Iorwerth ap Bleddyn (1053–1111) was a prince of Powys in eastern Wales. Iorwerth was the son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn who was king of both Powys and

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

. When Bleddyn was killed in 1075, Powys was divided between three of his sons, Iorwerth, Cadwgan and Maredudd. Iorwerth, Cadwgan and Maredudd held their lands as vassals of Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury. In 1102 the Earl was summoned to answer charges at the court of King

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

and responded by rising in rebellion against the king. All three brothers initially supported Robert and took up arms on his behalf, pillaging

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. The king deputed William Pantulf to detach Iorwerth, who was considered to be the most powerful of the three brothers, from his alliance with Robert and his own brothers by the promise of large gifts of land. William succeeded in this, and Iorwerth led a large Welsh force to ravage Shropshire on behalf of the king. Robert was forced to surrender and was banished from the realm. Iorwerth also captured his brother Maredudd and handed him over to the king. Iorwerth's support for the king did not last long however. Many of the lands which he had been promised were given to others, and in 1103 Iorwerth was arraigned before a royal tribunal at

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

, convicted and imprisoned. He was not released until 1110 after Owain ap Cadwgan, son of Iorwerth's brother Cadwgan, had abducted Nest wife of

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resulting in an outbreak of hostilities. Iorwerth was able to drive Owain out of Powys and briefly regained his position as ruler. However, in 1111 Owain's ally, Madog ap Rhiryd, attacked Iorwerth at a house in which he was staying in the commote of Caereinion. Iorwerth's bodyguard was put to flight, the house set afire and Iorwerth was forced back at spearpoint into the burning building where he died. He left no heir, and when Cadwgan was also killed by Madog shortly afterwards, Owain ap Cadwgan took over the kingdom

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iorwerth Ap Bleddyn 1053 births 1111 deaths Monarchs of Powys House of Mathrafal 11th-century Welsh monarchs 12th-century Welsh monarchs Welsh princes