Rhodri Mawr

Rhodri ap Merfyn or Rhodri Mawr was king of Gwynedd and the Isle of Man from 844 until 878. Little is known of his reign, though he engaged in repeated conflicts with the Hiberno-Norse and was ultimately slain in battle by the forces of Ceolwulf II of Mercia in 878. After his death, his sons Anarawd and Cadell would expand the rule of the dynasty across Wales. Rhodri's own legacy is intimately associated with the collections of genealogies likely compiled during his reign, forming the oldest collection of such material in medieval Welsh literature.