Rhys ap Gruffydd & Henry II

It was on 14 September all the way back in 1171 when Rhys ap Gruffydd, the ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth often titled (at least by himself) as the “Prince of the Welsh”, established a lasting peace with King Henry II of England.

A Complicated Relationship

The relationship shared between Rhys ap Gruffydd and Henry II was complicated and contained many highs (such as the aforementioned lasting peace) and lows (Henry invading Deheubarth and stripping Rhys of lands and freedom in 1163 certainly comes to mind).

Rhys’ alliance with Owain Gwynedd, who was the “Prince of the Welsh” prior to Rhys adopting the title following his death in 1170, was a thorn in the side of Henry II and led to the arguable most humiliating year of Henry’s reign in 1165, in which his invasion of Cymru faltered spectacularly.

By 1171, Owain Gwynedd was dead and Henry’s attention had left the Welsh and turned almost solely to Ireland. The agreement of peace between the English and the Welsh of Deheubarth was warm and lasting – Henry even named Rhys “Justice on his behalf in all Deheubarth”. Pretty nice gesture, if you ask me. Once Richard I (the Lionheart) succeeded Henry as King in 1189, however, the feud would reignite once again.

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