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Historical person
1055–1137
Gruffudd ap Cynan was king of Gwynedd and one of the most important Welsh rulers of the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. Of mixed Welsh, Norse and Irish royal ancestry, he repeatedly invaded Wales from Ireland, endured capture and long imprisonment by the Normans, and eventually restored his rule.
His later reign consolidated Gwynedd, supported the church and encouraged cultural traditions that his descendants used in building a stronger northern Welsh principality. Gruffudd ap Cynan was born in Dublin and died in Gwynedd.
In K. M. Ashman’s Rebellion’s Forge, in 1109 Gruffudd ap Cynan's authority has brought a fragile peace to northern Wales, but resistance grows in the south against Norman and English pressure. In K. M. Ashman’s A Land Divided, Gruffudd ap Cynan returns from exile to recover Gwynedd and allies with Rhys ap Tewdwr, another displaced ruler. In K. M. Ashman’s A Wounded Realm, Twelve years after Gruffudd ap Cynan is captured, many in Wales believe the king of Gwynedd is dead.
Series
The Blood of Kings follows Welsh royal families as they resist Norman marcher expansion from the late eleventh into the early twelfth century. Gruffudd ap Cynan's attempts to recover Gwynedd provide the centre of the opening novels, while captivity, political marriage and rival dynasties carry the story into…
All books in this series
