The Lord Rhys, A Medieval Warrior

Welsh Prince of Deheubarth Survived the Turbulent Norman Conquest

Oct 23, 2008 Kristie Davis

Grandson of both Rhys ap Tewdwr and Gruffydd ap Cynan, Rhys ap Gruffydd started life as a royal. He quickly realized the best way to fight the Normans was compromise.

Early life as a Welsh Prince

Even though Rhys ap Gruffydd started life as a royal, little of his early life conveys how important his rule would be to Wales. His father, Gruffydd ap Rhys, had six sons. In Wales, land was usually divided equally between all sons. Even if ap Rhys had been wealthy, there would be little to leave for Rhys ap Gruffydd to inherit. Despite his father's best tries, much of the kingdom of Deheubarth had been stripped away and split between the Normans. Deheubarth, an area of south-west Wales, had been picked over so much that all that was left to his family was a small area in Cantref Mawr.

War and Coming of Age

When Henry I, King of England, died, many native Welsh rulers rose up to try to regain control of their native lands. Gruffydd ap Rhys was among them. In short time, Rhys ap Gruffydd was to lose his father, mother, and two youngest brothers to the war, leaving him in the care of his elder brother. According to Roger Turvey, in his work The Lord Rhys: Prince of Deheubarth, it is likely that Rhys was fostered out. This was common practice at the time. A few years later, in 1143, his brother was murdered as well. These early tragedies would shape Rhys's views. A series of further events would find one of his elder brothers in a monastery, while the other was dead. This left Rhys as the sole inheritor of the kingdom of Dehuebarth.

Acknowledged Ruler of Deheubarth

According to Wales Before 1536: A Guide by Donald Gregory, Henry II, due to problems in Ireland, made a trip through Wales. It was at this time that he summoned Rhys. A friendship of sorts developed between the two rulers, and at St. Davids Henry II recognized Rhys as the ruler of Deheubarth. Later, Henry would appoint him the Justicar of South Wales. Gregory says that it is from this position that Rhys got his name, The Lord Rhys. Turvey, in his work, says there is not enough evidence to claim this as fact.

During the reign of Richard, Rhys began a campaign of reconquest. Taking advantage of Richard's absentee method of kingship, he soon captured the Norman castles of Laugharne and Llansteffan. He also conducted a siege of Pembrokeshire.

Despite some difficulties with his own sons, Rhys was to die a man who had knit back his kingdom, despite all adversity. He would become known as one of the greatest Welsh rulers.

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The Lord Rhys