John Rhys later theorized that the tribal name was derived from the name of a Celtic goddess Domnu, probably meaning " the goddess of the deep ".

* Morons from Outer Space ( 1985 )-Bernard ; also co-wrote the script with Griff Rhys Jones

Maredudd and Rhys were able to drive Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd from Ceredigion by 1153.

In 1158 King Henry stripped Rhys of all his territories apart from Cantref Mawr.

The terms were much harsher than those offered to Owain: Rhys was stripped of all his possessions apart from Cantref Mawr, though he was promised one other cantref.

Rhys had other reasons for rebellion, for he had returned to Deheubarth from England to find that the neighbouring Norman lords were threatening Cantref Mawr.

Rhys first appealed to the king to intercede, then when this failed invaded Ceredigion and recaptured all of it apart from the town and castle of Cardigan.

In 1167 the King of Leinster, Diarmait Mac Murchada, who had been driven out of his kingdom, had asked Rhys to release Robert Fitz-Stephen from captivity to take part in an expedition to Ireland.

Rhys was to pay a tribute of 300 horses and 4, 000 head of cattle, but was confirmed in possession of all the lands he had taken from Norman lords, including the Clares.

Rhys had collected 86 of the 300 horses, but Henry agreed to take only 36 of them and remitted the remainder of the tribute until after his return from Ireland.

Henry and Rhys met once more at Laugharne as Henry returned from Ireland in 1172, and shortly afterwards Henry appointed Rhys " justice on his behalf in all Deheubarth ".

In 1177 Rhys, Dafydd ab Owain, who had emerged as the main power in Gwynedd, and Cadwallon ap Madog from Rhwng Gwy a Hafren swore fealty and liege homage to Henry at a council held at Oxford.

Rhys gave Gerald and Archbishop Baldwin a great deal of assistance when they visited Wales to raise troops for the crusade in 1188, and Gerald several times refers to his " kindness " and says that Rhys accompanied them all the way from Cardigan to the northern border of Ceredigion " with a liberality peculiarly praiseworthy in so illustrious a prince ".

When Henry Tudor landed in Pembrokeshire, Wales in 1485 to make a bid for the throne, his descent from Rhys was one of the factors which enabled him to attract Welsh support ( Henry flew a ( Welsh ) dragon banner at the battle of Bosworth Field ).

* The last campaign of Rhys ap Gruffydd, from www. castlewales. com

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

It was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and was popularised as the " Celtic New Year " from the late 19th century, following Sir John Rhys and Sir James Frazer.

This candidate received further support from Sir John Rhys, who, in 1893, proclaimed that the alternative spelling indicated an area straddling the England-North Wales border, Maleore in Flintshire, and Maleor in Denbigh.

The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin from Prince Rhys ap Tewdwr that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603.

* Ealdred, Bishop of Worcester, leads troops from England on an unsuccessful punitive raid against Welsh leaders Gruffydd ap Rhydderch, Rhys ap Rhydderch and Gruffydd ap Llywelyn.

In the south, Gruffydd ap Rhys was killed in 1137, but his four sons, who all ruled Deheubarth in turn, were eventually able to win back most of their grandfather's kingdom from the Normans.

Hirwaun moor, 4 miles to the north west of Aberdare, was according to tradition the scene of a battle at which Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of Dyfed, was defeated by the allied forces of the Norman Robert Fitzhamon and Iestyn ap Gwrgant, the last Welsh prince of Glamorgan.

Following Henry's death Rhys revolted against Richard I and attacked the Norman lordships surrounding his territory, capturing a number of castles.

Rhys ap Tewdwr was killed in Brycheiniog, and most of his kingdom was taken over by Norman lords.

The same year Rhys is recorded as an independent commander for the first time, leading an army to capture the Norman castle of St Clears.

Rhys did not oblige at the time, but released him the following year and in 1169 Fitz-Stephen led the vanguard of a Norman army which landed in Wexford.

The departure of the Norman lords enabled Rhys to strengthen his position, and the death of Owain Gwynedd in late 1170 left him as the acknowledged leader of the Welsh princes.

Henry II died in 1189 and was succeeded by Richard I. Rhys considered that he was no longer bound by the agreement with King Henry and attacked the Norman lordships surrounding his territory.

Rhys had also annexed the Norman lordships of Cydweli and Carnwyllion in 1190.

Rhys ap Tewdwr of Deheubarth was killed in 1093 in Brycheiniog, and his kingdom was seized and divided between various Norman lordships.

This led to the Norman conquest of most of his kingdom, with his son Gruffydd ap Rhys temporarily reduced to being a fugitive.

* Gruffydd ap Rhys 1135-1137 ( part only, the remainder under Norman occupation )

Maurice was the second son of Gerald de Windsor, Constable of Pembroke, Wales and his wife given to him by Plantagenet Norman English King Henry II, the South Welsh Princess Nesta or Nest ferch Rhys thus descended from Howell the Good, king of the Britons who codified Welsh Law.

Rhys was unable to withstand the increasing Norman pressure.

While Rhys was away from home, his wife Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd raised an army and attacked the Norman castle of Kidwelly but was defeated and killed.

In 1248 Rhys Fychan ap Rhys Mechyll's mother Matilda de Braose, to spite her son, granted the castle to the Norman English, but before the English took possession of it Rhys captured the castle.

He is also said to have had Norman arbalisters in his army, but at the Battle of Mynydd Carn, north of St David's, that year both Trahaearn and Caradog were killed, and Gruffydd ap Cynan took over the rule of Gwynedd while Rhys ap Tewdwr was restored as prince of Deheubarth.

In the evening Gruffydd and Rhys came up with the forces led by Trahaearn and Caradog ap Gruffydd, who are reported to have had Norman arbalisters in their army.

Rhys made an alliance with Owain Gwynedd and after the failure of another invasion of Wales by Henry in 1165 was able to win back most of his lands.

King Henry responded by preparing another invasion, and Rhys submitted without resistance.

Rhys Davids became involved with the excavation of the ancient Sinhalese city of Anuradhapura, which had been abandoned after an invasion in 993 CE.

Around 1093 he was part of the invasion of South Wales following the death in battle of Rhys ap Tewdwr.

Wales would remain safe for a while, but the invasion of Ireland in 1171 pressured Henry II to end the issue through negotiations with Lord Rhys.