Gwenwynwyn

Gwenwynwyn Coat of Arms

Gwenwynwyn († 1216 ) was a ruler of part of the Welsh principality of Powys . The northern part of Powys, which has been divided since 1160, was also named Powys Wenwynwyn after him .

Origin and youth

Gwenwynwyn was the eldest son of Owain Cyfeiliog and his wife Gwenllian, a daughter of Owain Gwynedd . In 1187 he attacked together with his brother Cadwallon Carreghofa Castle and killed Owain Fychan , the son of Madog ap Maredudd and lord of the neighboring lords of Mechain, Cynllaith and Lower Mochnant.

Take control and attempt to expand

In 1195 Gwenwynwyn's father retired to Strata Marcella Monastery , where he died in 1197, and gave him control of southern Powys. Gwenwynwyn now had big plans to expand his empire and make Powys a powerful principality again. In 1196 a war began against the English king, after which the royal justiciar Hubert Walter, with the help of the princes of North Wales, besieged Gwenwynwyn's Pool Castle . The castle was conquered by undermining , but the crew escaped. Towards the end of the year, Gwenwynwyn retook the castle. With the death of Lord Rhys , prince of Deheubarth , and the defeat of Dafydd ab Owain , a partial prince of Gwynedd , he now saw his chance to enlarge his empire at the expense of the neighboring Welsh principalities. In the wars of succession to the throne in Deheubarth, he supported Maelgwn ap Rhys in 1197 in the fight against his brother Gruffydd ap Rhys . With his help Maelgwn was able to capture his brother and conquer Ceredigion . Maelgwn delivered Gruffydd to Gwenwynwyn, who passed him on to the English king and in return received the castle of Carreghofa. Next conquered Gwenwynwyn after the death of Owain Brithdir o'r the cantref Arwystli . With that, almost the entire region between the Tanat and the Severn as well as parts of the valley of the Dovey and the upper Wye were under his rule. His reign was eventually named Powys Wenwynwyn after him , a region essentially the same as what is now Montgomeryshire , in contrast to Powys Fadog, which was ruled by his second cousin Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor .

In 1198 Gwenwynwyn besieged Painscastle and Colwyn Castle , two castles of the mighty Marcher Lord William de Braose . However, his troops were defeated on August 13, 1198 at Efael by the royal justiciar Geoffrey fitz Peter , so that he had to lift the sieges. Nevertheless, King John Ohneland took Gwenwynwyn under his protection in December 1199 and gave him Ashford in Derbyshire as a fief. Presumably by this policy the king wanted to play Gwenwynwyn off against Llywelyn ap Iorwerth , the prince of Gwynedd. As a result, Gwenwynwyn was deeply enemies with Llywelyn ap Iorwerth. A campaign by Llywelyn against Powys was prevented in 1202 through the mediation of the church. The next year Gwenwynwyn again supported his ally Maelgwn ap Rhys in the fight against his nephews Rhys Ieuanc and Owain ap Gruffydd . He also attacked the areas of William de Braose again. In 1204 he met the king at Woodstock . Gwenwynwyn had to swear allegiance to the king again, after which his fiefdom in Derbyshire was confirmed.

Match ball between Gwynedd and England

After the fall of William de Braose in 1208, Gwenwynwyn tried to conquer part of his lands. However, the lands of Braose had been confiscated by the king and given to Peter FitzHerbert for administration, which is why the king ordered him to Shrewsbury . Gwenwynwyn was imprisoned for breach of faith and the king stripped him of his lands, which were immediately occupied by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth. After another humiliating oath of loyalty to the king and the position of 20 hostages, the king released him again in 1210. Gwenwynwyn accompanied the king on his campaign against Llywelyn in 1211 in order to retake Powys. When Pope Innocent III. due to the excommunication of John, the Welsh princes released from their oaths of allegiance to the king, Gwenwynwyn immediately changed sides and submitted to Llywelyn. Llywelyn then gave him back his possessions in Wales under humiliating circumstances and recognizing his sovereignty. In 1215 Gwenwynwyn accompanied Llywelyn on his victorious campaign through South Wales. Johann then withdrew his fiefdom in Derbyshire and gave it to Brian de Lisle . In 1216, however, Gwenwynwyn switched sides again and made peace with the king again. In response to this breach of loyalty, Llywelyn reoccupied his Powys lands. Gwenwynwyn had to flee to Cheshire , where he died.

Family and offspring

Gwenwynwyn had married Marged, a daughter of Lord Rhys, in his first marriage around 1182. In his second marriage he had married Margaret, a daughter of the Anglo-Norman Baron Robert Corbet , Lord of Caus Castle . He left two sons, Gruffydd and Madog. Gwenwynwyn's widow received from Llywelyn the income from their lands, which however remained occupied by Llyweleyn until his death in 1240. Brian de Lisle had to return the fiefs of Holme and Ashford in Derbyshire to the widow. It was only after 1240 that Gruffydd could inherit Powys Wenwynwyn, his younger brother Madog was given a small estate in Mawddwy as his vassal throughout his life .

Web links

• TF Tout, AD Carr: Gwenwynwyn (d. 1216?). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004
• Thomas Jones Pierce: Gwenwynwyn (d. 1216) Dictionary of Welsh Biography, National Library of Wales

Individual evidence

1. ^ Rees R. Davies: The Age of Conquest. Wales 1063-1415 . Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford 1991. ISBN 0-19-820198-2 , p. 229
2. ^ John Edward Lloyd: A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest . Vol. II. Longmans, Green & Co., London, 1912, p. 748