Rhodri Mawr

Rhodri Mawr
Rhodri Mawr
King of the Britons
	Depiction of Rhodri the Great from Historiae Cambriae
King of Gwynedd
Reign	844–878
Predecessor	Merfyn Frych
Successor	Anarawd ap Rhodri
Born	820; Isle of Man
Died	878; Anglesey
Issue	Anarawd ap Rhodri ; Cadell ap Rhodri ; Meurig ap Rhodri; Merfyn ap Rhodri ; Tudwal ap Rhodri ; Gwriad ap Rhodri ; Gwyddelig ap Rhodri
House	Merfynion
Father	Merfyn Frych

Last updated March 20, 2024

Rhodri ap Merfyn, commonly known as Rhodri Mawr ( Welsh for 'Rhodri the Great'), was a Welsh king whose legacy has impacted the history of Wales. Rhodri rose to power during a tumultuous era, where the fate of Welsh kingdoms was often determined by the power of their leaders.

Early life

Rhodri was born in the 9th century on the Isle of Man. Rhodri was the son of Merfyn, who, under enigmatic circumstances, assumed the kingship of Gwynedd following the death of Hywel ap Caradog in 825.^[1] Rhodri ascended to the throne of Gwynedd and following the passing of his father, Merfyn, in the year 844.^[2]

Reign

Rhodri's reign unfolded against a tumultuous backdrop, as Wales confronted escalating Viking incursions. Among Rhodri's earliest recorded achievements was his defeat and killing of Gorm, a Danish chieftain, in a battle on Anglesey in 856.^[3] This victory garnered international acclaim, reaching the ears of Charles the Bald whose realm Gorm had previously harried.^[4]

In that same year, Rhodri finalized his subjugation of Powys following the death of its exiled ruler Cyngen in Rome. In 871, Rhodri expanded his dominion further, into Ceredigion following the death of its King Gwgon.^[5]

During the year 873, Rhodri won two more successes against the Vikings by securing victories in the battles of Banolau and Ynegydd on Anglesey.^[6]

In 877, a Danish force, aided by their client king Ceolwulf, assailed Anglesey, intent on avenging Gorm's death and securing communication routes with Dublin. They succeeded in defeating Rhodri in the Battle of Sunday and seizing Anglesey, compelling him into exile on Ireland.^[7] The subsequent year marked Rhodri's return from Irish exile, winning a battle against the Vikings occupying Anglesey. However, Rhodri and his son Gwriad perished in a clash against Ceolwulf.^[8]

Succession

Rhodri's realm remained unified upon his demise, passing to his eldest son Anarawd.^[9] However, during Rhodri's exile, Ceredigion was conquered by Hyfaidd ap Bleddri, the King of Dyfed.^[10] Subsequently, Anarawd and Rhodri's other sons managed to reclaim Ceredigion and eventually extended their rule to the rest of Dyfed. This expansion established a distinct branch within the Merfynion dynasty, with Rhodri's second eldest son, Cadell, at its helm.^[11]

Children

Related Research Articles

Owain ap Gruffudd was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great and the first to be styled "Prince of Wales", and the "Prince of the Welsh". He is considered to be the most successful of all the North Welsh princes prior to his grandson, Llywelyn the Great. He became known as Owain Gwynedd to distinguish him from the contemporary king of Powys Wenwynwyn, Owain ap Gruffydd ap Maredudd, who became known as Owain Cyfeiliog.

Deheubarth was a regional name for the realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to Gwynedd. It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under the House of Dinefwr, but that Deheubarth itself was not considered a proper kingdom on the model of Gwynedd, Powys, or Dyfed is shown by its rendering in Latin as dextralis pars or as Britonnes dexterales and not as a named land. In the oldest British writers, Deheubarth was used for all of modern Wales to distinguish it from Hen Ogledd, the northern lands whence Cunedda originated.

The Kingdom of Gwynedd 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.

Cynan Dindaethwy or Cynan ap Rhodri was a king of Gwynedd in Wales in the Early Middle Ages. Cynan was the son of Rhodri Molwynog and ascended to the throne of Gwynedd upon the death of King Caradog ap Meirion in 798. His epithet refers to the commote of Dindaethwy in the cantref Rhosyr. Unlike later kings of Gwynedd, usually resident at Aberffraw in western Anglesey, Cynan maintained his court at Llanfaes on the southeastern coast. Cynan's reign was marked by a destructive dynastic power struggle with a rival named Hywel, usually supposed to be his brother.

Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd, 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 Hywel ap Gwyddeles. Hywel is also known as the Poet Prince for his bardic skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merfyn Frych</span> Early middle ages King of Gwynedd

Merfyn Frych, also known as Merfyn ap Gwriad and Merfyn Camwri, was King of Gwynedd from around 825 to 844, the first of its kings known not to have descended from the male line of King Cunedda.

Anarawd ap Rhodri was King of Gwynedd from 878 to 916. He faced challenges from the kingdom of Mercia and Viking raiders during a period of uncertainty for his realm. Nonetheless, he managed to secure his dynasty's future through his actions and leadership in this tumultuous era.

Cyngen ap Cadell or also (Concenn), was King of Powys from 808 until his death in 854 during a pilgrimage to Rome.

The House of Gwynedd is the royal house of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, in medieval Wales. It is divided between the House of Cunedda and the House of Aberffraw, and lasted from c.401 to 1283.

The Royal House of Dinefwr was a cadet branch of the Royal House of Gwynedd, founded by King Cadell ap Rhodri, son of Rhodri the Great. Their ancestor, Cunedda Wledig, born in late Roman Britain, was a Sub-Roman warlord who founded the Kingdom of Gwynedd during the 5th century, following the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. As Celtic Britons, the House of Dinefwr was ruling before the Norman conquest, having to fight with their neighbors such as the Celtics, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, before struggling with the Normans afterwards. Many members of this family were influential in Welsh history, such as Hywel Dda, who codified Welsh law under his rule, and achieved the important title of King of the Britons, or Lord Rhys, Prince of Wales, who rebelled against Richard the Lionheart, and became one of the most powerful Welsh leaders of the Middle ages.

Wales in the Middle Ages covers the history of the country that is now called Wales, from the departure of the Romans in the early fifth century to the annexation of Wales into the Kingdom of England in the early sixteenth century. This period of about 1,000 years saw the development of regional Welsh kingdoms, Celtic conflict with the Anglo-Saxons, reducing Celtic territories, and conflict between the Welsh and the Anglo-Normans from the 11th century.

This article is about the particular significance of the century 901–1000 to Wales and its people.

The House of Aberffraw was a medieval royal court based in the village it was named after, Aberffraw, Anglesey within the borders of the then Kingdom of Gwynedd. The dynasty was founded in the 9th century by a King in Wales whose descendants founded the Welsh Royal Houses. The other medieval Welsh dynasties were the Royal Houses of Dinefwr, Mathrafal.

Angharad ferch Meurig was a 9th-century Welsh noblewoman. She was the wife of Rhodri the Great of Gwynedd, and mother of Anarawd, Cadell ap Rhodri, and Merfyn.

Hyfaidd ap Bleddri was a king of Dyfed.

Gwriad ap Merfyn or ap Rhodri was a 9th-century prince of Gwynedd in northern Wales. He is an obscure figure, sometimes being listed as Rhodri the Great's brother and sometimes as his son.

The Battle of the Conwy took place in 881 between King Anarawd and his brothers of the northern Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd and a Mercian army almost certainly led by Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians. The Welsh were victorious, and the battle ended the traditional hegemony of Mercia over north Wales and contributed to Æthelred's decision to accept the lordship of King Alfred the Great of Wessex. This united the Anglo-Saxons who were not living under Viking rule under Alfred, and was a step towards the creation of the Kingdom of England. Anarawd allied himself with the Vikings shortly after the battle, but he then abandoned this alliance to follow Æthelred in accepting Alfred's lordship.

Ethyllt ferch Cynan, also known as Esyllt ferch Cynan Dindaethwy, was the daughter of King Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri of Gwynedd.

References

↑ Edwards, Thomas (2014). Wales and the Britons, 350-1064 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-0198704911.
↑ Davies, John (2007). A History of Wales (Revised ed.). Penguin. p. 79. ISBN 978-0140284751.
↑ Edwards, Thomas (2014). Wales and the Britons, 350-1064 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 484. ISBN 978-0198704911.
↑ Davies, Sean (2014). War and Society in Medieval Wales, 633-1283: Welsh Military Institutions (2nd ed.). University of Wales Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-1783161393.
↑ Maund., Kari (2006). The Welsh Kings: Warriors, Warlords and Princes (3rd ed.). The History Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0752429731.
↑ Davies, Sean (2014). War and Society in Medieval Wales (2nd ed.). University of Wales Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-1783161393.
↑ Edwards, Thomas (2014). Wales and the Britons, 350-1064 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 488. ISBN 978-0198704911.
↑ Davies, John (2007). A History of Wales (Revised ed.). Penguin. p. 80. ISBN 978-0140284751.
↑ Maund, Kari (2006). The Welsh Kings: Warriors, Warlords and Princes (3rd ed.). The History Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0752429731.
↑ Edwards, Thomas (2014). Wales and the Britons, 350-1064 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 487. ISBN 978-0198704911.
↑ Edwards, Thomas (2014). Wales and the Britons, 350-1064 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 495. ISBN 978-0198704911.

External links

Lee, Sidney, ed. (1896). "Rhodri Mawr" . Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 48. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 85.
Pierce, Thomas Jones (1959). "Rhodri Mawr ('the Great') (died 877), king of Gwynedd, Powys, and Deheubarth". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . National Library of Wales.

Regnal titles
Rhodri Mawr House Of Merfyn Born: 820 Died: 878
Preceded by Merfyn Frych	King of the Britons 844–878	Succeeded by Anarawd ap Rhodri
Preceded by Merfyn Frych	King of Gwynedd 844–878
Preceded by Cyngen ap Cadell	King of Powys 856–878
Preceded by Gwgon ap Meurig	King of Ceredigion 871–878	Succeeded by Hyfaidd ap Bleddri

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Edwards, Thomas (2014). Wales and the Britons, 350-1064 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-0198704911.

[2] Davies, John (2007). A History of Wales (Revised ed.). Penguin. p. 79. ISBN 978-0140284751.

[3] Edwards, Thomas (2014). Wales and the Britons, 350-1064 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 484. ISBN 978-0198704911.

[4] Davies, Sean (2014). War and Society in Medieval Wales, 633-1283: Welsh Military Institutions (2nd ed.). University of Wales Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-1783161393.

[5] Maund., Kari (2006). The Welsh Kings: Warriors, Warlords and Princes (3rd ed.). The History Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0752429731.

[6] Davies, Sean (2014). War and Society in Medieval Wales (2nd ed.). University of Wales Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-1783161393.

[7] Edwards, Thomas (2014). Wales and the Britons, 350-1064 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 488. ISBN 978-0198704911.

[8] Davies, John (2007). A History of Wales (Revised ed.). Penguin. p. 80. ISBN 978-0140284751.

[9] Maund, Kari (2006). The Welsh Kings: Warriors, Warlords and Princes (3rd ed.). The History Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0752429731.

[10] Edwards, Thomas (2014). Wales and the Britons, 350-1064 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 487. ISBN 978-0198704911.

[11] Edwards, Thomas (2014). Wales and the Britons, 350-1064 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 495. ISBN 978-0198704911.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]