Rhodri Mawr (the Great) and Medieval Wales between 844 and 878

Rhodri ap Merfyn was the son of Merfyn Frych, who was the King of Gwynedd until his death in 844 and his wife, Queen of Powys. Probably born around 820, not much can be said about his childhood and even if he had siblings it is unknown. 

What most sources agree is that when he was twenty four years old, if considering correct he was born in 820, Rhodri succeded his father as King of Gwynedd. Years later, with the death of his mother's brother, he'd also inherit the kingdom of Powys and, from his wife's brother, Seisyllwg as well.

Sometimes considered as King of Wales, despite the concept of nationalism and a whole unified kingdom be more modern, truth is that 80% of Wales Rhodri managed to keep under his rule, considering that ever since Roman invasion Wales was nothing but divided regions whose chiefs claimed ascendancy of Celtic tribes. 

However, just as his descendants afterwards, Rhodri would too be a figure of resistance before the English. Yet, naturally, with some differences. England was not unified as we know after the Norman invasions and, like Wales, was filled with regions that had different rulers (Mercia, Northumbria and Wessex, for example), though the Anglo-Saxons from Wessex, under the command of Alfred the Great, desired to unite Wessex and Mercia. Considering these pieces of a future whole kingdom, one must take in consideration how social actors were build these days: if every man is the product of a society, how Rhodri was his? 

A man of wars, he was not a knight errant, neither was the son to have a life in Church. Defending his realm against the Vikings, in a battle where he killed their leader, Rhodri's deeds were sang in songs and written in poetries, constituting what in Middle Ages the ideals of knighthood. 

"Rhodri's fame sprang from his success as a warrior. That success was noted by The Ulster Chronicle and by Sedulius Scottus, an Irish scholar at the court of the Emperor Charles the Bald at Liege. It was his victory over the Vikings in 856 which brought him international acclaim. Wales was less richly provided with fertile land and with the navigable rivers that attracted the Vikings, and the Welsh kings had considerable success in resisting them. Anglesey bore the brunt of the attacks, and it was there in 856 that Rhodri won his great victory over Horn, the leader of the Danes, much to the delight of the Irish and the Franks."

Best remembered for his victories in battlefield, else there is nothing further about this interesting character. Certainly, it is curious to notice that some sources claim Rhodri to be the first Prince of Wales, whilst others call him 'the first King of all Wales'. Regardless of this, the impression he left on contemporaries and his counterparts are timeless, since Rhodri became the one king to be looked upon. 

His death is described as both tragic and somewhat "legendary". This latter is explained by the fact Rhodri the Great faced Alfred the Great in battle field, a "clash of titans" indeed. This fight occurred because of the ambitions of Alfred in expanding his dominions and that included to subdue Wales, something we see in other periods of Wales's History. Here's how this battle is described:

"In 877 the two "Greats", Rhodri and Alfred clashed, and the Welsh leader and his son Gwriad were killed. In the vaccum following Rhodri's death, Welsh kings, perhaps fearing the might of the Danes more than the threat of Alfred, and fearful of the power of Rhodri's sons, submitted to the overlordship of Wessex."

With the death of Rhodri, Wales was divided among Rhodri's son and it would not be united until further centuries. Likewise other Welsh leaders previous discussed, social imagination turned Rhodri as the hero people would always look up to when, through the whole Middle Ages, Welsh attempted to resist England's tyrannies. 

Sources:

http://homepages.rpi.edu/~holmes/Hobbies/Genealogy2/ps06/ps06_185.htm

http://www.snowdoniaheritage.info/en/person/116/rhodri-mawr/

http://www.robertsewell.ca/deheubarth.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/royalty_rhodrithegreat.shtml

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=monkeys&id=I14780

http://www.castlewales.com/rhodri.html

http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/WelshMonarchsandPrinces/RhodriMawr.aspx

http://www.britainexpress.com/wales/history/rhodri.htm

Llewellyn ap Gruffydd: The Last Prince of Wales

Ever since Edward I, King of England, subdued Wales to his kingdom, the title of 'Prince of Wales' started to be associated to every heir of England's crown. However, it has not always been like this: Wales was once an independent country which, like Scotland, was constantly in conflict against England's interests. Looking specifically into the reign of Llewellyn ap Gruffydd, who is regarded as the last Welsh to be entitled as the natural Prince of Wales, we will see these conflicts were still there.

With few sources found, it's difficult to write about some Princes of Wales's precisely lives and reigns, but due to the days they lived, it's completely understandable why most sources did not survive until our recent days. However, based on those we were able to find, we can assume that these Welsh rulers did not have an easy life... And that most English's monarchs did not help them with it either. It was the case of Llewellyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales.

He was the grandson of Llewelyn the Great, through his illegitimate (and oldest) son Gruffydd, and probably was born around the year of 1223. Llewellyn ap Gruffydd was a younger brother to Owain and an older brother to Dafydd. Before his rise to the power, a few circumstances must be noticed, considering there is almost nothing describing the last Prince of Wales's childhood.

One of them regards his own grandfather, who was the ruler of Wales and, at his deathbed, he had two sons who could as well inherit his crown, since both had rights in claiming it, considering that in Medieval Wales, there were no distinctions in these matters regarding the legitimacy of the Welsh heir. But Llewelyn ap Iorweth made Dafydd the one to succeed him wit his death; and Dafydd was his legitimate son with his wife, Joanna Plantagenet, this one being King John of England's illegitimate daughter.

That being said, another is about Gruffydd, who was excluded from the succession act, and was soon sent to England with his wife and children by his half-brother, to stay under custody of King Henry III, who recognized Dafydd as Prince of Gwynedd. With the death of his father, Llewellyn would join forces to his uncle when a war was declared against Henry III, as seen below:

"A few years later, Llewellyn's father died attempting to escape from the Tower of London, and Dafydd, perhaps with a pang of conscience about his brother's death, perhaps frustrated that the King wouldn't give him his due title, declared war on Henry. In the bloody fighting that followed, Llewellyn supported his uncle against the forces of England, and was thus in a commanding position to take control when his uncle Dafydd died without issue in 1246.

The following year, Llewellyn and Owain, now free and returned to Wales, were forced to settle terms with King Henry. It was not a satisfactory arrangement. The real of Gwynedd was split in two, with the King taking the Eastern half, and the two brothers splitting the Western half between them. Shortly thereafter, their younger brother Dafydd came of age and paid homage to King Henry. Henry generously offered Dafydd some land in Gwynedd. Not from the King's half  of course, but from the already severely shrunk holdings of his two older brothers. Llewellyn was not impressed, and took up arms against both Owain and Dafydd, eventually capturing both of them and claiming all of the family's remaining lands for himself."

And how did he become a figure of extreme importance in matters of Welsh resistance towards England? What can be perceptible is how these social actors worked, constructed by each context and risen to the point where social imagination draws them, after their lives, to an image that represents that society, thus, making not only Llewellyn ap Gruffydd but, as seen in another article, Owain Glyndwr as national heroes for Wales, regarding mutual antipathies between the Welsh and the English.

Thus, these actions that turned Llewellyn as Prince of Wales when he was not recognized as such after his uncle's death, regards the struggle he attempts to keep his country independent from England. Nowadays, he is compared to Scottish William Wallace for such deeds.

After defeating opposition from his brothers, since it was Llewellyn's desire in reuniting Wales, "Llywelyn set about reasserting the authority of Gwynedd and thereafter extending it into a supremacy over much of the rest of Wales. In 1267 his position as overlord was recognized by Henry III in the Treaty of Montgomery when the English king accepted Llywelyn's homage as prince of Wales."

However, with the death of Henry III, worse was to come in the figure of the new king, Edward I. After all:

"Relations deteriorated as Llewellyn sought to test the new king and refused to pay homage or make the money payments due under the Treaty of Montgomery. It was a costly mistake as Edward soon showed he was not to be trifled with. Edward took a huge army into Wales, received subservience from the lesser princes, and starved Llewellyn into submission. In 1277, Llewelyn was forced to submit to the King and was stripped of his hard won overlordship."

Although there was a brief truce, when Llewellyn married Edward I's cousin, Eleanor, who was the daughter of the infamous Simon de Montfort, other battles happened to be fought between the English and the Welsh. But these culminated on the deaths of both Llewellyn and Dafydd, leaving Wales in the hands of Edward I, also known as 'Longshanks'. 

What can be attested of Llewellyn's death is that:

"When Llewellyn lay dying, he asked for a priest, and it was only when he spoke to one that his identity was realised. As befitted a traitor to the crown, his head was hewn from his shoulders, shown to the troops, and eventually hang above the gates of the Tower of London, the place where his father had died, for 15 years as a warning to others.

The annex of this story is short. With the death of their leader, and in the face of overwhealming odds, the Welsh lost heart. Dafydd struggled on for a few short months, before he too was captured and executed. Gwynedd, Llewellyn's ancestral home, was stripped of all royal insignia, relics and regalia, and the seals of Llewellyn's family melted down and made into a chalice. Edward's conquest of Wales was complete."

Regardless if the title of "Last Prince of Wales" is questioned, it is undoubted the importance Llewellyn ap Gruffydd had in his days. For each slavered man, one will bow to defy the system; which means that, whenever we come to face to tyranny, there'll also be resistance. That is one of the reasons why Welsh royals are just as interesting as any other European's too.

Sources:

http://www.castlewales.com/llywel2.html

http://blog.prehistoricshamanism.com/362/celebrating-llewelyn-ap-gruffydd-the-last-native-prince-of-wales/

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-history-month-memorial-llywelyn-7822812

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/royalty_llywelyn_ap_gruffydd.shtml

http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/the-prince-of-wales/titles-and-heraldry/previous-princes-of-wales

http://www.princesofgwynedd.com/characters-llewelyn-ap-gruffydd.html

http://www.britainexpress.com/wales/history/llewelyn-last.htm

http://www.celticradio.net/php/news.php?item=1262

Rhys ap Thomas: The Welshman Who Became The Tudor 'Kingmaker'

This article intends to enlighten the life of one of the greatest Welsh men who, despite lacking royal blood, is not less important than other royals born in Wales before him. Born in a family known for their loyalty towards the House of Lancaster, due to the benefits granted by King Henry IV of England in days where Owain Glyndwr (see previous article) rebelled against his rule, to all families who supported him instead, this third son of a landowner came to be known as 'Tudor Kingmaker' due to the important role he culminated into the rise of a dynasty and the fall of another.

Born in 1449, in Carmarthenshire, Wales, the youngest son of Thomas Hynaf ap Gruffudd and Elisabeth (sometimes spelled Elsbeth) Griffith, few is known about this prominent young man, except that it was not expected he'd inherit the lands of Dinefwr from his father anytime soon. What can be inferred is that, before the death of his father and brothers, he spent a few years in exile at Burgundy when Edward, Duke of York, became King Edward IV, thus usurping Henry VI, whose house of Lancaster Rhys's family was loyal to. As said here:

"During this period of dynastic turmoil Rhys's grandfather Gruffydd ap Nicholas was killed at the Battle of Mortimer's Cross in 1461, and for their support of the defeated Lancastrians his sons forfeited the family's extensive lands  in the Tywi valley. (But not before two of them, Thomas and Owain, had held Carreg Cennen Castle against a Yorkist onslaught of 200 men in 1462, only surrending after a siege. To ensure no such resistance occurred again Carreg Cennen's fortifications were destroyed afterwards. It has never been occupied since). 

Henry VI briefly regained his throne in 1470 but promptly lost it again in 1471 when he, along with his son and heir to the throne, were killed in his last battle, and Edward IV was now secure on the throne, or as secure as it was possible to be during this period of utter chaos. When Rhys ap Thomas returned to Wales, probably early in 1470s, his family was still eclipsed during Edward IV's restored regime."

After four or five years spent at the court of Philippe, the Good, duke of Burgundy, what we can possible discuss of the time Rhys spent back to Wales is that he not only inherited his father's lands with his death (and the death of his older brothers), but was also married to a woman named Eva, daughter of Henri ap Gwilym of Cwrt Henri, although it's possible that his legitimate son Gruffydd was born from his second wife, Jane, daughter of Thomas Mathew of Radyr. It's also said that he had several mistresses and, with them, quite some illegitimate children who later would be married into great houses of South Wales.

Nevertheless, in 1483, when the duke of Gloucester, Richard, becomes King Richard III, right after he takes the throne from his nephew, Edward, upon the death of his brother, King Edward IV, there's a rebellion leaded by the Duke of Buckingham. 

"In 1483 Henry Stafford, duke of Buckingham and lord of Brecon, rose up in rebellion against the newly enthroned Yorkist Richard III but Rhys declined to join in on the side of Stafford, wisely as it turns out, as the rebellion was crushed. Richard III made an annuity of 40 marks to Rhys in order to buy his support, but this may not have prevented him from communicating with Henry Tudor, who was in exile in Brittany, perhaps even promising to support Henry's invasion in 1485. His biography states that Richard III demanded the surrender of Rhys's only legitimate son, Gruffudd, as a guarantee of his loyalty. The Life  also claims that Rhys welcomed Henry Tudor on arrival in Pembrokeshire on 7 August 1485, but he is likely to have been cautious initially about declaring for the insurgents, and there was uncertainty about his attitude while he shadowed Henry's advance through mid-Wales."

The view that presents Rhys as cautious towards Henry Tudor can be argued by his loyalty before the Lancastrians, though it is understandable his attitude since it would not be wise to openly defy Richard III in the wrong time, especially after vowing loyalty to the Yorkist King. About that, there is a legend that says that:

"The oath he was supposed to have made to Richard was, according to a legend which has found its way down the ages: "Whoever ill-affected to the state, shall dare to land in those parts of Wales where I have any employment under your majesty, must resolve with himself to make his entrance and irruption over my belly." The story is told that after Henry Tudor's return to Britain (at Dale, Pembrokeshire, in 1485), Rhys eased his conscience by hiding under Mullock Bridge, as Henry marched over, thus absolving himself of his oath to Richard."

Whatever it was the nature of this legend, whether it was true or not, it is unquestionable that they eventually met when Tudor landed in Wales in August, the year being of 1485.

"Whatever his motives, the fact that Rhys made a major contribution to Henry's victory at Bosworth in 1485 is undisputed. Rhys may well have entertained Henry at Carew Castle before they split up on their way north, recruiting men along the way. When they met up again at Welshpool, Rhys had a large army of levied Welshmen with him. Many of there were Rhys' men for he had raised 500 trained cavalry to support the young Tudor - stout hearted men from the tenant farms of the Carew estates in South Pembrokeshire and all expert horsemen".

When the Lancastrian army marched to Bosworth field on the 22nd day of August that year to meet the Yorkist one, this latter, leaded by Richard III, was outnumbered. A doubt that remained initially unanswered was: which side would fight for the Stanley brothers, who were know for changing sides?

Nevertheless, the battle was successful, having some rumours pointing out that it was Rhys who took away Richard III's life, giving, thus, the victory to Henry Tudor, making him now King Henry VII. Soon afterwards, as a gift for his loyalty, Rhys ap Thomas was "appointed for life the king's lieutenant and steward of Brecon, steward of Builth and chamberlain of south Wales, all highly lucrative positions...", becoming the man Henry VII most trusted and after him, fighting with his son, Henry VIII, in France, in 1513.

During the early years of Henry VII's reign as King of England, Rhys "helped suppress the Brecon rising of 1486, Simnel's rebellion in 1487, the Cornish rising of 1497, and Perkin Warbeck's rebellion of October 1497. He also accompanied Henry VII on his French expedition in October." Rhys's son, Gruffudd, was placed into the same household of Henry's Prince of Wales, Arthur, and both young men were said to be closest friends, having both as well predeceased their fathers. 

Rhys ap Thomas had, unlike his grandson, who was beheaded for treason against King Henry VIII, a pleasant life, dying in 1525. Sometimes compared to Richard Neville, a generation before, it is fair to say to that, were not his support, no Tudor dynasty would have come to be established in England. He did performed a great part by placing that Welshman on the English's throne and helped him keeping it against all odds, being fairly rewarded for it. Unfortunately, however, his name slipped away from History next to Henry VII and today, much of what it's acknowledged of Wales and Tudor's History is through famous characters as Henry VIII or Elizabeth I. 

Indeed, Wales has produced many characters that, without them, History itself would be different were it not for each part they played in their moments. Rhys ap Thomas, until the end of days, was the most powerful man of that Welsh generation, leaving with good justice his mark in History.

Sources:

http://worcestercathedrallibrary.blogspot.com.br/2012/12/griffith-ap-rhys-important-welsh-knight.html

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/descendant-knight-who-slew-richard-10013468

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhys_ap_Thomas

http://www.casgliadywerin.cymru/items/3317

http://www.beekmanbooks.com/biography-autobiography/sir-rhys-ap-thomas/

http://www.carmarthenjournal.co.uk/King-s-killer-big-draw-Carmarthen/story-18199116-detail/story.html

http://www.historytoday.com/robin-evans/battle-bosworth-field-welsh-victory

http://www.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk/?PID=305

http://www.castlewales.com/rhysap.html

http://www.llandeilo.org/rhys_ap_thomas.php

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=82786197

Owain Glyndwr, Prince of Wales: A Hero Personification or A Social Mark of Resistance?

This month of December, we will be discussing the royals of Wales who made History in their country. Some will be more known to public eyes then others, but their importance in Welsh's History is unquestionable. For a start, it was decided to write about Owain Glyndwr, Richard II of England's supporter and said to have been the last Prince of Wales, a noble Welshman who rebelled against Henry IV and gave this English king much headache. As it happens to most historical characters, popular views often turn them into either villains or heroes, forgetting they were human beings and ignoring their flaws, most of the times. 

What kind of man was Owain Glyndwr? Was he a product of his time, a man of resistance or... was he the last man standing against English's dominions? On this article, we intend to explore the Prince of Wales's deeds as well as trying to explain the causes of his popularity and how was this latter cemented and remained untouched for the next centuries.

Owain Glyndwr (English: Owen of the Glen of Dee Water) was born in the year of 1354, the heir of Gruffydd Fychan ap Madog ap Gruffydd Fychan. Almost nothing could be found about his earlier years and the name of his mother or even if he had siblings were not clear. What can be said before the main events that would turn Owain a remarkable character is that, due to his good ascendance as he claimed to descend from the princes of Wales from both sides of his family, he went to London where he spent some time studying. Afterwards, he went to the court of King Richard II, where he acted as courtier. As said here:

"At the age of 21 he had probably served at the Inns of Court in London where he would have acquired a necessary background in law. He also began a military career with service at Berwick-on-Tweed in 1384, and he joined Richard II's expedition to Scotland in 1385. In 1387 he became a retainer of the earl of Arundel and took part in the major naval victory at Cadzand, off Flanders."

In matters of war, especially against Scotland, he is said to have gone  "(...) on to serve the English Crown as a soldier against the Scots, and wearing a scarlet flamingo feather as his crest he is said to have bore down on the Scotsmen before him with only the butt of his broken lance", which is already enough to contest his military skills he acquired, being knighted by Richard II soon afterwards.

Two years before he joined Richard II's battle against Scotland, he was married to the daughter of Sir David Hamner, said  to have been a very important man who acted on behalf of the king's justice as lawyer and who was said to have worked as well for Edward III previously. With Lady Margaret, he had six children and lived a peacefully life for a while.

Around 1390, Richard II was usurped by his cousin, Henry Bolinbroke and the policies towards Wales changed. For a start, extremely heavy taxes from Henry IV started raising an anti English's feeling, which was not seen so strongly defended since Edward I's troubles with Wales. The sparks with the rebellion came when:

"The situation ignited when an influential member of King Henry's Council- Reginald Grey, Lord of Ruthin- seized a disputed tract of land bordering on Glyndwr's estates. Glyndwr sought legal redress, but Parliament rebuffed him, calling him a 'a bare footed Welshman'. 

At the same time, the King entrusted Grey to deliver a summons for Glyndwr to join Henry in preparing a military campaign into Scotland. Grey either did not deliver the message or withheld it until it was too late to respond. When Glyndwr failed to answer the King, Henry labelled him a traitor. On 16th September, 1400, Glyndwr met with a small group of supporters at his home in Glyndyfrdwy, between Corwen and Llangollen. (...)"

In this excerpt below, here is how this rebellion can be summarized to: 

"The immediate spark for revolt seems to have been the King's unwillingness to mediate fairly in a dispute between Owain and his neighbour, Reginald Grey of Ruthin, a lordship of the Marches. But the following years saw battles and sieges at Conwy, Harlech and Aberystwyth with Glyndwr raising a parliament and crowning himself King of a free Wales at Machynlleth in 1404"

From a mere nobleman to the last Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndwr soon became a figure created by his counterparts and much of his contemporaries that represented independence and freedom before the tyranny of the English since Edward I subdued them to his command. When Prince Henry, commonly nicknamed as Prince Hal, became King Henry V upon his father's death, suggested Owain to give amnesty in turn of surrender, twice he refused and still managed to die in obscure. September 16th then, even nowadays, is the day where Owain Glyndwr is celebrated in Wales.

Sociologically speaking, what Owain represented in those medieval days, and still represents even in 21st century, was the common cause he fought for. A cause that managed to unite North and South Wales to one. Freedom and independence from tyrannic rulers, concepts that may seem modern, indeed, but fit to understand what has leaded one man, from upper classes, to be so popular, becoming a Welsh icon that, unfortunately, by now most are unaware, although even in recent days his figure is still studied and contemplated by historians and medievalists in general. In other sources, you will find Owain Glyndwr is known as "the Welsh William Wallace". Enjoying significance power he achieved with this great rebellion, Owain managed to build churches and chose representatives of Christian churches, wrote letters to Charles VI of France in seek of support as well as an attempt to reach support from Rome. Although he was, indeed, a man of his time, it cannot be argued he was as well a product of his society, by finally doing what others lacked courage in doing so, sticking to his ideals and fighting until he could for what he believed, even if he did not succeed it,

Nevertheless, if his cause failed within the years, as the man and ruler he was, he did not. Dead in 1415 in obscurity, Owain Glyndwr may have died without seeing Wales independent and free from the English hands, but would never be forgotten by its people. Here is a small poetry written to honour the person he was:

"His grave is beside no church, neither under the shadow of any ancient yew. It is in a spot safer and more sacred still. Rain does not fall on it, hail nor sleet chill nor sere sod above it. It is forever green with the green of eternal spring. Sunny the light on it; close and warm and dear it lies, sheltered from all storms, from all cold or grey oblivion. Time shall not touch it; decay shall not dishonour it; for that grave is in the heart of every true Cymro. There, for ever, from generation unto generation, grey Owen's heart lies dreaming on, dreaming on, safe for ever and for ever." 

Sources: http://www.britishheritage.com/owain-glyndwrs-fight-for-wales/

http://www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/a-sense-of-place/history-of-snowdonia/the-princes-of-snowdonia/owain-glyndwr-c.1354-1416

http://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/waleshistorymap/owainglyndwr/?lang=en

http://www.corwen.org/owain_glyndwr.html

http://yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s-OWAI-GLY-1354.html

http://www.thebellatcaerleon.co.uk/info/glyndwr.htm

http://history.powys.org.uk/history/mach/owain3.html

http://bdaugherty.tripod.com/cymru/owain.html

http://www.boydellandbrewer.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=14583

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/Owen-Glendower-Owain-Glyndwr/

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/nov/14/on-the-owain-glyndwr-trail-wales-uk