Michael Matthew Groat PhD's Genealogical Database
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Grufydd ap Cynan
- Preferred Name: Grufydd ap Cynan[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
- Gender: M
- FSID: 9CN3-8JY
- Birth: 1055 in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland at LATI: N3.3443 LONG: E6.2665
- Reigned: BET 1055 AND 1137 with note: Description: King of Gwynedd & Powys
- Title of Nobility: with note: Description: Prince of Wales
- Burial: 1137 in Bangor, Caernarvon, Wales at LATI: N3.2035 LONG: E4.1531 with note: roots magicinfo
- Fact: with note: Description: https://www.geni.com/people/Gruffydd-ap-Cynan/6000000000424583790
- Death: 1137 in Gwynedd, Wales, United Kingdom at LATI: N2.9553 LONG: E4.0594
- Fact: with note: Description: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruffudd_ap_Cynan
- Christening: 1055 in Bangor, Caernarvonshire, Wales at LATI: N3.2035 LONG: E4.1531
- Title of Nobility: BET 1081 AND 1137 in Gwynedd, Wales at LATI: N2.9553 LONG: E4.0594 with note: Description: King of Gwynedd
- http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: King of Gwynedd, North WalesBET 1081 AND 1137
- http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: BET 1055 AND 1137 with note: Description: King of Powys
- Notes:
=== Life Sketch ===
Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055 - 1137), sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffudd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely House of Aberffraw.
Through his mother, Gruffudd had close family connections with the Norse settlement around Dublin and he frequently used Ireland as a refuge and as a source of troops. He three times gained the throne of Gwynedd and then lost it again, before regaining it once more in 1099 and this time keeping power until his death. Gruffudd laid the foundations which were built upon by his son Owain Gwynedd and his great-grandson Llywelyn the Great.
Life
Unusually 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.
Most of the existing manuscripts of the history are in 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. However Russell (2006) has suggested that the Latin version in 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 Dublin and reared near Swords, County Dublin, in Ireland. He was the son of a Welsh Prince, Cynan ap Iago, who was a claimant to the Kingship of Gwynedd but was probably never its king, 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, since the History describes his mother telling him who his father was.
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. The latter had two sons named Amlaíb: one died in 1013, whilst another died in 1034. Either man could have been Ragnailt's father.
During his many struggles to gain the kingship of Gwynedd, Gruffudd received considerable aid from Ireland, from the Hiberno-Norse at Dublin, the Isles and Wexford and from Muircheartach Ua Briain, because he was also descendant through his mother from Brian Boru, High King of Ireland.
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 Norman Robert of Rhuddlan first defeated and killed Cynwrig ap Rhiwallon, an ally of Trahaearn who held Llŷn, then defeated Trahaearn himself in the battle of Gwaed Erw in Meirionnydd and gained control of Gwynedd.
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 Second bid for the throne and capture by the Normans.
Coat of Arms retroactively attributed to Gryffudd ap Cynan
Gruffudd fled to Ireland but, in 1081, returned and made an alliance with Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of Deheubarth. Rhys had been attacked by Caradog ap Gruffudd of Gwent and Morgannwg, and had been forced to flee to St David's Cathedral. Gruffudd this time embarked from Waterford with a force composed of Danes and Irish and landed near St David's, 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 Powys. The armies of the two confederacies met at the Battle of Mynydd Carn, with Gruffudd and Rhys victorious and Trahaearn, Caradog and Meilyr all being killed. Gruffudd was thus able to seize power in Gwynedd for the second time.
He soon was 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, Earl of Chester and Hugh, 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, Caernarfon and Aberlleiniog.
Escape from captivity and third reign
Gruffudd reappeared on the scene years later, having escaped from captivity. According to his biography he was in fetters in the market-place 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. J.E. Lloyd favors 1093, considering that Gruffudd was involved at the beginning of the Welsh uprising in 1094. K.L. Maund on the other hand favors 1097, pointing out that there is no reference to Gruffudd in the contemporary annals until 1098. D. Simon Evans inclines to the view that Ordericus Vitalis' date of 1088 could be correct, suggesting that an argument based on the silence of the annals is unsafe.
Gruffudd again took refuge in Ireland but returned to Gwynedd to lead the assaults on Norman castles such as Aber Lleiniog. 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 northern 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" mentions only 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 Powys led the Welsh resistance.
In the summer of 1098, Earl Hugh of Chester joined with Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury in another attempt to recover his losses in Gwynedd. Gruffudd and his ally Cadwgan ap Bleddyn retreated to Anglesey, but then were 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 situation was changed by the arrival of a Norwegian fleet under the command of King Magnus III of Norway, also known as Magnus Barefoot, who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the Menai Straits. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself. The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year, Gruffudd returned from Ireland to take possession again, having apparently come to an agreement with Earl Hugh of Chester.
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 in a three-pronged attack, one detachment led by King Alexander I of Scotland. Faced by overwhelming force, Gruffudd was obliged to pay homage to Henry and to pay a heavy fine, but lost no territory. By about 1118, Gruffudd's 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: Cadwallon, Owain Gwynedd and later Cadwaladr. The cantrefs of Rhos and Rhufoniog were annexed in 1118, Meirionnydd captured from Powys in 1123, and Dyffryn Clwyd in 1124. Another invasion by the king of England in 1121 was a military failure.
Children
The family line of Cynan shows he had many children by several different women. With wife Angharad (daughter of Owain ab Edwin) he had:
. Owain Gwynedd (Owain ap Gruffudd), married (1) Gwladus (Gladys) ferch Llywarch, daughter of Llywarch ap Trahaearn (2) Cristin ferch Goronwy, daughter of Goronwy ab Owain
. Cadwaladr ap Gruffudd, married Alice de Clare, daughter of Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare
. Cadwallon ap Gruffudd
. Mareda/Marared
. Susanna, married Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys
. Ranulht/Rannillt
. Agnes/Annest ferch gruffydd
. Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd, married Gruffudd ap Rhys, Prince of Deheubarth
Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055-1137)
Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055-1137), sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in We
=== King of Wales ===
King of Wales
=== Given Name: Gryffydd Ap Cynan Ap,Of Gwy ===
Given Name: Gryffydd Ap Cynan Ap,Of Gwynneth Prnc Wales Surname: Iago
=== My 25th ===
Great Grandfather
=== 1) Angarad/verch Owen, 2) Miss/Lychiom ===
1) Angarad/verch Owen, 2) Miss/Lychiom
=== Source; Gedcom, "Glick/Foster Ancestry" ===
Source; Gedcom, "Glick/Foster Ancestry".
Note:
Prince of Wales; son of Cynan ap Iago and Ragnaillt; m. Angharad ferch Owain; father of Margred, Owain Gwynedd, Susanna, Gwenllian, and Rhanullt. [GRS 3.03, Automated Archives, CD#100]
WAITE, NEWLIN, MINOR LINE
Son of Cynan; father of Owain Gwynedd and Gwenllian. [A History of Wales, p. 82]
8 years old in 1063 when his father was killed in battle. At the time he was living with his mother in Ireland. [History, p. 102]
With the battle of Mynydd Carn in 1081, the carnage in Wales was halted. The victors were Gruffudd ap Cynan of the senior branch of the royal house of Gwynedd and Rhys ap Tewdwr of the senior branch of the royal house of Deheubrath, branches to which the two kingdoms would henceforth remain loyal. [History, p. 104]
Shortly after the battle of Mynydd Carn, Gruffudd was captured by the men of Hugh the Fat, earl of Chester, and the earl kept him imprisoned for at least 12 years. In 1086, it would appear that Domesday Book considered NE Wales up to the River Clwyd to be part of the earldom of Chester. [History, p. 105]
In about 1094 Gruffudd escaped from prison and re-established himself as the ruler of the kingdom of his ancestors. In 1098, the earls of Chester and Shrewsbury led a campaign against him, but they were defeated on the banks of the Menai by a force of Scandinavians, and the earl of Shrewsbury was shot dead by Magnus Barefoot, king of Norway. Gruffudd consolidated his hold upon Gwynedd, and for decades he patiently rebuilt the strength of his kingdom. [History, p. 108]
In Gwynedd, Gruffudd ap Cynan of the house of Aberffraw was intent upon rebuilding his shattered kingdom. The borders of the realm which he had regained in 1098 were the river Mawddach to the south and the river Conwy to the east. For 20 years, he did not venture beyond those borders, seeking rather to give his subjects the peace which would allow them to plant their crops in full confidence that they would be able to harvest them. then, from abt 1118 onwards, taking advantage of the endemic troubles of the rulers of Powys, he
seized commotes which had previously been in their possession. Rhos and Rhufoniog were annexed in 1118 and Dyffryn Clwyd in 1124, 3 of the 4 cantrefi of the perfeddwlad (the Middle Country -- Tegeingl was the 4th). Gruffudd's successors would be resolute in maintaining their hold over the Perfeddwlad, a region they knew as Gwynedd Is Conwy (Gwynedd below the Conwy). In 1123 Gruffudd seized the cnatref of Merionnydd, the district between the rivers Dyfi and Mawddach, and in 1137, shortly before his death, Ceredigion also came into the hands of the house of Aberffraw. [History, p. 116]
King of Gwynedd; son of Cynan ap Iago and Ragnhildr; m. Angharad verch Owain; father of Gwenllian; father of Owain Gwynedd; imprisoned by Normans in England 1081-93. [Charlemagne & Others, Chart 2936, 3328]
Prince of Wales; m.c. 1095, Angharad ferch Owain; father of Owain Gwynedd, Susanna, Gwenllian, Margred, and Rhanullt. [GRS 3.03, Automated Archives, CD#100]
It was Gruffudd ap Cynan (d. 1137), according to his later biographer, who 'delivered the land of Gwynedd from castles'. In 1114, three armies under King Henry I (1100-35) converged on the region and temporarily halted the expansion of Gruffudd ap Cynan. [Flint Castle/Ewloe Castle, p. 5]
Son of Cynan ap Iago and Rhanullt O'Olaf; m. Angharad verch Owain; father of:
1. Rhannult who m. Madog ap Idnerth
2. Owain Gwynedd who m. many wives
3. Elen
4. Gwenllian who m. Gruffudd ap Rhys
5. Merinedd
6. Susanna who m. Madog ap Maredydd
7. Cadwaladr who m. Adles Clare, Gwerful verch Gwrgeneu, Dyddgu verch Maredudd
8. Cadwallon
9. Membyr Ddu
10. Rhael
11. Annes
12. Margred
13. Tudwal
m. Perwyr verch Bran and ?? verch Lychwy. [WFT Vol 11 Ped 4329]
1 2 3 4 5 Change Date: 21 May 2003 at 22:22:38
Sources:
Repository:
Name: Cheryl Varner Library
Title: Automated Archives, Automated Family Pedigrees #1, CD#100
Author: Automated Archives, Inc.
Publication: Genealogical Research System, 1994
Repository:
Name: Cheryl Varner Library
Title: A History of Wales
Author: Davies, John
Publication: Allen Lane, The Penguin Press, London, 1993
Page: p. 82, 102, 104-105, 108, 116
Repository:
Name: Denver Public Library
Title: Charlemagne, Alfred the Great and Other Ancestors
Author: Mitchell, James T.
Publication: 1991
Page: Chart 2936, 3328
Repository:
Name: Cheryl Varner Library
Title: Flint Castle/Ewloe Castle
Author: Renn, Derek and Richard Avent
Publication: Cadw Welsh Historic Monuments, Cardiff, 1995
Page: p. 5
Repository:
Name: Cheryl Varner Library
Title: World Family Tree Volume 11, pre-1600 to present
Author: Family Tree Maker
Publication: Broderbund Software, Inc., 1997
Page: Ped 4329
=== DEATH: Also shown as Died Wales, United ===
DEATH: Also shown as Died Wales, United Kingdom.
BURIAL: Also shown as Buried Bangor, Caernarfonshire, Wales, United Kingdom.
PREFIX: Also shown as King
DEATH: Also shown as Died Caernarfonshire, Wales, United Kingdom.
BURIAL: Also shown as Buried Bangor, Caernarfonshire, Wales, United Kingdom.
=== Given Name: Gruffydd Ap Cynan Surname: U ===
Given Name: Gruffydd Ap Cynan Surname: Unknown Suffix: Prince Of Gwynedd 1 2 3 4 Sex: M Birth: 1055 in Carmarthenshire, Wales 1 5 4 Death: 1137 in Carmarthenshire, Wales 2 6 1 3 4 7 8 Event: Marriage fact Marriage Fact Note: Acceded: 1081. Interred: Bangor Cathedral. 1 2 4 Event: Fact 2 Fact 2 Note: Famous Welsh King. 4 Event: Fact 4 Fact 4 Note: Prince of North Wales. 5 4
His father is:
Name: Cynan Ap IAGO Given Name: Cynan Ap Surname: Iago Suffix: Prince Of Gwynedd 1 2 3 4 Sex: M Birth: Abt 1014 in Of Aberffro, Malltraeth, Anglesey, Wales 4 5 Death: Y
His mother is:
Name: Rhanullt Ingen Olaf (Ragnhildir) Of DUBLIN Given Name: Rhanullt Ingen Olaf (Ragnhildir) Of Surname: Dublin 1 2 3 Sex: F Birth: Abt 1031 in Of Dublin, Ireland 3 Death: Y
=== WFT Ref # 853 Vol 27 ===
WFT Ref # 853 Vol 27
=== 2 Miss/Llychiom *, 3 Perisair/verch Bran ===
2 Miss/Llychiom *, 3 Perisair/verch Bran * The Dictionary of National Biography Eng Pub 4v23 p304 claims the above Guffydd had children illigitemately in addition to the ones by the above wife however in Wales Angl 1p309 it states he had the two additional wives shown and indicates th eir children. It is not certain whether they were actual wives in the correct sense or whether they were
=== Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055 - 1137), some ===
Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055 - 1137), sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffudd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely House of Aberffraw.
Through his mother, Gruffudd had close family connections with the Norse settlement around Dublin and he frequently used Ireland as a refuge and as a source of troops. He three times gained the throne of Gwynedd and then lost it again, before regaining it once more in 1099 and this time keeping power until his death. Gruffudd laid the foundations which were built upon by his son Owain Gwynedd and his great-grandson Llywelyn the Great.
Life
Unusually 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.
Most of the existing manuscripts of the history are in 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. However Russell (2006) has suggested that the Latin version in 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 Dublin and reared near Swords, County Dublin, in Ireland. He was the son of a Welsh Prince, Cynan ap Iago, who was a claimant to the Kingship of Gwynedd but was probably never its king, 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, since the History describes his mother telling him who his father was.
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. The latter had two sons named Amlaíb: one died in 1013, whilst another died in 1034. Either man could have been Ragnailt's father.
During his many struggles to gain the kingship of Gwynedd, Gruffudd received considerable aid from Ireland, from the Hiberno-Norse at Dublin, the Isles and Wexford and from Muircheartach Ua Briain, because he was also descendant through his mother from Brian Boru, High King of Ireland.
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 Norman Robert of Rhuddlan first defeated and killed Cynwrig ap Rhiwallon, an ally of Trahaearn who held Llŷn, then defeated Trahaearn himself in the battle of Gwaed Erw in Meirionnydd and gained control of Gwynedd.
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 Second bid for the throne and capture by the Normans.
Coat of Arms retroactively attributed to Gryffudd ap Cynan
Gruffudd fled to Ireland but, in 1081, returned and made an alliance with Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of Deheubarth. Rhys had been attacked by Caradog ap Gruffudd of Gwent and Morgannwg, and had been forced to flee to St David's Cathedral. Gruffudd this time embarked from Waterford with a force composed of Danes and Irish and landed near St David's, 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 Powys. The armies of the two confederacies met at the Battle of Mynydd Carn, with Gruffudd and Rhys victorious and Trahaearn, Caradog and Meilyr all being killed. Gruffudd was thus able to seize power in Gwynedd for the second time.
He soon was 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, Earl of Chester and Hugh, 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, Caernarfon and Aberlleiniog.
Escape from captivity and third reign
Gruffudd reappeared on the scene years later, having escaped from captivity. According to his biography he was in fetters in the market-place 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. J.E. Lloyd favors 1093, considering that Gruffudd was involved at the beginning of the Welsh uprising in 1094. K.L. Maund on the other hand favors 1097, pointing out that there is no reference to Gruffudd in the contemporary annals until 1098. D. Simon Evans inclines to the view that Ordericus Vitalis' date of 1088 could be correct, suggesting that an argument based on the silence of the annals is unsafe.
Gruffudd again took refuge in Ireland but returned to Gwynedd to lead the assaults on Norman castles such as Aber Lleiniog. 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 northern 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" mentions only 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 Powys led the Welsh resistance.
In the summer of 1098, Earl Hugh of Chester joined with Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury in another attempt to recover his losses in Gwynedd. Gruffudd and his ally Cadwgan ap Bleddyn retreated to Anglesey, but then were 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 situation was changed by the arrival of a Norwegian fleet under the command of King Magnus III of Norway, also known as Magnus Barefoot, who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the Menai Straits. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself. The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year, Gruffudd returned from Ireland to take possession again, having apparently come to an agreement with Earl Hugh of Chester.
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 in a three-pronged attack, one detachment led by King Alexander I of Scotland. Faced by overwhelming force, Gruffudd was obliged to pay homage to Henry and to pay a heavy fine, but lost no territory. By about 1118, Gruffudd's 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: Cadwallon, Owain Gwynedd and later Cadwaladr. The cantrefs of Rhos and Rhufoniog were annexed in 1118, Meirionnydd captured from Powys in 1123, and Dyffryn Clwyd in 1124. Another invasion by the king of England in 1121 was a military failure.
Children
The family line of Cynan shows he had many children by several different women. With wife Angharad (daughter of Owain ab Edwin) he had:
. Owain Gwynedd (Owain ap Gruffudd), married (1) Gwladus (Gladys) ferch Llywarch, daughter of Llywarch ap Trahaearn (2) Cristin ferch Goronwy, daughter of Goronwy ab Owain
. Cadwaladr ap Gruffudd, married Alice de Clare, daughter of Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare
. Cadwallon ap Gruffudd
. Mareda/Marared
. Susanna, married Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys
. Ranulht/Rannillt
. Agnes/Annest ferch gruffydd
. Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd, married Gruffudd ap Rhys, Prince
=== ALIA: Griffith Gruffydd ap /Cynan/ Title ===
ALIA: Griffith Gruffydd ap /Cynan/ Title: King of Gwynedd Birth: 1054 in Dublin, Ireland Death: 1137 Burial: UNKNOWN Bangor Cathedral Event: Reigned BET. 1081 - 1137 Sources: Title: Lineal Descent of the Wynn Family of Gwydir from Gruffudd ap Cynan Appendices Pg 203 Table A Title: "Annales Cambriae" Early Middle Ages (Boydell Press, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1980)" Text: b 1137: "Grifinus filius Conani obiit."]. per Stewart Baldwin Title: "Hanes Gruffudd ap Cynan" "Historia hen Gruffud vab Kenan vab Iago" Peniarth MS. 17 mid 13th century in EWGT pp 35-37 Title: Mostyn MS. 117 (last quarter of 13th century), in EWGT, pp.38-39, per Stewart Baldwin Title: Jesus College (Oxford) MS. 20, in EWGT, Page: pp 28 Text: per Stewart Baldwin Title: " Welsh Genealogies AD 300-1400 & AD 1400-1500" P. C. Bartrun's, 8 vol and 18 vol Repository: Call Number: Media: Book Text: In 1063, at the age of eight, when his father was slain in the battles against the English, Gruffydd was living with his mother, the daughter of the Danish King of Dublin, in Ireland. In 1081, after years of fighting between the various different descendants of HYWEL THE GOOD (RIN 1436), Gruffydd was victorious at the battle of Mynydd Carn. At that time he assumed control of the kingdom of Gwynedd. In the meanime, however, WILLIAM THE CONQUERER (RIN 798) had installed the Norman dynasty in England following the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Shortly after assuming the kingship Gruffydd was captured by the men of WILLIAM's vassal, Hugh the Fat, Earl of Chester, and imprisoned for twelve years. Hugh's cousin, Robert, was apparently, for all practical purposes, the ruler of northern Wales. In about 1094 Gruffydd escaped from prison and regained control of Gwynedd. In 1098 the earls of Shrewsbury and Chester launched an unsuccessful military campaign to remove him from power. Gruffudd consolidated his hold upon Gwynedd and, for decades, he rebuilt the strength of his kingdom. The kingdom of Powys was, during this time separ ated from Gwynedd. Its rulers henceforth would all be descendants of BLEDDYN ap CYNFYN (RIN 2592). In the later years of his reign Gruffudd siezed Caridigion and parts of Powys. Title: Weis, F. L. "Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before 1700", Weis, 1992, seventh edition. Repository: Call Number: Media: Book Text: Weis' "Ancestral Roots. . ." (176:6), (239:5) Title: "Annales Cambriae" Early Middle Ages (Boydell Press, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1980)" Page: b. 1137: "Grifinus filius Conani obiit." Title: "Hanes Gruffudd ap Cynan" "Historia hen Gruffud vab Kenan vab Iago" Peniarth MS. 17 mid 13th century in EWGT pp 35-37 Text: Although a composition of as early as ca. 1170 for the genealogies has been argued by some, Bartrum argues (EWGT p. 35) that there is no evidence that the pedigrees are earlier than the manuscript itself Title: Mostyn MS. 117 (last quarter of 13th century), in EWGT, pp.38-39, per Stewart Baldwin Page: 3 Title: Jesus College (Oxford) MS. 20, in EWGT, Page: pp 27
=== !1. Information source: The Royal Lines ===
!1. Information source: The Royal Lines of Succession A16A225, p 23: Eminent Welshmen Wales 13 p 184, 185; Hist of Powys Fodog, Wales 15 v 1 p 77: The Royal Tribes of Wales, Wales 1 p 1 5; Hist of the Gwydir Fam B8F2 p 12A. 2. Note: The Dictionary of National Biography, eng pub A v 23 p 304 claims the above Gruffydd had Children illegitimately in addition to the ones by the above wife: however, in Wales Angl 1 p 309 it states he had the tow additional wives shown above and indicates their childdren. It is not certain whether they were actually wives in the correct sense, or whether they were more in the status of concubines. On 19 Sep 1941 a Mareda, Nest and Morfydd were sealed to the above couple. From all sources quoted above, however, there are no such daughters mentioned. There is a possibility that Mareda may have been mistaken for Merinedd, but temple work was done for both manes as daughters of Gruffydd ap Cynan and Perisar for Merinedd and daughter of above wife for Mareda.Nevertheless Merinedd is a daughter of anghard. It is claimed that Reinalt, wife of Madog ap Idnerth, was a daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan whose name is not mentioned in the above sources, See family group sheet of Madog ap Idnerth. 3. Child # 1 Reinalt md Madog ap Idnerth. 4. Child # 2 Gwenllian md (1) Cadwgan ap Belddyn, (2) Gruffydd ap Rhys, Prince of South Wales. 5. Child # 3 Owain md (1) Gwladys verch Llywarch, (2) Christian verch Gronw, he also had children by Ryvog and mothers not known. 6. Child # 4 Elen md Ithel ap Llewelyn. 7. Child # 5 Merinedd md Howel ap Ieuaf. 8. Child # 6 Susanna md Madog ap Maredydd, Prince of Wales. 9. Child # 7 Cadwaladr md Alice De Clare. 10. Child # 8 Cadwallawn md Gwenllian.
=== Alternate death date: 1136 (IGI (Interna ===
Alternate death date: 1136 (IGI (International Genealogical Index))
=== W H Turton: The Plantagenet Ancestry P. ===
W H Turton: The Plantagenet Ancestry P. 132, 128
W Betham: Genealogical Tables Tab. 609
M L Call: Family Group Sheets Vol 1:21 3:2576
J E Griffitth: Pedigrees of Anglesey and Caernarvonshire Families P. 309
=== Title: Encyclopedia Britannica, Treatise ===
Title: Encyclopedia Britannica, Treatise on
Page: UK-Wales Macropaedia p 124
Title: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition, by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr., 1999
Page: 176-6 ,239-5
*Forrest=fathers direct line,! dna connections
@Stolp=mothers direct line
+Tamer=husbands direct line
#Wallace & ^Stuetelberg=son-in-laws direct lines
all lines separated.With multiple marks cross over lines
without documentations all is speculative/with ???
=== !SOURCE: A History of the Morgan Family ===
!SOURCE: A History of the Morgan Family FHL book # 929.273/M821md GRIFFITH was born in Dublin and married Angharad, daughter of Owen. He returned to Wales in 1081, founded the first of five Royal Tribes, and was restored to the Crown of Gwynedd in 1081. GRIFFITH was imprisoned by the Normans in Chester, England from 1081 to 1093 and is buried in Bangor Cathedral. Children were Cadwallon, Owen, Cadwaladr, and GWENILLIAN. From Owen's line came King Edward IV of England.
=== !BIRTH RECORD; INFO FROM LDS CHURCH ANC ===
!BIRTH RECORD; INFO FROM LDS CHURCH ANCESTRAL FILE MARRIAGE RECORD; " " " 3 TIMES DEATH RECORD; " " " 25TH GREAT GRANDFATHER
=== In the course of a long eventful life, h ===
In the course of a long eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffydd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely house of Aberffraw.
Through his mother Gruffydd had close family connections with the Danish settlement around Dublin and he frequently used Ireland as a refuge and as a source of troops. He three times gained the throne of Gwynedd and then lost it again before regaining it once more in 1099 and this time keeping power until his death. Gruffydd laid the foundations which were built upon by his son Owain Gwynedd and his great-grandson Llywelyn the Great.
Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055 - 1137) was a King of Gwynedd. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffudd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely house of Aberffraw.
Through his mother Gruffudd had close family connections with the Norse settlement around Dublin and he frequently used Ireland as a refuge and as a source of troops. He three times gained the throne of Gwynedd and then lost it again before regaining it once more in 1099 and this time keeping power until his death. Gruffudd laid the foundations which were built upon by his son Owain Gwynedd and his great-grandson Llywelyn the Great.
Unusually 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, though allowance has to be made for the fact that it appears to have been written as dynastic propaganda for one of Gruffudd's descendants. 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 to the early reign of Llywelyn the Great, around 1200. The name of the author Is not known.
Most of the existing manuscripts of the history are in 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. However Russell (2006) has suggested that the Latin version in Peniarth MS 434E incorporates the original Latin version, later amended to bring it into line with the Welsh text.
Gruffudd made his first attempt 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 Anglesey with an Irish force, and with the assistance of troops provided by the Norman Robert of Rhuddlan first defeated and killed Cynwrig ap Rhiwallon, an ally of Trahaearn who held Llyn, then defeated Trahaearn himself in the battle of Gwaed Erw in Meirionnydd and gained control of Gwynedd.
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 Llyn and Trahaearn took the opportunity to counter attack, defeating Gruffudd at the battle of Bron yr Erw in 1075 above Clynnog Fawr the same year.
Gruffudd fled to Ireland but in 1081 returned and made an alliance with Rhys ap Tewdwr prince of Deheubarth. Rhys had been attacked by Caradog ap Gruffudd of Gwent and Morgannwg, and had been forced to flee to the St David's Cathedral. Gruffudd this time embarked from Waterford with a force composed of Danes and Irish and landed near St David's, 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 Powys. The armies of the two confederacies met at the Battle of Mynydd Carn in 1081, with Gruffudd and Rhys victorious and Trahaearn, Caradog and Meilyr all being killed. Gruffudd was thus able to seize power in Gwynedd for the second time.
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 Earl of Chester and Hugh Earl of Shrewsbury at Rug, 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, Caernarfon and Aberlleiniog.
Gruffudd reappeared on the scene years later, having escaped from captivity. According to his biography he was in fetters in the market-place 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. J.E. Lloyd favors 1093, considering that Gruffudd was involved at the beginning of the Welsh uprising in 1094. K.L. Maund on the other hand favors 1097, pointing out that there is no reference to Gruffudd in the contemporary annals until 1098. D. Simon Evans inclines to the view that Ordericus Vitalis' date of 1088 could be correct, suggesting that an argument based on the silence of the annals is unsafe.
Gruffudd again took refuge in Ireland but returned to Gwynedd to lead the assaults on Norman castles such as Aber Lleiniog. 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 northern 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 Powys led the Welsh resistance.
In the summer of 1098 Earl Hugh of Chester joined with Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury in another attempt to recover his losses in Gwynedd. Gruffudd and his ally Cadwgan ap Bleddyn retreated to Anglesey, but then were 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.
The situation was changed by the arrival of a Norwegian fleet under the command of King Magnus III of Norway, also known as Magnus Barefoot, who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the Menai Straits. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself. The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year Gruffudd returned from Ireland to take possession again, having apparently come to an agreement with Earl Hugh of Chester.
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 Llyn, Eifionydd, Ardudwy and Arllechwedd, considerably extending his kingdom. By 1114 he had gained enough power to induce King Henry to invade Gwynedd in a three-pronged attack, one detachment led by King Alexander I of Scotland. Faced by overwhelming force, Gruffudd was obliged to pay homage to Henry and to pay a heavy fine, but lost no territory. By about 1118 Gruffudd's 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: Cadwallon, Owain Gwynedd and later Cadwaladr. The cantrefs of Rhos and Rhufoniog were annexed in 1118, Meirionnydd captured from Powys in 1123 and Dyffryn Clwyd in 1124. Another invasion by the king of England in 1121 was a 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 at Crug Mawr in the autumn near 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".
Gruffudd died in his bed, old and blind, in 1137 and was mourned by the annalist of Brut y Tywysogion as the head and king and defender and pacifier of all Wales. He was buried by the high altar in Bangor Cathedral which he had been involved in rebuilding. He also made bequests to many other churches, incl
=== Ruler of Gwynedd (North Wales). ===
Ruler of Gwynedd (North Wales).
=== !SOURCE: The Royal Lines of Succession, ===
!SOURCE: The Royal Lines of Succession, A16A225, p 23 Eminent Welshmen, Wales 13, p 184, 185 Hist of Powys Fadog, Wales 15, v 1, p 77 The Royal Tribes of Wales, Wales 1, p 1-5 Hist of the Gwydir Fam, p 12A !NOTE: The Dictionary of National Biography, Eng Pub A, v 23, p 304 claims the above Gruffydd had children illegitimately in addition to the ones by the above wife; however, in Wales Angl. 1, p 309, it states he had the two additional wives shown and indicates their children. It is not certain whether they were actually wives in the correct sense, or whether they were more in the status of concubines. On 19 Sep 1941, a Mareda, Nest and Morfydd were sealed to the above couple. From all sources quoted above, however, there are no such daughters mentioned. There is a possibility that Mareda may have been mistaken for Merinedd, but temple work was done for both names as daughters of Gruffydd ap Cynan and Perisar for Merinedd and daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan, Prince of North Wales, and a sister of Gwenllian mother of Lord Rhys. Therefore, it is assumed that Rainalt must be the daughter of Angharad by Gruffydd ap Cynan whose name is not mentioned in the above sources.
=== Source: Brian Tompsett, http://www.dcs.h ===
Source: Brian Tompsett, http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/
=== !BIRTH: Ancestral File: Date of birth g ===
!BIRTH: Ancestral File: Date of birth given as "Abt 1053", location given ,,C,Wales. Royals Pedigree File: Gives date as 1054 and location as Ireland. web address: www.burgoyne.com/pages/sjones/html/d0005/g0000093.html: Gives date as 1055 and location as Caernarvonshire, Wales. !DEATH: Royals Pedigree File Gives date of death as 1136. www.burgoyne.com/pages/sjones/html/d0005/g0000093.html !BURIAL: Both Ancestral File and web site www.burgoyne.com/pages/sjones/html/d0005/g0000093.html give location of burial but no dates.
=== Ruled Gwynedd 1081-1137. From www.britan ===
Ruled Gwynedd 1081-1137. From www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/gwyn.html
From www.castlewales.com/cynan.html:
The power of Gwynedd was shattered in 1063 when the Saxon earl Harold (later king Harold I), drove his army into north Wales and defeated Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, the last high king of Wales, a defeat which resulted in Llywelyn's death. Gryffydd ap Cynan was still a boy living with his mother in Ireland, and it's likely his father Cynan was also a casmaclty of the 1063 war. In the chaos that followed the death of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, the Normans made deep advances into north Wales from their base at Chester, building a impressive new motte-and-bailey castle on (or near) the traditional Welsh stronghold at Rhuddlan.
In the later 11th century Gruffydd ap Cynan returned from Ireland but had little initial success in asserting his claims to Gwynedd. He was, in fact, imprisoned for a short time. By the early 12th century, however, he had patiently regained much of the territory of ancient Gwynedd, claiming it for the house of Aberffraw, and he was later able to claim additional land below the Conwy. By the time of his death in 1137 he also controlled the western territory of Ceredigion.
He was the only Welsh ruler to have part of his reign recorded by a contemporary, yet there is debate about the true extent of his power, therefore his importance in Welsh history. Walker (1990) states that 'Gruffydd ap Cynan achieved much by patient and steady progress rather than by heroic measures and major advances, but he was a man of wide influence'. His deeds were certainly overshadowed by his more famous son, Owain Gwynedd, yet during Gruffydd's reign the Normans saw a drastic reversal of fortunes in north Wales, aided by a (rare) smooth transfer of power from Gruffydd to his son Owain.
The first two decades of Gruffydd's reign were a period of relative peace, during which the literary arts were allowed to flourish after decades of warfare between Norman and Welsh. A similar pattern emerged in south Wales under the leadership of Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth. Free from the constant warfare that had crippled Wales for so many years, the reigns of Gruffydd ap Cynan and his son Owain Gwynedd, were and are viewed by many as a kind of "Golden Age" for north Wales, lasting until the death of Owain Gwynwdd in 1170, and in south Wales until the death of Rhys ap Gruffydd (the Lord Rhys) in 1197.
________________________________________
The Normans were not so considerate towards the rights of Gruffudd ap Cynan, Rhys ap Tewdwr's fellow victor in the battle of Mynydd Carn (1081]. Shortly after that victory, he was captured by the men of Hugh the Fat, earl of Chester, and the earl kept him imprisoned for at least twelve years. [A History of Wales, John Davies, Allen Lane - The Penguin Press, London, 1993]
_______________________________________
Gruffydd ab Cynan was born about 1055 at Dublin, and was nursed at a place called by the Welsh the "Cymmwd of Columeille," three miles from his parents' house. After Cynan's death, his mother inspired him with the desire to emulate his fatner's exploits and save Gwynedd from the usurpers. With the help of his firends and kinsfolk, he collected a fleet of Irish Danes and appeared off Abermenai.
Gruffydd's name now first appears in the chronicles. In 1075 (Brut y Tywysogion, s. a. 1073) he attacked Anglesey, and was welcomed by the men of Lleyn and Arvon. With the help of the Norman Marcher Robert of Rhuddlan, he defeated and slew Cynwric, and drove into flight Trahaiarn, son of Caradog. Trahaiarn, however, soon defeated his troops at the battle of Bron yr Erw and drove him back to Ireland. Another attempt was equally a failure, and Gruffydd remained several years longer in Ireland.
About 1081, Gruffydd ab Cynan again came to Wales with his Norse allies, and was joined by Rhys ab Tewdwr, who two or three years before had made himself king of Deheubarth. At the battle of Mynydd Carne, Gruffydd and Rhys defeated, and slew Trahaiarn. His deaht gave Gruffydd a foothold in Gwynedd, where he now ruled for some years in peace.
The older Welsh chronicles make no further mention of Gruffydd until 1099. ....In 1099, however, a new revolt followed close after King Magnus's invasion of Anglesey and the death of Hugh of Shrewsbury, which brought the two Welsh kings back again. At last terms wer arranged with the English and Gruffydd was left in possession of Mona, which he now governed quietly for several years. While his ally Cadwgan became vassal of Robert of Belleme for Ceredigion, Gruffydd seems to have held Anglesey as an independent prince. He had according to his biographer, visited the court of Henry I, and obtained from his the possession of LLeyn, Eivionydd, Ardudwy, and Arllachwedd. As he got these districts by the mediation of Hervey, the Breton bishop of Bangor, it must have been before 1109, the date of Hervey's translation to Ely.
In 1114 a new war between Gruffydd and the Earl of Chester led to an invastion of Gwynedd by Henry I in person. After Owain ab Cadwgan had been tricked into making peace, Gruffydd also sought peace and was pardoned in return for a large tribute. In 1115 Gruffydd ab Rhys of South Wales took refuge with Gruffydd ab Cynan. According to the Brut y Tywysogion, Henry I sent for the norther Gruffydd and persmacded him to give up his fugitive namesake. When Gruffydd ab Rhys took sanctmacry at Aberdaron, Gruffydd ab Cynan was only prevented by the remonstrances of theclergy from violating the santmacry. Gruffydd ab Cynan remained for several years at peace with Henry. In 1120 he ended the long vacancy of the see of Bangor by procuring the election of Bishop David and wrote a letter to Archbishop Ralph wich procured the consecration of his nominee. In 1121 he supported Henry when that king invaded Powys, and entirely deserted the sons and grandsons of Cadwgan. During his old age he put his sons over the remoter cantreds of his dominions, and they ravaged Powys and Ceredigion in many a bloody foray. Towards the end of his live Gruffydd became again on good terms with Gruffydd ab Rhys.
In his old age Gruffydd is said to have become blind. He died in 1137 having assumed the monastic habit and having received extreme unction from Bishop David of Bangor. He was eighty-two years old. He was buried in a splendid tomb at Bangor on the left of the high altar.
Gruffydd is described by his biographer as of low stature, with yellow hair, a round face, fine colour, large eyes and very beautiful eyebrows. He had a fine beard, a fair skin, and strong limbs. He was able to speak several langmacges. His wife was Angharad, daughter of Owain, son of Edwin. Her beauties are minutely described by the biographer. By her Gruffydd had three sons: Cadwallon (who in 1124 slew his mother's three brothers and in 1132 was slain by his cousin), Cadwaladr, and Owain, afterwards famous a Owain Gwynedd. He also had by her many daughters, one of whom, Gwenllian, was the wife, first of Cadwgan ab Bledyn and then of Gruffydd ab Rhys. Gruffydd was also the father of several ilegitimated children.
[The Dictionary of National Biography; George Smith, Fd., Sir Leslie Stephen & Sir Sidney Lee, Ed., 1953; Vol VIII, pp 744-747, Gruffydd ab Cynan]
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Gruffudd ap Cynan (c 1055-1137), king of Gwynedd, son of Cynan ap Iago, who was an exile in Ireland, and Rhagnell (Ragnhildr), a daughter of the royal house of the Scandinavians of Dublin. After 1039, when Iago was treacherously slain by his own men, Gwynedd was ruled by usurpers who were not of the royal line. One of these was Bleddyn ap Cynfyn who was killed in 1075 and succeeded by his cousin, Trahaearn ap Caradog, king of Arwystli. In that same year Gruffudd crossed over from Ireland intent on regaining his patrimony, and landed at Abermenai. With the help of Robert of Rhuddlan he overcame and killed Cynwrig, who held Llyn under Trahaearn. Trahaearn himself was conquered in a battle fought somewhere in Meirionnydd and compelled to retreat to his own lands of Arwystli. As king of Gwynedd Gruffudd's first act was to attack the Norman castle at Rhuddlan in spite of the former help given him by Robert, carrying off booty but failing to take the castle itself. As a result of the resentment felt towards the Norsemen in Gruffudd's army the men of Llyn rebelled, giving Trahaearn an opportunity to attack Gruffudd and overcome him in a battle which took place at Bron-yr-erw near Clynnog. Gruffudd fled to Ireland. In 1081 he returned and landed at Porth Clais in Dyfed, where he was joined by Rhys ap Tewdwr, another exile, who was laying claim to his patrimony in Deheubarth. They met Trahaearn at Mynydd Carn, where he was slain, Gruffudd thus becoming again king of Gwynedd. Soon after, however, through the treachery of Meirion Goch, one of his own men, he was captured by the Normans at Rug near Corwen and taken prisoner to Chester. During his imprisonment the Normans gained much land in Gwynedd, and built castles at Bangor, Caernarvon and Aberlleingiog (near the later Beaumaris). It cannot now be stated with certainty how long Gruffudd remained a prisoner (the History at one point says twelve years and at another sixteen years), but he was free by 1094 (and perhaps some years earlier) because he was prominent in the general insurrection against the Norman power which took place that year. But in 1098 the Normans made a concerted attack upon Gwynedd from Chester and Shrewsbury. Gruffudd was shut up in Anglesey and compelled once more to seek refuge in Ireland. He returned however the following year and was allowed to rule over Anglesey with the consent of the Normans. Sometime in the couse of the succeeding years he made himself lord of Gwynedd uwch Conwy, and for the rest of his life he was left undisturbed to consolidate his kingdom. It is true that Henry I led a formidable army into Gwynedd in 1114,
=== !#4568-v1-p41; v2-p28,73; v5-p272; v6-p3 ===
!#4568-v1-p41; v2-p28,73; v5-p272; v6-p384,386; v7-p443; v8-p592; v9-p630; v10-p776; v11-p849; !#651-v2-p240; #771-v1-p72,77,78,82,92,93; #1039-p26; #1307 pedigree; !Arch Rec: Eminent Welshmen; Dictionary of Welsh Biography; Achau Brenhinoedd a Thywysogion Cymru; Welsh Founders of Penn; Royal Lines of Succession; Royal Tribes of Wales; History of the Gwydir Family; National Biography; Pedigrees of Anlesey and Caernarvon; Genealogies of Morgan and Glamorgan; Montgomery Collections; Princes of South Wales; Lewis Topograpical Dictionary; Monm 1-v3-p187, v1-p335; (birth 1040/1054, of Aberffro/of Dublin, Ireland, death 1136, ae 82) 1136, ae 82); !ORD: TIB: MANTI: Bap>, End> 9621-A2-353, SP>; FN #FJGV2W;
=== AFN: FJGV-2W ===
AFN: FJGV-2W
=== !Ancestral Roots by Weis, Seventh Editio ===
!Ancestral Roots by Weis, Seventh Edition line 239-5 !Ruler of Gwynedd, Prince of Wales !FTM Vol 9, tree #2134.
=== Burkes Guide to the Royal Family p 322 K ===
Burkes Guide to the Royal Family p 322 King of Gwynedd 1081-1137 gained Gwynedd 1075 p 322. He was captured in 1094 and led to freedom by Cynwric in disguise. In 1114 Henry I of England invaded and without a decisive battle gave Gruffydd Gwynned to rule but with Henry as overlord. He died in 1137 old and blind and crippled. Burkes Guide to the Royal Family p 322 King of Gwynedd 1081-1137 gained Gwynedd 1075 p 322
=== Two other wives or concubines. (2) Miss ===
Two other wives or concubines. (2) Miss Llychiom; (3) Perisair verch Bran.
=== md. Angharad/verch Owain *; md. Parisair ===
md. Angharad/verch Owain *; md. Parisair/verch Bran *
=== !#4569-v3-p506,507*; v4-p527; !illeg son ===
!#4569-v3-p506,507*; v4-p527; !illeg son;
=== From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 5 J ===
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 5 JAN 1998.
=== Angharad/verch Owen and Perisair/(sister ===
Angharad/verch Owen and Perisair/(sister of Llowarch)
=== Gruffydd ("Griffith") ap Cynfyn of Gwyne ===
Gruffydd ("Griffith") ap Cynfyn of Gwynedd has an illustrious ancestry {-per "Royal Ancestors of Magna Charta Barons," Carr P. Collins, Jr., Dallas, 1959,}based on legend - it includes King Roderick the Great of Wales (844-878); Lady Godiva of Mercia; Uther Pendragon (King of Britons in 498 and son of Constantine II, Emperor of the West, 337-340, son of Constantine the Great); Howell the Good, Prince of South Wales who died in 948 and husband of Eleanor, daughter of the last King of Dyfred; King Lear of England whom legend lists in direct descent from Aedd Mawr (King Edward the Great, b. ca. 1300 B.C.). "Ancestral Roots..." (Balt, 1992) 239-5 states he was born at Dublin in 1055. He and Rhys were victorious over the Normans in the battle of Myndydd Carn, 1081, but shortly after he was captured by Hugh, Earl of Chester, and kept in prison for 12 years. See extended information in "A History of Wales," John Davies (1993), Chapter Four.
=== The longest reigning of all Welsh rulers ===
The longest reigning of all Welsh rulers though nineteen years of his reign were spent either in exile or in prison. He was of mixed Celtic and Norse blood. Shortly after gaining control of Gwynedd, he was captured by Normans and imprisoned at Chester for at least ten years. When he was given a conditional release he became invoved in resistance, leading a rebellion against the Normans in 1094. Overwhelmed by the Normans, he retreated to Ireland but was allowed to return the following year and ruled Anglesey as a vassal king. Clearly a survivor, his strength, willpower and tenacity brought him the respect of the Normans, who allowed him to re-establish the kingdom of Gwynedd, when they could have dominated it. At the time of his death in 1137, in his early eighties, Gwynedd was restored to its former self. Gruffydd and Henry II seemed like-minded and each was prepared to tolerate the other. Gruffydd had a particular passion for music and stories of old, and has earned a reputation as a patron of the bardic tradition.
=== !SOURCE: "Royal Ancestors," PC #427. ===
!SOURCE: "Royal Ancestors," PC #427.
=== !1. Bartrum, 300-1400, pg.443, Gruffudd ===
!1. Bartrum, 300-1400, pg.443, Gruffudd ap Cynan 1
=== !Sir Bernard Burke's Dormant & Extinct P ===
!Sir Bernard Burke's Dormant & Extinct Peerage p.113
=== !Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists 974. ===
!Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists 974.D2w
=== THE PLANTAGENET ANCESTRY (GS NUMBER Q940 ===
THE PLANTAGENET ANCESTRY (GS NUMBER Q940 D2T) P.128, 130; SORLEY'S PEDIGREES (GS NUMBER Q929.242 SO68) P.18, 26; THE ROYAL LINES OF SUCCESSION, P.23, 184, 185; EMINENT WELSHMEN, P.185; HISTORY OF POWYS GADOG, P.77; THE ROYAL TRIBES OF WALES, P.1 THRU 5; HISTORY OF GWYDIR FAMILY, P.12A; DICTIONARY OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY, VOL 23, P.303, 304; PEDIGREES OF ANGLESEY AND CARNARVONSHIRE, P.309; ANCESTRAL FILE, LDS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY;
=== Life Sketch ===
Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055 – 1137), sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffudd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely House of Aberffraw.
Through his mother, Gruffudd had close family connections with the Norse settlement around Dublin and he frequently used Ireland as a refuge and as a source of troops. He three times gained the throne of Gwynedd and then lost it again, before regaining it once more in 1099 and this time keeping power until his death. Gruffudd laid the foundations which were built upon by his son Owain Gwynedd and his great-grandson Llywelyn the Great.
Life
Unusually 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.
Most of the existing manuscripts of the history are in 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. However Russell (2006) has suggested that the Latin version in 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 Dublin and reared near Swords, County Dublin, in Ireland. He was the son of a Welsh Prince, Cynan ap Iago, who was a claimant to the Kingship of Gwynedd but was probably never its king, 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, since the History describes his mother telling him who his father was.
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. The latter had two sons named Amlaíb: one died in 1013, whilst another died in 1034. Either man could have been Ragnailt's father.
During his many struggles to gain the kingship of Gwynedd, Gruffudd received considerable aid from Ireland, from the Hiberno-Norse at Dublin, the Isles and Wexford and from Muircheartach Ua Briain, because he was also descendant through his mother from Brian Boru, High King of Ireland.
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 Norman Robert of Rhuddlan first defeated and killed Cynwrig ap Rhiwallon, an ally of Trahaearn who held Llŷn, then defeated Trahaearn himself in the battle of Gwaed Erw in Meirionnydd and gained control of Gwynedd.
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 Second bid for the throne and capture by the Normans.
Coat of Arms retroactively attributed to Gryffudd ap Cynan
Gruffudd fled to Ireland but, in 1081, returned and made an alliance with Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of Deheubarth. Rhys had been attacked by Caradog ap Gruffudd of Gwent and Morgannwg, and had been forced to flee to St David's Cathedral. Gruffudd this time embarked from Waterford with a force composed of Danes and Irish and landed near St David's, 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 Powys. The armies of the two confederacies met at the Battle of Mynydd Carn, with Gruffudd and Rhys victorious and Trahaearn, Caradog and Meilyr all being killed. Gruffudd was thus able to seize power in Gwynedd for the second time.
He soon was 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, Earl of Chester and Hugh, 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, Caernarfon and Aberlleiniog.
Escape from captivity and third reign
Gruffudd reappeared on the scene years later, having escaped from captivity. According to his biography he was in fetters in the market-place 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. J.E. Lloyd favors 1093, considering that Gruffudd was involved at the beginning of the Welsh uprising in 1094. K.L. Maund on the other hand favors 1097, pointing out that there is no reference to Gruffudd in the contemporary annals until 1098. D. Simon Evans inclines to the view that Ordericus Vitalis' date of 1088 could be correct, suggesting that an argument based on the silence of the annals is unsafe.
Gruffudd again took refuge in Ireland but returned to Gwynedd to lead the assaults on Norman castles such as Aber Lleiniog. 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 northern 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" mentions only 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 Powys led the Welsh resistance.
In the summer of 1098, Earl Hugh of Chester joined with Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury in another attempt to recover his losses in Gwynedd. Gruffudd and his ally Cadwgan ap Bleddyn retreated to Anglesey, but then were 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 situation was changed by the arrival of a Norwegian fleet under the command of King Magnus III of Norway, also known as Magnus Barefoot, who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the Menai Straits. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself. The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year, Gruffudd returned from Ireland to take possession again, having apparently come to an agreement with Earl Hugh of Chester.
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 in a three-pronged attack, one detachment led by King Alexander I of Scotland. Faced by overwhelming force, Gruffudd was obliged to pay homage to Henry and to pay a heavy fine, but lost no territory. By about 1118, Gruffudd's 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: Cadwallon, Owain Gwynedd and later Cadwaladr. The cantrefs of Rhos and Rhufoniog were annexed in 1118, Meirionnydd captured from Powys in 1123, and Dyffryn Clwyd in 1124. Another invasion by the king of England in 1121 was a military failure.
Children
The family line of Cynan shows he had many children by several different women. With wife Angharad (daughter of Owain ab Edwin) he had:
. Owain Gwynedd (Owain ap Gruffudd), married (1) Gwladus (Gladys) ferch Llywarch, daughter of Llywarch ap Trahaearn (2) Cristin ferch Goronwy, daughter of Goronwy ab Owain
. Cadwaladr ap Gruffudd, married Alice de Clare, daughter of Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare
. Cadwallon ap Gruffudd
. Mareda/Marared
. Susanna, married Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys
. Ranulht/Rannillt
. Agnes/Annest ferch gruffydd
. Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd, married Gruffudd ap Rhys, Prince of Deheubarth
Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055-1137)
Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055-1137), sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in We
=== King of Wales ===
King of Wales
=== !SOURCE: A History of the Morgan Family ===
!SOURCE: A History of the Morgan Family FHL book # 929.273/M821md GRIFFITH was born in Dublin and married Angharad, daughter of Owen. He returned to Wales in 1081, founded the first of five Royal Tribes, and was restored to the Crown of Gwynedd in 1081. GRIFFITH was imprisoned by the Normans in Chester, England from 1081 to 1093 and is buried in Bangor Cathedral. Children were Cadwallon, Owen, Cadwaladr, and GWENILLIAN. From Owen's line came King Edward IV of England.
=== Title: Encyclopedia Britannica, Treatise ===
Title: Encyclopedia Britannica, Treatise on
Page: UK-Wales Macropaedia p 124
Title: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition, by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr., 1999
Page: 176-6 ,239-5
*Forrest=fathers direct line,! dna connections
@Stolp=mothers direct line
+Tamer=husbands direct line
#Wallace & ^Stuetelberg=son-in-laws direct lines
all lines separated.With multiple marks cross over lines
without documentations all is speculative/with ???
=== W H Turton: The Plantagenet Ancestry P. ===
W H Turton: The Plantagenet Ancestry P. 132, 128
W Betham: Genealogical Tables Tab. 609
M L Call: Family Group Sheets Vol 1:21 3:2576
J E Griffitth: Pedigrees of Anglesey and Caernarvonshire Families P. 309
=== Ruled Gwynedd 1081-1137. From www.britan ===
Ruled Gwynedd 1081-1137. From www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/gwyn.html
From www.castlewales.com/cynan.html:
The power of Gwynedd was shattered in 1063 when the Saxon earl Harold (later king Harold I), drove his army into north Wales and defeated Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, the last high king of Wales, a defeat which resulted in Llywelyn's death. Gryffydd ap Cynan was still a boy living with his mother in Ireland, and it's likely his father Cynan was also a casmaclty of the 1063 war. In the chaos that followed the death of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, the Normans made deep advances into north Wales from their base at Chester, building a impressive new motte-and-bailey castle on (or near) the traditional Welsh stronghold at Rhuddlan.
In the later 11th century Gruffydd ap Cynan returned from Ireland but had little initial success in asserting his claims to Gwynedd. He was, in fact, imprisoned for a short time. By the early 12th century, however, he had patiently regained much of the territory of ancient Gwynedd, claiming it for the house of Aberffraw, and he was later able to claim additional land below the Conwy. By the time of his death in 1137 he also controlled the western territory of Ceredigion.
He was the only Welsh ruler to have part of his reign recorded by a contemporary, yet there is debate about the true extent of his power, therefore his importance in Welsh history. Walker (1990) states that 'Gruffydd ap Cynan achieved much by patient and steady progress rather than by heroic measures and major advances, but he was a man of wide influence'. His deeds were certainly overshadowed by his more famous son, Owain Gwynedd, yet during Gruffydd's reign the Normans saw a drastic reversal of fortunes in north Wales, aided by a (rare) smooth transfer of power from Gruffydd to his son Owain.
The first two decades of Gruffydd's reign were a period of relative peace, during which the literary arts were allowed to flourish after decades of warfare between Norman and Welsh. A similar pattern emerged in south Wales under the leadership of Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth. Free from the constant warfare that had crippled Wales for so many years, the reigns of Gruffydd ap Cynan and his son Owain Gwynedd, were and are viewed by many as a kind of "Golden Age" for north Wales, lasting until the death of Owain Gwynwdd in 1170, and in south Wales until the death of Rhys ap Gruffydd (the Lord Rhys) in 1197.
________________________________________
The Normans were not so considerate towards the rights of Gruffudd ap Cynan, Rhys ap Tewdwr's fellow victor in the battle of Mynydd Carn (1081]. Shortly after that victory, he was captured by the men of Hugh the Fat, earl of Chester, and the earl kept him imprisoned for at least twelve years. [A History of Wales, John Davies, Allen Lane - The Penguin Press, London, 1993]
_______________________________________
Gruffydd ab Cynan was born about 1055 at Dublin, and was nursed at a place called by the Welsh the "Cymmwd of Columeille," three miles from his parents' house. After Cynan's death, his mother inspired him with the desire to emulate his fatner's exploits and save Gwynedd from the usurpers. With the help of his firends and kinsfolk, he collected a fleet of Irish Danes and appeared off Abermenai.
Gruffydd's name now first appears in the chronicles. In 1075 (Brut y Tywysogion, s. a. 1073) he attacked Anglesey, and was welcomed by the men of Lleyn and Arvon. With the help of the Norman Marcher Robert of Rhuddlan, he defeated and slew Cynwric, and drove into flight Trahaiarn, son of Caradog. Trahaiarn, however, soon defeated his troops at the battle of Bron yr Erw and drove him back to Ireland. Another attempt was equally a failure, and Gruffydd remained several years longer in Ireland.
About 1081, Gruffydd ab Cynan again came to Wales with his Norse allies, and was joined by Rhys ab Tewdwr, who two or three years before had made himself king of Deheubarth. At the battle of Mynydd Carne, Gruffydd and Rhys defeated, and slew Trahaiarn. His deaht gave Gruffydd a foothold in Gwynedd, where he now ruled for some years in peace.
The older Welsh chronicles make no further mention of Gruffydd until 1099. ....In 1099, however, a new revolt followed close after King Magnus's invasion of Anglesey and the death of Hugh of Shrewsbury, which brought the two Welsh kings back again. At last terms wer arranged with the English and Gruffydd was left in possession of Mona, which he now governed quietly for several years. While his ally Cadwgan became vassal of Robert of Belleme for Ceredigion, Gruffydd seems to have held Anglesey as an independent prince. He had according to his biographer, visited the court of Henry I, and obtained from his the possession of LLeyn, Eivionydd, Ardudwy, and Arllachwedd. As he got these districts by the mediation of Hervey, the Breton bishop of Bangor, it must have been before 1109, the date of Hervey's translation to Ely.
In 1114 a new war between Gruffydd and the Earl of Chester led to an invastion of Gwynedd by Henry I in person. After Owain ab Cadwgan had been tricked into making peace, Gruffydd also sought peace and was pardoned in return for a large tribute. In 1115 Gruffydd ab Rhys of South Wales took refuge with Gruffydd ab Cynan. According to the Brut y Tywysogion, Henry I sent for the norther Gruffydd and persmacded him to give up his fugitive namesake. When Gruffydd ab Rhys took sanctmacry at Aberdaron, Gruffydd ab Cynan was only prevented by the remonstrances of theclergy from violating the santmacry. Gruffydd ab Cynan remained for several years at peace with Henry. In 1120 he ended the long vacancy of the see of Bangor by procuring the election of Bishop David and wrote a letter to Archbishop Ralph wich procured the consecration of his nominee. In 1121 he supported Henry when that king invaded Powys, and entirely deserted the sons and grandsons of Cadwgan. During his old age he put his sons over the remoter cantreds of his dominions, and they ravaged Powys and Ceredigion in many a bloody foray. Towards the end of his live Gruffydd became again on good terms with Gruffydd ab Rhys.
In his old age Gruffydd is said to have become blind. He died in 1137 having assumed the monastic habit and having received extreme unction from Bishop David of Bangor. He was eighty-two years old. He was buried in a splendid tomb at Bangor on the left of the high altar.
Gruffydd is described by his biographer as of low stature, with yellow hair, a round face, fine colour, large eyes and very beautiful eyebrows. He had a fine beard, a fair skin, and strong limbs. He was able to speak several langmacges. His wife was Angharad, daughter of Owain, son of Edwin. Her beauties are minutely described by the biographer. By her Gruffydd had three sons: Cadwallon (who in 1124 slew his mother's three brothers and in 1132 was slain by his cousin), Cadwaladr, and Owain, afterwards famous a Owain Gwynedd. He also had by her many daughters, one of whom, Gwenllian, was the wife, first of Cadwgan ab Bledyn and then of Gruffydd ab Rhys. Gruffydd was also the father of several ilegitimated children.
[The Dictionary of National Biography; George Smith, Fd., Sir Leslie Stephen & Sir Sidney Lee, Ed., 1953; Vol VIII, pp 744-747, Gruffydd ab Cynan]
_________________________________
Gruffudd ap Cynan (c 1055-1137), king of Gwynedd, son of Cynan ap Iago, who was an exile in Ireland, and Rhagnell (Ragnhildr), a daughter of the royal house of the Scandinavians of Dublin. After 1039, when Iago was treacherously slain by his own men, Gwynedd was ruled by usurpers who were not of the royal line. One of these was Bleddyn ap Cynfyn who was killed in 1075 and succeeded by his cousin, Trahaearn ap Caradog, king of Arwystli. In that same year Gruffudd crossed over from Ireland intent on regaining his patrimony, and landed at Abermenai. With the help of Robert of Rhuddlan he overcame and killed Cynwrig, who held Llyn under Trahaearn. Trahaearn himself was conquered in a battle fought somewhere in Meirionnydd and compelled to retreat to his own lands of Arwystli. As king of Gwynedd Gruffudd's first act was to attack the Norman castle at Rhuddlan in spite of the former help given him by Robert, carrying off booty but failing to take the castle itself. As a result of the resentment felt towards the Norsemen in Gruffudd's army the men of Llyn rebelled, giving Trahaearn an opportunity to attack Gruffudd and overcome him in a battle which took place at Bron-yr-erw near Clynnog. Gruffudd fled to Ireland. In 1081 he returned and landed at Porth Clais in Dyfed, where he was joined by Rhys ap Tewdwr, another exile, who was laying claim to his patrimony in Deheubarth. They met Trahaearn at Mynydd Carn, where he was slain, Gruffudd thus becoming again king of Gwynedd. Soon after, however, through the treachery of Meirion Goch, one of his own men, he was captured by the Normans at Rug near Corwen and taken prisoner to Chester. During his imprisonment the Normans gained much land in Gwynedd, and built castles at Bangor, Caernarvon and Aberlleingiog (near the later Beaumaris). It cannot now be stated with certainty how long Gruffudd remained a prisoner (the History at one point says twelve years and at another sixteen years), but he was free by 1094 (and perhaps some years earlier) because he was prominent in the general insurrection against the Norman power which took place that year. But in 1098 the Normans made a concerted attack upon Gwynedd from Chester and Shrewsbury. Gruffudd was shut up in Anglesey and compelled once more to seek refuge in Ireland. He returned however the following year and was allowed to rule over Anglesey with the consent of the Normans. Sometime in the couse of the succeeding years he made himself lord of Gwynedd uwch Conwy, and for the rest of his life he was left undisturbed to consolidate his kingdom. It is true that Henry I led a formidable army into Gwynedd in 1114,
=== 1) Angarad/verch Owen, 2) Miss/Lychiom ===
1) Angarad/verch Owen, 2) Miss/Lychiom
=== Alternate death date: 1136 (IGI (Interna ===
Alternate death date: 1136 (IGI (International Genealogical Index))
=== Given Name: Gruffydd Ap Cynan Surname: U ===
Given Name: Gruffydd Ap Cynan Surname: Unknown Suffix: Prince Of Gwynedd 1 2 3 4 Sex: M Birth: 1055 in Carmarthenshire, Wales 1 5 4 Death: 1137 in Carmarthenshire, Wales 2 6 1 3 4 7 8 Event: Marriage fact Marriage Fact Note: Acceded: 1081. Interred: Bangor Cathedral. 1 2 4 Event: Fact 2 Fact 2 Note: Famous Welsh King. 4 Event: Fact 4 Fact 4 Note: Prince of North Wales. 5 4
His father is:
Name: Cynan Ap IAGO Given Name: Cynan Ap Surname: Iago Suffix: Prince Of Gwynedd 1 2 3 4 Sex: M Birth: Abt 1014 in Of Aberffro, Malltraeth, Anglesey, Wales 4 5 Death: Y
His mother is:
Name: Rhanullt Ingen Olaf (Ragnhildir) Of DUBLIN Given Name: Rhanullt Ingen Olaf (Ragnhildir) Of Surname: Dublin 1 2 3 Sex: F Birth: Abt 1031 in Of Dublin, Ireland 3 Death: Y
=== Ruler of Gwynedd (North Wales). ===
Ruler of Gwynedd (North Wales).
=== DEATH: Also shown as Died Wales, United ===
DEATH: Also shown as Died Wales, United Kingdom.
BURIAL: Also shown as Buried Bangor, Caernarfonshire, Wales, United Kingdom.
PREFIX: Also shown as King
DEATH: Also shown as Died Caernarfonshire, Wales, United Kingdom.
BURIAL: Also shown as Buried Bangor, Caernarfonshire, Wales, United Kingdom.
=== Source; Gedcom, "Glick/Foster Ancestry" ===
Source; Gedcom, "Glick/Foster Ancestry".
Note:
Prince of Wales; son of Cynan ap Iago and Ragnaillt; m. Angharad ferch Owain; father of Margred, Owain Gwynedd, Susanna, Gwenllian, and Rhanullt. [GRS 3.03, Automated Archives, CD#100]
WAITE, NEWLIN, MINOR LINE
Son of Cynan; father of Owain Gwynedd and Gwenllian. [A History of Wales, p. 82]
8 years old in 1063 when his father was killed in battle. At the time he was living with his mother in Ireland. [History, p. 102]
With the battle of Mynydd Carn in 1081, the carnage in Wales was halted. The victors were Gruffudd ap Cynan of the senior branch of the royal house of Gwynedd and Rhys ap Tewdwr of the senior branch of the royal house of Deheubrath, branches to which the two kingdoms would henceforth remain loyal. [History, p. 104]
Shortly after the battle of Mynydd Carn, Gruffudd was captured by the men of Hugh the Fat, earl of Chester, and the earl kept him imprisoned for at least 12 years. In 1086, it would appear that Domesday Book considered NE Wales up to the River Clwyd to be part of the earldom of Chester. [History, p. 105]
In about 1094 Gruffudd escaped from prison and re-established himself as the ruler of the kingdom of his ancestors. In 1098, the earls of Chester and Shrewsbury led a campaign against him, but they were defeated on the banks of the Menai by a force of Scandinavians, and the earl of Shrewsbury was shot dead by Magnus Barefoot, king of Norway. Gruffudd consolidated his hold upon Gwynedd, and for decades he patiently rebuilt the strength of his kingdom. [History, p. 108]
In Gwynedd, Gruffudd ap Cynan of the house of Aberffraw was intent upon rebuilding his shattered kingdom. The borders of the realm which he had regained in 1098 were the river Mawddach to the south and the river Conwy to the east. For 20 years, he did not venture beyond those borders, seeking rather to give his subjects the peace which would allow them to plant their crops in full confidence that they would be able to harvest them. then, from abt 1118 onwards, taking advantage of the endemic troubles of the rulers of Powys, he
seized commotes which had previously been in their possession. Rhos and Rhufoniog were annexed in 1118 and Dyffryn Clwyd in 1124, 3 of the 4 cantrefi of the perfeddwlad (the Middle Country -- Tegeingl was the 4th). Gruffudd's successors would be resolute in maintaining their hold over the Perfeddwlad, a region they knew as Gwynedd Is Conwy (Gwynedd below the Conwy). In 1123 Gruffudd seized the cnatref of Merionnydd, the district between the rivers Dyfi and Mawddach, and in 1137, shortly before his death, Ceredigion also came into the hands of the house of Aberffraw. [History, p. 116]
King of Gwynedd; son of Cynan ap Iago and Ragnhildr; m. Angharad verch Owain; father of Gwenllian; father of Owain Gwynedd; imprisoned by Normans in England 1081-93. [Charlemagne & Others, Chart 2936, 3328]
Prince of Wales; m.c. 1095, Angharad ferch Owain; father of Owain Gwynedd, Susanna, Gwenllian, Margred, and Rhanullt. [GRS 3.03, Automated Archives, CD#100]
It was Gruffudd ap Cynan (d. 1137), according to his later biographer, who 'delivered the land of Gwynedd from castles'. In 1114, three armies under King Henry I (1100-35) converged on the region and temporarily halted the expansion of Gruffudd ap Cynan. [Flint Castle/Ewloe Castle, p. 5]
Son of Cynan ap Iago and Rhanullt O'Olaf; m. Angharad verch Owain; father of:
1. Rhannult who m. Madog ap Idnerth
2. Owain Gwynedd who m. many wives
3. Elen
4. Gwenllian who m. Gruffudd ap Rhys
5. Merinedd
6. Susanna who m. Madog ap Maredydd
7. Cadwaladr who m. Adles Clare, Gwerful verch Gwrgeneu, Dyddgu verch Maredudd
8. Cadwallon
9. Membyr Ddu
10. Rhael
11. Annes
12. Margred
13. Tudwal
m. Perwyr verch Bran and ?? verch Lychwy. [WFT Vol 11 Ped 4329]
1 2 3 4 5 Change Date: 21 May 2003 at 22:22:38
Sources:
Repository:
Name: Cheryl Varner Library
Title: Automated Archives, Automated Family Pedigrees #1, CD#100
Author: Automated Archives, Inc.
Publication: Genealogical Research System, 1994
Repository:
Name: Cheryl Varner Library
Title: A History of Wales
Author: Davies, John
Publication: Allen Lane, The Penguin Press, London, 1993
Page: p. 82, 102, 104-105, 108, 116
Repository:
Name: Denver Public Library
Title: Charlemagne, Alfred the Great and Other Ancestors
Author: Mitchell, James T.
Publication: 1991
Page: Chart 2936, 3328
Repository:
Name: Cheryl Varner Library
Title: Flint Castle/Ewloe Castle
Author: Renn, Derek and Richard Avent
Publication: Cadw Welsh Historic Monuments, Cardiff, 1995
Page: p. 5
Repository:
Name: Cheryl Varner Library
Title: World Family Tree Volume 11, pre-1600 to present
Author: Family Tree Maker
Publication: Broderbund Software, Inc., 1997
Page: Ped 4329
=== 2 Miss/Llychiom *, 3 Perisair/verch Bran ===
2 Miss/Llychiom *, 3 Perisair/verch Bran * The Dictionary of National Biography Eng Pub 4v23 p304 claims the above Guffydd had children illigitemately in addition to the ones by the above wife however in Wales Angl 1p309 it states he had the two additional wives shown and indicates th eir children. It is not certain whether they were actual wives in the correct sense or whether they were
=== !SOURCE: The Royal Lines of Succession, ===
!SOURCE: The Royal Lines of Succession, A16A225, p 23 Eminent Welshmen, Wales 13, p 184, 185 Hist of Powys Fadog, Wales 15, v 1, p 77 The Royal Tribes of Wales, Wales 1, p 1-5 Hist of the Gwydir Fam, p 12A !NOTE: The Dictionary of National Biography, Eng Pub A, v 23, p 304 claims the above Gruffydd had children illegitimately in addition to the ones by the above wife; however, in Wales Angl. 1, p 309, it states he had the two additional wives shown and indicates their children. It is not certain whether they were actually wives in the correct sense, or whether they were more in the status of concubines. On 19 Sep 1941, a Mareda, Nest and Morfydd were sealed to the above couple. From all sources quoted above, however, there are no such daughters mentioned. There is a possibility that Mareda may have been mistaken for Merinedd, but temple work was done for both names as daughters of Gruffydd ap Cynan and Perisar for Merinedd and daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan, Prince of North Wales, and a sister of Gwenllian mother of Lord Rhys. Therefore, it is assumed that Rainalt must be the daughter of Angharad by Gruffydd ap Cynan whose name is not mentioned in the above sources.
=== !Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists 974. ===
!Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists 974.D2w
=== WFT Ref # 853 Vol 27 ===
WFT Ref # 853 Vol 27
=== ALIA: Griffith Gruffydd ap /Cynan/ Title ===
ALIA: Griffith Gruffydd ap /Cynan/ Title: King of Gwynedd Birth: 1054 in Dublin, Ireland Death: 1137 Burial: UNKNOWN Bangor Cathedral Event: Reigned BET. 1081 - 1137 Sources: Title: Lineal Descent of the Wynn Family of Gwydir from Gruffudd ap Cynan Appendices Pg 203 Table A Title: "Annales Cambriae" Early Middle Ages (Boydell Press, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1980)" Text: b 1137: "Grifinus filius Conani obiit."]. per Stewart Baldwin Title: "Hanes Gruffudd ap Cynan" "Historia hen Gruffud vab Kenan vab Iago" Peniarth MS. 17 mid 13th century in EWGT pp 35-37 Title: Mostyn MS. 117 (last quarter of 13th century), in EWGT, pp.38-39, per Stewart Baldwin Title: Jesus College (Oxford) MS. 20, in EWGT, Page: pp 28 Text: per Stewart Baldwin Title: " Welsh Genealogies AD 300-1400 & AD 1400-1500" P. C. Bartrun's, 8 vol and 18 vol Repository: Call Number: Media: Book Text: In 1063, at the age of eight, when his father was slain in the battles against the English, Gruffydd was living with his mother, the daughter of the Danish King of Dublin, in Ireland. In 1081, after years of fighting between the various different descendants of HYWEL THE GOOD (RIN 1436), Gruffydd was victorious at the battle of Mynydd Carn. At that time he assumed control of the kingdom of Gwynedd. In the meanime, however, WILLIAM THE CONQUERER (RIN 798) had installed the Norman dynasty in England following the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Shortly after assuming the kingship Gruffydd was captured by the men of WILLIAM's vassal, Hugh the Fat, Earl of Chester, and imprisoned for twelve years. Hugh's cousin, Robert, was apparently, for all practical purposes, the ruler of northern Wales. In about 1094 Gruffydd escaped from prison and regained control of Gwynedd. In 1098 the earls of Shrewsbury and Chester launched an unsuccessful military campaign to remove him from power. Gruffudd consolidated his hold upon Gwynedd and, for decades, he rebuilt the strength of his kingdom. The kingdom of Powys was, during this time separ ated from Gwynedd. Its rulers henceforth would all be descendants of BLEDDYN ap CYNFYN (RIN 2592). In the later years of his reign Gruffudd siezed Caridigion and parts of Powys. Title: Weis, F. L. "Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before 1700", Weis, 1992, seventh edition. Repository: Call Number: Media: Book Text: Weis' "Ancestral Roots. . ." (176:6), (239:5) Title: "Annales Cambriae" Early Middle Ages (Boydell Press, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1980)" Page: b. 1137: "Grifinus filius Conani obiit." Title: "Hanes Gruffudd ap Cynan" "Historia hen Gruffud vab Kenan vab Iago" Peniarth MS. 17 mid 13th century in EWGT pp 35-37 Text: Although a composition of as early as ca. 1170 for the genealogies has been argued by some, Bartrum argues (EWGT p. 35) that there is no evidence that the pedigrees are earlier than the manuscript itself Title: Mostyn MS. 117 (last quarter of 13th century), in EWGT, pp.38-39, per Stewart Baldwin Page: 3 Title: Jesus College (Oxford) MS. 20, in EWGT, Page: pp 27
=== !BIRTH: Ancestral File: Date of birth g ===
!BIRTH: Ancestral File: Date of birth given as "Abt 1053", location given ,,C,Wales. Royals Pedigree File: Gives date as 1054 and location as Ireland. web address: www.burgoyne.com/pages/sjones/html/d0005/g0000093.html: Gives date as 1055 and location as Caernarvonshire, Wales. !DEATH: Royals Pedigree File Gives date of death as 1136. www.burgoyne.com/pages/sjones/html/d0005/g0000093.html !BURIAL: Both Ancestral File and web site www.burgoyne.com/pages/sjones/html/d0005/g0000093.html give location of burial but no dates.
=== !1. Information source: The Royal Lines ===
!1. Information source: The Royal Lines of Succession A16A225, p 23: Eminent Welshmen Wales 13 p 184, 185; Hist of Powys Fodog, Wales 15 v 1 p 77: The Royal Tribes of Wales, Wales 1 p 1 5; Hist of the Gwydir Fam B8F2 p 12A. 2. Note: The Dictionary of National Biography, eng pub A v 23 p 304 claims the above Gruffydd had Children illegitimately in addition to the ones by the above wife: however, in Wales Angl 1 p 309 it states he had the tow additional wives shown above and indicates their childdren. It is not certain whether they were actually wives in the correct sense, or whether they were more in the status of concubines. On 19 Sep 1941 a Mareda, Nest and Morfydd were sealed to the above couple. From all sources quoted above, however, there are no such daughters mentioned. There is a possibility that Mareda may have been mistaken for Merinedd, but temple work was done for both manes as daughters of Gruffydd ap Cynan and Perisar for Merinedd and daughter of above wife for Mareda.Nevertheless Merinedd is a daughter of anghard. It is claimed that Reinalt, wife of Madog ap Idnerth, was a daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan whose name is not mentioned in the above sources, See family group sheet of Madog ap Idnerth. 3. Child # 1 Reinalt md Madog ap Idnerth. 4. Child # 2 Gwenllian md (1) Cadwgan ap Belddyn, (2) Gruffydd ap Rhys, Prince of South Wales. 5. Child # 3 Owain md (1) Gwladys verch Llywarch, (2) Christian verch Gronw, he also had children by Ryvog and mothers not known. 6. Child # 4 Elen md Ithel ap Llewelyn. 7. Child # 5 Merinedd md Howel ap Ieuaf. 8. Child # 6 Susanna md Madog ap Maredydd, Prince of Wales. 9. Child # 7 Cadwaladr md Alice De Clare. 10. Child # 8 Cadwallawn md Gwenllian.
=== THE PLANTAGENET ANCESTRY (GS NUMBER Q940 ===
THE PLANTAGENET ANCESTRY (GS NUMBER Q940 D2T) P.128, 130; SORLEY'S PEDIGREES (GS NUMBER Q929.242 SO68) P.18, 26; THE ROYAL LINES OF SUCCESSION, P.23, 184, 185; EMINENT WELSHMEN, P.185; HISTORY OF POWYS GADOG, P.77; THE ROYAL TRIBES OF WALES, P.1 THRU 5; HISTORY OF GWYDIR FAMILY, P.12A; DICTIONARY OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY, VOL 23, P.303, 304; PEDIGREES OF ANGLESEY AND CARNARVONSHIRE, P.309; ANCESTRAL FILE, LDS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY;
=== Given Name: Gryffydd Ap Cynan Ap,Of Gwy ===
Given Name: Gryffydd Ap Cynan Ap,Of Gwynneth Prnc Wales Surname: Iago
=== In the course of a long eventful life, h ===
In the course of a long eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffydd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely house of Aberffraw.
Through his mother Gruffydd had close family connections with the Danish settlement around Dublin and he frequently used Ireland as a refuge and as a source of troops. He three times gained the throne of Gwynedd and then lost it again before regaining it once more in 1099 and this time keeping power until his death. Gruffydd laid the foundations which were built upon by his son Owain Gwynedd and his great-grandson Llywelyn the Great.
Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055 – 1137) was a King of Gwynedd. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffudd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely house of Aberffraw.
Through his mother Gruffudd had close family connections with the Norse settlement around Dublin and he frequently used Ireland as a refuge and as a source of troops. He three times gained the throne of Gwynedd and then lost it again before regaining it once more in 1099 and this time keeping power until his death. Gruffudd laid the foundations which were built upon by his son Owain Gwynedd and his great-grandson Llywelyn the Great.
Unusually 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, though allowance has to be made for the fact that it appears to have been written as dynastic propaganda for one of Gruffudd's descendants. 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 to the early reign of Llywelyn the Great, around 1200. The name of the author Is not known.
Most of the existing manuscripts of the history are in 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. However Russell (2006) has suggested that the Latin version in Peniarth MS 434E incorporates the original Latin version, later amended to bring it into line with the Welsh text.
Gruffudd made his first attempt 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 Anglesey with an Irish force, and with the assistance of troops provided by the Norman Robert of Rhuddlan first defeated and killed Cynwrig ap Rhiwallon, an ally of Trahaearn who held Llyn, then defeated Trahaearn himself in the battle of Gwaed Erw in Meirionnydd and gained control of Gwynedd.
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 Llyn and Trahaearn took the opportunity to counter attack, defeating Gruffudd at the battle of Bron yr Erw in 1075 above Clynnog Fawr the same year.
Gruffudd fled to Ireland but in 1081 returned and made an alliance with Rhys ap Tewdwr prince of Deheubarth. Rhys had been attacked by Caradog ap Gruffudd of Gwent and Morgannwg, and had been forced to flee to the St David's Cathedral. Gruffudd this time embarked from Waterford with a force composed of Danes and Irish and landed near St David's, 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 Powys. The armies of the two confederacies met at the Battle of Mynydd Carn in 1081, with Gruffudd and Rhys victorious and Trahaearn, Caradog and Meilyr all being killed. Gruffudd was thus able to seize power in Gwynedd for the second time.
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 Earl of Chester and Hugh Earl of Shrewsbury at Rug, 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, Caernarfon and Aberlleiniog.
Gruffudd reappeared on the scene years later, having escaped from captivity. According to his biography he was in fetters in the market-place 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. J.E. Lloyd favors 1093, considering that Gruffudd was involved at the beginning of the Welsh uprising in 1094. K.L. Maund on the other hand favors 1097, pointing out that there is no reference to Gruffudd in the contemporary annals until 1098. D. Simon Evans inclines to the view that Ordericus Vitalis' date of 1088 could be correct, suggesting that an argument based on the silence of the annals is unsafe.
Gruffudd again took refuge in Ireland but returned to Gwynedd to lead the assaults on Norman castles such as Aber Lleiniog. 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 northern 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 Powys led the Welsh resistance.
In the summer of 1098 Earl Hugh of Chester joined with Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury in another attempt to recover his losses in Gwynedd. Gruffudd and his ally Cadwgan ap Bleddyn retreated to Anglesey, but then were 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.
The situation was changed by the arrival of a Norwegian fleet under the command of King Magnus III of Norway, also known as Magnus Barefoot, who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the Menai Straits. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself. The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year Gruffudd returned from Ireland to take possession again, having apparently come to an agreement with Earl Hugh of Chester.
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 Llyn, Eifionydd, Ardudwy and Arllechwedd, considerably extending his kingdom. By 1114 he had gained enough power to induce King Henry to invade Gwynedd in a three-pronged attack, one detachment led by King Alexander I of Scotland. Faced by overwhelming force, Gruffudd was obliged to pay homage to Henry and to pay a heavy fine, but lost no territory. By about 1118 Gruffudd's 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: Cadwallon, Owain Gwynedd and later Cadwaladr. The cantrefs of Rhos and Rhufoniog were annexed in 1118, Meirionnydd captured from Powys in 1123 and Dyffryn Clwyd in 1124. Another invasion by the king of England in 1121 was a 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 at Crug Mawr in the autumn near 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".
Gruffudd died in his bed, old and blind, in 1137 and was mourned by the annalist of Brut y Tywysogion as the head and king and defender and pacifier of all Wales. He was buried by the high altar in Bangor Cathedral which he had been involved in rebuilding. He also made bequests to many other churches, incl
=== Source: Brian Tompsett, http://www.dcs.h ===
Source: Brian Tompsett, http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/
=== My 25th ===
Great Grandfather
=== Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055 – 1137), some ===
Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055 – 1137), sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffudd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely House of Aberffraw.
Through his mother, Gruffudd had close family connections with the Norse settlement around Dublin and he frequently used Ireland as a refuge and as a source of troops. He three times gained the throne of Gwynedd and then lost it again, before regaining it once more in 1099 and this time keeping power until his death. Gruffudd laid the foundations which were built upon by his son Owain Gwynedd and his great-grandson Llywelyn the Great.
Life
Unusually 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.
Most of the existing manuscripts of the history are in 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. However Russell (2006) has suggested that the Latin version in 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 Dublin and reared near Swords, County Dublin, in Ireland. He was the son of a Welsh Prince, Cynan ap Iago, who was a claimant to the Kingship of Gwynedd but was probably never its king, 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, since the History describes his mother telling him who his father was.
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. The latter had two sons named Amlaíb: one died in 1013, whilst another died in 1034. Either man could have been Ragnailt's father.
During his many struggles to gain the kingship of Gwynedd, Gruffudd received considerable aid from Ireland, from the Hiberno-Norse at Dublin, the Isles and Wexford and from Muircheartach Ua Briain, because he was also descendant through his mother from Brian Boru, High King of Ireland.
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 Norman Robert of Rhuddlan first defeated and killed Cynwrig ap Rhiwallon, an ally of Trahaearn who held Llŷn, then defeated Trahaearn himself in the battle of Gwaed Erw in Meirionnydd and gained control of Gwynedd.
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 Second bid for the throne and capture by the Normans.
Coat of Arms retroactively attributed to Gryffudd ap Cynan
Gruffudd fled to Ireland but, in 1081, returned and made an alliance with Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of Deheubarth. Rhys had been attacked by Caradog ap Gruffudd of Gwent and Morgannwg, and had been forced to flee to St David's Cathedral. Gruffudd this time embarked from Waterford with a force composed of Danes and Irish and landed near St David's, 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 Powys. The armies of the two confederacies met at the Battle of Mynydd Carn, with Gruffudd and Rhys victorious and Trahaearn, Caradog and Meilyr all being killed. Gruffudd was thus able to seize power in Gwynedd for the second time.
He soon was 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, Earl of Chester and Hugh, 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, Caernarfon and Aberlleiniog.
Escape from captivity and third reign
Gruffudd reappeared on the scene years later, having escaped from captivity. According to his biography he was in fetters in the market-place 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. J.E. Lloyd favors 1093, considering that Gruffudd was involved at the beginning of the Welsh uprising in 1094. K.L. Maund on the other hand favors 1097, pointing out that there is no reference to Gruffudd in the contemporary annals until 1098. D. Simon Evans inclines to the view that Ordericus Vitalis' date of 1088 could be correct, suggesting that an argument based on the silence of the annals is unsafe.
Gruffudd again took refuge in Ireland but returned to Gwynedd to lead the assaults on Norman castles such as Aber Lleiniog. 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 northern 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" mentions only 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 Powys led the Welsh resistance.
In the summer of 1098, Earl Hugh of Chester joined with Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury in another attempt to recover his losses in Gwynedd. Gruffudd and his ally Cadwgan ap Bleddyn retreated to Anglesey, but then were 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 situation was changed by the arrival of a Norwegian fleet under the command of King Magnus III of Norway, also known as Magnus Barefoot, who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the Menai Straits. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself. The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year, Gruffudd returned from Ireland to take possession again, having apparently come to an agreement with Earl Hugh of Chester.
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 in a three-pronged attack, one detachment led by King Alexander I of Scotland. Faced by overwhelming force, Gruffudd was obliged to pay homage to Henry and to pay a heavy fine, but lost no territory. By about 1118, Gruffudd's 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: Cadwallon, Owain Gwynedd and later Cadwaladr. The cantrefs of Rhos and Rhufoniog were annexed in 1118, Meirionnydd captured from Powys in 1123, and Dyffryn Clwyd in 1124. Another invasion by the king of England in 1121 was a military failure.
Children
The family line of Cynan shows he had many children by several different women. With wife Angharad (daughter of Owain ab Edwin) he had:
. Owain Gwynedd (Owain ap Gruffudd), married (1) Gwladus (Gladys) ferch Llywarch, daughter of Llywarch ap Trahaearn (2) Cristin ferch Goronwy, daughter of Goronwy ab Owain
. Cadwaladr ap Gruffudd, married Alice de Clare, daughter of Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare
. Cadwallon ap Gruffudd
. Mareda/Marared
. Susanna, married Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys
. Ranulht/Rannillt
. Agnes/Annest ferch gruffydd
. Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd, married Gruffudd ap Rhys, Prince
=== !BIRTH RECORD; INFO FROM LDS CHURCH ANC ===
!BIRTH RECORD; INFO FROM LDS CHURCH ANCESTRAL FILE MARRIAGE RECORD; " " " 3 TIMES DEATH RECORD; " " " 25TH GREAT GRANDFATHER
=== AFN: FJGV-2W ===
AFN: FJGV-2W
=== !#4568-v1-p41; v2-p28,73; v5-p272; v6-p3 ===
!#4568-v1-p41; v2-p28,73; v5-p272; v6-p384,386; v7-p443; v8-p592; v9-p630; v10-p776; v11-p849; !#651-v2-p240; #771-v1-p72,77,78,82,92,93; #1039-p26; #1307 pedigree; !Arch Rec: Eminent Welshmen; Dictionary of Welsh Biography; Achau Brenhinoedd a Thywysogion Cymru; Welsh Founders of Penn; Royal Lines of Succession; Royal Tribes of Wales; History of the Gwydir Family; National Biography; Pedigrees of Anlesey and Caernarvon; Genealogies of Morgan and Glamorgan; Montgomery Collections; Princes of South Wales; Lewis Topograpical Dictionary; Monm 1-v3-p187, v1-p335; (birth 1040/1054, of Aberffro/of Dublin, Ireland, death 1136, ae 82) 1136, ae 82); !ORD: TIB: MANTI: Bap>, End> 9621-A2-353, SP>; FN #FJGV2W;
=== From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 5 J ===
From Ancestral File (TM), data as of 5 JAN 1998.
=== The longest reigning of all Welsh rulers ===
The longest reigning of all Welsh rulers though nineteen years of his reign were spent either in exile or in prison. He was of mixed Celtic and Norse blood. Shortly after gaining control of Gwynedd, he was captured by Normans and imprisoned at Chester for at least ten years. When he was given a conditional release he became invoved in resistance, leading a rebellion against the Normans in 1094. Overwhelmed by the Normans, he retreated to Ireland but was allowed to return the following year and ruled Anglesey as a vassal king. Clearly a survivor, his strength, willpower and tenacity brought him the respect of the Normans, who allowed him to re-establish the kingdom of Gwynedd, when they could have dominated it. At the time of his death in 1137, in his early eighties, Gwynedd was restored to its former self. Gruffydd and Henry II seemed like-minded and each was prepared to tolerate the other. Gruffydd had a particular passion for music and stories of old, and has earned a reputation as a patron of the bardic tradition.
=== Two other wives or concubines. (2) Miss ===
Two other wives or concubines. (2) Miss Llychiom; (3) Perisair verch Bran.
=== Burkes Guide to the Royal Family p 322 K ===
Burkes Guide to the Royal Family p 322 King of Gwynedd 1081-1137 gained Gwynedd 1075 p 322. He was captured in 1094 and led to freedom by Cynwric in disguise. In 1114 Henry I of England invaded and without a decisive battle gave Gruffydd Gwynned to rule but with Henry as overlord. He died in 1137 old and blind and crippled. Burkes Guide to the Royal Family p 322 King of Gwynedd 1081-1137 gained Gwynedd 1075 p 322
=== Angharad/verch Owen and Perisair/(sister ===
Angharad/verch Owen and Perisair/(sister of Llowarch)
=== !Sir Bernard Burke's Dormant & Extinct P ===
!Sir Bernard Burke's Dormant & Extinct Peerage p.113
=== !#4569-v3-p506,507*; v4-p527; !illeg son ===
!#4569-v3-p506,507*; v4-p527; !illeg son;
=== !SOURCE: "Royal Ancestors," PC #427. ===
!SOURCE: "Royal Ancestors," PC #427.
=== !1. Bartrum, 300-1400, pg.443, Gruffudd ===
!1. Bartrum, 300-1400, pg.443, Gruffudd ap Cynan 1
=== md. Angharad/verch Owain *; md. Parisair ===
md. Angharad/verch Owain *; md. Parisair/verch Bran *
=== Gruffydd ("Griffith") ap Cynfyn of Gwyne ===
Gruffydd ("Griffith") ap Cynfyn of Gwynedd has an illustrious ancestry {-per "Royal Ancestors of Magna Charta Barons," Carr P. Collins, Jr., Dallas, 1959,}based on legend - it includes King Roderick the Great of Wales (844-878); Lady Godiva of Mercia; Uther Pendragon (King of Britons in 498 and son of Constantine II, Emperor of the West, 337-340, son of Constantine the Great); Howell the Good, Prince of South Wales who died in 948 and husband of Eleanor, daughter of the last King of Dyfred; King Lear of England whom legend lists in direct descent from Aedd Mawr (King Edward the Great, b. ca. 1300 B.C.). "Ancestral Roots..." (Balt, 1992) 239-5 states he was born at Dublin in 1055. He and Rhys were victorious over the Normans in the battle of Myndydd Carn, 1081, but shortly after he was captured by Hugh, Earl of Chester, and kept in prison for 12 years. See extended information in "A History of Wales," John Davies (1993), Chapter Four.
=== !Ancestral Roots by Weis, Seventh Editio ===
!Ancestral Roots by Weis, Seventh Edition line 239-5 !Ruler of Gwynedd, Prince of Wales !FTM Vol 9, tree #2134.
Preferred Parents:
Father: Cynan ab Iago, b. in Aberffraw, Anglesey, Wales d. ABT 1063
Mother: Ragnhild Olafsdotter Princess of Dublin, b. ABT 1025 in Diocese of Dublin, Leinster, Ireland d. ABT 1076 in Conan, Dublin, Ireland
Family 2: Angharad verch Owain, b. ABT 1065 in Tegaingl, Flintshire, Wales, Great Britain d. ABT 1162 in Tegaingl, Flint, Wales
- Owain ap Fawr Gwynedd, b. 13 SEP 1087 in Aberffraw Castle, Anglesey, Wales d. 28 NOV 1170 in Bangor, Caernarfonshire, Wales
- Owain ap Gruffydd, b. 1100 in Nant Gwynant, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales d. 23 NOV 1170 in Wales
- Susanna ferch Gruffydd, b. 1106 in Caernarvonshire, Wales d. 1165 in Burke, Georgia, United States
- GWENLLIAN VERCH GRUFFYDD, b. ABT 1101 in Caernarfonshire, Wales d. ABT 1137 in Maes Gwenllian, Outside Walls Kidwelly, Wales
- Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd, b. ABT 1100 in Caernarfonshire, Wales d. 28 NOV 1170 in Caernarfonshire, Wales
- Gwenllian verch Gruffydd I, b. 1085 in Aberffraw, Anglesey, Wales
Sources:
- Title: Gruffydd Cynan/ Ap in the Web: Netherlands, GenealogieOnline Trees Index, 1000-2015
Author: URL: https://www.genealogieonline.nl/en/holloway-family-tree/P7100.php
Publication: Name: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/33012404:9289;
Note: Name: Gruffydd Cynan/ Ap
Gender: m (Male)
Birth Date: 1055
Birth Place: Wales
Death Date: 1137
Death Place: Caernarvonshire, Wales
Death Age: 82
Spouse:
Angharad Verch Owain
Children:
Cadwaladr Ap Gruffudd
URL: https://www.genealogieonline.nl/en/holloway-family-tree/P7100.php
- Title: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruffudd_ap_Cynan
Author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruffudd_ap_Cynan
Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruffudd_ap_Cynan;
- Title: "Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition," by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr
Author: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition, by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr., pp.239-5.
Note: line 121A p 108.
[PFT:AQ]
[S:Titl] Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition, by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr.
[S:Note] line 121A p 108.
[Page] 239-5
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- Title: "Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition," by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr
Author: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition, by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr., pp.176-6.
Note: line 121A p 108.
[PFT:AQ]
[S:Titl] Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition, by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr.
[S:Note] line 121A p 108.
[Page] 176-6
[/PFT]
- Title: Geni: Gruffydd ap Cynan
Author: Added by: Bjørn P. Brox on May 2, 2007 Managed by: Margaret (C) and 172 others Curated by: Erin Ishimoticha
Publication: Name: https://www.geni.com/people/Gruffydd-ap-Cynan/6000000000424583790;
Note: Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gender: Male
Birth: 1070
Dublin, Ireland
Death: 1137 (66-68)
Caernarvonshire, Wales
Place of Burial: Bangor Cathedral, Bangor, Wales
Immediate Family:
Son of Cynan ap Iago
Husband of Angharad verch Owain
Father of Merinedd verch Gruffydd; Susanna verch Gruffydd; Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd; Rhanallt verch Gruffudd; Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd, King of Gwynedd and 5 others
Half brother of N.N. ferch Cynan
Immediate Family
Showing 12 of 13 people
Angharad verch Owain
wife
Merinedd verch Gruffydd
daughter
Susanna verch Gruffydd
daughter
Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd
son
Rhanallt verch Gruffudd
daughter
Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd, King ...
son
Cadwallon ap Gruffydd
son
Hugh Williams. No known copyright issues.
Gwenllian verch Gruffydd
daughter
Annest verch Gruffydd
daughter
Margred verch Gruffydd ap Cynan
daughter
Duling ap Gruffydd
son
Cynan ap Iago
father
- Title: Peerage, The
Author: Darryl Lundy, The Peerage, a genealogical survey of the Peerage of Britian as well as the royal families of Europe (http://thepeerage.com : accessed 26 Aug 2019), Gruffydd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd Citations [S130] Wikipedia, online http;//www.wikipedia.org. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia. [S37] BP2003 volume 3, page 4188. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37]
Publication: Name: http://thepeerage.com/p10260.htm#i102593;
Note: Gruffydd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd was born circa 1055 at County Dublin, Ireland. He was the son of Cynan ab Iago and Ragnaillt of Dublin. He married Angharad ferch Owain, daughter of Owain ab Edwin, in 1095. He died in 1137. He succeeded as the King of Gwynedd in 1081. Children of Gruffydd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd, and Angharad ferch Owain
Cadwallon ap Gruffydd d. 1132
Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd
Susanna ferch Gruffydd
Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd
Owain ap Gruffyd, King of Gwynedd+ b. c 1100, d. 28 Nov 1170
- Title: Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
Author: Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
Publication: Name: http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/WALES.htm#GryffyddapCynandied1137;
- Title: Our Royal, Titled, Noble and Commoner Ancestors
Author: Citations [S803] Unknown author, Royal Highness, Ancestry of the Royal Child, by Moncreiffe, p. 10. [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. II, p. 175. [S61] Unknown author, Family Group Sheets, Family History Archives, SLC.
Publication: Name: https://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p160.htm#i4786;
Note: Our royal, titled, noble and commoner ancestors
Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd
Last Edited 4 Apr 2020
M, #4786, b. 1055, d. 1137
Father Cynan ap Iago, Prince of North Wales d. c 1060
Mother Ragnhildr of Dublin b. c 1025
Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd DID NOT MARRY(Miss) ferch Llychwy at England.
Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd was born in 1055 at Dublin, Ireland. He married Angharad verch Owain, daughter of Owain ap Edwin, Lord of Flint and Morfydd ferch Ednywain "Bendew," circa 1090.
Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd died in 1137 at Carnarvonshire, Wales.
Family 1
(Miss) ferch Llychwy b. c 1070
Child
Yslani ferch Gruffudd+3 b. c 1100
Family 2
Child
Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd+3 b. c 1075
Family 3
Angharad verch Owain b. c 1075
Children
Susanna of Gwynedd+
Gwenlian of North Wales+
Cadwaladr ap Gruffudd+2 d. Mar 1172
Rhanullt ferch Gruffudd+ b. c 1091
Margred ferch Gruffudd+ b. c 1092
Owain Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd+ b. c 1100, d. Dec 1169
- Title: Legacy NFS Source: Gruffydd ap Cynan (Prince of Wales) -
Author: Dictionary of Welsh Biography down to 1940; John Edward Lloyd & R T Jenkins, Ed. {1957}, Page number: 9, 310-311
Note: Source Media Type: Book
Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736742404
- Title: Gruffydd ap Cynan, "Find A Grave Index"
Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV28-8BKR : 9 May 2023), Gruffydd ap Cynan, ; Burial, Bangor, , Gwynedd, Wales, Bangor Cathedral; citing record ID 61943421, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV28-8BKR;
- Title: Wikiwand: Gruffudd ap Cynan
Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Gruffudd_ap_Cynan#/Sources;
Note: Gruffudd ap Cynan (c. 1055 – 1137), sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffudd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely House of Aberffraw.
Through his mother, Gruffudd had close family connections with the Norse settlement around Dublin and he frequently used Ireland as a refuge and as a source of troops. He three times gained the throne of Gwynedd and then lost it again, before regaining it once more in 1099 and this time keeping power until his death. Gruffudd laid the foundations which were built upon by his son Owain Gwynedd and his great-grandson Llywelyn the Great.
Life
Unusually 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.
Most of the existing manuscripts of the history are in 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. However Russell (2006) has suggested that the Latin version in 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 Hiberno-Norse Kingdom of Dublin and reared near Swords, County Dublin in Ireland. He was the son of a Welsh Prince, Cynan ap Iago, who was a claimant to the Kingship of Gwynedd but was probably never its king, 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, since the History describes his mother telling him who his father was.
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. The latter had two sons named Amlaíb: one died in 1013, whilst another died in 1034. Either man could have been Ragnailt's father.
During his many struggles to gain the kingship of Gwynedd, Gruffudd received considerable aid from Ireland, from the Hiberno-Norse at Dublin, the Isles and Wexford and from Muircheartach Ua Briain, because he was also descendant through his mother from Brian Boru, High King of Ireland.
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 Norman Robert of Rhuddlan first defeated and killed Cynwrig ap Rhiwallon, an ally of Trahaearn who held Llŷn, then defeated Trahaearn himself in the battle of Gwaed Erw in Meirionnydd and gained control of Gwynedd.
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.
Second bid for the throne and capture by the Normans
Gruffudd fled to Ireland but, in 1081, returned and made an alliance with Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of Deheubarth. Rhys had been attacked by Caradog ap Gruffudd of Gwent and Morgannwg, and had been forced to flee to St David's Cathedral. Gruffudd this time embarked from Waterford with a force composed of Danes and Irish and landed near St David's, 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 Powys. The armies of the two confederacies met at the Battle of Mynydd Carn, with Gruffudd and Rhys victorious and Trahaearn, Caradog and Meilyr all being killed. Gruffudd was thus able to seize power in Gwynedd for the second time.
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, Earl of Chester and Hugh, 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, Caernarfon and Aberlleiniog.
Escape from captivity and third reign
Gruffudd reappeared on the scene years later, having escaped from captivity. According to his biography he was in fetters in the market-place 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. J.E. Lloyd favours 1093, considering that Gruffudd was involved at the beginning of the Welsh uprising in 1094. K.L. Maund on the other hand favors 1097, pointing out that there is no reference to Gruffudd in the contemporary annals until 1098. D. Simon Evans inclines to the view that Ordericus Vitalis' date of 1088 could be correct, suggesting that an argument based on the silence of the annals is unsafe.
Gruffudd again took refuge in Ireland but returned to Gwynedd to lead the assaults on Norman castles such as Aber Lleiniog. 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 northern 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 Powys led the Welsh resistance.
In the summer of 1098, Earl Hugh of Chester joined with Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury in another attempt to recover his losses in Gwynedd. 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 situation was changed by the arrival of a Norwegian fleet under the command of King Magnus III of Norway, also known as Magnus Barefoot, who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the Menai Straits. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself. The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year, Gruffudd returned from Ireland to take possession again, having apparently come to an agreement with Earl Hugh of Chester.
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 in a three-pronged attack, one detachment led by King Alexander I of Scotland. Faced by overwhelming force, Gruffudd was obliged to pay homage to Henry and to pay a heavy fine, but lost no territory. By about 1118, Gruffudd's 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: Cadwallon, Owain Gwynedd and later Cadwaladr. The cantrefs of Rhos and Rhufoniog were annexed in 1118, Meirionnydd captured from Powys in 1123, and Dyffryn Clwyd in 1124. Another invasion by the king of England in 1121 was a 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 ...
Page: Llwyd, Humphrey (2002). Cronica Walliae. University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-1638-2. Lloyd, John Edward (2004). A History of Wales: From the Norman Invasion to the Edwardian Conquest. Banes & Noble. ISBN 978-0-7607-5241-8. R.R. Davies (1991). The age of conquest: Wales 1063–1415. O.U.P. ISBN 0-19-820198-2. Simon Evans (1990). A Mediaeval Prince of Wales: the Life of Gruffudd Ap Cynan. Llanerch Enterprises. ISBN 0-947992-58-8. Hudson, Benjamin T. (2005). Viking Pirates and Christian Princes: Dynasty, Religion, and Empire in the North Atlantic (Illustrated ed.). United States: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195162374, ISBN 978-0-19-516237-0. Arthur Jones (1910). The history of Gruffydd ap Cynan: the Welsh text with translation, introduction and notes. Manchester University Press.. Translation online at The Celtic Literature Collective K.L. Maund (ed) (1996). Gruffudd ap Cynan: a collaborative biography. Boydell Press. ISBN 0-85115-389-5. Kari Maund (ed) (2006). The Welsh kings:warriors, warlords and princes. Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-2973-6. Paul Russell (ed) (2006). Vita Griffini Filii Conani: The Medieval Latin Life of Gruffudd Ap Cynan. University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-1893-2. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 176B-26, 239–5
- Title: "Encyclopedia Britannica," Treatise on, UK-Wales Macropaedia
Author: Encyclopedia Britannica, Treatise on, UK-Wales Macropaedia p 124.
Note: [PFT:AQ]
[S:Titl] Encyclopedia Britannica, Treatise on
[Page] UK-Wales Macropaedia p 124
[/PFT]
- Title: Legacy NFS Source: Gruffydd ap Cynan (Prince of Wales) -
Author: Dictionary of National Biography, George Smith, Oxford Press, Vols 1-21 (Orignially published 1885-90),Ed by Sir Leslie S, Page number: VIII:744-747
Note: Source Media Type: Book
Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736742373
- Title: SULPICE . The Chronicle of Saint-Maxence
Page: British Isles - Wales, Kings & Princes, p. 27: GRUFFYDD ap Cynan (Dublin [1054/55]-1137, bur Bangor). Gerald of Wales´s Descriptio Kambriæ records the descent of the rulers of North Wales in reverse chronological order as follows: “David filius Oenei, Oeneus filius Griphini, Griphinus filius Canani, Cananus filius Iago, Iago filius Ythewal, Ythewal filius Meuric, Meuric filius Anaudrech, Anaudrech filius Mervini, Mervinus filius Roderici magni”[201]. The 13th century History of Gruffydd ap Cynan records that he was born in Dublin, son of "Cynan king of Gwynedd and his mother Ragnaillt daughter of Olaf King of the city of Dublin"[202]. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Gruffudd son of Cynan fought against the men of Iago and of Mona, and the Gwyneddians killed Cynvrig son of Rhiwallon" in 1073[203]. According to the 13th century History of Gruffydd ap Cynan, Gruffydd defeated "Trahaiarn son of Caradoc and Cenwric son of Rhiwallon, Kings of Powys and all Gwynedd" and, with help from "Robert of Rhuddlan…nephew to Hugh Earl of Chester" imposed himself as king of Gwynedd after prevailing at the battle of "Gwaet Erw"[204]. None of these alleged exploits are recorded the Annales Cambriæ or the Chronicle of the Princes of Wales, and it is uncertain how accurate the History can be given its late date. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Cadwgan son of Bleddyn and Gruffudd son of Cynan left the isle of Mona and retreated into Ireland for fear of the treachery of their own men" in 1096[205]. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Cadwgan son of Bleddyn and Gruffudd son of Cynan returned from Ireland" in 1097 and "made peace with the French…[and] retained part of the country…Gruffud obtained Mona"[206]. The Annales Cambriæ record the death in 1137 of "Grifinus filius Conani"[207]. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Gruffudd son of Cynan" died in 1136[208]. The 13th century History of Gruffydd ap Cynan records the death of Gruffydd ap Cynan aged 82 [probably exaggerated] and his burial at Bangor[209].] m ([1095]) ANGHARAD of Deheubarth, daughter of OWAIN ap Edwin of Deheubarth (-1161). The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Angharad daughter of Owain son of Edwin was the wife of Gruffudd son of Cynan" in 1122[210]. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Angharad the wife of Gruffudd son of Cynan" died in 1161[211].
- Title: Legacy NFS Source: Gruffydd ap Cynan (Prince of Wales) -
Author: Welsh Genealogies, AD 300-1400; Peter C Bartrum, Page number: Gruffudd ap Cynan 1
Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736742563
- Title: Gruffydd (Prince Ap Cynan in the Web: Netherlands, GenealogieOnline Trees Index, 1000-2015
Publication: Name: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/31289598:9289;
Note: Name: Gruffydd (Prince Ap Cynan
Gender: m (Male)
Birth Date: 1055
Birth Place: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Death Date: 1137
Death Place: Carmarthenshire, Wales
Death Age: 82
Spouse:
Angharad Golden Hair (Queen Consort OWAIN of Tegaingl
Children:
Owain I Gwynedd Ap GRUFFYDD or GWYNDWR/ PRINCE of WALES 80
URL: https://www.genealogieonline.nl/en/jess-boatman-family-tree/P2579.php
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