Glyndŵr rebellion

Glyndŵr Rising

(1400–1415). Click on the icons for details.

Important battle
Castle garrisoned by English forces
Castle unsuccessfully besieged by Welsh forces
Castle possibly sacked by Welsh forces
Castle sacked or occupied by Welsh forces (dates held)
Welsh campaign of 1400
Welsh campaign of 1403
Franco-Welsh campaign of 1405
Possible route of 1405 campaign

On 16 September 1400, Owain acted, and was proclaimed Prince of Wales by a small band of followers

About the same time, the Tudur brothers from Anglesey launched a guerrilla war against the English. The Tudors of Penmynydd were a prominent Anglesey family who were closely associated with King Richard II. Gwilym ap Tudur and Rhys ap Tudur were both military leaders of a contingent of soldiers raised in 1396 to protect North Wales against any invasion by the French. They joined the king in his military expedition to Ireland in 1398. When Glyndŵr announced his revolt, Rhys, Gwilym and their third brother, Maredudd ap Tudur, openly swore allegiance; they were Glyndŵr's cousin on their mother's side.^[9]

King Henry IV, on his way back from invading Scotland, turned his army towards Wales. By 26 September he was in

In 1401, the revolt began to spread. Much of northern and central Wales went over to Owain. Multiple attacks were recorded on English towns, castles, and manors throughout the north. Even in the south in Brecon and Gwent reports began to come in of banditry and lawlessness. King Henry appointed Henry "Hotspur" Percy – the warrior son of the powerful Earl of Northumberland – to bring the country to order.^[10] An amnesty was issued in March which applied to all rebels with the exception of Owain and his cousins, Rhys and Gwilym ap Tudur.^[14]

Most of the country agreed to pay all the usual taxes, but the Tudurs knew that they needed a bargaining chip if they were to lift the dire threat hanging over them. They decided to capture

Anti-Welsh laws

The core Lancastrian supporters would have none of this. They struck back with anti-Welsh legislation, the Penal Laws against Wales 1402 which were designed to establish English dominance in Wales.^[18][19] The laws included prohibiting any Welshman from buying land in England, from holding any senior public office in Wales, from bearing arms, and from holding any castle or defending any house; no Welsh child was to be educated or apprenticed to any trade, no Englishman could be convicted in any suit brought by a Welshman, Welshmen were to be severely penalised when marrying English women, any Englishman marrying a Welsh woman was disenfranchised, and all public assembly was forbidden.^[20] These laws sent a message to any of those who were wavering that the English viewed all the Welsh with equal suspicion. Many Welshmen who had tried to further their careers in English service now felt pushed into the rebellion as the middle ground between Owain and Henry disappeared.

The revolt spreads

In the same year, 1402, Owain captured his arch enemy, Reynald or

Edmund Mortimer, the uncle of the Earl of March, at Bryn Glas in central Wales. Mortimer's army was badly defeated and Mortimer was captured. It is reported that the Welsh women following Owain's army, killed the wounded English soldiers and mutilated the bodies of the dead, supposedly in revenge for plundering and rape by the English soldiery the previous year. Glyndŵr offered to release Mortimer for a large ransom, but Henry IV refused to pay. Mortimer could be said to have had a greater claim to the English throne than himself, so his speedy release was not an option. In response, Sir Edmund negotiated an alliance with Owain and married one of Owain's daughters, Catrin.^[22]

In the north of Wales, Owain's supporters launched a further attack on Caernarfon Castle (this time with French support) and almost captured it.^[24] In response, Henry of Monmouth (son of Henry IV and the future Henry V) attacked and burned Owain's homes at Glyndyfrdwy and Sycharth. On 10 July 1403, Hotspur declared against the king by challenging his cousin Henry's right to the throne and by raising his standard in revolt in Cheshire at Chester, a bastion of support for King Richard II. Henry of Monmouth, then only 16, turned to the north to meet Hotspur. On 21 July, Henry arrived in Shrewsbury just before Hotspur, forcing the rebel army to camp outside the town. Henry forced the battle before the Earl of Northumberland had also managed to reach Shrewsbury. Thus, on 22 July, Henry was able to fight before the full strength of the rebels was present and on ground of his own choosing. The battle lasted all day, Prince Henry was badly wounded in the face by an arrow but continued to fight alongside his men. When the cry went out that Hotspur had fallen, the rebels' resistance began to falter and crumble. By the end of the day, Hotspur was dead and his rebellion was over. Over 300 knights had died and up to 20,000 men were killed or injured.

In the summer of 1404, Owain captured and garrisoned the great western castles of

Tripartite Indenture and the Year of the French

See also:

Bramham Moor

. Owain was capitalising on the political situation to make the best deal he possibly could.

Things were improving on the international front too. Although negotiations with the Lords of Ireland were unsuccessful, Owain had reasons to hope that the French and Bretons might be more welcoming. In May 1404, Owain had dispatched Gruffydd Young and his brother-in-law, John Hanmer, to France to negotiate a treaty with the French. The result was a formal treaty that promised French aid to Owain and the Welsh. Joint Welsh and Franco-Breton forces had already attacked and laid siege to Kidwelly Castle in November 1403.^[24] The Welsh could also count on semi-official aid from Brittany (which was a French vassal at the time) and the then independent Scotland.^[22]

The rebellion flounders

In 1406, he announced his national programme. He declared his vision of an independent Welsh state with a parliament and separate Welsh church. There would be two national

Avignon Pope Benedict XIII to shift the allegiance of the Welsh Church from Rome to Avignon

, produced no effect. The moment had passed.

There were other signs the revolt was encountering problems. Early in the year Owain's forces suffered defeats at

Battle of Usk

as he ministered to the dying and wounded on both sides. More serious for the rebellion, English forces landed in Anglesey from Ireland. Over the next year they would gradually push the Welsh back until the resistance in Anglesey formally ended toward the end of 1406.

At the same time, the English were adopting a different strategy. Rather than focusing on punitive expeditions favoured by his father, the young Henry of Monmouth adopted a strategy of economic blockade. Using the castles that remained in English control he gradually began to retake Wales while cutting off trade and the supply of weapons. By 1407 this strategy was beginning to bear fruit. In March, 1,000 men from all over

Edmund Mortimer died in the final battle and Owain's wife Margaret along with two of his daughters (including Catrin) and three of his Mortimer granddaughters were taken prisoner and incarcerated in the Tower of London

. They were all to die in the Tower before 1415.

Owain remained free but now he was a hunted guerilla leader. The revolt continued to splutter on. In 1410, Owain readied his supporters for a last raid deep into Shropshire. Many of his most loyal commanders were present. It may have been a last desperate suicide raid. Whatever was intended, the raid went terribly wrong and many of the leading figures still at large were captured. Rhys Ddu ("Black Rhys") of Cardigan, one of Owain's most faithful commanders, was captured and taken to London for execution. A chronicle of the time states that Rhys Ddu was: "…laid on a hurdle and so drawn forth to Tyburn through the City and was there hanged and let down again. His head was smitten off and his body quartered and sent to four towns and his head set on London Bridge." Philip Scudamore and Rhys ap Tudur were also beheaded and their heads displayed at Shrewsbury and Chester (no doubt to discourage any further thoughts of rebellion).

In 1412, Owain captured, and later ransomed, a leading

Lollard leader, Sir John Oldcastle, was communicating with Owain and reinforcements were sent to the major castles in the north and south. Outlaws and bandits left over from the rebellion were still active in Snowdonia

.

But by then things were changing. King Henry IV died in 1413 and his son

King Richard II was interred in Westminster Abbey. In 1415 Henry V offered a Pardon to Owain, as he prepared for war with France. There is evidence that the new King Henry V was in negotiations with Owain's son, Maredudd ab Owain Glyndŵr, but nothing was to come of it. In 1416 Maredudd was himself offered a Pardon but refused. Perhaps his father Owain was still alive and he was unwilling to accept it while he lived. He finally accepted a Royal Pardon on 8 April 1421, suggesting that Owain Glyndŵr was finally dead.^[26] There is some evidence to suggest, in the poetry of the Welsh Bard Llawdden for example, that a few diehards continued to fight on even after 1421 under the leadership of Owain's son-in-law Phylib ap Rhys

.

The

Annals of Owain Glyndwr

(Panton MS. 22) finish in the year 1422. The last entry regarding the prince reads:

1415 – Owain went into hiding on

St Matthew's Day in Harvest (21 September), and thereafter his hiding place was unknown. Very many said that he died; the seers maintain he did not.^[27]

The date of his death remains uncertain but the tentative consensus is that he may have died in 1415.[28]

The aftermath of rebellion in Wales

By 1415, full English rule was returned to Wales. The leading rebels were dead, imprisoned, or impoverished through massive fines. Scarcely a parish or family in Wales, English or Welsh, had not been affected in some way. The cost in loss of life, loss of livelihood, and physical destruction was enormous. Wales, already a poor country on the border of England, was further impoverished by pillage, economic blockade and communal fines. Reports by travellers speak of ruined castles, such as Montgomery Castle and Abbeys such as Strata Florida Abbey and Abbeycwmhir. Grass grew in the market squares of many towns such as Oswestry and Welsh commerce had almost ground to a halt. Land that had previously been productive was now empty wasteland with no tenants to work the land. As late as 1492, a Royal Official in lowland Glamorgan was still citing the devastation caused by the revolt as the reason he was unable to deliver promised revenues to the King.^{[citation needed]}

Many prominent families were ruined. In 1411, John Hanmer pleaded poverty as the reason he could not pay the fines imposed on him. The Tudors no longer lorded it over

titular bishop of Hippo in North Africa.^{[citation needed}

]

A series of penal laws were put in place, intended to prevent any further uprisings. These remained until the reign of

Jasper Tudor, the half brothers of Henry VI of England. However, the Tudor brothers' father, Owen Tudor was arrested as he had married the Queen dowager, Catherine of Valois, in secret.^[31][32] Henry VI saw to his release and inclusion in the Royal Household.^[33]

The revolt was the last major manifestation of a Welsh independence movement before the annexation of Wales into England by the

Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542.^[34] The Acts were passed during the reign of King Henry VIII of England, of the Tudor dynasty, and came into effect in 1543.^[35]

Notes

1. National Assembly for Wales
   .

References

1. ^ Williams 2005, p. 12.
2. ^ Barber 2004, p. 21.
3. ^ ^{a b c} BBC.
4. ^ Parry 2010, p. 70.
5. ^ Tout 1900, p. 9.
6. ^ Parry 2010, p. 75.
7. ^ Tout 1900, p. 10.
8. ^ Parry 2010, p. 81.
9. ^ Griffiths & Thomas 1985, p. 19.
10. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Bradley 1901.
11. ^ ^{a b} Griffiths & Thomas 1985, p. 21.
12. ^ Griffiths & Thomas 1985, p. 17.
13. ^ Parry 2010, p. 84.
14. ^ ^{a b} Griffiths & Thomas 1985, p. 22.
15. ^ Grant 2011, p. 212.
16. ^ Parry 2010, p. 109.
17. ^ Parry 2010, p. 137.
18. ^ Davies 2009.
19. ^ Jones & Smith 1999.
20. ^ Parry 2010, p. 360.
21. ^ Parry 2010, p. 115.
22. ^ ^{a b c} Pierce 1959.
23. ISSN 0261-3409
    .
24. ^ ^{a b} Parry 2010, p. 183.
25. ^ Williams 1993, p. 4.
26. ^ Davies 1997, p. 293.
27. ^ Lloyd 1931, p. 154.
28. ^ Williams 1993, p. 5.
29. ^ ^{a b} Evans 1915, p. 19.
30. ^ Griffiths & Thomas 1985, p. 5.
31. ^ Griffiths & Thomas 1985, p. 29.
32. ^ Griffiths & Thomas 1985, p. 32.
33. ^ Griffiths & Thomas 1985, p. 33.
34. ^ Davies 1997, p. 324.
35. ^ Williams 1985, p. 122.

Bibliography

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  ISBN 978-1-872730-33-2
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