Madog ap Llywelyn

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Madog ap Llywelyn , also Madoc ap Llywelyn († after August 1295) was a leader of the Welsh rebellion from 1294 to 1295 .

Origin and youth

Madog was a son of Llywelyn ap Maredudd, the last lord of Meirionydd in North West Wales . His father, a descendant of Maredudd ap Cynan, was driven out of his rule by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in 1256 and lived in exile in England, where he received a pension from the king. After his father's death in 1263, Madog continued to live at the royal court. After the victory of the English King Edward I over Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in 1277 Madog Llywelyn sued before the royal court for the surrender of the rule of his father, but he received only one property on the island of Anglesey .

Leader of the Welsh Revolt from 1294 to 1295

Initial successes of the revolt

When a revolt against English rule broke out at the end of September 1294, Madog, a descendant of the old royal house of Gwynedd , made himself leader of the rebels in North Wales and made himself Prince of Wales . He was supported by Morgan ap Maredudd in Glamorgan and Maelgwn ap Rhys in Cardiganshire .

At the beginning the uprising was successful, with the rebellion led by Madog in northwest Wales achieving the greatest success. After the sack of the English possessions of Anglesey, Madog captured Caernarfon and the Caernarfon Castle, which was under construction . After failing to capture Conwy and the castle , he and his troops moved further east where they were able to capture Denbigh , Ruthin, and Hawarden Castle . On November 11th they routed Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln , the Lord of Denbigh, near Denbigh . When Edward I arrived with his army in Conwy Castle in December, the Welsh were able to ambush his train . Since the River Conwy was in high water, the rebels were able to separate the king from his main army and briefly besieged him at Conwy Castle when supplies were in short supply.

Defeat and capture

Before the British overwhelming power, Madog had to retreat to the Snowdon area . In March he wanted to lead his force to Powys, but he was surprised by English troops under the Earl of Warwick and decisively defeated in the battle of Maes Madog . He barely escaped and lived with the rest of his force in the Snowdon Mountains as a refugee. In May 1295 three English armies marched on Meirionydd, the home of Madog. With that the Welsh resistance collapsed. In July or early August Madog surrendered unconditionally to John de Havering , the English justiciar of North Wales. He was taken to London as a prisoner and incarcerated in the Tower . He was not tried for treason, but his further fate is unknown. However, a son of his was pardoned and later served in the household of Edward I.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ David Walker: Medieval Wales. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 1990, ISBN 0-521-31153-5 , p. 156
personal data
SURNAME Madog ap Llywelyn
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Madoc ap Llywelyn
BRIEF DESCRIPTION welsh rebel
DATE OF BIRTH 13th Century
DATE OF DEATH after August 1295
Place of death London