Rhys ap Gruffudd Facts & Worksheets

Rhys ap Gruffudd facts and information plus worksheet packs and fact file. Includes 5 activities aimed at students 11-14 years old (KS3) & 5 activities aimed at students 14-16 years old (GCSE). Great for home study or to use within the classroom environment.

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Rhys ap Gruffudd Worksheets

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Fact File

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Rhys ap Gruffudd Activity & Answer Guide 1
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Table of Contents
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    Summary

    • Background and early years
    • Reign and relationship with England
    • Later years

    Key Facts And Information

    Let’s find out more about Rhys ap Gruffudd!

    Rhys ap Gruffudd descended from the rulers of Deheubarth and was a member of the Dinefwr dynasty. He became the prince of Deheubarth in 1155 and held that position until his death in 1193. His reign was characterised by the establishment of a strategic alliance with Henry II of England, the subsequent period of relative peace, the foundation of castles and several religious institutions under his patronage, and the hosting of the first recorded Eisteddfod. Rhys proved to be a significant Welsh ruler who helped maintain a degree of independence for Wales during a period of English dominance.

    A 19th-century portrait of Rhys ap Gruffudd
    A 19th-century portrait of Rhys ap Gruffudd

    Background and early years of Rhys ap Gruffudd

    • Born in 1132 in the commote of Caeo in a corner of Cantref Mawr at Dinefwr, Rhys ap Gruffudd was the son of Gruffydd ap Rhys and Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd. His father was the son of Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of Deheubarth and member of the Dinefwr dynasty. His mother was the daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd. Rhys had five brothers and two sisters. He also had two older half-brothers, Anarawd and Cadell, from his father’s first marriage.
    • During the civil war in England in 1135–36, Rhys’s father joined the revolt against Norman rule.
    • Around the same time, the Normans attacked Deheubarth, during which Rhys’s mother and two brothers were killed.
    • Rhys’s father became determined to take down the Normans in southern Wales and finally regain control of Deheubarth. 
    • This victory was followed by an extravagant festival that lasted for weeks. Whilst the Normans lost, they still controlled some territory in Dyfed.
    • Dying of mysterious causes in 1137, Rhys’s father was succeeded by Anarawd as ruler of Deheubarth.

     

    • During Anarawd’s rule, Rhys was likely sent to be cared for by another noble family in their kingdom, in accordance with Welsh tradition.
    • It appears that his other brothers took advantage of him and attempted to use him to gain control of the kingdom.
    • Rivalry between brothers in Welsh noble families was not uncommon during this period, and this often led to violence and murder. This caused trouble for Wales time and again.
    • When Anarawd was killed in 1143, Cadell succeeded to the throne of Deheubarth and continued the work that the former had started to take back the remainder of their grandfather’s kingdom.
    • Cadell achieved a resounding success in seizing several castles. Rhys was reported to have fought during the capture of Llansteffan Castle.
    • In 1153, Cadell left the responsibility of the kingdom in the hands of his younger brothers when he went on a pilgrimage to Rome.
    • Maredudd became the ruler of Deheubarth, with Rhys assisting in ruling the kingdom. The two successfully concluded the campaign against Gwynedd in Ceredigion, with a joint assault on the castles of Tenby and Aberafan. In fact, Rhys headed the attack on St Clears Castle. After two years of ruling Deheubarth, Maredudd, aged 25, died in 1155, leaving his younger brother Rhys to rule alone as prince of Deheubarth.

    Rhys ap Gruffudd's Reign and relationship with England

    • By 1155, Rhys was the last surviving son of Gruffydd ap Rhys and so acceded to the throne of Deheubarth. As prince, he had every right to claim to be the heir to the ancient kingdom of Dinefwr, which had been in his family’s possession for many years.
    • Around the same time that he became the ruler of Deheubarth, Rhys married Gwenllian ferch Madog ap Maredudd, daughter of the last prince of the entire kingdom of Powys.
    • The union strengthened the ties between the royal families of Deheubarth and Powys, who were both defending their lands from the kingdom of Gwynedd’s ambition for territorial expansion.
    • Rhys and Gwenllian had at least nine sons and eight daughters. This secured the dynasty of the House of Dinefwr. 
    • Soon after taking control of Deheubarth, Rhys became aware of rumours that Owain Gwynedd was preparing to attack Ceredigion in order to regain it for Gwynedd.
    • In response, Rhys commissioned the building of a castle at Aberdyfi in 1156. The rumoured invasion did not occur.
    • Meanwhile, by this time, the civil war in England between Stephen and Empress Matilda had ended, and Henry II of England was now king. 
    • The English king aimed to reassert the dominance of the English monarchy, which meant recapturing the lands that had been seized by local Welsh rulers, especially in Gwynedd and Deheubarth.
    • Henry II later realised that the most beneficial scheme in Wales was to attempt to divide Gwynedd and Deheubarth, believing that this would give him a better chance of defeating the Welsh rulers individually than if they were united against him.
    • In 1157, he first dealt with Gwynedd. He aimed to prevent Owain Gwynedd from broadening his influence by seizing land from the neighbouring kingdom of Powys.
    • This campaign was not completely victorious, but it induced Owain Gwynedd to make peace with Henry II and to give up some territory in the north-east of Wales.
    • With the Normans in control of North Wales, Henry II then focused on reconquering Deheubarth in 1158.
    • Rhys initially planned to engage in direct conflict but was persuaded by his council to meet the English king to discuss peace terms. 
    • This resulted in a peace agreement between the two rulers, in which Rhys swore an oath of loyalty to Henry II and relinquished all the lands his family had reclaimed from the Normans over the past two decades, except for Cantref Mawr. In return, Henry II vowed to protect Rhys’s territory from Norman attacks.
    • The agreement between Henry II and Rhys was hoped to bring lasting peace. However, Henry II immediately broke his promises of protection, and Rhys responded with an attack.
    • Henry II assembled a huge army in preparation for an invasion. He took Rhys’s sons, Maredudd and Hywel, as hostages to force Rhys’s withdrawal.
    • Rhys continued fighting. In 1159, he invaded territories to the west and besieged the Carmarthen Castle while Henry II was in France. 
    • The English king’s uncle crushed Rhys’s forces. Rhys withdrew to Cantref Mawr, and the Normans eventually pulled back. 
    • The Normans strengthened Llandovery Castle and built similar fortifications at Carmarthen to keep them from being taken by Rhys.
    • The ongoing rivalry between Rhys and his Norman neighbour Walter de Clifford led to Rhys’s invasion of Cantref Bychan in 1162, capturing Llandovery. 
    • The English king sent his minister, Thomas Becket, to investigate. Becket determined that Henry II’s presence was required.
    • In 1163, Henry II arrived with an army, forcing Rhys to retreat once again to Cantref Mawr. Rhys was compelled to surrender and affirm his pledge of allegiance to Henry II. Henry II eventually permitted Rhys to retain Cantref Mawr.
    Depiction of homage
    Depiction of homage
    • In 1163, Henry II summoned a royal council of all the prominent Welsh princes and nobles and Malcolm, king of Scotland, at Woodstock. He demanded the renewal of their oaths of allegiance to him. This enraged the Welsh princes.
    • While Rhys was at Woodstock to do homage, his Norman neighbours killed his nephew with the intention of taking back Cantref Mawr. 
    • Rhys returned and found out about the murder. He retaliated by attacking Ceredigion and besieging Cardigan.
    • In 1164, Henry II brought together an army from across his vast empire to punish Rhys for breaking his oath. By this time, several Welsh princes had allied with Rhys to defy Henry II’s rule. They even wrote to Louis VII of France, asking for his intervention. However, no aid came from France.
    • The Battle of Crogen in 1165 resulted in an Anglo-Norman defeat. Henry II abandoned the campaign after an attempt to cross the Berwyn Mountains was foiled by severe weather conditions.
    • Henry II, back at court, ordered the blinding of 22 Welsh hostages, including Rhys’s son Maredudd. He also ordered the construction of more castles along the Welsh border in order to keep the Welsh princes under control.
    • Rhys headed back to South Wales, where he seized Cardigan Castle and destroyed the town. He proceeded to extend his territory. By 1167, he presided over Ceredigion, Cantref Mawr, Cantref Bychan and parts of Dyfed. All lands lost to the Normans had now been won back.
    • Rhys maintained his alliance with Owain Gwynedd. In fact, he helped him in retaking Rhuddlan in 1167. In 1168, he assaulted the Marcher lord of Builth and tore down his castle.
    • By 1170, Rhys emerged as the leading figure among the Welsh princes following Owain Gwynedd’s death.
    • In 1171, Henry II had changed his attitude toward the Welsh, likely influenced by the events in Ireland.
    • He was less focused on his problems in his French possessions by this time. Such circumstances provided an opportunity for Henry II and Rhys to reach a peaceful settlement.
    • The two rulers met in Newham in early 1171. Rhys was to pay a tribute of 300 horses and 4,000 head of cattle. Henry II confirmed Rhys’s possession of all the lands he had taken from Norman lords.
    • The two met again in Pembroke in October that year, as Henry II was waiting to cross to Ireland. Henry II returned Rhys’s son, Hywel, who had been held captive for many years.
    • The two met again in Pembroke in October that year, as Henry II was waiting to cross to Ireland. Henry II returned Rhys’s son, Hywel, who had been held captive for many years.
    • After Henry II’s successful intervention in Ireland, he returned to Wales in 1172 and met with Rhys once more at Laugharne.
    • Shortly afterwards, Henry II appointed Rhys Justiciar, which was a unique and significant achievement among Welsh rulers at this time. 
    • As Justiciar, Rhys was responsible for the administration of not just Deheubarth, but also the southern part of the royal lands in Wales. He ruled over his territories on behalf of Henry II. This position recognised his hegemony over the southern Welsh rulers. It meant fewer threats to Rhys’s leadership from other Welsh kingdoms and from the English king himself.

    Later years of Rhys ap Gruffudd

    • Following the establishment of peaceful relations between the English king and the ruler of Deheubarth, Rhys aided Henry II in several cases. Rhys dispatched his son Hywel to Normandy to assist the English king during the Revolt of 1173–74. In 1174, he personally headed an army to Tutbury in Staffordshire to provide support at the siege of the stronghold of the rebel Earl William de Ferrers. He returned to Wales following the fall of Tutbury, but left a thousand of his men to fight under Henry II in Normandy.
    • Meanwhile, the importance of Rhys’s position as Justiciar was reflected in his involvement in the Royal Council. He attended the Council at Gloucester (1175) and the Council of Oxford (1177).
    • Rhys then undertook the construction of several stone castles, beginning with Cardigan Castle, which subsequently became the centre of his court. 
    • To celebrate the completion of Cardigan Castle, Rhys hosted a festival of poetry and song at his court in 1176, which is widely regarded as the first recorded Eisteddfod.
    • It is also believed that Rhys commissioned the construction of the Dinefwr Castle, which has since become the ancestral seat of the Dinefwr dynasty.
    • Present evidence firmly indicates that the history of Dinefwr Castle is closely connected to his rule.
    • Furthermore, he rebuilt a number of castles, including the castles of Llandovery, Rhayader and Nevern.
    • By 1180, Deheubarth was the leading Welsh kingdom, thanks to Rhys’s secure governance and a period of relative peace.
    • Between 1171 and 1188, Rhys founded two religious houses: Tally Abbey, which was the first Premonstratensian abbey in Wales, and the Llanllyr Nunnery, the second nunnery to be set up in Wales.
    • In 1184, he reaffirmed Strata Florida as a monastery under the patronage of Deheubarth. Whilst Strata Florida Abbey was officially established by a Norman knight in 1164, it flourished under Rhys’s patronage, becoming a place of huge religious significance and a cradle of Welsh culture.
    • Rhys granted the monks substantial tracts of land on which to farm their sheep and cattle. In return, the monks rewarded Rhys with loyalty.
    Depiction of Richard I
    Depiction of Richard I
    • Henry II died in 1189, leaving the English throne to Richard. Richard I was crowned king in Westminster Abbey in September and successfully claimed his father’s lands.
    • When Henry II died, Rhys likely held the belief that he was no longer bound to abide by the terms of the peace agreement with the English king. He also believed that this agreement was not transferable to Henry II’s successor.
    • Soon after Henry II’s death, Rhys commenced a full-scale attack on the Anglo-Norman lordships of south and south-west Wales surrounding his domain.
    • By September 1189, Richard I, seeking to secure England’s frontiers, decided to send his younger brother, Prince John, to lead a military campaign against Rhys.
    • John first met with all the Welsh princes except Rhys in Worcester, where they promised not to attack in England while Richard I was on crusade.
    • He went to Wales and succeeded in persuading Rhys to come to terms with the new English king. Rhys agreed to meet Richard I under John’s escort. 
    • Rhys left for Oxford on the understanding that the new king would come to meet him, as Henry II had been known to do. 
    • However, after arriving at Oxford in October 1189, he found out that the English king was not prepared to travel there.
    • Richard I was at Westminster at the time and could not be bothered with a journey to Oxford solely for the purpose of receiving the homage of a Welshman.
    • Rhys was seriously offended by Richard I’s refusal to personally receive his homage. 
    • Immediately after failing to secure an understanding with England, he decided to return to south Wales in order to renew his attacks on the Anglo-Norman lordships. Consequently, hostilities continued.
    • In 1190, Rhys attacked and added the Anglo-Norman lordships of Cydweli and Carnwyllion to Deheubarth.
    • In 1191, he seized Nevern Castle from William FitzMartin, who was the husband of his daughter Angharad and a descendant of the first Norman ruler in Cemais.
    • In 1192, Rhys besieged Llawhaden Castle. Furthermore, Swansea and Wiston fell to him.
    • In the same year, he dealt with the dispute between his sons. He secured the release of his son Maelgwn, who at that time was held by an Anglo-Norman lord. 
    • However, following his release, Maelgwn sought revenge upon his brother Gruffudd.
    • Around this time, Rhys was besieging Swansea and was compelled to abandon the campaign due to the infighting between his sons.
    • Rhys was caught in the middle in 1194. On his return from Rhayader, he was captured by Maelgwn and imprisoned in Nevern Castle in Pembrokeshire. 
    • Maelgwn subsequently took possession of the ancestral home at Dinefwr.
    • Rhys was soon released from captivity by his son Hywel, backed by his supporters and retainers.
    • However, his domestic troubles were not over as his two other sons, Rhys Grys and Mareduddd, had captured the royal stronghold of Dinefwr, as well as Llandovery Castles, during his absence in some other part of his territory. 
    • The brothers’ success was only brief, as Rhys successfully regained his castles with the help of Rhys Gryg and Maredudd’s men. They were taken to Ystrad Meurig, and Rhys imprisoned them afterwards. 
    • By 1196, the dispute between Rhys and his sons had been handled, and Rhys was determined to regain all the territories that he had lost in the previous years.
    • In the same year, he raised a huge army in preparation for what would become his last campaign against the Anglo-Normans. 
    • He successfully captured a number of castles, including Carmarthen, Colwyn, Radnor and Painscastle, and crushed an army led by Roger de Mortimer and Hugh de Say near Radnor. Meanwhile, William de Braose came to terms with Rhys.
    • When Rhys died unexpectedly in April 1197, he had been excommunicated, as a result of a disagreement with the Bishop of St Davids, Peter de Leia, some years previously. His sons and supporters visited de Leia and asked him to forgive them, vowing to respect the English king and the bishop himself. Rhys could not be given a Christian burial until the excommunication was lifted. De Leia was initially reluctant but later agreed to absolve Rhys and his sons, but penance had to be exacted. He had Rhys’s mouldering corpse scourged in posthumous penance. After the posthumous penance, Rhys was buried at St David’s Cathedral.

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    Frequently Asked Questions About Rhys ap Gruffudd

    • Who was Rhys ap Gruffudd?

      Rhys ap Gruffudd (c. 1132–1197), known as The Lord Rhys, was the ruler of Deheubarth, a kingdom in southwest Wales. He was one of the last powerful native Welsh princes before the conquest of Wales by the Normans and later the English crown.

    • Why is Rhys ap Gruffudd significant in Welsh history?

      He is remembered for reclaiming territory from the Normans, supporting Welsh culture, organising the first recorded Eisteddfod (a major festival of music and poetry), and being a skilled military and political leader who balanced diplomacy and resistance against English kings.

    • What was Rhys ap Gruffudd’s relationship with the English crown?

      Rhys had a complex relationship with English monarchs, especially Henry II. Depending on the political climate, he alternated between making peace and rebelling. Henry eventually named him Justiciar of South Wales, giving him recognised authority over much of the region.