Gruffudd ap Cynan (1055-1137) was King of Gwynedd from 1081 to 1137, succeeding Trahaearn ap Caradog and preceding Owain Gwynedd.
Biography[]
Gruffudd ap Cynan was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1055, the son of the Welsh prince Cynan ab Iago. In 1075, he attempted to claim the throne of Gwynedd due to his royal descent, but tensions between Gruffudd's Norse and Welsh troops allowed for Trahaearn ap Caradog to take advantage of the discord and rout Gruffudd. Gruffudd fled to Ireland, but he returned to Wales in 1081 and allied with Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of Deheubarth. He slew Trahaearn and Caradog ap Gruffydd in the same battle, and he became the new King of Gwynedd. The Normans soon overran his kingdom, only to reclaim it years later after escaping from captivity. King William II of England failed to subdue the Welsh rebellions against English rule, as Magnus III of Norway intervened to support the Welsh against the Normans. He succeeded in repelling several English invasions, and he crushed the Normans at Crug Mawr near Cardigan in 1136. He died in his bed, old and blind, in 1137.