Gruffudd ap Cynan

Gruffudd ap Cynan was born around 1055 in Dublin, Ireland, the exile son of a Welsh claimant, and he later ruled Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. He lost and recovered the Welsh throne three times, used Irish networks as a refuge and source of troops, and died at about eighty-one or eighty-two years old. His life helped lay the foundation for Owain Gwynedd and Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, while a rare near-contemporary biography preserves much of what is known about him.