Rhys ap Tewdwr (abt. 1040 - abt. 1093)

Born about 1040 in Deheubarth

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1093 at about age 53 in Brecon, Breconshire, Wales

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Biography

RHYS ap TEWDWR (d. 1093 ), king of Deheubarth; grandson of Cadell ab Einion ab Owain ap Hywel Dda .

In 1075 he took possession of Deheubarth on the death of his second-cousin, Rhys ab Owain ab Edwin.

In 1081 he was dislodged by Caradog ap Gruffydd, but later in the year, with the help of Gruffudd ap Cynan, he was firmly reinstated after the historic battle of Mynydd Cam.

In the same year William the Conqueror made a demonstration of power in South Wales , traversing the land as far as S. Davids; it is reasonably certain that during the visit the two kings came to an agreement as to their future good relations, which lasted to the end of William 's reign. A few years later it is recorded that Rhys is paying the king £40 a year for Deheubarth , thereby becoming a vassal of the Norman Crown and establishing a precedent with lasting consequences on Anglo-Welsh relations. Henceforth, with the exception of the closing tragedy of his career, Rhys had only to contend with the jealousies of his fellow princes.

In 1088 he was attacked by the young rulers of Powys and was obliged to seek refuge in Ireland , but he soon returned and, with Danish help, decisively defeated his opponents; Madog, Rhiryd, and Cadwgan ap Bleddyn.

Again in 1091 he was opposed by a group of his own vassals in Dyfed, who sought to restore the kingship to the senior line of Hywel Dda in the person of Gruffydd ap Maredudd ab Owain.

At Llandudoch (S. Dogmaels ) on the Teifi the rebels were defeated and Gruffydd killed. Meanwhile the Norman conquest of the south had gathered a new momentum after William 's death in 1087 , and among the territories then being over-run was the old kingdom of Brycheiniog . It was while resisting the Norman advance in this all-important approach to his own dominions that Rhys was killed in uncertain circumstances near Aberhonddu (Brecon ).

He was virtually the last of the ancient kings of Deheubarth , and it was in a different political setting that the power of the dynasty was eventually revived by his grandson — Rhys ap Gruffydd (q.v.) .

He married Gwladus , daughter of Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn, and was survived by two sons, Gruffydd ap Rhys and Hywel, and by a daughter, Nest.

Rhys ap Tewdwr (anti. 1065 – 1093)

1081: "Rhys ap Tewdwr, king of Deheubarth, was forced to take refuge at St. David's. Rhys soon received an unexpected ally in Gruffydd ap Cynan, the deposed ruler of Gwynedd. Gruffydd had sought aid in Ireland and had returned to Wales at the head of a force of Welsh, Irish, and Danish troops, intent on regaining his lost throne. It was only natural for the two to strike an alliance, especially since Traehaearn ap Caradog, the reigning king of Gwynedd, was marching south to join forces with Caradog ap Gruffydd. The two sets of enemies met at Mynedd Carn, and Rhys and Gruffydd were completely victorious. The defeat effectively halted Caradog's (Caradog ap Gruffydd ap Rhydderch) climb to power. Rhys gained in prestige what Caradog lost, and by 1081 had emerged as the paramount ruler of the entire region of southwest Wales."^[1]

Titles

• Prince of Deheubarth
• Prince of South Wales
• King of Deheubarth: 1078-1093

Killed in battle.^[2][3][4]

Vitals

Rhys ap Tewdwr-Mawr

Alias: Rhys ap Tewdr of DEHEUBARTH; Rhys Ap Tudor Mawr; Rhys ap TEWDWR King of Deheubarth; Rhys Ap Tewdwr Mawr

b. before 1065^[5][6]

d. 17 - 23 April 1093 Aberhonddu, Wales

killed by Norman invaders of Brycheiniog.^[7]

Early Life

Father: Tewdwr ap Cadell

Mother: Gwenllian verch Gwyn

m.1028 Wales. Issue:

• Nest verch Tewdwr
• Rhydderch ap Tewdwr
• Elen verch Tewdwr
• Gwyn ap Tewdwr
• Ryall ap Comyn
• Rhys ap Tewdwr-Mawr

Family

m. Gwladus vh Rhiwallon.^[8]Issue:

1. Gruffudd m. Gwenllian vh Gruffudd ap Cynan
2. Hywel
3. Eva
4. Arddyu
5. Nest (Gwenllian Nést)^[8] m. Gerald of Windsor^[9]

Links

• Wikipedia: Rhys ap Tewdwr

Edited for Jan 2014 Style Standards. Gedcoms in Changes.

Sources

1. ↑ Nelson, Ch. 2, p. 35-36, retrieved 2014-06-06, amb
2. ↑ Lloyd, J.E. (1912). A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest, 2nd ed. Longmans, Green, and Co.
3. ↑ Dwnn, L. & Rush Meyrick, S.R. Heraldic visitations of Wales and part of the Marches, between the years 1586 and 1613; ed. with notes by Samuel Rush Meyrick]. William Rees, 1846. Austrian National Library. Digitized May 3, 2011. Google Books
4. ↑ Nelson, L.H. (1966). The Normans in South Wales, 1070-1171. Austin and London: Univ. of Texas Press. vlib.iue.it
5. ↑ Wikipedia: (before 1065 – 1093)
6. ↑ The Opening of the Norman Conquest p. 34-36
7. ↑ Lloyd, p. 398
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Dwnn: p. 99.
9. ↑ Lloyd: pp. 767

See Also:

• Cawley, Charles. Medlands online database: Rhys ap Tewdr..

• John Davies. A History of Wales. London: Allen Lane, The Penguin press, 1993. [ ]

• Gruffydd ap Cynan, translated by Arthur Jones. The history of Gruffydd ap Cynan. Manchester [Eng.]: University press, 1910. Open Library

• Lloyd, J.E. Rhys ap Tewdwr. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online edition (23 Sep 2004), available here by subscription.

• Williams, John (transl). Brut Tywysogion: The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1860), repr 2012, p.55. "[1091] was the year when Rhys, son of Tewdwr, king of South Wales, was killed by the French, who inhabited Brecheiniog..."