Madoc ap Llewelyn(b.c. 1250)

H1 in "Welsh Madoc Dynasties: Kingdom of Gwynedd"

This Prince Madoc was great nephew of Llewelyn the Great of the Kingdom of Gwynedd in northwest Wales on the western border of the Kingdom of Powys. Prince Madoc's father, Llywelyn ap Maredudd, was the last vassal Lord of Meirionydd, a title held since his great grandfather Cynan ap Owain Gwynedd. Meirionydd is a beautiful area on the western coast of Wales with views of both mountains and ocean. See www.einionhouse.co.uk/wales.html

In 1294, Prince Madoc led a revolt against the English King Edward I, and was soon joined by princes of southern Wales. He occupied or destroyed English castles all across Wales. As a result, he proclaimed himself prince of all of Wales, but his glory was short lived.

His final battle was at Maes Moydog in 1295 where his men were defeated by a heavy barrage of arrows. He fled and became a fugitive until his unconditional surrender to John de Havering later that year. According to some accounts, he was taken to London, and his fate is unknown, but it is assumed he was executed. Others claim he was buried at All Saints Church, Gresford, in today's Warwickshire. On November 17, 1777 one Philip Yorke wrote from Erthig to Thomas Pennant regarding the proposed dislodging of the monument under the wall of Gresford church thought to be Madoc ap Llewellin. This letter is archived at the Warwickshire County Record Office. See www.allsaintsgresford.org.uk/about.php

Prince Madoc was of the House of Cunedda, and had two sons who survived him ~ Maredudd and Hywel, both who died in the mid-1300s.