Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd

Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd († 1136 ) was a Welsh princess.

She was the daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan , Lord of Gwynedd and his wife Angharad, daughter of Owen ap Edwin. She married Gruffydd ap Rhys , the prince of Deheubarth.

During the great Welsh uprising of 1136 against the Anglo-Normans , she led an attack on Kidwelly Castle in the absence of her husband in order to counter an attack by the Anglo-Normans. Not far from the castle, she met an Anglo-Norman force led by Maurice de Londres , who had launched a counter-attack after the defeat at the Battle of Loughor. The Anglo-Norman troops were superior to the Welsh, so that the Welsh were crushed. In the skirmish, Gwenllian and her son Morgan were killed while their son Maelgwn was captured. According to other sources, she was captured and beheaded as a traitor after the battle.

In many sources she is referred to as the "Welsh Boudicca "; their rather minor historical importance does not correspond to this title. The field near Kidwelly Castle where the battle is said to have taken place is now called Maes Gwenllian ( Welsh Gwenllian's field). A memorial stone from the 20th century in front of the castle commemorates the battle.

She and her husband had four children, in addition to Morgan and Maelgwn Maredudd ap Gruffydd and Rhys ap Gruffydd, who later became Lord Rhys .

Web links

• Welsh Biography Online: Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd

Individual evidence

1. ↑ John R. Kenyon: Kidwelly Castle. Cardiff, Cadw 2007, ISBN 978-1-85760-256-2 , p. 7.
2. ↑ Cadw: Heroes and Heroines of Wales: Gwenllian. (PDF; 823 kB) Retrieved on August 11, 2013 . 
3. ^ Kidwelly Town Council - Kidwelly History. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 2, 2014 ; Retrieved August 21, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.