. He was said to be a powerful king who stoutly resisted raids by the Danes and attacks by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn. In 1055, however, Gruffudd ap Llywelyn killed him in battle and recaptured Deheubarth. In 1049 he is reported raiding up the

River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

in alliance with an Irish Viking fleet. His son Caradog ap Gruffudd (who received Caerleon in 1057) also attempted to emulate his father and grandfather by gaining control of Deheubarth, but was killed at the

Battle of Mynydd Carn The Battle of Mynydd Carn took place in 1081, as part of a dynastic struggle for control of the Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd and Deheubarth. The result of the battle had a radical effect on the history of Wales. The battle is recorded in the nea ...

References

John Edward Lloyd Sir John Edward Lloyd (5 May 1861 – 20 June 1947) was a Welsh historian. Early life and eduction John Edward Lloyd was born in Liverpool on 5 May 1861. He was educated in the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (which later become ...

(1911) ''A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest'' (Longmans, Green & Co.)

External links

National Library of Wales Dictionary of Welsh Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gruffudd Ap Rhydderch People from Caerleon 1055 deaths Monarchs of Gwent Monarchs of Morgannwg People of medieval Wales killed in battle 11th-century Welsh monarchs Year of birth unknown Monarchs killed in action Monarchs of Glywysing