Owain Glyndŵr

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Owain Glyndŵr

Seal of Owain Glyndŵr
Seal of Owain Glyndŵr

The Arms of Powys and Deheubarth interchanged, adopted by Owain Glyndŵr
The Arms of Powys and Deheubarth interchanged, adopted by Owain Glyndŵr

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Owain Glyndŵr

(Pronounced IPA: ['ouain glɨn'dur], approximately "O-wine glin-DOO-R"),

traditionally anglicised as

Owen Glendower (1359–c. 1416)

and crowned as

Owain IV of Wales,

was the last native Welsh person to hold the title Prince of Wales. He instigated an ultimately unsuccessful revolt against English rule of Wales.

Glyndŵr was a descendant of the princes of Powys
from his father Gruffydd Fychan II, Hereditary Tywysog of Powys Fadog and Lord of Glyndyfrdwy,

and of those of Deheubarth
through his mother Elen ferch Tomas ap Llywelyn.

On September 16, 1400, Glyndŵr instigated the Welsh Revolt against the rule of Henry IV of England. Although initially successful, the uprising was eventually put down - Glyndŵr was last seen in 1412 and was never captured.

Glyndŵr has remained a notable figure in the popular culture of both Wales and England, portrayed in Shakespeare's play Henry IV as a wild and exotic man ruled by magic and emotion. In the late 19th century the "Young Wales" movement recreated him as the father of Welsh nationalism, revising the historical image of him as a purely local leader and joining him in popular memory as a national hero on a par with King Arthur.

In 2000, celebrations were held all over Wales to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the rising.




Early life


Glyndŵr was born to a prosperous landed family, part of the Anglo-Welsh gentry of the Marches (the border between England and Wales) of northeast Wales. This group moved easily between Welsh and English societies occupying important offices for the Marcher lords while maintaining their position as uchelwyr — nobles descended from the pre-conquest royal dynasties — in traditional Welsh society. His father, Gruffydd Fychan II, Hereditary Tywysog of Powys Fadog and Lord of Glyndyfrdwy, died some time before 1370 leaving Glyndŵr's mother Elen ferch Tomas ap Llywelyn of Deheubarth a widow. Owain probably had an elder brother called Madog but he may have died young.

The young Owain ap Gruffydd was fostered at the home of Sir David Hanmer. Owain is thought to have been sent to London to study law at the Inns of Court. He probably studied as a legal apprentice for seven years; enough to get a good grasp of the law but not enough to be known as a "Man of Law". He was probably in London during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. By 1383 he had returned to Wales, where he married Sir David's daughter, Margaret, and established himself as the Squire of Sycharth and Glyndyfrdwy.

Glyndŵr entered military service in 1384 when he undertook garrison duty under the renowned Sir Gregory Sais on the English-Scottish border. In 1385 he enlisted under the Earl of Arundel in Richard II’s Scottish War. In 1387, Owain was in the South East and saw action on the high-seas at the Battle of Cadzand. Upon the death of Sir David, Glyndŵr returned to Wales as executor of the estate. Richard II regained power and Arundel was sidelined and eventually executed in 1397. Glyndŵr's opportunities were further limited by the death of Sir Gregory Sais three years later, and faced with these disappointments he returned to his estates in North Wales, living there quietly for ten years. The bard Iolo Goch ("Red Iolo") visited him throughout the 1390s and wrote a number of odes to Owain, praising Owain's liberality, and writing of Sycharth "Rare was it there/to see a latch or a lock."

The fall of Richard II


In the late 1390s, a series of events arrived that began to push Owain towards rebellion. In the last decade of the 14th century, Richard II had launched a bold plan to consolidate his hold on his kingdom and break the power of the magnates who constantly threatened his authority. As part of this plan, Richard began to shift his power base from the southeast toward the West. He established a new principality around the County of Cheshire and systematically built up his power in Wales.

Wales was ruled through a patchwork of semi-autonomous feudal states, bishoprics, shires, and territory under direct Royal rule. Richard eliminated his rivals and took their land or gave it to his favourites. As he did so, he raised an entire class of Welsh people to fill the new posts created in his new fiefdoms. For these people, the final days of the reign of Richard II were full of opportunities. In contrast, to the English magnates, it was a sign that Richard was dangerously out of control.

In 1399, the exiled Henry Bolingbroke, heir to the Dukedom of Lancaster, returned to reclaim his lands. Henry raised an army and marched to meet the King. Richard hurried back from Ireland to deal with Henry. They met in Wales at Conwy Castle to discuss the restitution of Henry's lands. Whatever was intended, the meeting ended when Richard was arrested, deposed and imprisoned, first at Chester, then at Pontefract Castle in West Yorkshire. Parliament quickly made Henry regent and then King. Richard died under mysterious circumstances in Pontefract, but his death was not generally known for some time.

In Wales, people like Owain were asked for the first time in their life to decide their loyalties. The Welsh were traditionally supporters of Richard, who had succeeded his father as Prince of Wales. With Richard removed the opportunities for advancement for Welsh people were suddenly severely limited. Many Welsh people seem to have been uncertain where this left them.

The dispute with De Grey

The revolt began as an argument with Owain's neighbour. The De Greys of Dyffryn Clwyd were Norman landowners with a reputation for being anti-Welsh. Owain was locked in a long-running land dispute with them. In 1399, he appealed to Parliament to resolve the issues. Reynold de Grey — a good friend of the new King Henry — used his influence to have Owain’s appeal rejected. Furthermore, he deliberately withheld a summons for Owain to join the King’s Scottish campaign. Technically, as a tenant-in-chief to the King, Owain was obliged to provide troops. By not responding to the summons Owain had committed treason.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owain_Glynd%C5%B5r"

Categories: Monarchs of Powys | Welsh monarchs | Welsh rebels | Welsh soldiers | Welsh lawyers | Disappeared people | Historical figures portrayed by Shakespeare | 1359 births | 1416 deaths

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owain_Glynd%C5%B5r

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