[Welsh rhod, circle, disc, orb, i.e. coronet, torque; mawr, great]

Historical (d. 877) monarch who united the small kingdoms of Gwynedd, Ceredigion, and Powys under one ruler, thus assuming the style of Rex Brittonum [King of all Wales]. He successfully defended his realm against both the Danes and the English, but died while in flight in Ireland. Although the union did not survive his reign, Rhodri established an important dynastic family, for both north and south Wales. Hywel Dda the lawgiver was his great-grandson.