Gruffydd ap Rhys

Who he is

Name

Gruffydd ap Rhys (II)

Title

Prince of South Wales, the Lord Rhys's designated heir

Since

28 April 1197 (his father's death); recognised after meeting Archbishop Hubert Walter

Born

Not pinned (about 1160s)

Family

Eldest legitimate son of the Lord Rhys (Rhys ap Gruffydd) and Gwenllian daughter of Madog ap Maredudd. Married since 1189 to Maud (Matilda) de Braose, daughter of William de Braose; sons Rhys (Rhys Ieuanc) and Owain, both boys.

Confidence

high

Wikipedia (Gruffydd ap Rhys II); Lloyd.

Overlord

None in practice; recognised by Hubert Walter as justiciar in 1197

What it holds

• Dinefwr, the chief seat of Deheubarth, and Cantref Mawr north of the Tywi
• Most of Ceredigion (contested with Maelgwn, who holds Ystrad Meurig and John's grant)
• Cilgerran castle on the Teifi, taken in 1199
• Emlyn (not pinned)
• Patronage of Strata Florida and Talley

How it was acquired

Inheritance (1197), recovered by war 1198-99.

Allies and rivals

Rival: Maelgwn ap Rhys, backed by Gwenwynwyn and King John. Ally: Rhys Gryg. Father-in-law: William de Braose.

How things stand that morning

The leading prince of the south, but his brother Maelgwn holds Ystrad Meurig and the king holds Cardigan; the Tywi valley below Dinefwr is a raiding march against the royal castle of Carmarthen.

Wealth

Cattle of Cantref Mawr, the lowland townships of Ceredigion, the abbeys' wool; the loss of Cardigan cost him the Teifi port.

Military

The teulu of Deheubarth and the levy of Ystrad Tywi and Ceredigion; castles of Dinefwr, Cilgerran and the Ceredigion mottes.

Threats

• Maelgwn with John's backing
• The royal garrisons of Cardigan and Carmarthen
• William Marshal, earl of Pembroke, who claims Cilgerran

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. July 1201His brother Maredudd is killed in Carnwyllion; Gruffydd takes Llandovery and Cantref Bychan.Depends on: Maredudd's death Stopped by: Maredudd surviving
2. 25 July 1201Gruffydd dies of illness and is buried at Strata Florida; Maelgwn seizes Cilgerran and presses on his nephews.Depends on: Natural death Stopped by: Play that changes his health

Places of note

• Dinefwr: Chief castle and llys of Deheubarth
• Cilgerran: Castle on the Teifi, taken 1199
• Strata Florida: Abbey of the Lord Rhys's house

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Brut and Wikipedia give years and the Corfe captivity; the share of Ceredigion each brother held in winter 1199-1200 is not pinned.

On the map: Ceredigion is drawn whole as contested; the real split was by commotes and castles.

Primary sources for Deheubarth

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 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
• Monastic Annals (Margam, Tewkesbury, Burton, Winchester, Waverley, Dunstable, Bermondsey, Worcester, Osney) (12th to 14th centuries). Nine sets of house annals, each with a short entry for 1200. Read online
• The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. 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