MAREDUDD ap GRUFFYDD ap RHYS (1130 or 1131-1155), prince of Deheubarth;
eldest son of Gruffydd ap Rhys by Gwenllian, daughter of Gruffudd ap Cynan. Six years old when his father d. in 1137, he came into prominence at 16 assisting an older half-brother, Cadell, in freeing southern Ceredigion of the Normans, and in defending the recently captured fortress of Carmarthen. In 1151 he took a leading part in driving the men of Gwynedd back beyond the Dovey, and in the same year the burden of leadership in the south fell on him owing to the incapacitation of Cadell. Four years later he d. at the early age of 25, having already earned a noble reputation in both peace and war, and passing his burden on to a younger brother, the future ‘lord’ Rhys (q.v.).
Author:
Professor Thomas Jones Pierce, M.A., F.S.A., (1905-1964), Aberystwyth
