Llywelyn Bren
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Llywelyn Bren (), or Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ap Rhys / Llywelyn ap Rhys (also Llewelyn) or in . He was a nobleman who led a 1316 revolt in
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 ...
in the reign of King
Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...
. It marked the last serious challenge to English rule in Wales until the attempts of
Owain Lawgoch Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri (, July 1378), commonly known as Owain Lawgoch (, ), was a Welsh soldier who served in Lombardy, France, Alsace, and Switzerland. He led a Free Company fighting for the French against the English in the Hundred Year ...
to invade with French support in the 1370s.
Hugh Despenser the Younger Hugh Despenser, 1st Baron Despenser (1287/1289 – 24 November 1326), also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh Despenser, Earl of Winchester (the Elder Despenser) and his wife Isabel Beauchamp, daughter of Wi ...
's reputedly unlawful execution of Llywelyn Bren helped to lead to the eventual overthrow of both Edward II and Hugh.


Lineage

Llywelyn Bren was a Welsh nobleman of the minor royal house of the cantref of
Senghenydd Senghenydd (, ) is a former mining village in the community of Aber Valley in South Wales, approximately four miles northwest of the town of Caerphilly. Historically within the county of Glamorgan, it is now situated in the county borough of Cae ...
, (previously Cantref Breiniol) and Miscin, and was also a descendant of Ifor Bach, his great-grandfather. His father was Gruffudd ap Rhys. Llywelyn is thought to have been born before 1267, as Gruffudd was dispossessed of the lordship of Senghenydd in that year by
Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester (2 September 1243 – 7 December 1295) was a powerful English magnate. He was also known as "Red" Gilbert de Clare or "The Red Earl", probably because of his hair colour or fiery te ...
and then imprisoned in Ireland. There is no record of him returning to Wales. Llywelyn married Lleucu (died 1349). They produced at least seven sons, who also took part in the revolt.


Background of the revolt

Before the outbreak of Llywelyn's revolt in 1316, there had already been violence in the Welsh Marcher lands of south-east Wales. The
Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( or ) was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Ro ...
in June 1314 marked the death of Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester the Lord of Glamorgan. He had been the most prominent landowner in the south and his death left a regional power vacuum. There was a heavy-handed response from the English Crown to overseeing De Clare's lands. That combined with the death of several hundred men of
Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...
at Bannockburn caused a revolt in the lordship in late summer that year. Llywelyn seems not to have taken part. The revolt appears to have ended when King
Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...
of England appointed Bartholomew de Badlesmere, as royal custodian in Glamorgan.


Revolt and siege of Caerphilly Castle

In 1315, Edward II, as guardian of the three sisters and heiresses of the estate of Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester, replaced de Badlesmere with a new English administrator. Payn de Turberville of Coity Castle was appointed as replacement () to Earl de Clare. Bren had previously had office under the Earl who he considered a friend. Payn persecuted the Glamorgan people, who were then, like many in northern Europe at the time, in the throes of a serious famine. Llywelyn denounced the new administration of de Turberville, however he was accused of sedition. Llywelyn the appealed to King Edward II to call off or control his self-interested agent. But Edward ordered Llywelyn to appear before Parliament to face the treason charge. The king stated that if the charges were found true, Llywelyn would be hanged. Bren was called "Son of death" by the King of England, and summoned to Lincoln for 27 January 1316, but secretly fled home, and had no problems starting a revolt with the general discontent throughout Wales. After returning to Wales, Llywelyn's revolt begun on 28 January 1316 with a surprise attack on
Caerphilly Castle Caerphilly Castle () is a medieval castle, fortification in Caerphilly in South Wales. The castle was constructed by Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, Gilbert de Clare in the 13th century as part of his campaign to maintain control of ...
. With 10,000 Welshmen and his six sons, Bren went against Turberville and the English administration. He captured the Constable outside the castle and he and his men captured the outer ward, but could not break into the inner defences of the castle. They burned the town, killed some of its townsfolk and started a siege. The revolt quickly spread through Glamorgan and Gwent. Kenfig Castle was sacked, as was that of
Llantrisant Llantrisant (; "Parish of the Three Saints") is a town and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The three saints of the t ...
, and several others were attacked, including St Georges-super-Ely, Tregrug Castle at Llangibby and Dinefwr Castle. Towns including Cardiff were raided and buildings burned. Edward ordered the revolt to be crushed by Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and lord of neighbouring
Brecon Brecon (; ; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Breck ...
, who gathered overwhelming forces supported by men of the chief Marcher Lords like Henry of Lancaster and Roger Mortimer of
Chirk Castle Chirk Castle () is a Grade I listed castle located in Chirk, Wrexham County Borough, Wales, from Chirk railway station, now owned and run by the National Trust. History The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roge ...
. Troops came from Cheshire and north Wales, and some Welsh soldiers from west Wales. In March, forces advanced from Cardiff and in a brief battle at Castell Morgraig forced Llywelyn and his men to break off the Caerphilly siege after six weeks. The Welsh retreated higher up the north Glamorgan plateau, while Hereford and his men were moving south from Brecon.


Betrayal and death

Realising the fight was hopeless, on 18 March 1316 Llywelyn surrendered to the Earl of Hereford at
Ystradfellte Ystradfellte () is a village and community in Powys, Wales, about north of Hirwaun, with 556 inhabitants. It belongs to the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire) and the Fforest Fawr area of the Brecon Beacons National Park, beside th ...
, Llywelyn had gathered his forces in the hills and told them the revolt was his fault and he would surrender; he pleaded that only he should be punished and his followers spared. This gallant behaviour earned him the respect of his captors, including Roger Mortimer, one of the witnesses to his surrender. Hereford and Mortimer both promised to try to intercede on Llywelyn's behalf, and promised him "leniency." Llywelyn was sent as a prisoner first to London in July 1316, and the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
from 27 July 1316 to 17 June 1317. Hereford and Mortimer urged the King to pardon Llywelyn and his family, and it seems likely that their influence won a pardon for many of Llywelyn's men. In 1317, Llywelyn became the prisoner of the ruthless
Hugh Despenser the Younger Hugh Despenser, 1st Baron Despenser (1287/1289 – 24 November 1326), also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh Despenser, Earl of Winchester (the Elder Despenser) and his wife Isabel Beauchamp, daughter of Wi ...
, one of King Edward's favourites at court, who had become Lord of Glamorgan in November 1317. This made him the largest landowner in South Wales and a great rival of Mortimer. He took Llywelyn to
Cardiff Castle Cardiff Castle () is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion located in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top of a 3rd-century Roma ...
, where he was reported to have had him
hanged, drawn and quartered To be hanged, drawn and quartered was a method of torture, torturous capital punishment used principally to execute men convicted of High treason in the United Kingdom, high treason in medieval and early modern Britain and Ireland. The convi ...
in what was characterised by contemporaries as an
extrajudicial killing An extrajudicial killing (also known as an extrajudicial execution or an extralegal killing) is the deliberate killing of a person without the lawful authority granted by a judicial proceeding. It typically refers to government authorities, ...
. Despenser's father, Hugh Despenser the Elder, was also accused of involvement in this act at the parliament which demanded the exile of both men in 1321. However, historian Kathryn Warner has claimed that Llywelyn's execution was most likely carried out "at the command of the king himself". After parts of his body had been exhibited in various parts of the county, he was buried in the Grey Friars at Cardiff. Llywelyn's lands were seized by Despenser. This action was condemned at the time and later used as example of the growing tyranny of Despenser, who also imprisoned Lleucu and some of her sons in Cardiff.


The aftermath

As antipathy to the Despensers grew, Llywelyn's death united the native Welsh and
Marcher Lord A marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in Fra ...
s. In 1321, a baronial revolt arose. Barons under the Earl of Hereford and others like Hugh Audley and Roger d'Amory petitioned the king to dismiss and exile the Despensers; the murder of Llywelyn Bren was prominent on their list of complaints. When the king refused, an alliance of local Welsh men and Marcher Lords raided Despenser's lands in Glamorgan for some ten days. This may have been when Lleucu and her sons were freed – certainly Hereford took all of Llywelyn's sons into his service about that time. Edward had to exile the Despensers until he gathered forces to defeat the barons at the
Battle of Boroughbridge The Battle of Boroughbridge was fought on 16 March 1322 in England between a group of rebellious barons and the forces of King Edward II, near Boroughbridge, north-west of York. The culmination of a long period of antagonism between the King a ...
in 1322, where the Earl of Hereford died. With the Despensers' return to Edward's court, Lleucu and her sons were again imprisoned, this time in Bristol Castle, but their actions soon aroused more resistance. In October 1326, a successful rebellion led by Roger Mortimer gave the Despensers and Edward further cause to regret their actions in Glamorgan after being forced to flee there. Their attempts to raise troops locally were an unsurprising failure. It led to their capture in November. Hugh, like Llywelyn, was then hanged, drawn and quartered; Edward was deposed, imprisoned, and probably murdered. With the overthrow of Edward II, the estates in Senghenydd were restored on 11 February 1327 to Llywelyn Bren's sons – Gruffydd, John, Meurig, Roger, William and Llywelyn. The Earls of Hereford (sixth creation) continued to pay at Brecon an allowance to their mother Lleucu until 12 April 1349.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Llywelyn Bren Year of birth missing 13th-century births 1310s deaths People executed under the Plantagenets by hanging, drawing and quartering Welsh rebels Executed Welsh people History of Glamorgan People from Glamorgan