Gruffydd Maelor II (died 1269) was Prince of

Powys Fadog Powys Fadog (English: ''Lower Powys'' or ''Madog's Powys'') was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys, which split in two following the death of Madog ap Maredudd in 1160. The realm was divided under Welsh law, with Madog's ...

Lineage

He was the eldest son of Prince Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor and inherited his father's lands and title in partial succession along with his four brothers Gruffydd Ial, Maredudd, Hywel and

Madog Fychan Madog Fychan was a member of the family of Princes of Powys Fadog, though he never gained the title, being brother of Gruffydd Maelor II. He was an ally to Dafydd ap Llywelyn in his campaign to attack English possessions in Wales in 1245 and side ...

. The Kingdom of Powys Fadog had previously been unified under one leader but now had five and was subjected to outside forces as well. His father's policy of alliance with the large and powerful Gwynedd changed over his thirty-three year reign (1236-1269); pressure from Gwynedd, and Gruffydd's marriage to the daughter of an English landowner, caused him to seek support from the English king. However, support from England failed to arrive and in 1258 he was forced to submit to

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282), sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last ( cy, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, lit=Llywelyn, Our Last Leader), was the native Prince of Wales ( la, Princeps Wall ...

. Llywelyn was recognised as

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

under the terms of the 1267

Treaty of Montgomery The Treaty of Montgomery was an Anglo-Welsh treaty signed on 29 September 1267 in Montgomeryshire by which Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was acknowledged as Prince of Wales by King Henry III of England (r. 1216–1272). It was the only time an English ...

and Gruffydd was confined to his castle for the rest of his life.

Marriage

He married Emma (1224 - c. 1278), daughter of

Henry de Audley Henry Audley (or Aldithel or Alditheley; c. 1175–1246) was an English baron. Audley was a royalist baron, born about 1175 to Adam de Alditheley and Emma, daughter of Ralph/Radulphus fitzOrm. His father Adam held Alditheley ( Staffordshire) fro ...

and of Bertrade Mainwaring.

Death & Issue

He died in 1269 (or 1270) leaving issue: * Madog II, succeeded his father and was killed in battle with the English in 1277. * Llywelyn. * Owain, whose daughter, Gweirca ferch Owain, has the oldest dated grave slab in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. *

Gruffydd Fychan I Gruffudd Fychan I, Prince of Powys Fadog from 1277 to 1284, was the youngest of the four sons of Prince Gruffudd ap Madog, Lord of Dinas Bran. On his father's death in 1269 (or 1270) his share was the Lordship of Iâl (Yale) and Edeirnion, wh ...

succeeded his eldest brother in 1277 and died in 1289. * Angharad d. 1308. m (after 1261) William le Boteler of Wem,

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

(-1283). One of their children was William Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler (second creation). * Margery ferch Gruffydd b. 1261 She married Sir John de Arderne. Powys Fadog was divided, in accordance with Welsh custom, between his sons: * Madog received

Maelor The Maelor is an area of north-east Wales along the border with England. It is now entirely part of Wrexham County Borough. The name ''Maelor'' is an old Welsh word: it can be translated as "land of the prince", from ''mael'' ("prince") and ''l ...

. *

Gruffudd Gruffudd or Gruffydd ( or , in either case) is a Welsh name, originating in Old Welsh as a given name and today used as both a given and surname. It is the origin of the Anglicised name '' Griffith[s]'', and was historically sometimes treat ...

had Iâl and

Edeirnion Edeirnion or Edeyrnion is an area of the county of Denbighshire and an ancient commote of medieval Wales in the cantref of Penllyn. According to tradition, it was named after its eponymous founder Edern or Edeyrn. It was included as a Welsh t ...

, which included

Glyndyfrdwy Glyndyfrdwy (), or sometimes Glyn Dyfrdwy, is a village in the modern county of Denbighshire, Wales. It is situated on the A5 road halfway between Corwen and Llangollen in the Dee Valley (the river Dee is ''Afon Dyfrdwy'' in Welsh). History A ...

.J. E. Lloyd, ''Owen Glendower: Owen Glyn Dŵr'' (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1931), 9-10. * Swydd y Waun (containing the commotes of Cynllaith and

Nanheudwy Nanheudwy was a medieval commote of Wales considered part of the ancient Kingdom of Powys in the cantref of Swydd y Waun. It was traditionally defined as the region between the valleys of the rivers Dee and Ceiriog with a mountain ridge running ...

) was divided between Llywelyn and Owain.

References

Medieval Lands Project on the Princes of Northern Powys
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madog, Gruffydd Ii Ap, Lord Of Dinas Bran 1236 births 1269 deaths Monarchs of Powys 13th-century Welsh monarchs