Wales and its History

  Owain ap Cadwgan (died 1116) He is best known for his abduction of Nest, wife of Gerald of Windsor. Owain was the eldest son of Cadwgan ap Bleddyn Killed kings sons He is first recorded in 1106, when he killed Meurig and Griffri, the sons of Trahaearn ap Caradog (part of this list) who was the king of Gwynedd feast In 1109 Owain's father Cadwgan gave a feast at his court, and at this feast Owain was told of the beauty of his second cousin Nest, whose husband Gerald of windsor held the castle of Cenarth Bychan.   Visits to see nest He decided to visit Cenarth Bychan to see for himself, and having done so fell in love with Nest and determined to have her.  It was also enticing that Nest was the daughter of the last King of Deheubarth rhys ap tewdwr.  Abduction of nest One night at Christmas 1109 Owain and fifteen companions burrowed underneath the gate to get into the castle then rushed in to abduct Nest and her children and set fire to the castle.  Her hus...

  Owain Gwynedd 1100 - 1170 Become King of Gwynedd after the death of his dad Gruffudd ap Cynan  in 1137 He became known as Owain Gwynedd to distinguish him from the king of Powys Wenwynwyn, Owain ap Gruffydd ap Maredudd, who became known as Owain Cyfeiliog Owain is thought to have been born on Anglesey about the year 1100, he was Gruffudd ap Cynan's second child, grandchild of Owain ab Edwin of Tegeingl via his mother Angharad ferch Owain. By about 1120 Gruffydd had grown too old to lead his forces in battle and Owain and his brothers Cadwallon and later Cadwaladr led the forces of Gwynedd against the Normans with great success Older brother killed His elder brother Cadwallon was killed in a battle against the forces of Powys in 1132, leaving Owain as his father's heir Battle of Crug mawr Owain and Cadwaladr, in alliance with Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth, won a major victory over the Normans at Crug Mawr near Cardigan in 1136 and annexed Ceredigion to their father's real...

  Caradog ap Gruffydd (died 1081)   was a Prince of Gwent Caradog was the grandson of the King of Glywysing, Rhydderch ab Iestyn Caradog's father Gruffydd ap Rhydderch, became King of Deheubarth in 1045, in the same year as Gruffydd's second cousin, Cadwgan ap Meurig,  Gruffydd ap Rhydderch was a powerful king who resisted raids by the Danes and attacks by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. However in 1055 after many attempt Gruffydd ap Llywelyn killed him in battle and took Deheubarth, before uniting the whole of Wales Caradog was given Caerleon in Gwent By 1057 Gruffydd ap Llywellyn was recognized as King of Wales and Caradog was given Caerleon in Gwent, he also added  Morgannwg early on in his career. Death of the king of Wales  After the defeat of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn by Harold Godwinson in 1063, old lineages were restored, with Caradog becoming ruler of Glywysing at about the same time as Maredudd ab Owain ab Edwin, the male-line heir of Hywel Dda, became ruler of Deheu...

  What a film this would make :)  Gruffudd ap Cynan  1055 – 1137 His father was  Prince, Cynan ap Iago Gruffudd's mother was Ragnailt ingen Amlaíb, a granddaughter of King Sigtrygg Silkbeard and a member of the Hiberno-Norse Uí Ímair dynasty. (Had a number of children, one went onto be a very successful. King Owain Gwynedd (c.   1100 – 1170) and the other Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd (1100 – 1136) who married Gruffydd ap Rhys, Prince of Deheubarth who was the son of her fathers ally Rhys ap Tewdwr .)  He three times gained the throne of Gwynedd and then lost it again, before regaining it once more in 1099 and this time keeping power until his death born in the Hiberno-Norse Kingdom of Dublin and reared near Swords, County Dublin in Ireland. ‘’Gruffudd received considerable help from Ireland, from the Hiberno-Norse at Dublin, the Isles and Wexford and from Muircheartach Ua Briain, because he was also descendant through his mother from Brian Boru, High King of Ireland...

  Rhys ap Tewdwr (c. 1040 – 1093)  Father of Nest and Gruffudd  in this list was a king of Deheubarth AND descended from Rhodri the Great. claimed the throne of Deheubarth claimed the throne of Deheubarth following the death of his second cousin Rhys ab Owain, who was beheaded after the battle of Gwdig  against Caradog ap Gruffydd in 1078. Caradog invaded so rhys fled 1081 Caradog ap Gruffydd invaded Deheubarth and drove Rhys to seek sanctuary in the St David's Cathedral. Battle of Mynydd Carn later in the year made an alliance with Gruffudd ap Cynan who was seeking to regain the throne of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and at the Battle of Mynydd Carn they defeated and killed Caradog ap Gruffydd and his allies Trahaearn ap Caradog of Gwynedd and Meilyr ap Rhiwallon. William the Conqueror showing off In the same year William the Conqueror made a demonstration of power in South Wales, traversing the land as far as S. Davids; it is reasonably certain that during the visit the...

 Wales has an extremely eventful history for such a small country, its such a shame its been neglected by the likes of the BBC, Netflix and all the others.  You will find 100s of dramas, movies, documentaries, docudramas covering Scottish, English and even Irish medieval history, but Wales needs to make do with one rubbish documentary by Huw Edwards.  There is nothing about medieval Wales, but they are still making new programs about 1066 and Robert the Bruce, as if they don't have enough already. Iv decided to do a series of posts about people from medieval Wales who have let particularly eventful lives, people who i they were Scottish or English they would be household names.  You will find that most of them are linked and together make an incredible story. My first one is Owain ap Cadwgan Owain ap Cadwgan (died 1116) He is best known for his abduction of Nest, wife of Gerald of Windsor. Owain was the eldest son of Cadwgan ap Bleddyn Killed kings sons He is fi...