Rhodri ap Hyfaidd (died 905) was briefly the king of the independent early medieval

Kingdom of Dyfed The Kingdom of Dyfed (), one of several Welsh petty kingdoms that emerged in 5th-century sub-Roman Britain in southwest Wales, was based on the former territory of the Demetae (modern Welsh ''Dyfed''). The royal line was founded by Irish ...

in southwestern

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 ...

until he was murdered and his throne usurped. Rhodri was the son of Hyfaidd ap Bleddri. His brother

Llywarch ap Hyfaidd Llywarch ap Hyfaidd (died ) was a king of Dyfed, an independent kingdom in southwest Wales. He was the son of Hyfaidd ap Bleddri and is thought to have inherited the kingdom of Dyfed after his father's death in c. 892. Sometime soon after Llywar ...

(d. c. 904) is thought to have inherited the kingdom of Dyfed after his father's death in c. 892. After his brother Llywarch was killed by

Hywel Dda Hywel ap Cadell, commonly known as Hywel Dda, which translates to Howel the Good in English, was a Welsh king who ruled the southern Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth and eventually came to rule most of Wales. He became the sole king of Seisyllw ...

and his father Cadell, Rhodri reigned briefly before he himself was killed in

Arwystli Arwystli was a cantref in mid Wales in the Middle Ages, located in the headland of the River Severn. It was chiefly associated with the Kingdom of Powys, but was heavily disputed between Powys, Gwynedd, and the Norman Marcher Lords for hundred ...

in mid Wales, c. 905, likely as a result of execution following a defeat in battle against Hywel, his father Cadell ap Rhodri, King of Seisyllwg or his uncle Anarawd ap Rhodri,

King of Gwynedd This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Many of them were also acclaimed "King of the Britons" or "Prince of Wales". List of kings or princes of Gwynedd House of Cunedda * Cunedda (Cunedda the Imperator) (c. 450 – c. 46 ...

. The repeated military attacks of Cadell and Hywel on Dyfed were recorded in

Asser Asser (; ; died 909) was a Welsh people, Welsh monk from St David's, Kingdom of Dyfed, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne (ancient), Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join ...

's (d. 909) ''

Life of King Alfred Asser (; ; died 909) was a Welsh people, Welsh monk from St David's, Kingdom of Dyfed, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne (ancient), Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join ...

'', who states Rhodri followed Llywarch as king. Some sources state that Rhodri was killed by strangulation, others that beheading as his cause of death. Following Rhodri's murder the throne of Dyfed was usurped by Hywel, under whom the kingdom then merged with Seisyllwg to form the kingdom 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 ...

.Williams, S. J., (1959)
HYWEL DDA (Hywel the Good) (died 950), king and legislator
''Dictionary of Welsh Biography''. Retrieved 28 Apr 2025, from https://biography.wales/article/s-HYWE-DDA-0950

married Rhodri's nicece, Llywarch's daughter Elen. Hywel soon consolidated his rule, eventually merging Dyfed with his paternal inheritance as the new kingdom of Deheubarth. Later Welsh tradition held that Hywel inherited Dyfed peacefully through his supposed marriage to Rhodri's niece Elen ferch Llywarch (d. 929) in a manner similar to the stories told about his great-grandfather Merfyn's acquisition 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 ...

, his grandfather Rhodri's acquisition of

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

, and his father Cadell's acquisition of Ceredigion, all of this despite female inheritance of land having no place in the Welsh law of the period. However, the repeated military attacks of Cadell and Hywel on Dyfed were recorded in

's (d. 909) ''

'', where it states he was replaced by his brother Rhodri.

References

See also