Rhodri the Great
Rhodri ap Merfyn (c. 820 – c. 875), also known as Rhodri Mawr (Rhodri the Great), became King of Gwynedd in 844 and later Powys and Seisyllwg. In various histories, he was referred to as the King of Wales. He was the husband of Angharad ferch Meurig, with whom he formed a unified and savvy leadership.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Early rule[edit | edit source]
Born around 820 as the son of Merfyn Frych,[2] Rhodri ascended to the throne of Gwynedd in 844 following his father's death. Through his marriage to Angharad ferch Meurig, a princess of Seisyllwg, Rhodri eventually came to assimilate the numerous Welsh kingdoms under his rule. By 872, his kingdom largely comprised of what is now modern-day Wales and he was given the title of King of the Britons.[3]
As King of the Britons, Rhodri spent much of his reign defending the borders of his kingdom, often clashing against the Kingdom of Mercia in Western England. Following the Viking invasion, Rhodri also came to clash against the Viking invaders, and at one point, developed a bitter feud with the Viking leader Ivarr the Boneless. During one such encounter, Rhodri fought Ivarr and left a prominent scar on the Viking's face.[4][1]
Conflict in Sciropescire[edit | edit source]
Circa 873, Rhodri, accompanied by his army, Angharad, and his captain Ynyr ap Cadfarch, traveled to Quatford in Sciropescire to negotiate a peace treaty with the Vikings and the Mercians following the capture of his brother Gwriad ap Merfyn. During the peace talks inside the town church, overseen by Bishop Deorlaf, Rhodri quickly turned hostile towards the Vikings, as the group included his nemesis Ivarr Ragnarsson. Ivarr was similarly not at all pleased to see Rhodri and, after the king mocked him, he retaliated by murdering Gwriad right before his eyes.[4]
With any hopes for peace gone, Rhodri ordered his soldiers to kill Ivarr and his allies and promptly retreated alongside Angharad and Ynyr.[4] The Britons would subsequently wage war against the Vikings and the Mercians throughout Sciropescire, though Rhodri's forces were considerably weakened after Ivarr's ally Eivor Varinsdottir cut off their supply line from Dhustone Quarry[5] and raided their outpost near Wenlocan Abbey.[6] Following the death of Ynyr at the hands of Eivor, Ivarr, and Ceolbert, Rhodri finally decided to sue for peace, though Angharad advised him to let her handle the negotiations, fearing that her husband's presence might instigate another conflict with Ivarr.[7]
Death[edit | edit source]
During the peace negotiations, Rhodri resided in Caustow Castle, which eventually came under siege by the Vikings after Ivarr, wishing to kill the king, framed the Britons for Ceolbert's death to sabotage the peace talks. Ahead of the siege, Rhodri taunted Ivarr from atop the fortress walls, denying responsibility for Ceolbert's death but at the same time refusing to surrender to the Vikings.[1]
After the Vikings breached the fortress' defenses, Ivarr and Eivor confronted Rhodri inside his keep. A short struggle between the two old rivals followed, during which Rhodri managed to set Ivarr alight with a candlestick. However, the Viking brushed it off and laughed as he hit the king in the chest and the head, knocking him unconscious. With Rhodri as their prisoner, Eivor and Ivarr proceeded to carry him to Manstone Rock, where the latter subjected the king to the blood eagle ritual, killing him slowly as a disturbed Eivor looked on.[1]
Personality and traits[edit | edit source]
Rhodri was a robust and authoritarian king who would not hesitate to use violence against his enemies, especially against his nemesis Ivarr, whom he detested with all his soul.[4][1] Despite being a devout Christian and faithful to his religion,[2] he resorted to divination to know his fate, and his seers told him that only a dragon would be able to kill him.[4]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
Rhodri the Great is a character that appears in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. He is voiced by Welsh actor Paul Amos, who also voiced Jacob Frye in Assassin's Creed: Syndicate.[8]
Rhodri's date of death has been a subject of much debate. The Brut y Tywysogion records his death occurring at the Battle of Sunday in 873, while the Annales Cambriae has the two events occurring in different years. Egerton Phillimore recorded his death as 877 in his article Y Cymmroder. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that Rhodri and his brother Gwriad were killed in battle against the Mercians in 878.[2] Most sources do agree with the island of Anglesey northwest of the Welsh mainland being the location of Rhodri's death as he fought against Ceolwulf II of Mercia, rather than in Shropshire against Vikings as depicted in-game.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
Rhodri meeting Deorlaf with his wife and captain -
Rhodri being restrained after witnessing Ivarr murder Gwriad -
Rhodri confronting Eivor and Ivarr from his castle -
Rhodri confronted in his keep -
Rhodri brawling with Ivarr -
Rhodri executed by means of the blood eagle
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
- The World of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North – Logs and Files of a Hidden One (mentioned only)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – King Killer
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2
Rhodri the Great on Wikipedia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Database: Rhodri
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – War Weary
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Supply Line
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Ransacking Wenlocan
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Bloody Path to Peace
- ↑
Darby McDevitt (@DarbyMcDevitt) on Twitter "Mr Paul Amos as King Rhodri, a little known distant cousin of Eminem. And a tough guy to boot."