Madog ap Llywelyn
Madog ap Llywelyn or
Prince Madoc was from a junior branch of the
House of Cunedda and a distant relation of
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (King Llywelyn III of
Gwynedd) the last recognised native
Prince of Wales.
It is thought that he was the son of
Llywelyn ap Maredudd, the last vassal Lord of
Meirionydd.
In the autumn of 1294 the Welsh broke in a general revolt led by Prince Madog ap Llywelyn in a response to the actions of new royal administrators in north and west Wales. The uprising quickly spread to south Wales led by
Cynan ap Maredudd of
Deheubarth and
Morgan ap Maredudd of
Gwynllwg in
Glamorgan. During this revolt Prince Madog proclaimed himself the
Prince of Wales.
Caernarfon was overrun by Madog's forces and the castle occupied as was
Morlais Castle in the south and half the town of
Caerphilly was burnt - although the castle itself held out. Other castles across Wales were besieged and many towns put to the flame.
Harlech Castle was defended by just 37 men and
King Edward I of
England himself was besieged at
Conwy Castle until he was relieved by his navy in 1295.
A final battle between Madog's men and those of the English crown was at
Maes Moydog in 1295. The Welsh army were defeated tactically when in an attempt to destroy the English cavalry by using the "porcupine" pike men formation they were showered with arrows and suffered very heavy losses. He barely escaped with his life and was a fugitive until his unconditional surrender to
John de Havering late in July or early August 1295. He was taken to London, and though he did not suffer the supreme penalty, his fate is unknown.
The revolt of Prince Madog brought a harsh response from King Edward I in the form of humiliating and punitive ordinances further restricting the civil rights and economic and social opportunities of the Welsh.
However, it wasn't long before
Llywelyn Bren, Lord of
Senghenydd, led a second rebellion, aided by some of the more prominent Marcher Lords from 1316 - 1318.
Madog was not the last of the House of Cunedda because he had two sons that survived him. As well as this the children of Rhodri ap Gruffudd (a brother of Llywelyn the Last) survived in exile. A grandson of Rhodri, Owain ap Thomas - or
Owain Lawgoch was later to proclaim himself Prince of Wales. An illegitimist claim by the sons of
Dafydd Goch also existed.
Madog ap Llywelyn is known to have had the following children;
* Maredudd ap Madoc ap Llywelyn (died c.1334)
* Hywel ap Madoc ap Llywelyn (died c.1352)
*
John Edward Lloyd (1911)
A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest (Longmans, Green & Co.)
* J. Beverley Smith (1998)
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Tywysog Cymru.
