Please see Darrell Wolcott: The Clan of Trevor Tudor; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id55.html, (Steven Ferry, November 6, 2016)

Please see Darrell Wolcott: The Battle of Mynydd Carn; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id35.html. (Steven Ferry, May 25, 2017.)

Please see Darrell Wolcott: Two Families Headed by a Rhydderch ap Iestyn; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id212.html. (Steven Ferry, May 31, 2017.)

Please see Darrell Wolcott; The First Wife of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id148.html. (Steven Ferry, June 3, 2017.)

Please see Darrell Wolcott: Owain ap Cadwgan and Nest ferch Rhys-an Historic Fiction?; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id160.html. (Steven Ferry, June 12, 2017.)

Please see Darrell Wolcott: Trahaearn Goch of Lleyn; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id119.html. (Steven Ferry, June 15, 2017)

Please see Darrell Wolcott: Eidio Wyllt - What Was His Birthname?; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id156.html. (Steven Ferry, July 3, 2017.)

Please see Darrell Wolcott: Gruffudd ap Rhys, the Homeless Prince; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id197.html. (Steven Ferry, July 9, 2017.)

Please see Darrell Wolcott: The Children of Lord Rhys; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id187.html. (Steven Ferry, July 11, 2017.)

Please see Darrell Wolcott: Bleddyn ap Maenyrch, King of Brycheiniog; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id313.html (Steven Ferry, March 2, 2023.)

Please see Darrell Wolcott: Family of Drymbenog ap Maenyrch of Brycheiniog; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id312.html (Steven Ferry, May 21, 2023.)

Please see Darrell Wolcott: Ifor Bach, Lord of Senghenydd; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id316.html (Steven Ferry, August 4, 2023.)

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Rhys ap Tewdwr (before 1065 – 1093) was a Prince of Deheubarth in south-west Wales and member of the Dinefwr dynasty, a branch descended from Rhodri the Great. He was born in the area which is now Carmarthenshire and died at the battle of Brecon in April 1093. He was the founder of the Second Royal Tribe of Wales.

Family

Rhys ap Tewdwr claimed the throne of Deheubarth following the death of his second cousin Rhys ab Owain in battle against Caradog ap Gruffydd in 1078.

He was a grandson of Cadell ab Einion ab Owain ab Hywel Dda. He married Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon daughter of Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn of the Mathrafal dynasty of Powys, by whom he had four sons, Gruffudd, Hywel ap Rhys, Goronwy and Cadwgan, and a daughter Nest.

Early rule

In 1081 Caradog ap Gruffydd invaded Deheubarth and drove Rhys to seek sanctuary in the St David's Cathedral.

Rhys however made an alliance with Gruffydd ap Cynan who was seeking to regain the throne of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and at the Battle of Mynydd Carn in the same year they defeated and killed Caradog ap Gruffydd and his allies Trahaearn ap Caradog of Gwynedd and Meilyr ap Rhiwallon.

Norman homage

The same year William the Conqueror visited Deheubarth, ostensibly on a pilgrimage to St David's, but with a major show of power as well, traversing the width of southern Wales, and it seems likely he came to an arrangement with Rhys, whereby Rhys paid him homage and was confirmed in possession of Deheubarth. Rhys paid William £40 a year for his kingdom, ensuring good future relations with William that lasted until the end of his lifetime. Rhys was content as the arrangement meant that he only had to deal with the jealousy of his fellow Welsh princes.

Internal conflict

In 1088 Cadwgan ap Bleddyn of Powys attacked Deheubarth and forced Rhys to flee to Ireland. However Rhys returned later the same year with a fleet from Ireland and defeated the men of Powys in a battle in which two of Cadwgan's brothers, Madog and Rhiryd, were killed.

In 1091 he faced another challenge in the form of an attempt to put Gruffydd, the son of Maredudd ab Owain, on the throne of Deheubarth. Rhys was able to defeat the rebels in a battle at St. Dogmaels, killing Gruffydd.

Death

Rhys was able to withstand the increasing Norman pressure following the end of William's reign in 1087 until 1093, when he was killed at Brecon by the Normans led by Bernard de Neufmarche.

Succession

Rhys's son Gruffydd inherited some of Deheubarth, but Rhys's death led to the Normans taking over much of the kingdom, with Gruffydd being left to rule a much smaller area.

Rhys's daughter, Nest, was a legendary beauty, as her abduction from her husband's castle at Cenarth Bychan started a civil war.

Owain Tudur and James A. Garfield [citation needed] were among those who claimed descent from Rhys ap Tewdwr.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhys_ap_Tewdwr

References

Remfry, P.M., A Political Chronology of Wales 1066 to 1282 (ISBN 1-899376-46-1)

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From Charles Cawley's Medieval Lands database (http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/WALES.htm):

RHYS ap Tewdr (-killed in battle near Brecknock Castle [Mar/Apr] 1093).

The Annales Cambriæ record that "filius Teudur Resus" started to rule in 1077[422]. The Gwentian Chronicle records that "Rhys son of Tewdwr came from Llydaw and put in a claim to the principality of South Wales as lawful heir" in 1077[423]. He succeeded in 1078 as King of Deheubarth. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Rhys son of Tewdwr began to reign" in 1077[424]. The Annales Cambriæ record that "Resus filius Teudur" was expelled from his kingdom by "filiis Bledint, scilicet Madauc, Cadugan et Ririt" in 1087[425]. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Rhys son of Tewdwr was expelled from his territory by the sons of Bleddyn, sons of Cynvyn, to wit Madog, and Cadwgan, and Rhirid, and he himself retreated into Ireland, and immediately afterwards he collected a fleet of the Gwyddelians and returned again, and then the battle of Llych Crei took place, and the sons of Bleddyn were slain" in 1087, adding that "Rhys son of Tewdwr gave an immense sum of money to the mariners, the Scots and Gwyddelians who had come to assist him"[426]. Florence of Worcester records that "Res Walanorum rex" was killed in battle during Easter week "iuxta castellum Brecheniean" in [1093], after which "kings ceased to reign in Wales"[427]. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Rhys son of Tewdwr king of South Wales was killed by the French, who inhabited Brecheiniog, and then fell the kingdom to the Britons" in 1091[428].

m GWLADUS, daughter of RHIWALLON ap Cynfyn & his wife ---. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records in 1106 that "Cadwgan son of Bleddyn and Gwladus daughter of Rhiwallon, the mother of Nest were cousins, as Bleddyn and Rhiwallon, sons of Cynvyn, were brothers"[429].

Rhys & his wife had four children:

a) GORONW (-beheaded 1093). The Gwentian Chronicle records that "Goronwy son of Rhys" was beheaded after the death of his father, dated to 1091 in the text, but dateable to 1093 according to the other sources quoted above[430].

b) NEST . The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales names, in 1106, "Nest daughter of Rhys son of Tewdwr and wife of Gerald the steward" and "Gwladus daughter of Rhiwallon, the mother of Nest", when recording that "Owain [son of Cadwgan son of Bleddyn]…accompanied by a small retinue [visited] her as his kinswoman" in the castle in which his father organised a feast and later reentered the castle and abducted her "with her two sons and daughter and also another son that he [=her husband] had by a concubine"[431]. Giraldus Cambrensis names "Henricus…regi Henrici primi filius…ex nobili Nesta, Resi filii Theodori filia" in South Wales[432]. She was abducted by Owain son of Cadwgan ap Bleddyn from castle Ceanrth Bychan in 1109. m (1100) GERALD FitzWalter of Windsor, son of WALTER FitzOther of Windsor & his wife Beatrice --- (-before 1136). Custodian of Pembroke Castle. Mistress of HENRY I King of England, son of WILLIAM I "the Conqueror" King of England & his wife Mathilde de Flandre (Selby, Yorkshire Sep 1068-Château de Lyon-la-Forêt, near Rouen 1 Dec 1135, bur Reading Abbey, Berkshire). Mistress of STEPHEN Constable of Cardiff Castle, by whom she had one illegitimate child:

i) ROBERT FitzStephen . The Expugnatio Hibernica records that "Robertus filius Stephani" was freed from prison in Wales, naming "matre…Nesta, Resi magni filia"[433]. The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales names "Robert son of Stephen by Nest daughter of Rhys son of Tewdwr" when recording that "the lord Rhys" had removed him from "the castle of Aberteivi" which he had destroyed[434]. m ---.

c) GRUFFYDD ap Rhys ([1090]-murdered 1137). The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Gruffudd son of Rhys son of Tewdwr, king of South Wales, came from Ireland to Dyved…returned to his patrimony" in 1112 adding that he "passed about two years, sometimes with Gerald steward of Pembroke Castle, his brother-in-law who had married his sister Nest…"[437].

d) HYWEL (-after 1112). The Chronicle of the Princes of Wales records that "Gruffudd son of Rhys…and Howel his brother" went to "Gruffudd son of Cynan" in 1112, adding that "this same Howel had been in the prison of Ernulf son of Roger, the lord of Castle Baldwin" and "escaped in a maimed state with broken limbs out of the prison"[438].

Rhys had two illegitimate children by unknown mistresses:

e) CYNAN (-drowned Lake Cremlyn 1093). The Gwentian Chronicle records that, after the death of his father, "another, a bastard son of Rhys, called Cynan" attempted "to escape through a lake called Cremlyn where he was drowned"[439].

f) GORONW (-London 1101). The Gwentian Chronicle records that "Goronwy son of Rhys son of Tewdrwr died in London in the king´s prison" in 1101[440].

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RHYS ap TEWDWR (d. 1093), king of Deheubarth; grandson of Cadell ab Einion ab Owain ap Hywel Dda. In 1075 he took possession of Deheubarth on the death of his second-cousin, Rhys ab Owain ab Edwin (q.v.). In 1081 he was dislodged by Caradog ap Gruffydd (q.v.), but later in the year, with the help of Gruffudd ap Cynan (q.v.), he was firmly reinstated after the historic battle of Mynydd Cam. In the same year William the Conqueror made a demonstration of power in South Wales, traversing the land as far as S. Davids; it is reasonably certain that during the visit the two kings came to an agreement as to their future good relations, which lasted to the end of William's reign. A few years later it is recorded that Rhys is paying the king £40 a year for Deheubarth, thereby becoming a vassal of the Norman Crown and establishing a precedent with lasting consequences on Anglo-Welsh relations. Henceforth, with the exception of the closing tragedy of his career, Rhys had only to contend with the jealousies of his fellow princes. In 1088 he was attacked by the young rulers of Powys and was obliged to seek refuge in Ireland, but he soon returned and, with Danish help, decisively defeated his opponents (see Madog, Rhiryd, and Cadwgan ap Bleddyn). Again in 1091 he was opposed by a group of his own vassals in Dyfed, who sought to restore the kingship to the senior line of Hywel Dda in the person of Gruffydd ap Maredudd ab Owain. At Llandudoch (S. Dogmaels) on the Teifi the rebels were defeated and Gruffydd killed. Meanwhile the Norman conquest of the south had gathered a new momentum after William's death in 1087, and among the territories then being over-run was the old kingdom of Brycheiniog. It was while resisting the Norman advance in this all-important approach to his own dominions that Rhys was killed in uncertain circumstances near Aberhonddu (Brecon). He was virtually the last of the ancient kings of Deheubarth, and it was in a different political setting that the power of the dynasty was eventually revived by his grandson — Rhys ap Gruffydd (q.v.). He m. Gwladus, daughter of Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn (q.v.). He was survived by two sons, Gruffydd ap Rhys (q.v.) and Hywel, and by a daughter, Nest (q.v.).
Bibliography:

Hist. W.;D.N.B.;
Hist. of Gruffydd ap Cynan. Author:

Professor Thomas Jones Pierce, M.A., F.S.A., (1905-1964), Aberystwyth

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Domesday Book contains evidence suggesting that King William and Rhys apTewdwr, king of Deheubarth (d. 1093), made a compact that recognized the Welsh ruler's authority in his own kingdom and perhaps also his influence in those other areas of southern Wales outside Deheubarth, particularly Morgannwg and Brycheiniog, that still lay outside Norman control.

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Rhys ap Tewdwr ruled from 1078 to 1093 and was able to fight off several attempts to dethrone him, considerably increasing the power of the kingdom. However the Normans were now encroaching on the eastern borders of Deheubarth, and in 1093 Rhys was killed in unknown circumstances while resisting their expansion in Brycheiniog. This led to the Norman conquest of most of his kingdom, with his son Gruffydd ap Rhys reduced to being a fugitive. Gruffydd did eventually become prince of a small part of his father's kingdom, but most was carved up into various Norman lordships.

There was a general Welsh revolt against the Normans in 1136, and Gruffydd formed an alliance with Gwynedd. Together with Owain Gwynedd and Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd of Gwynedd he won a victory against the Normans at the Battle of Crug Mawr near Cardigan. This liberated Ceredigion from Norman rule, but although it was historically part of Deheubarth it was taken over by Gwynedd as the senior partner in the alliance. Gruffydd was killed in unknown circumstances the following year.

The rule of Deheubarth now fell to Gruffydd's sons, of whom four, Anarawd, Cadell, Maredudd and Rhys ap Gruffydd ruled in turn. The death of a ruler frequently led to disunity and struggles for supremacy, but the four brothers worked together to win back their grandfather's kingdom from the Normans and to expel Gwynedd from Ceredigion. Of the first three only Cadell reigned for more than a few years, but the youngest of the four, Rhys ap Gruffydd (The Lord Rhys) ruled from 1155 to 1197 and after Owain Gwynedd's death in 1170 made Deheubarth the most powerful of the Welsh kingdoms.

On Rhys ap Gruffydd's death in 1197 the kingdom was split between several of his sons, and Deheubarth did not again rival the power of Gwynedd. The early 13th century princes of Deheubarth usually appear as clients of Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd. Following the defeat of the princes of Gwynedd and the division of their realm authorised by the Statute of Rhuddlan, Deheubarth was divided into the historic counties of Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.

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 Arms: Gules, a lion rampant within a bordure indented or.3 Rhys II ap Tewdwr, Brenin Deheubarth was born circa 1060.1 He was the son of Tewdwr Mawr ap Cadell.2 Rhys II ap Tewdwr, Brenin Deheubarth married Gwladus verch Rhiwallon o Powys, daughter of Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn, Prince of Powys, before 1073. King of Deheubarth at Wales between 1078 and 1093.4 Rhys II ap Tewdwr, Brenin Deheubarth died in 1093 at Wales. Fell in battle against the Normans who had occupied Brycheiniog.1,5 He was the predecessor of Gruffydd ap Rhys, Brenin Deheubarth; King of Deheubarth.4

Rhys ap Tewdwr, a member of the House of Dinefwr, claimed the throne of Deheubarth following the death of his second cousin Rhys ab Owain, who was beheaded after the battle of Gwdig (modern day Goodwick) against Caradog ap Gruffydd in 1078. He was a grandson of Cadell ab Einion ab Owain ab Hywel Dda, and a great-grandson of Einon ab Owain, thus a descendant of Hywel Dda, king of the Britons. He married Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon daughter of Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn of the Mathrafal dynasty of Powys, by whom he had four sons, Gruffudd, Hywel ap Rhys, Goronwy and Cadwgan, and a daughter Nest (who married Gerald de Windsor Constable of Pembroke, progenitors of the FitzGerald and de Barry dynasties of Ireland. These celebrated Hiberno-Norman, or Cambro-Norman, families have been Peers of Ireland since at least the 14th century. The English variant of Tewdwr is Tudor. Henry Tudor, King of England was a matrilineal descendant of Rhys ap Tewdwr.

In 1081 Caradog ap Gruffydd invaded Deheubarth and drove Rhys to seek sanctuary in the St David's Cathedral. Rhys however made an alliance with Gruffydd ap Cynan who was seeking to regain the throne of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and at the Battle of Mynydd Carn in the same year they defeated and killed Caradog ap Gruffydd and his allies Trahaearn ap Caradog of Gwynedd and Meilyr ap Rhiwallon.

The same year William the Conqueror visited Deheubarth, ostensibly on a pilgrimage to St David's, but with a major show of power as well, traversing the width of southern Wales, and it seems likely he came to an arrangement with Rhys, whereby Rhys paid him homage and was confirmed in possession of Deheubarth. Rhys paid William £40 a year for his kingdom, ensuring good future relations with William that lasted until the end of his lifetime. Rhys was content with the arrangement as it meant that he only had to deal with the jealousy of his fellow Welsh princes.

In 1088 Cadwgan ap Bleddyn of Powys attacked Deheubarth and forced Rhys to flee to Ireland. However Rhys returned later the same year with a fleet from Ireland and defeated the men of Powys in a battle in which two of Cadwgan's brothers, Madog and Rhiryd, were killed. In 1091 he faced another challenge in the form of an attempt to put Gruffydd, the son of Maredudd ab Owain, on the throne of Deheubarth. Rhys was able to defeat the rebels in a battle at St. Dogmaels, killing Gruffydd.

Rhys was unable to withstand the increasing Norman pressure. The Welsh Bruts state that "Rhys ap Tewdwr, king of Deheubarth, was slain by the Frenchmen who were inhabiting Brycheiniog." The Brut y Tywysogion adds and with him fell the kingdom of the Britons. This passage lends evidence to the belief that the conquest of Brycheiniog (Brecon), led by Bernard de Neufmarche, was mostly finished by Eastertide 1093. The battle of Brecon opened the way to the conquest of Deheubarth.

Upon Rhys's death, the Normans seized much of South Wales, and fighting over the spoils with the chieftains of Powys and Gwynedd. Eventually, Rhys's oldest son, Gruffydd, was allowed to inherit a small portion of his father's kingdom. Rhys's daughter Nest was briefly one of the numerous concubines of Henry I, to whom she bore a son, and thereafter the wife of Gerald FitzWalter of Pembroke; their sons and grandsons, the FitzGerald conquerors of Ireland, were known collectively as the "sons of Nest". Through his son Gruffydd, Rhys was an ancestor of the Tudor dynasty.