Powys Wenwynwyn
Principality of Powys Wenwynwyn Tywysogaeth Powys Wenwynwyn | |||||||||
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| 1160–1283 | |||||||||
 Banner of Powys Wenwynwyn
 Coat of Arms of Powys Wenwynwyn and successivede la Poledynasty
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 Powys as divided in 1190. | |||||||||
| Capital | Welshpool | ||||||||
| Common languages | Welsh | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
• 1160–1195 | Owain Cyfeiliog | ||||||||
• 1195–1216 | Gwenwynwyn ab Owain | ||||||||
• 1216–1286 | Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Established | 1160 | ||||||||
• Abolished by Act of Parliament | 1283 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Wales | ||||||||
^Powys Wenwynwyn was often known in English as Upper Powys | |||||||||
Powys WenwynwynorPowys Cyfeiliogwas a Welsh kingdom which existed during the high Middle Ages. The realm was the southern portion of the former princely state ofPowyswhich split following the death ofMadog ap Mareduddof Powys in 1160: the northern portion (Maelor) went toGruffydd Maelorand eventually became known asPowys Fadog;while the southern portion (Cyfeiliog) going toOwain Cyfeiliogand becoming known, eventually, as Powys Wenwynwyn after PrinceGwenwynwyn ab Owain,its second ruler.
Powys Wenwynwyn andGwyneddbecame bitter rivals in the years that followed, with the former frequently allying itself withEnglandto further its aims of weakening the latter.
Princes of Powys Wenwynwyn
[edit]
- 1160–1195Owain Cyfeiliogmarried a daughter ofOwain Gwyneddand abdicated in 1195.
- 1195–1216Gwenwynwyn ab Owain
Gwenwynwyn seized thecantrefofArwystliin 1197, when he was aligned with England. Following the marriage ofLlywelyn the GreatandJoan of Englandin 1208, warfare broke out once more between Gwenwynwyn and Llywelyn. In 1212 Gwenwynwyn's ancient royal seat atMathrafalwas destroyed and he was evicted from his territories. He changed allegiance again and was restored to his realm in 1215, making a new capital atWelshpool.In 1216 he was defeated in battle with the forces of Llywelyn and fled to England, where he died shortly afterwards. He was succeeded by his son.
- 1216–1286Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn
Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn spent his youth in England, maintained by KingHenry III of England.He did not return to Wales until 1241 after the death of Llywelyn and when he was invested with the lordships ofArwystli,Cyfeiliog,Mawddwy,Caereinion,Ystrad Marchelland UpperMochnantby Henry III. At some time before this, he married Hawise, daughter ofJohn Le Strange,Lord ofKnockin Castle.[1][2]
He transferred his allegiance back toLlywelyn ap Gruffuddin 1263 before returning to England's protection again after 1276, following a failed plot to murder Prince Llywelyn in collusion with his rival's brother,Dafydd ap Gruffydd.His forces, commanded by his sonOwain ap Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn,mobilised during the Welsh War of 1282–1283 with those of John Le Strange andHugh le Despenserand it was their soldiers who ambushed and killed the last nativePrince of WalesnearBuilthin 1282.
End of the Principality
[edit]Owain ap Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn (alias Owen de la Pole) allegedly surrendered the principality of Powys to Edward I at the Parliament held inShrewsburyin 1283 (Dafydd ap Gruffudd, his rival inPowys Fadogwas tried at the same Parliament, he was deposed for fighting on the wrong side and executed for treason against Edward[3]). In return for surrendering the principality, he received it again from the king as a free Baron of England "sub nomine et tenura liberi Baronagii Angliæ, resignando Domino Regi heredibus suis et Coronæ Angliæ nomen et circulum principatus."(" Under the name and tenure of the free baronage of England, by resigning together with his heirs to the Lord the King and the Crown of England the princely name and coronet ") The date should be accepted with reserve because Owen did not succeed his father in possession until 1286: it is possible that Owen was acting on behalf of his father, who was by then an old man. From about that time, the former princely family began using the Normanised surname" de la Pole "instead of Welsh patronymics. The name derives from Pool (now calledWelshpool), his principal town.
The Lordship of Powys
[edit]
After theStatute of Rhuddlanin 1284 all of the other old princely titles in Wales also ceased to exist; and henceforth, except theKingdom of Scotlandafter 1344, the English Crown did not recognise the title of "prince" or "king" in any native dynasty other than their own. However, the principality continued as amarcher lordship.
The ruling family of Powys survived in the children and remoter descendants ofGruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn,henceforth known as the de la Pole family, who lived in the newly builtPowis Castle.In 1293 Owen de la Pole died and was succeeded by his son Griffith de la Pole. Owen also had several brothers, whom heenfeoffedas his feudal tenants with lordships within his lordship. However, none of them left children exceptWilliam de la Pole (of Mawddwy),who had the lordship ofMawddwy,comprising that parish and most ofMallwyd.When Griffith de la Pole died without heirs in 1309, the lordship was then inherited (according to English law) by his sisterHawise "Gadarn"( "Hawise the Strong", often simply referred to as "The Lady of Powis" ), rather than to the male heirs (as prescribed by Welsh law). She died in 1349 and on the death of her husbandJohn Charleton, 1st Baron Cherletonin 1353, the lordship passed to their children and thence out of native Welsh hands.
Marcher Lords of Powys
[edit]- Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwynalso known as Gruffydd de la Pole (died 1286 or 1287)
- Owen de la Pole,his son (died 1293) (see also:William de la Pole (of Mawddwy))
- Gruffydd de la Pole,his son (died 1309)
- Hawise Gadarn,Lady of Powys, daughter of Owen, marriedJohn Charleton, 1st Baron Cherleton(1268–1353)
- John Charleton, 2nd Baron Cherleton(died 1360)
- John Charleton, 3rd Baron Cherleton(1334 – 13 July 1374)
- John Charleton, 4th Baron Cherleton(1362–1401)
- Edward Charleton, 5th Baron CherletonKG(1371–1421), his brother.
His heiresses were:
- Joan de Cherleton (c. 1400–1425), wife ofJohn Grey, 1st Earl of Tankervillewhose son was
- Henry Grey, 2nd Earl of Tankervillewhose son was
- Richard Grey, 3rd Earl of Tankervillewhose son was
- John Grey, 1stBaron Grey of Powiswhose son was
- John Grey, 2ndBaron Grey of Powis(1485–1504) married Margaret, daughter ofEdward Sutton, 2nd Baron Dudley,whose son was
- Edward Grey, 3rdBaron Grey of Powis(succeeded to the title as an infant; died 1551).
- Joyce Charleton of Cherleton, wife ofJohn Tiptoft, 1st Baron Tiptoft,whose daughter, also Joyce, carried the Tiptoft portion of the Cherleton inheritance to the family of her husband SirEdmund Suttonof Dudley, which their grandsonJohn Sutton, 3rd Baron Dudley,"Lord Quondam", sold to his nephew, the 3rd (and last)Baron Grey of Powis,circa 1538.
Beyond the Marcher Lordship
[edit]TheLaws in Wales Acts 1535–1542abolished thefeudalrights of the Lords of Powis and saw the territory of the Lordship of Powis almost entirely incorporated within the newcountyofMontgomeryshire.However, the lordship continued to exist as a great landed estate.
- Edward Grey, 3rdBaron Grey of Powis(died 1551).
- Edward Grey of London, his illegitimate son, sold the lordship (no longer a marcher lordship) to his kinsman Sir Edward Herbert in 1587.[4]
- Sir Edward Herbert, a blood relative of both descendant branches of the Cherleton Barony.
- Sir William Herbertwas createdBaron Powisin 1629.
The estate then descended to successive holders of the titles Baron Powis,Marquess of Powis,andEarl of Powis.[5]
References
[edit]- ^"GRUFFYDD ap GWENWYNWYN".Dictionary of Welsh Biography.National Library of Wales.
- ^The National Archives. Ref: SC 8/2/75.Petitioners: Thomas Hastang (Hastings) and Maud Hastings wife of Thomas Hastings, widow of John Lestrange.Addressees: King and council. Date: [1315].
- ^"Plantaganet Shropshire".Shropshire History.
- ^"POWIS, Lords of Grey".Dictionary of Welsh Biography.National Library of Wales.
- ^"HERBERT family, (earls of POWIS)".Dictionary of Welsh Biography.National Library of Wales.