Gwenllian the brave (sister of owain gwynedd and daughter on gruffydd ap cynan)
Gwenllian the brave (sister of owain gwynedd and daughter on gruffydd ap cynan)
Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd was the daughter of the remarkable Gruffydd ap cynan and younger sister of the even more remarkable Owain Gwynedd
Gwenllian grew up at a troubled time where there seemed to be constant wars between the welsh and Normans.
The Normans had ambitions that included Wales but the welsh had different ideas.
She was born with a deep hatred for the Normans that was common with all welsh folk at the time.
So unusually for a girl she trained with her three older brothers and become very handy with or without the sword.
by all accounts she was very pretty and drawn a lot of attention from males but wasn't interested.
(Before Gwenllian was born, her father spent more than a decade as an English prisoner until he escaped more about her father in a future post. )
Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd often gets confused with Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn who was the daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Prince of Wales.
After the defeat and death of her father, Gwenllian and the daughters of her uncle Dafydd ap Gruffudd were all confined for life in remote priories in Lincolnshire and never allowed freedom. She was only a few months when taken.
Edward Longshanks was determined to wipe out the royal line of Llywelyn. (more on this in a later post)
Gwenllian's father Gruffydd once formed an alliance with Rhys ap Tewdwr of Deheubarth (more about the Battle of Mynydd Carn later)
A number of Years later when Gwenllian fell in love with, the son of Rhys ap Tewdwr (who was now dead ) Rhys' , Gwenllian and the young prince had many children together.
was looking for an alliance with the north against the Normans.
To cut a very long story short............
In 1136, Gwenllian's husband rode north to encourage Gwenllian's father Gruffydd to join in the uprisings against the Normans.
Gwenllian soon received word that one of the Marcher Lords, was pillaging the homes of her countrymen.
She raised her forces and advanced to a position near Kidwelly Castle,
"Welsh scouts reported that the enemy was far away, but they were proved wrong when mounted knights charged across the field. Gwenllian fought them, only to see one of her sons killed and the other wounded. In her desperation to protect him, she was captured. Maurice of London ordered her beheaded shortly "
The Welsh did not forget her bravery. Within months, her husband and her brother Owain allied and had many successes against the invaders. Gwenllian's remaining sons wasn't long before joining them.
Apparently, For centuries afterward, the Welsh adopted the battle cry, "Revenge for Gwenllian" to Honor her sacrifice.
The field where the battle took place became known as Maes Gwenllian.
Gwenllian grew up at a troubled time where there seemed to be constant wars between the welsh and Normans.
The Normans had ambitions that included Wales but the welsh had different ideas.
She was born with a deep hatred for the Normans that was common with all welsh folk at the time.
So unusually for a girl she trained with her three older brothers and become very handy with or without the sword.
by all accounts she was very pretty and drawn a lot of attention from males but wasn't interested.
(Before Gwenllian was born, her father spent more than a decade as an English prisoner until he escaped more about her father in a future post. )
Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd often gets confused with Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn who was the daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Prince of Wales.
After the defeat and death of her father, Gwenllian and the daughters of her uncle Dafydd ap Gruffudd were all confined for life in remote priories in Lincolnshire and never allowed freedom. She was only a few months when taken.
Edward Longshanks was determined to wipe out the royal line of Llywelyn. (more on this in a later post)
Gwenllian's father Gruffydd once formed an alliance with Rhys ap Tewdwr of Deheubarth (more about the Battle of Mynydd Carn later)
A number of Years later when Gwenllian fell in love with, the son of Rhys ap Tewdwr (who was now dead ) Rhys' , Gwenllian and the young prince had many children together.
was looking for an alliance with the north against the Normans.
To cut a very long story short............
In 1136, Gwenllian's husband rode north to encourage Gwenllian's father Gruffydd to join in the uprisings against the Normans.
Gwenllian soon received word that one of the Marcher Lords, was pillaging the homes of her countrymen.
She raised her forces and advanced to a position near Kidwelly Castle,
"Welsh scouts reported that the enemy was far away, but they were proved wrong when mounted knights charged across the field. Gwenllian fought them, only to see one of her sons killed and the other wounded. In her desperation to protect him, she was captured. Maurice of London ordered her beheaded shortly "
The Welsh did not forget her bravery. Within months, her husband and her brother Owain allied and had many successes against the invaders. Gwenllian's remaining sons wasn't long before joining them.
Apparently, For centuries afterward, the Welsh adopted the battle cry, "Revenge for Gwenllian" to Honor her sacrifice.
The field where the battle took place became known as Maes Gwenllian.
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