In 1114 he joined Henry on campaign in Wales against Gruffudd ap Cynan of Gwynedd.

Rhys ap Gruffydd or ap Gruffudd ( Anglicised to " Griffith ") ( 1132 – 28 April 1197 ) was the ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales.

Rhys was the second son of Gruffydd ap Rhys, ruler of part of Deheubarth, and Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, daughter of Gruffudd ap Cynan, king of Gwynedd.

After driving Walter de Clifford out of Cantref Bychan, Gruffydd set off to Gwynedd to enlist the help of his father-in-law, Gruffudd ap Cynan.

Gruffydd formed an alliance with Gwynedd, and later in 1136 the sons of Gruffudd ap Cynan, Owain Gwynedd and Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd, led an army to Ceredigion.

* Places and artifacts associated with Rhys ap Gruffudd from Gathering the Jewels

cy: Rhys ap Gruffudd

* 1283 – October 3 – Dafydd ap Gruffudd, the last native Prince of Wales ( b. c. 1238 )

In 1282, Llywelyn was killed during Edward I of England's invasion of Wales, possibly by Sir Anthony de Tipton, who was knighted by the King of England afterward, and although his brother Dafydd ap Gruffudd succeeded to the Welsh princeship, issuing documents as prince, his principate was not recognised by the English Crown.

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd enjoyed an advantageous situation in the aftermath of the Barons ' War.

Further rebellions occurred in 1287 – 8 and, more seriously, in 1294with five under Madog ap Llywelyn, a distant relative of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd.

The scene shows Alexander III of Scotland and Llywelyn ap Gruffudd of Wales on either side of Edward ; an episode that never actually occurred.

In 1081 Gruffudd ap Cynan, who had just won the throne of Gwynedd from Trahaearn ap Caradog at the Battle of Mynydd Carn was enticed to a meeting with the Earl of Chester and Earl of Shrewsbury and promptly seized and imprisoned, leading to the seizure of much of Gwynedd by the Normans.

Gruffudd ap Cynan was eventually able to build a strong kingdom in Gwynedd.

Gruffudd had left four sons, and a period of internal conflict between three of these ended in the rise to power of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd ( also known as Llywelyn the Last Leader ).

War broke out again when Llywelyn's brother Dafydd ap Gruffudd attacked Hawarden Castle on Palm Sunday 1282.

His brother Dafydd ap Gruffudd continued an increasingly forlorn resistance.

In 1194, with the aid of his cousins Gruffudd ap Cynan and Maredudd ap Cynan, he defeated Dafydd at the battle of Aberconwy at the mouth of the River Conwy.

Llywelyn was probably not in fact master of all Gwynedd at this time since it was his cousin Gruffudd ap Cynan who promised homage to King John for Gwynedd in 1199.

Gruffudd ap Cynan died in 1200 and left Llywelyn the undisputed ruler of Gwynedd.

Owain's father, Gruffudd ap Cynan, was a strong and long-lived ruler who had made the principality of Gwynedd the most influential in Wales during the sixty-two years of his reign, using the island of Anglesey as his power base.

Gruffudd ap Cynan ( c. 1055 – 1137 ) was a King of Gwynedd.

As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffudd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely house of Aberffraw.

Unusually for a Welsh king or prince, a near-contemporary biography of Gruffudd, The history of Gruffudd ap Cynan, has survived.

According to the Life of Gruffudd ap Cynan, Gruffudd was born in Dublin and reared near Swords, County Dublin in Ireland.

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.

The latter part of Guffydd'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 ".

br: Gruffudd ap Cynan

cy: Gruffudd ap Cynan

After Gruffudd ap Cynan, the Kingdom of Gwynedd | King of Gwynedd, escaped imprisonment at Chester, he sought sanctuary in St Hywyn's Church, and fled in the monks ' boat.

In 1094 Gruffudd ap Cynan, the exiled King of Gwynedd, sought refuge in the church while attempting to recapture his throne ; he escaped in the monastic community's boat to Ireland.

Henry I of England had invaded Gwynedd the previous year, and faced by an overwhelming force, Gruffudd ap Cynan had been forced to pay homage and a substantial fine to Henry.

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.

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 Llŷn, then defeated Trahaearn himself in the battle of Gwaed Erw in Meirionnydd and gained control of Gwynedd.

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.

When Robert was killed by a Welsh raiding party in 1088 Hugh took over these lands, becoming ruler of most of North Wales, but he lost Anglesey and much of the rest of Gwynedd in the Welsh revolt of 1094, led by Gruffudd ap Cynan, who had escaped from captivity.

* Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd, Lord of Anglesey ( d. 1195 ) = Annest ferch Rhys ap Gruffudd

It appears that Madog returned to Gwynedd after the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1282 and received lands from the King of England in Anglesey.

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.

Gruffudd started his acting career at the age of 13 in a Welsh television film called Austin ( 1986 ) and then later moved on to the Welsh language soap opera Pobol y Cwm ( People of the Valley ) from 1987 to 1994. He also played football with the Pobol y Cwm football team Cwmderi FC alongside co-stars Hywel Emrys, Gwyn Elfyn and Ieuan Rhys.

As Llywelyn then captured and held all the territory from the River Arth to the River Aeron, he conferred Dinerth on the sons of Maelgwn's brother Gruffudd as was rightfully due.

Records in the late 11th century relating to the then King of Gwynedd, Gruffudd ap Cynan state that a ferryman was employed there and ferry houses at both locations have been recorded throughout history.