Madog ap Llywelyn
Encyclopedia
Madog ap Llywelyn, or Prince Madoc, was from a junior branch of the House of Aberffraw
and a distant relation of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last recognised native Prince of Wales
.
, the last vassal Lord of Meirionydd
who had been deprived of his patrimony in 1256 for opposing Llywelyn ap Gruffudd the Prince of Wales
at the Battle of Bryn Derwin
. Llywelyn ap Maredudd had lived out his days in exile in England dying in 1263. His eldest son, Madog, who had probably been born in exile, is known to have received substantial monetary gifts from King Edward I of England in 1277 and used this money to sue the Prince of Wales in 1278 in an attempt to have his father's cantref of Meirionydd returned to him. It appears that Madog returned to Gwynedd after the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1282 and received lands from the King of England in Anglesey
.
and the fifth cousin of the last Prince of Aberffraw (Dafydd ap Gruffudd, the executed brother of Llywelyn), Madog declared himself to be the lawful successor and assumed the royal titles of his predecessors including "Prince of Wales" (an example of which can be seen in the so-called Penmachno Document
). The uprising quickly spread to south Wales led by Cynan ap Maredudd
, Maelgwn ap Rhys, and Morgan ap Maredudd
of Gwynllwg
in Glamorgan
.
was overrun by Madog's forces and the castle occupied, as were the castles at Hawarden
, Ruthin
, and Denbigh
. Criccieth Castle
was besieged by Madog's forces for several months, as was Harlech
. Morlais castle was captured under the aegis of Morgan in the south, and Cynan ap Maredudd
besieged the castle at Builth for a period of six weeks. Half the town of Caerphilly
was burnt - although the castle itself held out - and, further south, Kenfig
castle was sacked.
In north Wales, attempts were made by many English landowners to retrieve the situation. The lord of Denbigh, Henry de Lacy led a march to Denbigh after the castle there was beiseged; however, he was ambushed outside the town on 11 November, and in the ensuing battle his force was routed by the rebels. In north-east Wales, Reginald de Grey was more successful, stationing substantial garrisons at Flint
and Rhuddlan
- neither castle fell to the rebels, though Flint was subjected to a lengthy siege. Many other castles across Wales were besieged and several towns burnt.
In December 1294 King Edward I
of England led an army into north Wales to quell the revolt, stopping at Wrexham
, Denbigh
, Abergele, and elsewhere on his way to Conwy Castle
, which he reached shortly before Christmas. His campaign was timely, for several castles remained in serious danger - Harlech
Castle was defended at one point by just 37 men and Edwand himself was besieged at Conwy Castle
until he was relieved by his navy in 1295.
in Powys
in 1295. The Welsh army were defeated tactically when they were ambushed by the Earl of Warwick
. The Welsh regained their composure and attempted to destroy the English cavalry by using the "porcupine" pike men formation, or schiltron
, a formation favoured by the Scots armies against English knights. In the process they were showered with arrows from English archers and suffered very heavy losses. Madog barely escaped with his life and was a fugitive until his unconditional surrender to John de Havering in Snowdonia
in late July or early August of 1295. He was subsequently taken to London and all that is known of his fate is that he did not suffer the supreme penalty; he was still alive in 1312 and was survived by his sons.
The revolt of 1294-95 elicited a harsh response from Edward I in the form of humiliating and punitive ordinances further restricting the civil rights and economic and social opportunities of the Welsh. However, it was not long before Llywelyn Bren
, Lord of Senghenydd
, led a second rebellion, aided by some of the more prominent Marcher Lords
in 1316.
, was later to proclaim himself Prince of Wales. The sons of Dafydd Goch
also laid claim to the title, although illegitimately.
Madog ap Llywelyn is known to have had the following children:
House of Aberffraw
The House of Aberffraw is a historiographical and genealogical term historians use to illustrate the clear line of succession from Rhodri the Great of Wales through his eldest son Anarawd....
and a distant relation of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last recognised native Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
.
Lineage
Madog was the son of Llywelyn ap MareduddLlywelyn ap Maredudd ap Llywelyn ap Maredudd ap Cynan
Llywelyn ap Maredudd was a minor Welsh prince of the House of Gwynedd who was the last vassal Lord of Meirionydd. He lived during the mid 13th century. He was the son of Maredudd ap Llywelyn ap Maredudd ap Cynan and was a direct descendant of Owain Gwynedd through his son Prince Cynan, Lord of...
, the last vassal Lord of Meirionydd
Merionethshire
Merionethshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, a vice county and a former administrative county.The administrative county of Merioneth, created under the Local Government Act 1888, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974...
who had been deprived of his patrimony in 1256 for opposing Llywelyn ap Gruffudd the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
at the Battle of Bryn Derwin
Battle of Bryn Derwin
The Battle of Bryn Derwin was fought in Eifionydd in Gwynedd in June 1255, between Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and his brothers, Dafydd ap Gruffudd and Owain Goch ap Gruffydd....
. Llywelyn ap Maredudd had lived out his days in exile in England dying in 1263. His eldest son, Madog, who had probably been born in exile, is known to have received substantial monetary gifts from King Edward I of England in 1277 and used this money to sue the Prince of Wales in 1278 in an attempt to have his father's cantref of Meirionydd returned to him. It appears that Madog returned to Gwynedd after the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1282 and received lands from the King of England in Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
.
Revolt against King Edward I
In the autumn of 1294, Madog put himself at the head of a national revolt in response to the actions of new royal administrators in north and west Wales and the imposition of taxes such as that levied on one fifteenth of all moveables. As a royal prince descended directly from Owain GwyneddOwain 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 fifth cousin of the last Prince of Aberffraw (Dafydd ap Gruffudd, the executed brother of Llywelyn), Madog declared himself to be the lawful successor and assumed the royal titles of his predecessors including "Prince of Wales" (an example of which can be seen in the so-called Penmachno Document
Penmachno Document
The Penmachno Document was drawn up at Penmachno in Gwynedd on 19 December 1294 by Madog ap Llywelyn at the height of his revolt against English rule in Wales...
). The uprising quickly spread to south Wales led by Cynan ap Maredudd
Cynan ap Maredudd
Cynan ap Maredudd was a Welsh nobleman who assumed leadership of the Welsh revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn in the mid-Wales area in 1294 and 1295....
, Maelgwn ap Rhys, and Morgan ap Maredudd
Morgan ap Maredudd
Morgan ap Maredudd sometimes referred to as “Morgan the Rebel” , rebel, was the son of Maredudd ap Gruffudd the last Welsh lord of Caerleon of Machen, and Maud, daughter of Cadwallon...
of Gwynllwg
Gwynllwg
Gwynllŵg was a kingdom of mediæval Wales and later a Norman lordship and then a cantref.-Location:It was named after Gwynllyw, its 5th century or 6th century ruler and consisted of the coastal plain stretching between the Rhymney and Usk rivers, together with the hills to the north...
in Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
.
Edward's fortresses attacked
CaernarfonCaernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
was overrun by Madog's forces and the castle occupied, as were the castles at Hawarden
Hawarden
Hawarden is a village in Flintshire, North Wales. Hawarden forms part of the Deeside conurbation on the Welsh/English border. At the 2001 Census, the population of Hawarden Ward was 1,858...
, Ruthin
Ruthin
Ruthin is a community and the county town of Denbighshire in north Wales. Located around a hill in the southern part of the Vale of Clwyd - the older part of the town, the castle and Saint Peter's Square are located on top of the hill, while many newer parts of the town are on the floodplain of...
, and Denbigh
Denbigh
Denbigh is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Before 1888, it was the county town of Denbighshire. Denbigh lies 8 miles to the north west of Ruthin and to the south of St Asaph. It is about 13 miles from the seaside resort of Rhyl. The town grew around the glove-making industry...
. Criccieth Castle
Criccieth Castle
Criccieth Castle is a native Welsh castle situated on the headland between two beaches in Criccieth, Gwynedd, in North Wales, on a rocky peninsula overlooking Tremadog Bay...
was besieged by Madog's forces for several months, as was Harlech
Harlech
Harlech is a town and seaside resort in Gwynedd, within the historical boundaries of Merionethshire in northwest Wales. Lying on Tremadog Bay and within the Snowdonia National Park, it has a population of 1,952, of whom 59% speak Welsh...
. Morlais castle was captured under the aegis of Morgan in the south, and Cynan ap Maredudd
Cynan ap Maredudd
Cynan ap Maredudd was a Welsh nobleman who assumed leadership of the Welsh revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn in the mid-Wales area in 1294 and 1295....
besieged the castle at Builth for a period of six weeks. Half the town of Caerphilly
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
was burnt - although the castle itself held out - and, further south, Kenfig
Kenfig
Kenfig is a village and former borough in Bridgend, Wales.The borough contributed with other Glamorgan towns to sending a member of parliament to Westminster until the Reform Act of 1832...
castle was sacked.
In north Wales, attempts were made by many English landowners to retrieve the situation. The lord of Denbigh, Henry de Lacy led a march to Denbigh after the castle there was beiseged; however, he was ambushed outside the town on 11 November, and in the ensuing battle his force was routed by the rebels. In north-east Wales, Reginald de Grey was more successful, stationing substantial garrisons at Flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
and Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire , in north Wales. It is situated to the south of the coastal town of Rhyl and overlooks the River Clwyd. The town gave its name to the Welsh district of Rhuddlan from 1974 to 1996...
- neither castle fell to the rebels, though Flint was subjected to a lengthy siege. Many other castles across Wales were besieged and several towns burnt.
In December 1294 King Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
of England led an army into north Wales to quell the revolt, stopping at Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
, Denbigh
Denbigh
Denbigh is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Before 1888, it was the county town of Denbighshire. Denbigh lies 8 miles to the north west of Ruthin and to the south of St Asaph. It is about 13 miles from the seaside resort of Rhyl. The town grew around the glove-making industry...
, Abergele, and elsewhere on his way to Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle is a castle in Conwy, on the north coast of Wales.It was built between 1283 and 1289 during King Edward I's second campaign in North Wales....
, which he reached shortly before Christmas. His campaign was timely, for several castles remained in serious danger - Harlech
Harlech
Harlech is a town and seaside resort in Gwynedd, within the historical boundaries of Merionethshire in northwest Wales. Lying on Tremadog Bay and within the Snowdonia National Park, it has a population of 1,952, of whom 59% speak Welsh...
Castle was defended at one point by just 37 men and Edwand himself was besieged at Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle is a castle in Conwy, on the north coast of Wales.It was built between 1283 and 1289 during King Edward I's second campaign in North Wales....
until he was relieved by his navy in 1295.
Battle of Maes Moydog and defeat
A final battle between Madog's men and those of the English crown occurred at the battle of Maes MoydogBattle of Maes Moydog
The Battle of Maes Moydog was a battle that took place at the field of Moydog on 5 March 1295 during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn and others against English rule, near the modern-day village of Llanfair Caereinion in Powys, Wales.- The battle :...
in Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
in 1295. The Welsh army were defeated tactically when they were ambushed by the Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
. The Welsh regained their composure and attempted to destroy the English cavalry by using the "porcupine" pike men formation, or schiltron
Schiltron
A sheltron is a compact body of troops forming a battle array, shield wall or phalanx....
, a formation favoured by the Scots armies against English knights. In the process they were showered with arrows from English archers and suffered very heavy losses. Madog barely escaped with his life and was a fugitive until his unconditional surrender to John de Havering in Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
in late July or early August of 1295. He was subsequently taken to London and all that is known of his fate is that he did not suffer the supreme penalty; he was still alive in 1312 and was survived by his sons.
The revolt of 1294-95 elicited a harsh response from Edward I in the form of humiliating and punitive ordinances further restricting the civil rights and economic and social opportunities of the Welsh. However, it was not long before Llywelyn Bren
Llywelyn Bren
Llywelyn Bren , or Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ap Rhys or Llywelyn of the Woods , was a nobleman who led a revolt in Wales during the reign of King Edward II of England in 1316. The revolt would be the last serious challenge to English rule in Wales until the attempts of Owain Lawgoch to invade Wales with...
, Lord of Senghenydd
Senghenydd
Senghenydd is a town in the Aber Valley, roughly four miles north-west of the town of Caerphilly and is within the county borough of Caerphilly, Wales. It is traditionally within the county of Glamorgan...
, led a second rebellion, aided by some of the more prominent Marcher Lords
Marcher Lords
A Marcher Lord was a strong and trusted noble appointed by the King of England to guard the border between England and Wales.A Marcher Lord is the English equivalent of a margrave...
in 1316.
Issue and succession
Madog was not the last of the House of Cunedda; two sons survived him. Additionally, the children of Rhodri ap Gruffudd, a brother of Llywelyn the Last, survived in exile. A grandson of Rhodri, Owain ap Thomas, or Owain LawgochOwain Lawgoch
Owain Lawgoch, , full name Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri , was a Welsh soldier who served in Spain, France, Alsace and Switzerland. He led a Free Company fighting for the French against the English in the Hundred Years' War...
, was later to proclaim himself Prince of Wales. The sons of Dafydd Goch
Dafydd Goch
Dafydd Penmachno Goch or Dafydd ap Dafydd ap Gruffudd is said in some genealogical sources to be the illegitimate and only surviving son of Dafydd III the last free Welsh Prince of Wales ....
also laid claim to the title, although illegitimately.
Madog ap Llywelyn is known to have had the following children:
- Maredudd ap Madoc ap Llywelyn (died c.1334)
- Hywel ap Madoc ap Llywelyn (died c.1352)