Editing Gruffudd ap Cynan (section)

=== 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".