Rhydderch ab Iestyn (died 1033) was 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 ...

and controlled the Kingdom 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 ...

in Wales dring the early part of the eleventh century. Comparatively little has been recorded about Rhydderch ab Iestyn in the annals. When Llywelyn ap Seisyll, 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 ...

and Deheubarth, died unexpectedly in 1023, Rhydderch was able to seize Deheubarth, apparently by force of arms, disinheriting Llewellyn's young son Gruffudd. In 1033 Rhydderch is recorded by '' Brut y Tywysogion'' as having been slain by the Irish, but with no explanation of the circumstances. The kingdom of Deheubarth returned to the original dynasty in the form of Hywel ab Edwin and his brother Maredudd. A battle between Hywel and his brother and the sons of Rhydderch is recorded the following year. In 1045 Rhydderch's son

Gruffudd ap Rhydderch Gruffudd ap Rhydderch (d. AD 1055) was a king of Gwent and part of the kingdom of Morgannwg in south Wales, and later king of Deheubarth. Gruffudd was the son of Rhydderch ab Iestyn, who had been able to take over the kingdom of Deheubarth fro ...

was able to seize Deheubarth from

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 ...

, (later

King of Wales Latin versions of "King of Wales" () were titles used on a handful of occasions in the Middle Ages. They were very rarely claimed or applied by contemporaries, because Wales in the Middle Ages, Wales, much like Gaelic Ireland, Ireland, usually h ...

between 1055–1063) and he held it for ten years until Gruffudd regained it. Rhydderch had at least recorded three sons.

(died 1055) was King of Morgannwg and Deheubarth, and was killed in battle against

, son of Llywelyn ap Seisyll. Caradog ap Rhydderch (died 1035) was killed by the "Saxons". Rhys ap Rhydderch (died 5 January 1053) was put to death at "Bulendun", (possibly Bullen's Bank near Clyro, Radnorshireby) order of King

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

as punishment for his raiding into England, described in the D version of the ''

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...

'' as having done "harmful things". Rhys' head was brought to King Edward on 5 January 1053 at the royal court in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

References

Sources

* Peter Bartrum ''A Welsh Classical Dictionary, People in History and Legend up to about A.D. 1000'' (Aberystwyth NLW 2009 Ed) p. 647 *

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 ...

''A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest'' (Longmans, Green & Co.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhydderch Ab Iestyn 1033 deaths Monarchs of Deheubarth Monarchs of Gwent Monarchs of Morgannwg 11th-century Welsh monarchs Year of birth unknown Monarchs of Glywysing