Madog ap Maredudd

Madog ap Maredudd († 1160 ) was a king of the Welsh principality of Powys .

Life

He was the second son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn and his wife Hunydd. After the death of his older brother Gruffydd in 1128, he became heir to his father, who died in 1132. During the Anarchy under King Stephen he could shake off the English supremacy over Powys and the Anglo-Normans to reconquer lost territories. At the Battle of Lincoln he and his warriors, along with Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd of Gwynedd and Morgan ab Owain of Caerleon, were part of the "dreadful Welsh mob" who supported Ranulph, Earl of Chester . In 1149 he even conquered Oswestry in Shropshire , which he was able to hold until 1157. In the same year he made his nephew Owain , a son of his brother Gruffydd, subordinate of Cyfeiliog. Between 1149 and 1157 in particular, he had to defend his empire against the attacks of Owain Gwynedd , who built Tomen-y-Rhodwydd Castle at the southern end of the Clwyd Valley . To defend against Gwynedd Madog allied again in 1150 with Ranulph of Chester. Nevertheless, he was defeated in the Battle of Coleshill near Flint by Owain and lost control of Cantref Iâl. Madog continued his England-friendly policy during the campaign of King Henry II of England and did not support the alliance of Welsh princes initiated by Owain Gwynedd. Madog remained neutral in the conflict, but took the opportunity to recapture Tomen-y-Rhodwydd Castle and thus control of Iâl through his brother Iorwerth Goch . He died in 1160 and was buried in the church of St. Tysilio in Meifod.

Family and offspring

He was married to Susanna, daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan , a sister of Owain Gwynedd. He had numerous children with her and with several lovers, including

• Llywelyn († 1160)
• Gruffydd Maelor I († 1191)
• Owain Fychan († 1187)
• Owain Brogyntyn
• Marred (or Marared) ∞ Iorwerth Drwyndwn , father of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth
• Gwenllian ∞ Lord Rhys

After his death and the death of his son Llywelyn, who was to be his main heir, in 1160, Powys was split up and never reunited in the hands of a Welsh ruler. The southern part of Powys became an independent principality under Madog's nephew Owain, later named Powys Wenwynwyn after Owain's son Gwenwynwyn . The northern part was divided among Madog's sons. To distinguish it from Powys Wenwynwyn, it was named after Madog's grandson Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor Powys Fadog .

literature

• John Edward Lloyd: Madog ap Maredudd , in: Dictionary of National Biography . Volume XXXV. Macmillan, Smith, Elder & Co., London and New York 1893, p. 301

Web links

• Welsh Biography Online: Madog ap Maredudd

Individual evidence

1. ↑ David Crouch: The March and the Welsh Kings. In: Edmund King: The Anarchy of King Stephen's Reign. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford 1994, ISBN 978-0-19-820364-3 , p. 277

predecessor	Office	successor
Maredudd ap Bleddyn	King of Powys 1132–1160	Division of Powys