Editing Gruffudd ap Llywelyn (section)

== King of Gwynedd and Powys (1039–1055) ==
{{anchor|King of Gwynedd|King of Powys|King of Gwynedd and Powys}}

In 1039, Iago, King of Gwynedd, was killed (supposedly by his own men),<ref name="DWB"/> his son [[Cynan ap Iago|Cynan]] was forced into exile in [[Kingdom of Dublin|Dublin]], and Gruffudd was made King. Soon after gaining power, he surprised a [[Mercia]]n army at [[Battle of Rhyd Y Groes|Rhyd y Groes]] near [[Welshpool]] and defeated it,<ref name="DWB"/> killing Edwin, brother of [[Leofric, Earl of Mercia]].<ref name=Lee/> He then attacked [[Deheubarth|Dyfed]], which his father had ruled but which was now under [[Hywel ab Edwin]]. Gruffudd again defeated Hywel in the Battle of [[Pencader, Carmarthenshire|Pencader]] in 1041 (halfway between [[Carmarthen]] and [[Lampeter]] but did not win entirely until 1042 at "Pwlldyfach" (near Carmarthen)<ref name="DWB"/> and carried off Hywel's wife.<ref name=Lee>{{harv|Lee|pages=305–307}}</ref> Gruffudd seems to have been able to drive Hywel (and his Irish fleet of "Black Gentiles / Pagans")<ref name="DWB"/><ref name=Lee/> out of the south, for in 1044 Hywel is again recorded returning to the [[River Towy]] with a fleet from [[Ireland]]; Gruffudd, however, defeated and killed Hywel.<ref name="DWB"/><ref name=Lee/>

[[Gruffudd ap Rhydderch]] of [[Kingdom of Gwent|Gwent]] was able to expel Gruffudd ap Llywelyn from [[Deheubarth]] in 1047 and became [[List of rulers in Wales|King of Deheubarth]] himself.<ref name="DWB"/> Afterwards the nobles of [[Ystrad Tywi]] had attacked and killed 140 of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn's household guards, Gruffudd exacted his revenge in [[River Towy|Towy]] and [[Dyfed]].<ref name=Lee/> Gruffudd ap Llywelyn was active on the Welsh border in 1052 when he attacked [[Herefordshire]] with an army consisting of a fleet of 18 ships from Ireland; they defeated a mixed force of [[Normans]] and [[Anglo-Saxons]] in the [[Leominster|Battle of Leominster]].<ref name="DWB"/><ref name=Lee/>