Sir Gruffydd ap Rhys KG (c. 1478–1521) (also known as Griffith Ryce in some antiquarian English sources) was a Welsh nobleman. He was the son of Sir

Rhys ap Thomas Sir Rhys ap Thomas (1449–1525) was a Welsh soldier and landholder who rose to prominence during the Wars of the Roses, and was instrumental in the victory of Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth. He remained a faithful supporter of Henry ...

, the ''de facto'' ruler of most of south-west

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

who aided Henry Tudor in his victory on Bosworth Field in 1485 and Efa ferch Henry.

Early life

In the reign of

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

his father's loyalty was questioned to the house of York as support grew for Henry of Richmond (later

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509), also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henr ...

). Around the time of Richard's usurpation and

Buckingham's rebellion Buckingham's rebellion was a failed but significant uprising, or collection of uprisings, of October 1483 in England and parts of Wales against Richard III of England. To the extent that these local risings had a central coordination, the plo ...

in 1483, as a way of keeping Rhys ap Thomas's loyalty, Richard demanded an oath of allegiance from Gruffydd's father as well as demanding that his young son Gruffydd be in his own custody. Rhys assured Richard of his loyalty but refused to hand over young Gruffydd, who was only four or five at the time. When Gruffydd was older he became a member of Prince Arthur's household.

aimed to have his son friends with influential young men with powerful fathers in Henry's kingdom, and Gruffydd's father was one of the most powerful men in Wales after the death of

Jasper Tudor Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford (c. November 143121 December 1495) was the uncle of King Henry VII of England and a leading architect of his nephew's successful accession to the throne in 1485. He was a member of the Tudor family of Penmynydd. ...

in 1495, and he was chosen to serve the young Prince. Gruffydd and Prince Arthur seem to have been quite close; in 1501 Gruffydd was made a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

, and was with Arthur and his bride

Katherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until its annulment on 23 May ...

when they returned to

Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...

in December 1501; and was there for Arthur's death in April 1502.

Death of the Prince

On the death of Prince Arthur in 1502, Gruffydd ap Rhys was a prominent mourner. He accompanied the Prince's body from Ludlow to its final resting place in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

. The following contemporary record gives an account of Gruffydd as he travelled with the "rich chariot" which carried Prince Arthur's body: "in mourning habit, rode next before the leading horse on a

courser The coursers are a subfamily (Cursoriinae) of birds which together with the pratincoles make up the family Glareolidae. They have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards. Their most unusual feature for birds classed ...

trapped with black, bearing the Prince's banner." During the funeral service for the Prince in

Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England cathedral in Worcester, England, Worcester, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Worcester and is the Mother Church# ...

, he once again carried Arthur's "rich embroidered banner."

Later life

Around 1500 Gruffydd married Katherine St. John, daughter of John St. John, who was related to Margaret Beaufort through her mother, Duchess

Margaret Beauchamp of Bletso Margaret Beauchamp ( – before 3 June 1482) was the oldest daughter of Sir John Beauchamp of Bletsoe, and his second wife, Edith Stourton. She was the maternal grandmother of Henry VII. Biography Margaret Beauchamp, born about 1410, was th ...

. She was appointed to wait on

in October 1501. They had one son:

Rhys ap Griffith Rhys or Rhŷs is a popular Welsh language, Welsh given name (usually male) that is famous in Welsh history and is also used as a surname. It originates from Deheubarth, an old region of South West Wales, with famous kings such as Rhys ap Tewdwr. ...

(1508–1531), who was later executed by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

for treason as he was considered a threat to Henry VIII and was executed for treason on charges widely believed to be false in 1531 (purportedly for inscribing the name "Fitz Uryan" on his armour). Gruffydd and Katherine were present with Arthur's younger brother Henry VIII of England when Henry travelled to France for the famous

Field of the Cloth of Gold The Field of the Cloth of Gold (, ) was a summit meeting between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France from 7 to 24 June 1520. Held at Balinghem, between Ardres in France and Guînes in the English Pale of Calais, it was a ...

in 1520. Gruffydd's tomb is also in

, alongside Prince Arthur's. Katherine married Peter Edgecumbe. After his death, in July 1543 her friend the diplomat Ralph Sadler recommended her to Henry VIII to be sent to Scotland to join the household of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

. This plan was interrupted by the war of Rough Wooing.Arthur Clifford, ''Sadler State Papers'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1809), p. 230.

References

*
"Royal link with lonely tomb"
''Worcester News''. 4 February 2004. Retrieved 15 February 2025. * Steven Gunn and Linda Monckton, ed, Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, Boydell 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gruffydd Ap Rhys 1521 deaths History of Wales Year of birth uncertain Welsh knights 16th-century Welsh military personnel 15th-century Welsh military personnel