Owain Glyndwr

Owain Glyndwr also known as Owain ap Gruffydd was a Welsh leader who led a long and fierce war of independence which he hoped would end English rule in Wales during the late Middle Ages. He formed the first Welsh parliament and is believed to be the last native-born leader to unite Wales in a common cause.

Quick Facts:

Born: around 1359, in North Wales
Died: around 1415
Spouse: Margaret Hanmer
Reign as Prince of Wales: 1400-1415

Owain Glyndwr was a descendant of the Princes of Powys on his father’s side and a descendant of the princes of Deheubarth and of Llweyln the Great of one of the Gwynedd royal houses on his mother’s side.

Glydnwr is best known for instigating a 15-year-long revolt against the rule of King Henry IV of England in 1400. Fighting in a guerrilla style, the Welsh managed to inflict a series of defeats on the English and captured castles across Wales, regaining control of most of the country. Glyndwr received naval support from both Scotland and Brittany and also received promises from Charles VI, the King of France, that he would send troops.

Despite the revolution appearing to go in favour of the Welsh, the tide began to turn by 1407, with the English starting to overrun the Welsh and reconquering most of the country within two years. Glyndwr is said to have continued fighting until he was cornered at Harlech Castle which was under siege but was able to escape by disguising himself as an old man and leaving the castle, walking right by the English blockade. It is said that he retreated into the Welsh countryside with a band of loyal supporters, occasionally embarking on raids and ambushes across the border. The last recorded sighting of him was in 1412, when he captured and ambushed the king’s men.

He twice ignored a pardon from Henry V and despite huge awards for his capture, he was never betrayed to the English. It is thought that he died in around 1415. The news of his death gave him a mythical status akin to King Arthur. There are Welsh tales predicting his return to liberate the people.

Background

Glyndwr was born to a prosperous landed family descended from several Welsh royal houses. His family was part of the anglo-Welsh gentry of the Welsh marches and they were known to move easily between both the Welsh and English gentry, speaking both English and Welsh and occupying senior positions in both countries.

His father died when he was a teenager, leaving him to be fostered in the home of David Hamner, a lawyer who was appointed to the King’s Bench. It is likely that he spent some time in London, studying to be a legal apprentice and was believed to have been in the city during the Peasant’s Revolt.

Biographers have noted that he was living in Wales and married to David Hamner’s daughter Margaret by 1383. The pair had a large family.

Glyndwr entered the King’s military service and spent time on the English-Scottish border, likely because of his ability to speak English, something that was relatively rare in Wales at the time. He served under several kings, including King Richard II, first under John of Gaunt’s command and then later as a squire to Henry IV.

Glyndwr Rising

In the late 1390s, a series of events began to push Glyndwr towards rebellion. The following revolt was known as the Welsh Revolt, Glyndwr Rising and the Last War of Independence.

The revolt began after a neighbour seized control of some of Glyndwr’s land. Glyndwr appealed to the English parliament but he was ignored. Later, the neighbour, who had stature in the English court, would refer to Glyndwr as a traitor. This combined with the political difficulties in England following the deposition of Richard II, led Glyndwr to assume his ancestral title of Prince of Powys. With a small band of followers, he launched an assault on the neighbouring lands and war began to spread.

Much of northern and central Wales supported Glyndwr, among them the ancestors of Henry Tudor. Over the next few years, the revolt became national across Wales and there were reports that Welsh nationals living in England were also abandoning their homes and returning to Wales to join the revolution. Glyndwr also had the support of the Scottish, French and Bretons. By 1404, the Welsh had captured Aberystwyth Castle, Cardiff Castle and Harlech Castle.

In the same year, Glyndwr was crowned Prince of Wales in the presence of emissaries from Scotland, France and Spain.

Following this, a formal treaty between Wales and France was negotiated and the French, along with forces from Brittany, acting on behalf on the Welsh cause, battled across England and Wales, including the coast of Dartmouth in Devon and the Isle of Wight.

The fighting continued, up until around 1413 when the English began to overwhelm the Welsh. At this time, it was believed that Glyndwr was mostly continuing the fight to avenge his wife. He remained free but had lost his ancestral home and was on the run. Henry IV died in 1413 and his son Henry V began to adopt a more favourable attitude towards the Welsh, offering royal pardons to the leaders of the revolt, including Glyndwr.

Disappearance and death

Glyndwr disappeared from public life after 1412. Despite huge awards being offered for his whereabouts, he was never captured or betrayed and ignored royal pardons or summons. It is believed that he had died by 1415, though his final resting place remains uncertain. There are records from this time, with historians claiming that he was living under different names, though this has never been proven.

There are several memorials dedicated to Glyndwr throughout Wales, including a statue at Cardiff City Hall which was unveiled by Welsh prime minister David Lloyd George during the first world war and another in Machynlleth which was erected on the 600^th anniversary of the Glyndwr Rising.

After the death of Glyndwr there was little resistance to English rule from the Welsh. As time progressed and the Tudor dynasty began to rule in England, Welshmen became much more prominent in society and there were several members of Henry VII’s court who hailed from his native Wales.

Today Glyndwr is still remembered favourably and was ranked the 2^nd greatest Welsh Hero, coming in after Aneurin Bevan.