Rhun Hir ap Maelgwn
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Rhun ap Maelgwn (c.492-c.586, reigned from c.549) (Latin: Rugenus, English: Run), also known as Rhun Hir ('the Tall') was a king of Gwynedd.
Ascending to the throne of what was then the most powerful kingdom of Britain in his twenties upon the death of his father, Maelgwn Hir ap Cadwallon, from plague, Rhun soon found himself embroiled in a dynastic dispute with Elidyr Mwynfawr, a Northern Brythonic prince from the line of Strathclyde. Elidyr had married Rhun's sister, and as a result believed himself to be the proper heir to the throne of Gwynedd. Elidyr's attempted invasion of Gwynedd, proved unsuccessful, and Elidyr himself was killed in the attempt. Elidyr's cousins, Rhydderch Hael of Strathclyde and Clydno Eiten of Edinburgh, however, remained bitter rivals of Rhun and later raided and sacked Arfon (the area around Caernarfon). Raising an army from all over northern Wales, Rhun retaliated, supposedly marching unopposed through Northern Briton to the River Forth where they stayed many years. John Morris associates this invasion with the succession of Rhun's half-brother, Brude, to the throne of the Picts. Rhun reigned for another two decades, but little else is heard of him.
| Preceded by Maelgwn Hir |
Kings of Gwynedd | Succeeded by Beli ap Rhun |
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