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Gruffudd ap Cynan
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== Life == Unusual for a Welsh king or prince, a near-contemporary biography of Gruffudd, ''The History of Gruffudd ap Cynan'', has survived. Much of our knowledge of Gruffudd comes from this source. The traditional view among scholars was that it was written during the third quarter of the 12th century during the reign of Gruffudd's son, Owain Gwynedd, but it has recently been suggested that it may date from the early reign of Llywelyn the Great, around 1200. The author is not known.<ref name=bio/> Most of the existing manuscripts of the history are in [[Welsh language|Welsh]] but these are clearly translations of a [[Latin]] original. It is usually considered that the original Latin version has been lost and that existing Latin versions are re-translations from the Welsh.<ref name=bio/> However, Russell (2006) has suggested that the Latin version in [[Peniarth Manuscripts|Peniarth MS 434E]] incorporates the original Latin version, later amended to bring it into line with the Welsh text. === Ancestry === According to the ''Life of Gruffudd ap Cynan'', Gruffudd was born in the [[Norse–Gaels|Hiberno–Norse]] [[Kingdom of Dublin]] and reared near [[Swords, County Dublin]], in Ireland. He was the son of an exiled Welsh King as per the Life, [[Cynan ap Iago]], who was a claimant to the kingship of Gwynedd but was probably never its king in actuality, though his father, Gruffudd's grandfather, [[Iago ab Idwal ap Meurig]], had ruled Gwynedd from 1023 to 1039. When Gruffudd first appeared on the scene in Wales the Welsh annals several times refer to him as "grandson of Iago" rather than the more usual "son of Cynan", indicating that his father was little known in Wales. Cynan ap Iago seems to have died while Gruffudd was still young,<ref name="DWB"/> since the ''History'' describes his mother telling him who his father was.<ref name=bio/> According to ''[[Historia Gruffud vab Kenan]]'', Gruffudd's mother was ''Ragnailt ingen Amlaíb'', a granddaughter of King [[Sigtrygg Silkbeard]] and a member of the Hiberno-Norse [[Uí Ímair]] dynasty.{{sfn|Hudson|2005|page=83}} The latter had two sons named Amlaíb: one died in 1013, whilst [[Amlaíb mac Sitriuc|another died in 1034]]. Either man could have been Ragnailt's father.<ref name=bio/> An anecdote described here about ''Ragnailt ingen Amlaíb'' explained a prophecy in which an unnamed monk told her that great power would come to her son. However, this has been rejected by modern scholars as an embellishment by later writers.{{sfn|Hudson|2005}}{{page needed|date=January 2025}} During his many struggles to gain the kingship of Gwynedd, Gruffudd received considerable aid from Ireland, from the Hiberno-Norse at [[Dublin]], the [[Kingdom of the Isles|Isles]] and [[Wexford]] and from [[Muircheartach Ua Briain]], because he was also descendant through his mother from [[Brian Boru]], [[High King of Ireland]].<ref name=bio/>{{#tag:ref|Anonymous, ''The History of Gruffydd Ap Cynan'', trans. and ed. by Arthur Jones, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 1910|group=cy}} === First bid for the throne === Gruffudd first attempted to take over the rule of Gwynedd in 1075, following the death of [[Bleddyn ap Cynfyn]]. [[Trahaearn ap Caradog]] had seized control of Gwynedd but had not yet firmly established himself. Gruffudd landed on [[Abermenai Point]], [[Anglesey]] with an Irish force, and with the assistance of troops provided by the [[Normans|Norman]] [[Robert of Rhuddlan]] first defeated and killed [[Cynwrig ap Rhiwallon]], an ally of Trahaearn who held [[Llŷn Peninsula|Llŷn]], then defeated Trahaearn himself in the [[Battle of Gwaed Erw]] in [[Meirionnydd]] and gained control of Gwynedd.<ref name="DWB"/><ref name=bio/> Gruffudd then led his forces eastwards to reclaim territories taken over by the Normans, and despite the assistance previously given by Robert of Rhuddlan attacked and destroyed [[Rhuddlan Castle]]. However tension between Gruffudd's Danish-Irish bodyguard and the local Welsh led to a rebellion in Llŷn, and Trahaearn took the opportunity to counterattack, defeating Gruffudd at the [[Battle of Bron yr Erw]] above [[Clynnog Fawr]] the same year.<ref name="DWB" /><ref name="bio" /> === Second bid for the throne and capture by the Normans === [[File:Gryffydd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd.svg|thumb|right|Coat of Arms [[Attributed arms|retroactively attributed]] to Gruffudd ap Cynan]] Gruffudd fled to Ireland but, in 1081, returned and made an alliance with [[Rhys ap Tewdwr]], prince of [[Deheubarth]].<ref name="DWB"/> Rhys had been attacked by [[Caradog ap Gruffudd]] of [[Kingdom of Gwent|Gwent]] and [[Kingdom of Morgannwg|Morgannwg]], and had been forced to flee to [[St Davids Cathedral]]. Gruffudd this time embarked from [[Waterford]] with a force composed of [[Danes]] and [[Irish people|Irish]] and landed near St Davids, presumably by prior arrangement with Rhys. He was joined here by a force of his supporters from Gwynedd, and he and Rhys marched north to seek Trahaearn ap Caradog and Caradog ap Gruffudd who had themselves made an alliance and been joined by Meilyr ap Rhiwallon of [[Kingdom of Powys|Powys]]. The armies of the two confederacies met at the [[Battle of Mynydd Carn]], with Gruffudd and Rhys victorious and Trahaearn,<ref name="DWB"/> Caradog and Meilyr all being killed. Gruffudd was thus able to seize power in Gwynedd for the second time.<ref name=bio/> He was soon faced with a new enemy, as the Normans were now encroaching on Gwynedd. Gruffudd had not been king very long when he was enticed to a meeting with [[Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester]] and [[Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury]] at [[Rhug]], near [[Corwen]]. At the meeting, Gruffudd was seized and taken prisoner. According to his biographer, this was by the treachery of one of his own men, Meirion Goch. Gruffudd was imprisoned in Earl Hugh's castle at [[Chester]] for many years while Earl Hugh and [[Robert of Rhuddlan]] went on to take possession of Gwynedd, building castles at [[Bangor, Gwynedd|Bangor]], [[Caernarfon]] and [[Aberlleiniog]].<ref name="DWB"/><ref name=bio/> === Escape from captivity and third reign === Gruffudd reappeared on the scene years later, having escaped from captivity, he was free by 1094.<ref name="DWB"/>{{#tag:Ref|According to his biography he was in fetters in the marketplace at Chester when Cynwrig the Tall, on a visit to the city, saw his opportunity when the burgesses were at dinner. He picked Gruffudd up, fetters and all, and carried him out of the city on his shoulders. There is debate among historians as to the year of Gruffudd's escape. [[Ordericus Vitalis]] mentions a "Grifridus" attacking the Normans in 1088. The ''History'' in one place states that Gruffudd was imprisoned for twelve years, in another that he was imprisoned for sixteen years. Since he was captured in 1081, that would date his release to 1093 or 1097. [[John Edward Lloyd]] favours 1093, considering that Gruffudd was involved at the beginning of the Welsh uprising in 1094. K. L. Maund on the other hand favours 1097, pointing out that there is no reference to Gruffudd in the contemporary annals until 1098. D. Simon Evans inclines to the view that [[Orderic Vitalis|Ordericus Vitalis]]' date of 1088 could be correct, suggesting that an argument based on the silence of the annals is unsafe.|group=cy}} Gruffudd again took refuge in Ireland but returned to Gwynedd to lead the assaults on Norman castles such as [[Castell Aberlleiniog]]. The Welsh revolt had begun in 1094 and by late 1095 had spread to many parts of [[Wales]]. This induced [[William II of England]] (William Rufus) to intervene, invading [[North Wales]] in 1095. However, his army was unable to bring the Welsh to battle and returned to Chester without having achieved very much. King William mounted a second invasion in 1097, but again without much success. The ''History'' only mentions one invasion by Rufus, which could indicate that Gruffudd did not feature in the resistance to the first invasion. At this time [[Cadwgan ap Bleddyn]] of [[Kingdom of Powys|Powys]] led the Welsh resistance.<ref name=bio/> In the summer of 1098, Earl Hugh of Chester joined with Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury in another attempt to recover his losses in Gwynedd.<ref name="DWB"/><ref name=bio/> Gruffudd and his ally [[Cadwgan ap Bleddyn]] retreated to Anglesey, but were then forced to flee to Ireland in a [[skiff]] when a fleet he had hired from the Danish settlement in Ireland accepted a better offer from the Normans and changed sides. === King for the fourth time and consolidation === The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year, Gruffudd returned from Ireland to take possession again,<ref name="DWB"/> having apparently come to an agreement with Earl Hugh of Chester. The situation was changed by the arrival of a [[Norway|Norwegian fleet]] under the command of King [[Magnus Barefoot]] (Magnus III of Norway) who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the [[Menai Strait]]. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself.<ref name=bio/> With the death of Hugh of Chester in 1101, Gruffudd was able to consolidate his position in Gwynedd, as much by diplomacy as by force. He met King [[Henry I of England]] who granted him the rule of Llŷn, [[Eifionydd]], [[Ardudwy]] and [[Arllechwedd]], considerably extending his kingdom. By 1114, he had gained enough power to induce King Henry to invade Gwynedd,<ref name="DWB"/> one detachment led by King [[Alexander I of Scotland]]. Faced with overwhelming force, Gruffudd was obliged to pay homage to Henry and to pay a heavy fine but lost no territory. The Kingdom was expanded by his sons,{{#tag:ref|By about 1118, advancing years meant that most of the fighting, which pushed Gwynedd's borders eastward and southwards, was done by his three sons by his wife Angharad daughter of [[Owain ab Edwin of Tegeingl]]|group=cy}} [[Owain Gwynedd]] and later [[Cadwaladr ap Gruffudd|Cadwaladr]], by Gruffudd's last years "[[Ceredigion]], [[Meirionnydd]], [[Rhos (North Wales)|Rhos]], [[Rhufoniog]] and [[Dyffryn Clwyd]] were under the rule of Gwynedd".<ref name="DWB"/><ref name=bio/> The [[cantref]]s of Rhos and Rhufoniog were annexed in 1118, Meirionnydd captured from [[Kingdom of Powys|Powys]] in 1123, and Dyffryn Clwyd in 1124. Another invasion by King Henry I in 1121 ultimately ended in military failure. The king had to come to terms with Gruffudd and made no further attempt to invade Gwynedd during Gruffudd's reign. The death of Cadwallon in a battle against the forces of Powys near [[Llangollen]] in 1132 checked further expansion for the time being. Gruffudd was now powerful enough to ensure that his nominee [[David the Scot]] was consecrated as [[Bishop of Bangor]] in 1120. The see had been effectively vacant since bishop [[Hervey le Breton]] had been forced to flee by the Welsh almost twenty years before, since Gruffudd and King Henry could not agree on a candidate. David went on to rebuild [[Bangor Cathedral]] with a large financial contribution from Gruffudd. Owain and Cadwaladr, in alliance with [[Gruffudd ap Rhys]] of [[Deheubarth]], gained a crushing victory over the Normans [[Battle of Crug Mawr|at Crug Mawr]], near [[Cardigan, Ceredigion|Cardigan]], in 1136 and took possession of [[Ceredigion]]. The latter part of Gruffydd's reign was considered to be a "[[Golden Age]]"; according to the ''Life of Gruffudd ap Cynan'' Gwynedd was "bespangled with lime-washed churches like the stars in the firmament".
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