This is a list of the rulers of the

Kingdom of Gwynedd The Kingdom of Gwynedd (Medieval Latin: ; Middle Welsh: ) was a Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. Based in northwest Wales, ...

. Many of them were also acclaimed "

King of the Britons The title King of the Britons ( cy, Brenin y Brythoniaid, la, Rex Britannorum) was used (often retrospectively) to refer to the most powerful ruler among the Celtic Britons, both before and after the period of Roman Britain up until the Norma ...

" or "

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

List of Kings or Princes of Gwynedd

House of Cunedda

* Cunedda ''Wledig'' ap Edern (Cunedda the Imperator) (c. 450–c. 460) * Einion ''Yrth'' ap Cunedda (Einion the Impetuous) (c. 470–c. 480) **

Owain Ddantgwyn Owain Danwyn (fl. 440) was a king of Rhos in Gwynedd, Wales, in the mid-5th century. He was the son of Einion Yrth and the father of Cynlas Goch, probably the Cuneglasus excoriated by Gildas. Very little is known of his life. Graham Phillips and ...

(Owain Whitetooth) ap Einion ( Rhos; late 5th century) ** Cynlas Goch ( Rhos) & St Einion ( Llŷn) ap Owain (late 5th and early 6th centuries) * Cadwallon ''Lawhir'' ap Einion (Cadwallon Long Hand) (c. 500–c. 534) * Maelgwn ''Hir'' ap Cadwallon (

Maelgwn Gwynedd Maelgwn Gwynedd ( la, Maglocunus; died c. 547Based on Phillimore's (1888) reconstruction of the dating of the '' Annales Cambriae'' (A Text).) was king of Gwynedd during the early 6th century. Surviving records suggest he held a pre-eminent positio ...

) (c. 520–c. 547) * Rhun ''Hir'' ap Maelgwn (Rhun the Tall) (c. 547–c. 580) *

Beli ap Rhun Beli ap Rhun (c. 517 – c. 599) was King of Gwynedd (reigned c. 586 – c. 599). Nothing is known of the person, and his name is known only from Welsh genealogies, which confirm that he had at least two sons. He succeeded his father Rhun ...

(c. 580–c. 599) * Iago ap Beli (c. 599–c. 616) *

Cadfan ap Iago Cadfan ap Iago (c. 569 – c. 625) was King of Gwynedd (reigned c. 616 – c. 625). Little is known of the history of Gwynedd from this period, and information about Cadfan and his reign is minimal. The historical person is known only fr ...

(c. 613–c. 625) *

Cadwallon ap Cadfan Cadwallon ap Cadfan (died 634A difference in the interpretation of Bede's dates has led to the question of whether Cadwallon was killed in 634 or the year earlier, 633. Cadwallon died in the year after the Battle of Hatfield Chase, which Bede rep ...

(c. 625–634) * Cadafael ''Cadomedd'' ap Cynfeddw (Cadfael the Battle-Shirker) (634–c. 655) * Cadwaladr ''Fendigaid'' ap Cadwallon (Cadwallader the Blessed) (c. 655–c. 682) * Idwal ''Iwrch'' ap Cadwaladr (Idwal Roebuck) (c. 682–c. 720) * Rhodri ''Molwynog'' ap Idwal (Rhodri the Bald and Grey) (c. 720–c. 754) *

Caradog ap Meirion Caradog ap Meirion (died ) was an 8th-century king of Gwynedd in northwest Wales. This era in the history of Gwynedd was not notable and, given the lack of reliable information available, serious histories such that as by Davies do not mention ...

(c. 754–c. 798) * Cynan ''Dindaethwy'' ap Rhodri (c. 798–816) *

Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog as he was improperly called due to lack of knowledge of the genealogies by men like John Edward Lloyd, but in fact was Hywel ap Caradog ( en, Hywel, son of Caradog ap Meirion) was King of Gwynedd (reigned 816–825). He rose ...

(814–825) With Hywel's death, all male descendants of Maelgwn Gwynedd have expired. Merfyn the Freckled succeeds through his mother Esyllt, eldest daughter of Cynan Dindaethwy and niece of Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog.

House of Manaw

Merfyn Frych Merfyn Frych ('Merfyn the Freckled'; Old Welsh ''Mermin''), also known as Merfyn ap Gwriad ('Merfyn son of Gwriad') and Merfyn Camwri ('Merfyn the Oppressor'), was King of Gwynedd from around 825 to 844, the first of its kings known not to have de ...

(Merfyn the Freckled) ap Gwriad (825–844) * Rhodri Mawr (Rhodri the Great) ap Merfyn (844–878)

House of Aberffraw

The warfare among the sons of Rhodri meant that the descendants of Anarawd became considered a separate house called the

House of Aberffraw The Royal House of Aberffraw was a cadet branch of the Kingdom of Gwynedd originating from the sons of Rhodri the Great in the 9th century. Establishing the Royal court ( cy, Llys) of the Aberffraw Commote would begin a new location from which ...

from their principal seat from the junior branches in Deheubarth and elsewhere. *

Anarawd ap Rhodri Anarawd ap Rhodri (died ) was a King of Gwynedd, referenced as " King of the Britons" in the ''Annales Cambriae'' (''The Annals of Wales''). Anarawd's father Rhodri the Great, by conquest and alleged inheritances, had become ruler of most of nor ...

(878–916) (establishes the

Aberffraw Aberffraw is a village and community on the south west coast of the Isle of Anglesey ( cy, Ynys Môn), in Wales, by the west bank of the Afon Ffraw (Ffraw River). The community includes Soar and Dothan. Located near the A4080 and the neares ...

dynasty, the senior branch of descendants from Rhodri Mawr) *

Idwal Foel Idwal Foel (Idwal the Bald; died c. 942) or Idwal ab Anarawd (Idwal son of Anarawd) was a 10th-century King of Gwynedd in Wales. A member of the House of Aberffraw, he inherited the throne from his father, Anarawd ap Rhodri. William of Malmesbury ...

ab Anarawd (Idwal the Bald) (916–942) * Hywel ''Dda'' ap Cadell (Howell the Good) (942–950) ( Dinefwr dynasty, descended from the second son of Rhodri Mawr who ruled in Deheubarth, usurps Gwynedd from the Aberffraw line.) * Iago ab Idwal (950–979) (returns to the Aberffraw branch) *

Ieuaf ab Idwal Idwal ab Idwal ( en , Idwal son of Idwal, died 988), usually known as Ieuaf ( cy, Junior) to distinguish him from his father Idwal Foel, was joint king of Gwynedd in northern Wales from 950 to 969. He possibly also ruled Powys for some time. Ieua ...

(950–969) * Hywel ab Ieuaf (974–985) *

Cadwallon ab Ieuaf Cadwallon ap Ieuaf (died 986) was a King of Gwynedd. Cadwallon was the son of Ieuaf ab Idwal and succeeded to the throne of Gwynedd on the death of his brother Hywel ab Ieuaf in 985. He only reigned for a year, for in 986 Maredudd ab Owain of Deh ...

(985–986)

House of Dinefwr

* Maredudd ab Owain (986–999) Dinefwr dynasty seizes Gwynedd

House of Aberffraw

* Cynan ap Hywel (999–1005) Returns to the Aberffraw dynasty briefly

Usurper

* Aeddan ap Blegywryd (1005–1018) (minor commote lord usurps Gwynedd from the Aberffraw dynasty)

House of Rhuddlan

Llywelyn ap Seisyll Llywelyn ap Seisyll (died 1023) was an 11th-century King of Gwynedd, Powys and Deheubarth. Llywelyn was the son of Seisyll, a man of whom little is known. Llewelyn first appears on record in 1018, the year he defeated and killed Aeddan ap Blegy ...

(1018–1023) (Rhuddlan dynasty in lower Gwynedd usurps from Aeddan ap Blegywryd)

House of Aberffraw

Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig (died 1039) was a Prince of Gwynedd and Powys. He was also referred to as "King of the Britons" in the ''Annals of Ulster''. On the death of Llywelyn ap Seisyll in 1023, the rule of Gwynedd returned to the ancient dynasty ...

(1023–1039) (Aberffraw dynasty returns)

House of Rhuddlan

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Gruffydd ap Llywelyn ( 5 August 1063) was King of Wales from 1055 to 1063. He had previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys in 1039. He was the son of King Llywelyn ap Seisyll and Angharad daughter of Maredudd ab Owain, and the great-gre ...

(1039–1063) (Llywelyn's son Gruffydd usurps from Aberffraw dynasty)

House of Mathrafal

Bleddyn ap Cynfyn Bleddyn ap Cynfyn ( owl, Bledẏnt uab Kẏn ỽẏn; AD 1075), sometimes spelled Blethyn, was an 11th-century Welsh king. Harold Godwinson and Tostig Godwinson installed him and his brother, Rhiwallon, as the co-rulers of Gwynedd ...

(1063–1075) and

Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn () was an 11th-century Welsh King and co-ruler of the kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys from 1063 to 1070.Pierce, T. J., (1959). RHIWALLON ap CYNFYN (died 1070), king of Powys. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 23 Aug 2020, ...

(1063-1070) o-rulers( Mathrafal dynasty of Powys "receives" Gwynedd from the English King) * Trahaearn ap Caradog (1075–1081)

House of Aberffraw

Gruffydd ap Cynan Gruffudd ap Cynan ( 1137), sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was rememb ...

(1081–1137) (Aberffraw dynasty returns) * Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd (1137–1170) *

Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd (circa 11201170), Prince of Gwynedd in 1170, was a Welsh poet and military leader. Hywel was the son of Owain Gwynedd, prince of Gwynedd, and an Irishwoman named Pyfog. In recognition of this, he was also known as ''Hyw ...

r. 1170; killed by his younger brother Dafydd ab Owain in a conspiracy hatched by his stepmother Cristen, dowager princess of Gwynedd, and her sons Dafydd and Rhodri ab Owain. * Dafydd I ''the Usurper'' (1170–1195), displaced elder brother Hywel ap Owain Gwynedd, but was himself displaced from Upper Gwynedd c.1173 ruling only lower Gwynedd until displaced by Llywelyn Fawr in 1198. England recognized Dafydd as Prince of Gwynedd, though Welsh jurists did not. **

Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd ( 1147 – 1195) was prince of part of Gwynedd, one of the kingdoms of medieval Wales. He ruled from 1175 to 1195. On the death of Owain Gwynedd in 1170, fighting broke out among his nineteen sons over the division of hi ...

(1175–1194, 1194-1195) Ruling upper Gwynedd and Ynys Mon until 1194 and then Ynys Mon solely from 1194-1195 until he was ousted by the sons of his brother Cynan. ** Maelgwn ab Owain Gwynedd (1170–1173), ruling Ynys Mon and supporter of his elder brother Hywel ap Owain's claim as Prince. After Hywel's death, Maelgwn was able to retain Ynys Mon from Dafydd the Usurper.

Princes of Wales

* Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great) ap Iorwerth (1195–1240), ''first

'' *

Dafydd ap Llywelyn Dafydd ap Llywelyn (''c.'' March 1212 – 25 February 1246) was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. He was the first ruler in Wales to claim the title Prince of Wales. Birth and descent Though birth years of 1208, 1206, and 1215 have ...

(1240–1246) *

Owain Goch Owain ap Gruffudd (also known as ''Owain Goch'' wain the Red (died 1282) was brother to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Dafydd ap Gruffudd and, for a brief period in the late 1240s and early 1250s, ruler of part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd (in modern-da ...

(Owain the Red) ap Gruffydd (1246–1255) *

Llywelyn the Last Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282), sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last ( cy, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, lit=Llywelyn, Our Last Leader), was the native Prince of Wales ( la, Princeps Wall ...

ap Gruffydd (1246–1282) *

Dafydd ap Gruffydd Dafydd ap Gruffydd (11 July 1238 – 3 October 1283) was Prince of Wales from 11 December 1282 until his execution on 3 October 1283 on the orders of King Edward I of England. He was the last native Prince of Wales before the conquest of W ...

(1282–1283), ''pretender''

Pretenders

Madog ap Llywelyn Madog ap Llywelyn (died after 1312) was the leader of the Welsh revolt of 1294–95 against English rule in Wales and proclaimed "Prince of Wales". The revolt was surpassed in longevity only by the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr in the 15th century. Ma ...

(1294–1295) (not crowned but claimed the title) *

Owain Lawgoch Owain Lawgoch ( en, Owain of the Red Hand, french: Yvain de Galles), full name Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri (July 1378), was a Welsh soldier who served in Lombardy, France, Alsace, and Switzerland. He led a Free Company fighting for the French agai ...

(Owain Redhand) ap Tomas ap Rhodri (1372–1378), great-nephew of

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282), sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last ( cy, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, lit=Llywelyn, Our Last Leader), was the native Prince of Wales ( la, Princeps Wall ...

, in exile but claimed the title.

References

{{reflist, 24em 01 *List Kingdom of Gwynedd People from Gwynedd Gwynedd Rulers Gwynedd Rulers Gwynedd Rulers

List of Kings or Princes of Gwynedd

House of Cunedda

House of Manaw

House of Aberffraw

House of Dinefwr

House of Aberffraw

Usurper

House of Rhuddlan

House of Aberffraw

House of Rhuddlan

House of Mathrafal

House of Aberffraw

Princes of Wales

Pretenders

See also

References