Tudur ap Gruffudd

Tudur ap Gruffudd (1365-1405) was the Lord of Gwyddelwern, a junior title of the Princely house of Powys Fadog, and was the younger brother of Owain Glyndŵr, the Welsh rebel leader crowned Prince of Wales (anglicized by William Shakespeare as 'Owen Glendower' in his play Henry IV). His father was Gruffudd Fychan, the hereditary Prince of Powys Fadog and previous Lord of Gwyddelwern. Along with his brother, Owain Glyndŵr, Tudur was a member of the Royal House of Mathrafal.[1][2][3]

Shield of the Lord of Gwyddelwern, featuring the Black Lion of Powys

As a Commander of the army, he joined the Glyndŵr Rising, his brother's rebellion, fighting with him, his nephews and extended family such as the Tudors of Penmynydd, Sir Edmund Mortimer of the House of Mortimer, and Sir Henry 'Hotspur' Percy of the House of Percy, for the independence of Wales and the conquest of England. These last two, and Owain, signed together the Tripartite Indenture, an agreement that would split England and Wales in three separate Kingdoms between themselves after removing from power the King of England, Henry IV. A few months later, Tudur commanded an army with his nephew during the rebellions and fought against Prince Henry, known through Shakespeare as Prince Hal, the future King Henry V of England and winner of the Battle of Agincourt. He later suffered a colossal defeat at the Battle of Pwll Melyn in Wales, and was killed, while his nephew would be captured and sent to the Tower of London, where he would become a prisoner with the young King James I of Scotland. His head was publicly exhibited across London.[4][5][6][7][8]

Conwy Castle, Wales

Among Tudur's cousins, who fought with him during the Glyndŵr Rising, were Gwilym ap Tudur and Rhys ap Tudur, who famously seized Conway Castle, and Maredudd ap Tudur, the father of Sir Owen Tudor, of the Royal House of Tudor. Having lost the war but being spared, Maredudd's son, Sir Owen, fled Wales to establish himself in England, and anglicized his name from Tudur to Tudor. He later became the father of Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford and Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, and thus became the grandfather of King Henry VII of England, founder of the Tudor Dynasty, and would marry the Queen Catherine de Valois, daughter of King Charles VI of France, of the Royal House of Valois. Having married the previous wife of King Henry V of England, of which his family and cousins were fighting against during the rebellions, such as Tudur and Owain, he ended up becoming the stepfather of his son, King Henry VI of England, of the House of Lancaster, while his own sons, Jasper Tudor and Edmund Tudor, ended up being his half-brothers. This would later be influential for the cousins of Tudur, the remaining Tudors of Penmynydd, to gain back some of their influence in Wales, by having their cousins on the throne of England.

Through his mother, Elen ferch Tomas, Tudur was a descendant of the Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (died 1282) and his wife, Princess Eleanor de Montfort, the granddaughter of King John of England of the Royal House of Plantagenet and Royal House of Angevin, and Queen Isabelle of Angouleme, the niece of the Emperor of Constantinople, Peter II of Courtenay, and granddaughter of King Louis VI of France of the Royal House of Capet.[9][10] King John's brother, who succeeded him as King, was the famous Richard Coeur de Lion (the Lionheart). Through the Princes of Deheubarth, Tudur was a descendant of the Royal House of Aberffraw as well.[11] During the war of independence, these Royal lineages were used to gain support for his brother, Owain, the Prince of Wales, and his family, to legitimize their claim to the throne of Wales.

Tudur was also recorded to be present as a witness, along with his brother Owain Glyndŵr, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and many others, at the Scrope v Grosvenor trial of 1389, a High Court of Chivalry case that was presided by the Constable of England, Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester.[12][13]

In terms of legacy, despite having lost the war of independence of Wales, the Glyndŵr Rising gave rise to the Royal House of Tudor, the first Welsh Kings of England. This historic period was later immortalized in William Shakespeare's plays, Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2, through the character of his brother, Owen Glendower, and much later, on the Flag of Wales, by having the red dragon used by Owain Glyndŵr and King Henry Tudor during the rebellions.