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 http://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.