The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Rhys ap Gruffydd
(rs äp grf´th) (KEY) , 1132?1197, ruler of South Wales and, after the death (1170) of Owain Gwynedd, leader of the Welsh princes. The failure (1165) of the English troops under Henry II in Wales and Henrys later domestic troubles contributed to Rhyss power. In 1171 he signed a pact with Henry, and he helped the king suppress the rebellion of 117374. After Henrys death, however, Rhys revolted against the absent Richard I. The first recorded eisteddfod was held by Rhys in Cardigan in 1176.