Rhodri the Great
Rhodri the Great (in
Welsh, "Rhodri Mawr") (about 820-
878) was the first ruler of
Wales to be called "Great", and the first to rule most of present-day Wales. The son of Merfyn Frych, he inherited the principality of
Gwynedd on his father's death in
844, and
Powys from his uncle. He proceeded to marry Angharad, daughter of the ruler of Seisyllwg, which he duly inherited on the accidental death of his brother-in-law in
871. Rhodri succeeded in holding off both
Viking and
Saxon invaders, offering security to his subjects at a time of great danger and unrest throughout the
British Isles. It was, however, the Vikings who drove Rhodri away from his home territory in
877, and he fled to
Ireland. Returning the following year in an attempt to regain his kingdom, he was killed in battle against the Mercians.
