Lineage

Anarawd was the eldest son of Gruffydd ap Rhys

Gruffydd ap Rhys

Gruffydd ap Rhys was Prince of Deheubarth, in Wales. His sister was the Princess Nest ferch Rhys.-Early life:Following the death of Gruffydd's father Rhys ap Tewdwr in 1093, Deheubarth was taken over by the Normans, and Gruffydd spent much of his early years in exile in Ireland.In 1113 Gruffydd...

. On the death of his father in 1137 Anarawd took over the rule of Deheubarth.

Resistance

In 1138 he and his brother Cadell ap Gruffydd

Cadell ap Gruffydd

Cadell ap Gruffydd was prince of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south west Wales.Cadell was the son of Gruffydd ap Rhys, who held part of the kingdom of Deheubarth with the remainder in the hands of various Norman lords. Gruffydd died in 1137 and Cadell's brother Anarawd ap Gruffydd took over the...

 joined with the prince of Gwynedd

Kingdom of Gwynedd

Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...

, Owain Gwynedd

Owain Gwynedd

Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd , in English also known as Owen the Great, was King of Gwynedd from 1137 until his death in 1170. He is occasionally referred to as "Owain I of Gwynedd"; and as "Owain I of Wales" on account of his claim to be King of Wales. He is considered to be the most successful of...

 and the latter's brother Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd

Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd

Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd was the third son of Gruffydd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd, Wales and younger brother of Owain Gwynedd.-Appearance in history:...

 in an assault on Cardigan Castle

Cardigan Castle

Cardigan Castle is a castle located in Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales.-History:The first motte-and-bailey castle was built a mile away from the present site, probably about the time of the founding of the town by Roger de Montgomery, a Norman baron....

 which was in Norman hands. The assault was aided by a fleet of Viking

Viking

The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...

 ships, but an agreement was reached and the siege lifted.

Dispute with Canterbury

In 1140 Anarawd again supported Owain Gwynedd, this time in the dispute with the Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...

 about the appointment of a Bishop of Bangor

Bishop of Bangor

The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...

.

Death by treachery

However in 1143 Anarawd was treacherously killed by the men of Owain's brother Cadwaladr. Cadwaladr himself was strongly suspected of having ordered the killing. This greatly angered Owain, for Anarawd had been a key ally and was about to marry Owain's daughter. Owain sent his son Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd

Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd

Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd Wales Prince of Gwynedd in 1170, a Welsh poet and military leader. Hywel was the son of Owain Gwynedd, prince of Gwynedd, and an Irishwoman named Pyfog. In recognition of this, he was also known as Hywel ap Gwyddeles...

 to strip Cadwaladr of his lands in Ceredigion

Ceredigion

Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...

 in punishment.

Succession

Anarawd was followed on the throne of Deheubarth by his brother Cadell.

His son, Einion ab Anarawd, was killed by his own servant in 1163, apparently on the orders of the Roger de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford

Roger de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford

Roger de Clare was a son of Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare and Alice de Gernon. He succeeded to the earldom when his brother Gilbert died without issue. In 1164 he assisted with the Constitutions of Clarendon. From his munificence to the Church and his numerous acts of piety, Roger was called the...

.