Gruffudd ap Cynan

Who he is

Name

Gruffudd ap Cynan ab Owain Gwynedd

Title

Lord in Gwynedd Uwch Conwy (after Epiphany 1199, reduced to Llyn)

Since

Lord of Meirionnydd and probably Ardudwy by 1188; shared Gwynedd west of the Conwy with his brother from 1195; driven out of Anglesey and Arfon at Epiphany 1199

Born

Not pinned (elder son of Cynan ab Owain Gwynedd, who died 1174)

Family

Brother of Maredudd ap Cynan; father of Hywel ap Gruffudd (died 1216), who later holds Meirionnydd under Llywelyn. First cousin of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth.

Confidence

medium

DWB (Cynan ab Owain; Maredudd ap Cynan); Wikipedia (Llywelyn the Great). That Llyn was his share in 1199-1200 is inferred from the DWB statement that Maredudd acquired Llyn only on Gruffudd's death in 1200.

Overlord

None; a rival of his cousin Llywelyn

What it holds

• The cantref of Llyn (commotes Dinllaen, Cafflogion, Cymydmaen) with the llys at Nefyn
• A claim to his former share of Anglesey and Arfon

How it was acquired

Inheritance from Cynan ab Owain and conquest from Rhodri ab Owain (1195).

Allies and rivals

Ally: his brother Maredudd. Rival: Llywelyn ap Iorwerth.

How things stand that morning

Holds Llyn; beaten and probably ailing (he takes the monastic habit before his death in 1200).

Wealth

The dues of Llyn's townships, fisheries and the pilgrim road to Bardsey (Ynys Enlli).

Military

His teulu; no castle of note in Llyn beyond the llys at Nefyn.

Threats

• Llywelyn

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

1. 1200 (the chronicle gives the year only)Gruffudd dies in the habit of a monk at Aberconwy; Llyn passes to Maredudd ap Cynan.Depends on: Natural death Stopped by: Play that changes his health or keeps him in arms

Places of note

• Nefyn: Llys of Llyn

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Annal entries and genealogy only; the split of land between the brothers in 1199-1200 is inferred.

On the map: Llyn's eastern edge with Eifionydd is approximate.

Primary sources for Gwynedd

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

• Annals of Wales, Anonymous (St Davids and other Welsh houses) (10th to 13th centuries; the B and C texts continue to 1286 and 1288). Short Latin annals whose later versions are kept at St Davids and Cistercian houses. Read online
• Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
• Chronicle of the Princes, Anonymous (Welsh translation of a lost Latin chronicle kept at Strata Florida) (Latin original to about 1282, compiled from contemporary annals; Welsh versions about 1300 and later). The native Welsh record of the year. Read online
• The Patent Rolls and Close Rolls of King John (1201 to 1216 (patent), 1204 to 1227 (close), at the royal chancery). Not direct witnesses to 1200: the surviving patent rolls begin in May 1201 (3 John) and the close rolls in 1204. Read online
• The Journey through Wales; The Description of Wales, Gerald of Wales (Giraldus Cambrensis) (Itinerarium 1191, revised to about 1214; Descriptio 1194). The standing description of Wales a decade before 1200: the cantrefs and their lords, the castles of the March, the bishoprics, the Welsh way of fighting and living, and Gerald's advice on how the Welsh might be conquered and how they might resist. Read online