Maredudd ap Rhys Grug (died 1271), was the son of Rhys Gryg (a Welsh prince of Deheubarth) and Mathilde de Clare (a daughter of Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford, Marcher Lord of Cardigan). Maredudd initially ruled north east of Ystrad Tywi, including Llandovery Castle, until he expanded to rule the region encompassing Dryslwyn castle.
When his father died, in 1234, Maredudd was still young, and his wardship was entrusted to Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke; [1] their mothers were distant cousins. In 1241, Maredudd married Gilbert's niece, Isobella; [1] the marriage had probably been arranged earlier. [1]
Maredudd ap Rhys Gryg died at Dryslwyn on 27 July 1271, leaving behind his son, Rhys ap Maredudd. He is buried at Whitland Abbey.
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Maredudd was exiled from the south around 1250 due to rivalries with his brother and his nephew, Rhys Mechyll and Rhys Fychan ap Rhys Mechyll. He fled to Gwynedd where he joined Llywelyn ap Gruffydd on his successful campaigns of 1256. Llywelyn thus rewarded him with land round Llanbadarn and Cantref Buellt.
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Maredudd contributed significantly in the 1257 battle of Cymerau where the Welsh side were victorious. However, Rhys Fychan's siding with the Welsh during this battle disenfranchised Maredudd; though he swore allegiance to Llywelyn in 1258, he later that year sided with the king.
Consequently, on 28 May 1259, Maredydd was put on trial for treason, the first trial of its kind in Wales. He was found guilty by a council of native lords and imprisoned in the castle at Criccieth.
In 1261, Maredudd was granted reconciliation with Llywelyn under severe terms, though the king retained Maredudd's homage in 1267 following the peace of Montgomery. Llywelyn received this homage in 1270.
Rhys ap Gruffydd, commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh Yr Arglwydd Rhys was the ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales from 1155 to 1197 and native Prince of Wales.
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last, was the native Prince of Wales from 1258 until his death at Cilmeri in 1282. Llywelyn was the son of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr and grandson of Llywelyn the Great, and he was one of the last native and independent princes of Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England and English rule in Wales that followed, until Owain Glyndŵr held the title during the Welsh Revolt of 1400–1415.
Deheubarth was a regional name for the realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to Gwynedd. It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under the House of Dinefwr, but that Deheubarth itself was not considered a proper kingdom on the model of Gwynedd, Powys, or Dyfed is shown by its rendering in Latin as dextralis pars or as Britonnes dexterales and not as a named land. In the oldest British writers, Deheubarth was used for all of modern Wales to distinguish it from Hen Ogledd, the northern lands whence Cunedda originated.
The Kingdom of Powys was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. It very roughly covered the northern two-thirds of the modern county of Powys and part of today's English West Midlands. More precisely, and based on the Romano-British tribal lands of the Ordovices in the west and the Cornovii in the east, its boundaries originally extended from the Cambrian Mountains in the west to include the modern West Midlands region of England in the east. The fertile river valleys of the Severn and Tern are found here, and this region is referred to in later Welsh literature as "the Paradise of Powys".
Maelgwn ap Rhys was prince of part of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south west Wales.
Madog ap Llywelyn was the leader of the Welsh revolt of 1294–95 against English rule in Wales and proclaimed "Prince of Wales". The revolt was surpassed in longevity only by the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr in the 15th century. Madog belonged to a junior branch of the House of Aberffraw and was a distant relation of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last recognised native Prince of Wales.
Madog ap Maredudd was the last prince of the entire Kingdom of Powys, Wales and for a time held the Fitzalan Lordship of Oswestry.
Rhys Gryg, real name Rhys ap Rhys, also known as Rhys Fychan, was a Welsh prince who ruled part of the Kingdom of Deheubarth.
Dinefwr Castle is a ruined castle overlooking the River Towy near the town of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on a ridge on the northern bank of the Towy, with a steep drop of one hundred feet to the river. Dinefwr was the chief seat of the Dinefwr dynasty of the Kingdom of Deheubarth. The castle is a Grade I listed building.
Dryslwyn Castle is a native Welsh castle, sited on a rocky hill roughly halfway between Llandeilo and Carmarthen in Wales. It stands on high ground overlooking the Tywi Valley with extensive views. It was built in about the 1220s by one of the princes of the kingdom of Deheubarth, and changed hands several times in the struggles between the Welsh and English over the ensuing centuries. It is considered one of the most important remaining structures built by a Welsh chieftain and is a Grade I listed building.
The Royal House of Dinefwr was a cadet branch of the Royal House of Gwynedd, founded by King Cadell ap Rhodri, son of Rhodri the Great. Their ancestor, Cunedda Wledig, born in late Roman Britain, was a Sub-Roman warlord who founded the Kingdom of Gwynedd during the 5th century, following the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. As Celtic Britons, the House of Dinefwr was ruling before the Norman conquest, having to fight with their neighbors such as the Celtics, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, before struggling with the Normans afterwards. Many members of this family were influential in Welsh history, such as Hywel Dda, who codified Welsh law under his rule, and achieved the important title of King of the Britons, or Lord Rhys, Prince of Wales, who rebelled against Richard the Lionheart, and became one of the most powerful Welsh leaders of the Middle ages.
This article is about the particular significance of the century 1201–1300 to Wales and its people.
This article is about the particular significance of the century 1101–1200 to Wales and its people.
The history of Gwynedd in the High Middle Ages is a period in the History of Wales spanning the 11th through the 13th centuries. Gwynedd, located in the north of Wales, eventually became the most dominant of Welsh polities during this period. Contact with continental courts allowed for Gwynedd to transition from a petty kingdom into an increasingly sophisticated principality of seasoned courtiers capable of high level deplomacy and representation; not only with the Angevine kings, but also the king of France and the Papal See. Distinctive achievements in Gwynedd include further development of Medieval Welsh literature, particularly poets known as the Beirdd y Tywysogion associated with the court of Gwynedd; the reformation of bardic schools; and the continued development of Cyfraith Hywel. All three of these further contributed to the development of a Welsh national identity in the face of Anglo-Norman encroachment of Wales.
Sir Stephen Bauzan was an English knight. Stephen descended from a prominent family originating in Devon/Cornwall.
Rhys ap Maredudd was a senior member of the Welsh royal house of Deheubarth, a principality of Medieval Wales. He was the great grandson of The Lord Rhys, prince of south Wales, and the last ruler of a united Deheubarth. He is best known for his leadership of a revolt in south Wales in 1287–88.
Goronwy ab Ednyfed was seneschal to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, king of Gwynedd. Goronwy was the founder of the Tudor family of Penmynydd.
A series of Welsh rebellions broke out in the century following the conquest of Wales by Edward I in 1283, which had brought the whole of Wales under the control of the Kingdom of England for the first time. In 1400, Welsh discontent with English rule in Wales culminated in the Welsh Revolt, a major uprising led by Owain Glyndŵr, who achieved de facto control over much of the country in the following years. The rebellion petered out after 1409, and after complete English control was restored in 1415 no further major rebellions occurred.