- Madog ap Maredudd
Madog ap Maredudd (died 1160) was the last Prince of the entire
Kingdom of Powys ,Wales and for a time held the Fitzalan Lordship of Oswestry.Madog was the son of
Maredudd ap Bleddyn and grandson ofBleddyn ap Cynfyn . He followed his father on the throne of Powys in 1132. He is recorded as taking part in theBattle of Lincoln in 1141 in support of theEarl of Chester , along withOwain Gwynedd 's brotherCadwaladr ap Gruffydd and a large army of Welshmen. In 1149 he is recorded giving the commote of Cyfeiliog to his nephewsOwain Cyfeiliog and his brother Meurig. The same year Madog was able to rebuildOswestry castle a fortress ofWilliam Fitzalan . It would seem likely that he had gained both the fortresses ofOswestry and Whittington in 1146.Defeat by Gwynedd
At this time the King of Gwynedd, between 1149 to 1150,
Owain Gwynedd was exerting pressure on the borders of Powys, despite the fact that Madog was married to Susanna, Owain's sister. Madog made an alliance with Ranulf,Earl of Chester , but Owain defeated them atColeshill in 1150 and took possession of Madog's lands in Iâl (English="Yale"] . In 1157 when KingHenry II of England invaded Gwynedd he was supported by Madog, who was able to regain many of his Welsh lands. Even so he retained the lordships ofOswestry andWhittington . In 1159 Madog would seem to have been the Welsh prince who accompanied King Henry II in his campaign toToulouse which ended in failure. Returning home to Wales Madog died about 9 February 1160 inWhittington Castle . He was buried soon afterwards in the church of St. Tysilio atMeifod , the mother church of Powys.Succession Shared
Madog's eldest son, Llywelyn, was killed soon after his father's death and Powys was shared between a number of sons and nephews. Powys was never subsequently reunited, being separated into two parts;
Powys Fadog (Lower Powys) andPowys Wenwynwyn (Upper Powys). Madog's death enabled Owain Gwynedd to force the homage of Owain Brogyntyn, one of Madog's younger sons, and effectively annex part of northern Powys. The poetCynddelw Brydydd Mawr in his elegy on Madog said::"While Madog lived there was no man:"Dared ravage his fair borders:"Yet nought of all he held:"Esteemed he his save by God's might ...
:"If my noble lord were alive:"Gwynedd would not now be encamped in the heart of Edeyrnion"
The Mabinogion
The "
Mabinogion " tale "The Dream of Rhonabwy " is set during Madog's reign. The central character, Rhonabwy, is one of Madog's retainers sent to bring in Madog's rebellious brother Iorwerth. His titular dream contrasts his own time with the grandeur ofKing Arthur 's period. [Gantz, Jeffrey (translator) (1987). "The Mabinogion," pp. 177–191. New York: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-044322-3.]Children
*
Llywelyn ap Madog
*Gruffydd Maelor
*Gwenllian ferch Madog , marriedRhys ap Gruffydd , prince ofDeheubarth
*Marared ferch Madog , marriedIorwerth Drwyndwn and was the mother ofLlywelyn the Great
* Efa ferch Madog, marriedCadwallon ap Madog Notes
References
*cite book|author=
John Edward Lloyd |title=A history of Wales: from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest |publisher=Longmans, Green & Co|year=1911
* Remfry, P.M., "Whittington Castle and the families of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, Peverel, Maminot, Powys and Fitz Warin" (ISBN 1-899376-80-1)
*Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Line 176B-26
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.