Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
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Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ( – 5 August 1063) was the first and only Welsh king to unite all of
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 ...
under his rule from 1055 to 1063. He had also previously been King of Gwynedd and
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 ...
from 1039 to 1055. Gruffudd was the son of Llywelyn ap Seisyll, King of Gwynedd, and Angharad, daughter of Maredudd ab Owain, King of Deheubarth, and the great-great-grandson of Hywel Dda. After his death, Wales was again divided into separate kingdoms.


Genealogy and early life

Gruffudd was the son of Llywelyn ap Seisyll, who had been able to rule both
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
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 of Angharad ferch Maredudd. On Llywelyn's death in 1023, a member of the House of Aberffraw, Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig, became ruler of Gwynedd and began his rise to power in Powys.


King of Gwynedd and Powys (1039–1055)

In 1039, Iago, King of Gwynedd, was killed (supposedly by his own men), his son Cynan was forced into exile in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, and Gruffudd was made King. Soon after gaining power, he surprised a
Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...
n army at Rhyd y Groes near
Welshpool Welshpool ( ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales, historically in the Historic counties of Wales, county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn. The c ...
and defeated it, killing Edwin, brother of
Leofric, Earl of Mercia Leofric (died 31 August or 30 September 1057) was an Earl of Mercia. He founded monasteries at Coventry and Much Wenlock and was a very powerful earl under King Cnut and his successors. Leofric was the husband of Lady Godiva. Life Leofric was ...
. He then attacked Dyfed, which his father had ruled but which was now under Hywel ab Edwin. Gruffudd again defeated Hywel in the Battle of Pencader in 1041 (halfway between
Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...
and Lampeter but did not win entirely until 1042 at "Pwlldyfach" (near Carmarthen) and carried off Hywel's wife. Gruffudd seems to have been able to drive Hywel (and his Irish fleet of "Black Gentiles / Pagans") out of the south, for in 1044 Hywel is again recorded returning to the River Towy with a fleet from
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
; Gruffudd, however, defeated and killed Hywel. Gruffudd ap Rhydderch of Gwent was able to expel Gruffudd ap Llywelyn from Deheubarth in 1047 and became King of Deheubarth himself. Afterwards the nobles of Ystrad Tywi had attacked and killed 140 of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn's household guards, Gruffudd exacted his revenge in
Towy The River Towy (, ; also known as the River Tywi) is one of the longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales. Its total length is . It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing. Route The Towy rises within of the source of the River Teifi ...
and Dyfed. Gruffudd ap Llywelyn was active on the Welsh border in 1052 when he attacked
Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...
with an army consisting of a fleet of 18 ships from Ireland; they defeated a mixed force of
Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...
and
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in the Battle of Leominster.


Ruler of all Wales (1055–1063)

According to '' Brut y Tywysogion'', Sweyn Godwinson was called in to help Gruffudd's brother Rhys against Gruffudd ap Rhydderch in 1045 to keep hold of Deheubarth. Gruffudd raided Leominster in 1052, resulting in the Battle of Llanllieni, the Welsh fighting against Normans and Anglo-Saxons. In 1055 Gruffudd ap Llywelyn killed his rival Gruffudd ap Rhydderch in battle and recaptured Deheubarth. Gruffudd allied himself with Ælfgar, son of
Leofric, Earl of Mercia Leofric (died 31 August or 30 September 1057) was an Earl of Mercia. He founded monasteries at Coventry and Much Wenlock and was a very powerful earl under King Cnut and his successors. Leofric was the husband of Lady Godiva. Life Leofric was ...
, who had been deprived of his earldom of
East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...
by Harold Godwinson and his brothers. They marched on
Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
and were opposed by a force led by the Earl of Hereford,
Ralph the Timid Ralph the Timid, also known as Ralf of Mantes (died 1057), was Earl of Hereford between 1051 and 1055 or 1057. His mother was Godgifu, the daughter of King Æthelred the Unready and his second wife Emma. His father was Drogo of Mantes, Coun ...
, then set Hereford on fire. This force was mounted and armed in the Norman fashion, but on 24 October 1055 Gruffudd and Ælfgar defeated it. They then sacked the city and destroyed its motte-and-bailey castle. Earl Harold was given the task of counter-attacking, but Gruffudd and Ælfgar had retreated to
South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...
whilst Harold ventured no further than Hereford. He seems here to have built a fortification at Longtown in
Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...
before refortifying Hereford. Shortly afterwards, Ælfgar was restored to his earldom and a peace treaty concluded. Around this time Gruffudd was also able to seize Morgannwg and Gwent, along with extensive territories along the border with
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. The historian John Davies stated that Gruffudd was :"The only Welsh king ever to rule over the entire territory of Wales... Thus, from about 1057 until his death in 1063, the whole of Wales recognised the kingship of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn. For about seven brief years, Wales was one, under one ruler, a feat with neither precedent nor successor". During this time, between 1053 and 1063, Wales lacked any internal strife and was at peace. The later '' Brut y Tywysogion'' described him as being "the head and shield of the Britons".
John of Worcester John of Worcester (died c. 1140) was an English monk and chronicler who worked at Worcester Priory. He is now usually held to be the author of the . Works John of Worcester's principal work was the (Latin for "Chronicle from Chronicles") or ...
referred to him, several decades later, as ''Rex Walensium'', ' King of the Welsh'.


Death and aftermath

Gruffudd reached an agreement with
Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 â€“ 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 ...
, but the death of his ally Ælfgar in 1062 left him more vulnerable. In late 1062 Harold Godwinson obtained the English king's approval for a surprise attack on Gruffudd's court at Rhuddlan. Gruffudd was nearly captured, but was warned in time to escape out to sea in one of his ships, though his other ships were destroyed. In the spring of 1063 Harold's brother Tostig Godwinson led an army into
North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...
while Harold led the fleet first to south Wales and then north to meet his brother's army. Gruffudd was forced to take refuge in
Snowdonia Snowdonia, or Eryri (), is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales Welsh 3000s, over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (), which i ...
, where he met his death. Gruffudd's head and the figurehead of his ship were sent to Harold. The Ulster Chronicle states that he was killed in 1064 by Cynan, whose father Iago had been put to death by Gruffudd in 1039. Gruffudd had probably made enemies in the course of uniting Wales under his rule. According to Walter Map, Gruffudd said of this: :"Speak not of killing; I but blunt the horns of the offspring of Wales lest they should injure their dam." Following Gruffudd's death, Harold married his widow Ealdgyth, who was to be widowed again three years later. Gruffudd's realm was divided again into the traditional kingdoms. Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and his brother Rhiwallon came to an agreement with Harold and were given the rule of Gwynedd and Powys. Thus when Harold was defeated and killed at the
Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place appr ...
in 1066, the Normans reaching the borders of Wales were confronted by the traditional kingdoms rather than a single king. Gruffudd left two sons who in 1069 challenged Bleddyn and Rhiwallon at the Battle of Mechain in an attempt to win back part of their father's kingdom. However, they were defeated, one being killed and the other dying of exposure after the battle.


Family

Gruffudd married Ealdgyth, daughter of Earl Ælfgar of Mercia after he abducted, and married, the wife (name unknown) of Hywel ab Edwin in 1041. Gruffudd had at least three children: two sons called Maredudd and Idwal, both of whom died at the Battle of Mechain in 1069, and a daughter, Nest ferch Gruffudd, who married Osbern fitzRichard of Richard's Castle. Their daughter Nest ferch Osbern (Nesta of Hereford) married Bernard de Neufmarché. Gruffudd may have had another son, Owain ap Gruffudd, who died in 1059.


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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1010s births Year of birth uncertain 1063 deaths House of Aberffraw Monarchs of Gwynedd Monarchs of Gwent 11th-century Welsh monarchs Monarchs of Glywysing