Gruffydd+ap+Cynan

**Gruffydd ap Cynan** flat

Gruffydd ap Cynan, remembered by many as “the king and sovereign and prince and defender and pacifier of all the Welsh” had a troubled career. He was defeated and exiled on numerous occasions, held prisoner for a number of years, and submitted himself to King Henry I when faced with total destruction. Despite this, Gruffydd was still remembered as the “king of the kings of Wales”.  toc



=Early Life = Gruffydd ap Cynan was born around 1054 in Dublin, Ireland, and there he remained until 1073, when he sailed back to Wales to lay claim to the throne of Gwynedd. He was the grandson of Iago ap Idwal, a past king of Gwynedd, of the line Cunedda, though at that time the throne was under the rule of the usurper, Trahaiarn ap Caradog. Gruffydd fought for the throne, but though he was victorious at first, Trahaiarn retaliated and won the overall victory. Gruffydd fled to the sea, then sailed south to Dyfed where he enlisted the help of Rhys ap Tewdwr, king of Deheubarth, also of the line of Cunedda. Together they defeated and killed Trahaiarn at the battle of Mynydd Carn, though this did not secure the throne for Gruffydd. 

=Imprisonment at Chester = Immediately after his victory at Mynydd Carn, Gruffydd's adversaries, the Earls of Shrewsbury and Chester, tricked him into attending a meeting, where they captured and imprisoned him for over a decade at Chester Castle. Cynwrig Hir, a devoted friend of Gruffydd, freed him by sneaking into the prison and “bodily [seizing] his friend and prince... fetters, chains and all... [and carrying] him away to a place of safety”. In danger of being recaptured, Gruffydd was forced to hide in dense forests and the impassable mountains of mid Wales, only resurfacing at length to fight the Normans.

= = =Resistance Against the Normans = By 1094 the Normans had taken over much of Wales, though the Welsh refused to yield. Gruffydd, with the help of Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, led the Welsh to victory over every Norman castle west of Conwy, and were successful in removing Norman rule from the whole of Gwynedd. In 1096, however, the Earls of Chester and Shrewsbury tried to regain their positions by leading their armies in an attack against Gwynedd. Again, Gruffydd was forced to flee to Ireland for safety, but the following year he returned once more and upon making peace with his enemies, was given “part of the country... and... obtained Mona”.

=Threats of War from King Henry I = With Gruffydd in charge, Gwynedd's power was growing in such proportions that in 1111, the son of Hugh, earl of Caerleon accused Gruffydd, and accordingly, King Henry I gathered his armies against him, “out of the whole island, from the promontory of Pengwaed in Cornwallto the promontory of Blathaon in the North, against Gwynedd and Powys”. When Gruffydd's ally, Owain ap Cadwganof Powys, submitted to king Henry it left Gruffydd with no option but to submit and recognise the king as his overlord.

=<span style="font-family: tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">King of the Kings of Wales = <span style="font-family: tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">It would have taken a great deal of courage for Gruffydd to keep returning to fight for his rights as king, despite the many losses he had already suffered in his career. He may be remembered for his downfalls, but what made him a worthy and prominent king of his time was not that he had suffered greatly at the hands of his enemies, but that he had the wisdom to face difficult situations, the courage to face his enemies, and the sheer determination to keep going. No matter how often he suffered at the hands of his enemies, Gruffydd ap Cynan never gave up.

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