47-662: Owain ap Gruffudd ( c. 1100 – 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd , North Wales , from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan . He was called Owain the Great ( Welsh : Owain Fawr ) and the first to be styled " Prince of Wales " and the " Prince of the Welsh ". He is considered to be the most successful of all the North Welsh princes prior to his grandson, Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (Llywelyn
94-461: A counter castle . The King came with a relief force to Coventry and although wounded in the fighting, drove Ranulf off and seized his hostages, including his nephew Gilbert fitz Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford, whom Stephen refused to release unless Gilbert surrendered his own castles. Gilbert, while agreeing to the condition, revolted as soon as he was at liberty. This action pushed the Clares into
141-427: A conflict from which they had previously remained aloof. In May 1149 the young Henry FitzEmpress met the king of Scotland and Ranulf at Carlisle, where Ranulf resolved his territorial disputes with Scotland and an agreement was reached to attack York . Stephen hurried north with a large force and his opponents dispersed before they could reach the city. The southern portion of the honour of Lancaster (the land between
188-643: A generation passed before Gwynedd was restored to its former glory under Owain's grandson Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great). According to legend, one of Owain's sons was Prince Madoc of Wales (Madog), who is popularly supposed to have fled across the Atlantic and colonised America , this tradition is part of the Pre-Columbian transoceanic contact theories . Altogether, the prolific Owain Gwynedd
235-491: A large force of mercenaries from Flanders and forced David to negotiate a treaty by which the Scots were granted the towns of Carlisle and Doncaster , for the return of Wark, Alnwick, Norham and Newcastle. Lost from England to Scotland along with Carlisle was much of Cumberland and the honour of Lancaster, lands that belonged to Earl Ranulf's father and had been surrendered by agreement to Henry I of England in return for
282-549: A large part of the south Midlands. The two earls concluded an elaborate treaty between 1149 and 1153. The Bishops of Chester and Leicester were both entrusted with pledges that were to be surrendered if either party infringed the agreement. In 1153 Henry, by then Stephen's accepted heir, granted Staffordshire to Ranulf. That year, whilst Ranulf was a guest at the house of William Peverel the Younger , his host attempted to kill him with poisoned wine. Three of his men who had drunk
329-471: A long siege but abandoned the attempt when eighty of his men were killed whilst working on a siege tower that fell and knocked them into a trench, suffocating them all. In 1145 (or early 1146) Ranulf switched allegiance from the Empress Matilda to Stephen. Since 1141 King David had been allied to Matilda, so Ranulf could now take up his quarrel with David of Scotland regarding his northern lands. It
376-467: A number of Welsh hostages, including two of Owain's sons. Owain wrote two letters to Louis VII of France , describing himself as "King of Wales" and "King of the Welsh". In the last of his letters to Louis VII of France, he offered to become a vassal of the French king and assist in attacking Henry if the French would make war on him. This time Owain styled himself Waliarum Princeps (Prince of Wales),
423-518: A source of grief for his brother. Owain appears as a minor character in novels of Sharon Kay Penman concerning Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine ( When Christ and His Saints Slept and Time and Chance ). Her focus with respect to Owain is on the fluctuating and factious relationship between England and Wales. List of rulers of Gwynedd This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Gwynedd . Many of them were also acclaimed " King of
470-419: Is able most powerfully to avenge both himself and us. We therefore most devoutly promise God that we will henceforth pay greater reverence than ever to churches and holy places". Madog ap Maredudd died in 1160, enabling Owain to regain territory in the east. In 1163 he formed an alliance with Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth to challenge English rule. King Henry again invaded Gwynedd in 1165, but instead of taking
517-500: Is probable that Ranulf's brother-in-law Phillip, (the son of Earl Robert), acted as an intermediary as Phillip had defected to the king. Ranulf came to Stephen at Stamford, repented his previous crimes and was restored to favour. He was allowed to retain Lincoln Castle until he could recover his Norman lands. Ranulf demonstrated his goodwill by helping Stephen to capture Bedford from Miles de Beauchamp and bringing 300 knights to
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#1732772296365564-659: Is said to have had the following children from two wives and at least four mistresses: Owain is a recurring character in the Brother Cadfael series of novels by Ellis Peters , often referred to, and appearing in the novels Dead Man's Ransom and The Summer of the Danes . He acts shrewdly to keep Wales' borders secure, and sometimes to expand them, during the civil war between King Stephen and Matilda, and sometimes acts as an ally to Cadfael and his friend, Sheriff Hugh Beringar. Cadwaladr also appears in both these novels as
611-494: Is thought to have been born on Anglesey about the year 1100, he was Gruffudd ap Cynan 's second child, grandchild of Owain ab Edwin of Tegeingl via his mother Angharad ferch Owain. By about 1120 Gruffydd had grown too old to lead his forces in battle and Owain and his brothers Cadwallon and later Cadwaladr led the forces of Gwynedd against the Normans and against other Welsh princes with great success. His elder brother Cadwallon
658-585: The Britons " or " Prince of Wales ". With Hywel's death, all male descendants of Maelgwn Gwynedd have expired. Merfyn the Freckled succeeds through his mother Esyllt, eldest daughter of Cynan Dindaethwy and niece of Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog. The warfare among the sons of Rhodri meant that the descendants of Anarawd became considered a separate house – called the House of Aberffraw from their principal seat – from
705-594: The Earldom of Chester. Ranulf claimed that his father had at that time been disinherited . When he heard of the concessions made to the Scottish King, Ranulf left Stephen's court in a rage. In the second Treaty of Durham (1139), Stephen was even more generous to David, granting the Earldom of Northumbria (Carlisle, Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire north of the Ribble) to his son, Prince Henry . Ranulf
752-512: The Great). He became known as Owain Gwynedd ( Middle Welsh : Owain Gwyned , "Owain of Gwynedd") to distinguish him from the contemporary king of Powys Wenwynwyn , Owain ap Gruffydd ap Maredudd, who became known as Owain Cyfeiliog . Owain Gwynedd was a member of the House of Aberffraw , the senior branch of the dynasty of Rhodri Mawr (Rhodri the Great). His father, Gruffudd ap Cynan ,
799-501: The King to capture the brothers. The King immediately marched on Lincoln. One of his key pretexts was that according to the settlement, Lincoln Castle was to revert to royal ownership and that the half-brothers had reneged on this. He arrived on 6 January 1141 and found the place scantily garrisoned: the citizens of Lincoln admitted him into the city and he immediately laid siege to the castle, captured seventeen knights and began to batter down
846-980: The Ribble and the Mersey) was conceded to Ranulf, who in return resigned his claim on Carlisle. Hence the Angevin cause secured the loyalty of Ranulf. Henry, whilst trying to escape south after the aborted attack on York, was forced to avoid the ambushes of Eustace , King Stephen's son. Ranulf assisted Henry, creating a diversion by attacking Lincoln, thus drawing Stephen to Lincoln and allowing Henry to escape. The Earl's territory in Leicestershire and Warwickshire brought him face to face with Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester , whose family (including his cousin Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick and his brother Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester ) controlled
893-466: The Welsh. Ranulf's opponents counselled the king that the earl might be planning treachery since he had offered no hostages or security and could easily be ambushed in Wales. Stephen contrived a quarrel with Ranulf at Northampton , provoked by an advisor who told the earl that the king would not assist him unless he restored all the property he had taken and rendered hostages. The earl refused these terms. He
940-485: The borders of Powys . The prince of Powys, Madog ap Maredudd , with assistance from Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester , gave battle at Coleshill , but Owain was victorious. All went well until the accession of King Henry II of England in 1154. Henry invaded Gwynedd in 1157 with the support of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys and Owain's brother Cadwaladr. The invasion met with mixed fortunes. Henry's forces ravaged eastern Gwynedd and destroyed many churches thus enraging
987-655: The earldom of Chester in 1128. Three years later he founded an abbey in North Wales, colonised by monks from the Norman Congregation of Savigny . He and Maud had at least three children and possibly more: In late January 1136, during the first months of the reign of Stephen of England , his northern neighbour David I of Scotland crossed the border into England. He took Carlisle , Wark , Alnwick , Norham and Newcastle upon Tyne and struck towards Durham . On 5 February 1136, Stephen reached Durham with
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#17327722963651034-482: The east. Forty years after these events, the scholar Gerald of Wales , in a rare quote from these times, wrote what Owain Gwynedd said to his troops on the eve of battle: "My opinion, indeed, by no means agrees with yours, for we ought to rejoice at this conduct of our adversary; for, unless supported by divine assistance, we are far inferior to the English; and they, by their behaviour, have made God their enemy, who
1081-554: The father of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great), then to Cristin, by whom he had three sons including Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd and Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd . He also had a number of illegitimate sons, who by Welsh law had an equal claim on the inheritance if acknowledged by their father. Gwynedd was married, firstly to Gwladus daughter of Llywarch ap Trahaearn and then his cousin Cristin verch Goronwy. Owain had originally designated Rhun ab Owain Gwynedd as his successor. Rhun
1128-686: The first time he or anyone is known to have used such a title. Henry did not invade Gwynedd again, and Owain was able to regain his eastern conquests, recapturing Rhuddlan Castle in 1167 after a siege of three months. The last years of Owain's life were spent in disputes with the Archbishop of Canterbury , Thomas Becket , over the appointment of a new Bishop of Bangor . When the see became vacant Owain had his nominee, Arthur of Bardsey, elected. The archbishop refused to accept this, so Owain had Arthur consecrated in Ireland . The dispute continued, and
1175-455: The garrison with his siege engines. Ranulf managed to escape to his earldom, collect his Cheshire and Welsh retainers and appeal to his father-in-law Robert of Gloucester , whose daughter Maud was still besieged in Lincoln, possibly as a deliberate ploy to encourage her father's assistance. In return for Robert's aid, Ranulf agreed to promise fidelity to the Empress Matilda. To Robert and
1222-869: The junior branches in Deheubarth and elsewhere: Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester Ranulf II (also known as Ranulf de Gernon ), 4th Earl of Chester (1099–1153), was an Anglo-Norman baron who inherited the honour of the palatine county of Chester upon the death of his father Ranulf Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester . He was descended from the Counts of Bessin in Normandy . In 1136 David I of Scotland invaded England as far as Durham , which led Stephen of England to negotiate treaties that involved granting Ranulf's lands around Carlisle to Scotland . Thereafter, Ranulf allied himself to Matilda to further his cause. He took Lincoln Castle in 1141, which
1269-531: The king's followers and in the weeks after the fighting managed to take the Earl of Richmond's northern castles and capture him when he tried to ambush Ranulf. Richmond was put in chains and tortured until he submitted to Ranulf and did him homage. Stephen had been effectively deposed and Matilda ruled in his place. In September 1141, Robert of Gloucester and Matilda besieged Winchester . The queen responded quickly and rushed to Winchester with her own army, commanded by
1316-422: The local population. The two armies met at Ewloe . Owain's men ambushed the royal army in a narrow, wooded valley, routing it completely with King Henry himself narrowly avoiding capture. The fleet accompanying the invasion made a landing on Anglesey where it was defeated. Ultimately, at the end of the campaign, Owain was forced to come to terms with Henry, being obliged to surrender Rhuddlan and other conquests in
1363-501: The north of Ceredigion . Though Owain was later reconciled with Cadwaladr, from 1143, Owain ruled alone over most of North Wales . In 1155 Cadwaladr was driven into exile. Owain took advantage of The Anarchy , a civil war between Stephen, King of England , and the Empress Matilda , to push Gwynedd's boundaries further east than ever before. In 1146 he captured Mold Castle and about 1150 captured Rhuddlan and encroached on
1410-402: The oath which the king had sworn to him at Stamford , revolted as soon as he regained his liberty and "burst into a blind fury of rebellion, scarcely discriminating between friend or foe”. He came with his army to Lincoln to recover the city but failed to break into its north gate and his chief lieutenant was slain in the fighting. Ranulf also tried to recover the castle at Coventry , by building
1457-482: The other supporters of the Empress, this was good news, as Ranulf was a major magnate. Robert swiftly raised an army and set out for Lincoln, joining forces with Ranulf on the way. Stephen held a council of war at which his advisors counselled that he leave a force and depart to safety, but Stephen disregarded the odds and decided to fight, but was obliged to surrender to Robert. Ranulf took advantage of disarray amongst
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1504-407: The plot and persuaded Stephen to escort Henry back to Scotland. Ranulf then used subterfuge to seize Lincoln Castle . He and his half-brother William de Roumare sent their wives to visit the constable's wife there and then arrived (dressed in ordinary clothes and escorted by three knights), apparently to fetch the ladies. They then seized the weapons in the castle, admitted their own men and ejected
1551-506: The professional soldier William of Ypres . The queen's forces surrounded the army of the empress, commanded by Robert, who was captured as a result of deciding to fight his way out of the situation. The magnates following the empress were forced to flee or be taken captive. Earl Ranulf managed to escape and fled back to Chester. Later that year Robert was exchanged for Stephen, who resumed the throne. In 1144 Stephen attacked Ranulf again by laying siege to Lincoln Castle. He made preparations for
1598-440: The royal garrison. Stephen eventually made a pact with Ranulf and his half-brother and left Lincolnshire , returning to London before Christmas 1140, after making William de Roumare Earl of Lincoln and awarding Ranulf with administrative and military powers over Lincolnshire and the town and castle of Derby . The citizens of Lincoln sent Stephen a message complaining about the treatment they were receiving from Ranulf and asking
1645-540: The see remained officially vacant until well after Owain's death. He was also put under pressure by the Archbishop and the Pope to put aside his second wife, Cristin verch Goronwy , who was his first cousin, this relationship making the marriage invalid under church law. Despite being excommunicated for his defiance, Owain steadfastly refused to put Cristin aside. Owain died in 1170, and despite having been excommunicated
1692-409: The siege of Wallingford . Stephen welcomed Ranulf's support but some of the king's supporters, (especially William de Clerfeith, Gilbert de Gant , Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond , William Peverel the Younger , William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel and John, Count of Eu ), did not. Many of the magnates were alarmed when it was discovered that Ranulf wanted the king to take part in a campaign against
1739-465: The throne. Ranulf was born in Normandy at the Château Guernon , in 1099. He was the son of Ranulf Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester and Lucy of Bolingbroke , who were both significant landowners with considerable autonomy within the county palatine . His father had begun a new lineage of the earldom of Chester. Ranulf married Maud , daughter of Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester and inherited
1786-621: The usual route along the northern coastal plain, the king's army invaded from Oswestry and took a route over the Berwyn hills . The invasion was met by an alliance of all the Welsh Princes, with Owain as the undisputed leader. However, apart from a small melee at the Battle of Crogen , there was little fighting, for the Welsh weather came to Owain's assistance as torrential rain forced Henry to retreat in disorder. The infuriated Henry mutilated
1833-408: The wine died, while Ranulf suffered agonizing pain. A few months later Henry became king and exiled Peverel from England as punishment. Ranulf succumbed to the poison on 16 December 1153: his son Hugh inherited his lands as held in 1135 (when Stephen took the throne), while other honours bestowed upon Ranulf were revoked. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from a publication now in
1880-500: Was Owain's favourite son, and his premature death in 1146 plunged his father into a deep melancholy , from which he was only roused by the news that his forces had captured Mold Castle. Owain then designated Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd as his successor, but after his death, Hywel was first driven to seek refuge in Ireland by Cristin's sons, Dafydd and Rhodri, then Hywel was killed at the battle of Pentraeth when he returned with an Irish army. Dafydd and Rhodri split Gwynedd between them, but
1927-548: Was a strong and long-lived ruler who had made the principality of Gwynedd the most influential in Wales during the sixty-two years of his reign, using the island of Anglesey as his power base. His mother, Angharad ferch Owain , was the daughter of Owain ab Edwin of Tegeingl . Owain Gwynedd was the second son of Gruffydd and Angharad. His elder brother, Cadwallon, was killed in fighting in Powys in 1132 against Meirionnydd . Owain
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1974-400: Was accused of treason and was arrested and imprisoned in chains until his friends succeeded in coming to terms with the King on 28 August 1146. It was then agreed that the earl should be released, provided he surrendered all the royal lands and castles he had seized (Lincoln included), gave hostages and took a solemn oath not to resist the king in future. Ranulf, arrested in contravention of
2021-459: Was against the Normans, with Gruffydd ap Rhys he secured a victory at the Battle of Crug Mawr and the temporary occupation of Kingdom of Ceredigion . On Gruffudd's death in 1137, Owain inherited a portion of a well-established kingdom, but had to share it with Cadwaladr. In 1143 Cadwaladr was implicated in the murder of Anarawd ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth , and Owain responded by sending his son Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd to strip him of his lands in
2068-552: Was buried in Bangor Cathedral by the local clergy. The annalist writing Brut y Tywysogion recorded his death "after innumerable victories and unconquered from his youth". He is believed to have commissioned The Life of Gruffydd ap Cynan , an account of his father's life. Following his death, civil war broke out between his sons. Owain was married twice, first to Gwladus ferch Llywarch ap Trahaearn, by whom he had two sons, Maelgwn ab Owain Gwynedd and Iorwerth Drwyndwn ,
2115-540: Was killed in a battle against the forces of Powys in 1132, leaving Owain as his father's heir. Owain and Cadwaladr, in alliance with Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth , won a major victory over the Normans at Crug Mawr near Cardigan in 1136 and annexed Ceredigion to their father's realm. On behalf of his father, Gruffudd ap Cynan, Gwynedd directed military operations to the " cantrefs of Meirionnydd , Rhos , Rhufoniog and Dyffryn Clwyd to Gwynedd proper", and it
2162-476: Was prepared to revolt in order to win back his lordship of the north. By this time Matilda , named as the future Queen by her father Henry I , had gathered enough strength to contest Stephen's usurpation, supported by her husband Geoffrey of Anjou and her half-brother Robert of Gloucester . Prince Henry was to attend the English court that Michaelmas and Ranulf planned to overwhelm him on his return to Scotland. Stephen's queen Matilda of Boulogne heard about
2209-464: Was retaken by Stephen in a siege in which Ranulf was forced to flee for his life. Ranulf enlisted the help of Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester to retake the castle and succeeded when King Stephen surrendered to him at Lincoln. While Matilda ruled England, Stephen's queen Matilda of Boulogne managed to defeat Ranulf and his allies at Winchester , which eventually resulted in Stephen being able to resume
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