Home > Owain Glyndwr

Owain inherited property in the north of Wales: he was the claimant through his mother to the lands of Rhys ap Gruffydd. He is believed to have studied law in London before serving with the forces of Henry Bolingbroke, an opponent of King Richard II of England, who later seized the throne and became King Henry IV.

On his return to Wales, he found that England's oppressive rule had paralysed the Welsh economy and aroused popular resentment. He married Margaret Hanmer, whose father, Sir David Hanmer, a judge, came of an English family that was totally integrated with the local population. They settled down to a peaceful and prosperous family life, but Owain was regarded by many as the man most likely to revive Welsh hopes of self-government.

In September 1400, a year after Bolingbroke usurped the throne, Glyndwr's feud with a neighbour, Reynold, Lord Grey of Ruthin, touched off an insurrection in north Wales. The insurgency quickly became a national struggle for Welsh independence.

Glyndwr formed strategic alliances with Henry's most powerful opponents. In 1402 he captured Edmund Mortimer, uncle of the 5th Earl of March and a claimant to the English throne. When the king refused to ransom Mortimer, Owain secured his support and married him off to one of his own daughters. He then allied himself with the Percy family ( Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, Sir Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and Thomas Percy, 2nd Earl of Worcester ). The defeat of the Percys at the Battle of ShrewsburyThe Battle of Shrewsbury was fought on July 21, 1403, between an army led by the Lancastrian King, Henry IV, and a rebel army led by Henry "Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland. The Percys had supported Henry IV in a war against Richard II, which ended when in 1403Events July 21 Battle of Shrewsbury. King Henry IV of England defeats a rebel army led by "Hotspur" Percy, who is killed. Jan Hus begins preaching Wycliffite ideas in Bohemia Ming Emperor Zhu Li renamed the old Yuan (Mongul) capital as Beijing Timur Lenk (in which Owain did not take part) was a temporary setback for the Welsh leader.

By 1404Events June 14 Owain Glyndwr of Wales allies with the French against the English and the Henry of Lancaster. Later he gains control of his country, declares himself Prince of Wales and holds a parliament Founding of the University of Turin Births February he had gained control of most of Wales. Styling himself prince of Wales, he established an independent Welsh Parliament at MachynllethMachynlleth is a town in Powys in Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley, and is at the intersection of the A487 and the A489. It had a population of about 2,000 people according to the 2001 census. It was the seat of Owain Glyndwr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, an and began to formulate his own foreign and ecclesiastical policies.

In 1405Events Early feminist Christine de Pizan writes The Book of the City of Ladies Erection of Bath Abbey 1499) Publication of Bellifortis by Konrad Kyeser (book on military technology) Births October 18 Pope Pius II Gjergj Kastriot Skanderbeg, Albania's nati the tide of battle turned decisively against him. The failure of an expedition from FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. on his behalf ( 1405Events Early feminist Christine de Pizan writes The Book of the City of Ladies Erection of Bath Abbey 1499) Publication of Bellifortis by Konrad Kyeser (book on military technology) Births October 18 Pope Pius II Gjergj Kastriot Skanderbeg, Albania's nati– 6Events Construction of Forbidden City begins in Beijing. Richard Whittington becomes Lord Mayor of London. December 25 John II becomes King of Castile. Eric of Pomerania marries Philippa, daughter of Henry IV of England. James I becomes King of Scotland,) weakened him. The recapture by the English of AberystwythAberystwyth (from the Welsh Mouth of the Ystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre, and seaport of Ceredigion, Wales. It is situated near the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol, about mid way down the length of Cardigan Bay. Abery ( 1408) and Harlech ( 1409) under Prince Henry, later Henry V, left him powerless. His allies in England were crushed. He was, however, active in guerrilla fighting as late as 1412. The actual date and place of his death is not known. It is said that he dissappeared into the Welsh mountains, never to be seen again. Legend has it that Glyndwr is not dead, but is actually asleep, waiting to one day rise again and restore Welsh independence.

A movement known as Meibion Glyndwr (The sons of Glyndwr) grew up in Wales during the 1980s and 1990s, campaigning against the increasing number of second homes bought by outsiders, especially English outsiders, in rural areas. Their methods included arson.