Morgan ap Hywel (died ) was Lord of

Gwynllwg Gwynllŵg was a kingdom of Medieval Wales and later a Norman lordship and then a cantref. It is named after Gwynllyw, its 5th century and 6th century ruler. Location The place consists of coastal plain stretching between the Rhymney and Usk ...

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 ...

from about 1215 until his death in 1245, and for many years laid claim to the lordship of

Caerleon Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable ...

, which had been seized by the Earl of Pembroke. For most of his life he was at peace with the English, at a time when there were periodic revolts by Welsh leaders against their rule. He may have participated in a crusade between 1227 and 1231.

Background

Morgan ap Hywel was descended from

Rhydderch ap Iestyn Rhydderch ab Iestyn (died 1033) was king of Deheubarth and controlled the Kingdom of Powys in Wales dring the early part of the eleventh century. Comparatively little has been recorded about Rhydderch ab Iestyn in the annals. When Llywelyn ap Sei ...

, a ruler of most of southern Wales whose grandson

Caradog ap Gruffydd Caradog ap Gruffudd (died 1081) was a Prince of Gwent in south-east Wales in the time of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn and the Norman conquest, who reunified his family's inheritance of Morgannwg and made repeated attempts to reunite southern Wales by ...

was killed in the

Battle of Mynydd Carn The Battle of Mynydd Carn took place in 1081, as part of a dynastic struggle for control of the Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd and Deheubarth. The result of the battle had a radical effect on the history of Wales. The battle is recorded in the nea ...

in 1081. By the time of Caradog's death the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

had taken control of

Gwent Gwent may refer to: Places *Kingdom of Gwent, a post-Roman Welsh kingdom or principality which existed in various forms between about the 5th and 11th centuries, although the name continued in use later *Gwent (preserved county), a preserved count ...

and

was contested,Jermyn, Anthony.
4: Caerleon Through the Centuries to the Year 2000
". 2010 Accessed 13 Feb 2013. and in the following years of the

Norman conquest of Wales The Norman invasion of Wales began shortly after the Norman conquest of England under William the Conqueror, who believed England to be his birthright. Initially (1067–1081), the invasion of Wales was not undertaken with the fervour and purpose ...

the Welsh royalty lost many strongholds and became subordinate to the English crown. Caradog's son Owain ap Caradog may have managed to hold onto

, and is mentioned in 1140, and his son

Morgan ab Owain Morgan ab Owain (died 1158) was a Welsh king and Lord of Caerleon. He was a son of Owain Wan and thus a grandson of Caradog ap Gruffydd, the last Welsh king of Gwent. After Caradog ap Gruffydd was killed in 1081 in the Battle of Mynydd Carn aga ...

was recognized as lord of Caerleon by King

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

(r. 1154–1189) before Morgan was killed by

Ifor Bach Ifor Bach (meaning Ivor the Short) (fl. 1158) also known as Ifor ap Meurig and in anglicised form Ivor Bach, Lord of Senghenydd, was a twelfth-century resident in and a leader of the Welsh in south Wales. Welsh Lord of Senghenydd At this period ...

in 1158 and succeeded by

Iorwerth ab Owain Iorwerth ab Owain (also known as Iorwerth of Gwynllŵg) (d. before 1184) was a Welsh prince of Gwynllŵg and Lord of Caerleon. Life He was a son of Owain ap Caradog and thus a grandson of King Caradog ap Gruffydd of Gwent. In 1136 together ...

Wan, his brother. Henry II confiscated Caerlon from Iorwerth in September 1171 for undocumented reasons. In 1172 men of

William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester William FitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester (22 January 1116 – 23 November 1183) was the son and heir of Sir Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester, and Mabel FitzRobert of Gloucester, daughter of Robert Fitzhamon, and nephew of Empres ...

killed Iorwerth's son Owain, and Iowerth and his surviving son Hywel launched a rebellion against the Normans. Iowerth attended the council of Gloucester in June 1175, where Caerlon was restored to him at the urging of

Rhys ap Gruffydd Rhys ap Gruffydd or ap Gruffudd (often anglicised to "Griffith"; c. 1132 – 28 April 1197) was the ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales from 1155 to 1197. Today, he is commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh ''Yr Arglwydd Rhys' ...

(1132–97), lord of

Deheubarth Deheubarth (; , thus 'the South') was a regional name for the Welsh kingdoms, realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under ...

. Hywel ab Iorwerth seems to have succeeded his father as lord of Caerlon by 1184. He guarded castles in

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 ...

and Gwynllwg for the king during the Welsh revolt of 1184–85, and continued to serve the crown in the reign of

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

(r. 1189–1199). Hywel of Caerlon appears to have died during the attacks that

Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (, – 11 April 1240), also known as Llywelyn the Great (, ; ), was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy, he dominate ...

led against the royal and Marcher lands in Wales in the early summer of 1215.

Life

Morgan ap Hywel, who succeeded his father Hywel, lost Caerleon in October 1217 to the forces of

William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147 – 14 May 1219), also called William the Marshal (Anglo-Norman language, Norman French: ', French language, French: '), was an Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman during High Med ...

(1146–1219), lord of

Striguil Striguil or Strigoil is the name that was used from the 11th century until the late 14th century for the port and Norman castle of Chepstow, on the Welsh side of the River Wye which forms the boundary with England. The name was also applied to t ...

. Morgan's claim to Caerleon was dismissed by a council at Worcester in 1218, but he was again arguing his claim in 1220. In 1227 Morgan finally quitclaimed his right to Caerleon in favour of William Marshal the younger. He may have then participated in the final wave of the fifth crusade between 1227 and 1231. Although Morgan was unable to regain Caerleon he managed to retain Machen Castle for most of his life. Morgan strengthened this castle by the addition of a tower. He probably built the round tower keep of Machen Castle, or Castell Meredydd, in 1217.

Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke (c. 1194/1207 – 27 June 1241) was the third son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Countess Isabel, the daughter of Richard son of Gilbert, earl of Striguil. He was a member of the Marshal fa ...

, captured Castell Meredydd in 1236 during a truce between

and King

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of John, King of England, King John and Isabella of Ang ...

. After Marshal took the castle he seems to have fortified it with a bailey and curtain wall. He was forced to return it to Morgan by the terms of the truce, or "for fear of the lord Llywelyn". Some traces of the foundations of this castle may still be seen on the natural rocky motte on which it was built. Morgan was one of the few Welsh leaders who did not join the revolt of

Dafydd ap Llywelyn Dafydd ap Llywelyn (c. March 1212 – 25 February 1246) was List of rulers of Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. Birth and descent Though birth years of 1208, 1206, and 1215 have been put forward for Dafydd, it has recently been p ...

in June 1244. Morgan died not long before 15 March 1248. At the time of his death he held Machen castle in the uplands of

and the commotes of Edeligion and Llenbenydd in the lordship of Caerleon in Gwent. He was succeeded by his grandson Merdudd ap Gruffudd (died 1270), son of his daughter Gwerful and of Gryffudd ap Maredud, a grandson of Lord Rhys.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:ap Hywel, Morgan People from Caerleon 1248 deaths History of Monmouthshire