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 Llydanwyn, king of Rheged. 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, however, Rhydderch Hen of Strathclyde, and Clydno Eiten of Lothian, remained bitter rivals of Rhun, and of his half-brother, Brude, leader of the Picts to the south. Rhydderch and Clydno, aided by Elidyr's brother Cinmarc, raided and sacked the town of Arfon (now Caernarfon) in Anglesey.
Raising an army from all over northern Wales, Rhun retaliated, marching unopposed through Rheged and across the Pennines to York, effectively seizing control of all of north Wales and northern England and, through alliance with Brude, even stretching south in the lands held by the Picts. Though his authority was recognized by all, Rhun lacked the resources to maintain administrative control over such a large area, and eventually made peace with Peredur of York and returned to Gwynedd, probably towards the mid-560s. Rhun reigned for another two decades, but little else is heard of him.
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)