Banner of the House of Powys
The Princes of Powys hold the position of the Premier Noble of the realm. They hold this position as the senior Tripartite Prince. The House of MacGregor-Glyndwr (Gywnedd) is a junior branch and the House of Morgannwg was a non-Royal House at the time of its raising to the dignity of Prince. They have held the position of Premier Prince of the Realm since 1796 and the Restoration.
Background[]
In 1487, King Owain V settled on the political landscape that was to shape Wales until the modern era. He decided to bring back principalities, below the level of the Crown. This was done for practical reasons, Wales traditionally did not have straight father to son inheritance, though this had altered with the years of English rule that preceded the restoration of independence, but it was still not a settled arrangement and Owain, who had had no brothers to contend his succession, had a younger son to consider. The other main reason was one of local control. Wales is a disparate country, with mountains bearing the way north to south, therefore the Kings authority could be resisted. By creating a network of lords, Owain reasoned that he could control them centrally and leave them to control Wales locally.
To this end he brought back three of the ancient Principalities. Gywnedd, Powys and Morgannwg. Gywnedd the king took for himself, giving the Crown an independent measure of control away from Parliament.
Powys was gifted to his youngest son, Maredudd, whilst the resurrection of Morgannwg as a principality owed more to the logic of invasion than anything else. The easiest route into Wales was along the south Wales coast as Norman invader after Norman invader had proven. Putting a strong lord in control of this region helped ensure Wales future should the English abrogate the Treaty of London and invade.
Prince's of Powys - House of Mathrafal[]
At the time of the raising to the rank of Prince of Powys, Maredudd retained the old name of Mathrafal for official documents
- Maredudd I of Powys 1487 - 1510 (Son of Owain V of Wales)
- Rhys I of Powys 1510 - 1551 (Son of Maredudd I)
- Morgan I of Powys 1551 - 1600 (Son of Rhys I)
With the rising of Morgan to the throne of Powys he changed the family's name to that of Powys-Fadog to reflect the heritage of his ancestors
Rise of a Dynasty - The Devils Own[]
Arms of Powys
The Prince Maredudd was just 8 years old when his father invested him in the title of Prince of Powys in Bangor Cathedral on the 1st September 1487. For the first few years of his reign he resided in Caernarfon with his mother, the Queen Anne. The occasion of his marriage, to Sian ferch Iorwerth ab Tomos on the 1st March 1496 saw him gain his early majority and he left court to take up residence at the Marcher fortress of Montgomery (Trefaldwyn).
Prince Maredudd was not destined to live long in the world, dying at the early age of 30 in 1510. However, he lived long enough to leave behind him two sons, Rhys and Owain, who would themselves leave an indelible mark on Welsh history.
The Prince Rhys[]
In early Welsh history there are few characters more well known than Prince Rhys I of Powys. During his reign, (1510-1551), the Principality of Powys became the powerhouse of Welsh politics. Rhys was only 13 years old when his father died after falling from his horse, and therefore the first five years of his reign, his mother, the Dowager Princess Sian, ruled Powys, however, come his eighteenth birthday, Rhys assumed full control of the Principality. His formative years were spent watching the rule of his cousin, Hywel I. As a role model, Hywel was to give Rhys ideas of how Wales should be ruled that would later prove disastrous to the Prince. With the death of the king in 1513 the young and impressionable Hywel II came to the throne and the 17 year old Prince of Powys, whilst still not yet in full control of his own principality, sought the advantage at court that his blood kinship with the new king allowed him. At the turning of his majority Rhys had achieved a stunning coup de tat, not only had he claimed his full birthright from his mother, he had gained the title of Chancellor as well. For an 18 year old prince this was an intoxicating mix of power and two years later used his position to raise his younger brother to the Duchy of Gwent. This also resulted in the elevation of a political rival, in the now Duke of March, but the young Prince Rhys was cocky enough to push through.
Rhys used his position to divert funds to both his castle and seat in Trefaldwyn, but also to the town of Y Trallwng (OTL Welshpool or Pool), the civic centre of his Principality. His castle was enlarged, whilst in Y Trallwng a new town hall, law court and market were built.
During the 1530's Powys' grip on power remained constant, guiding Wales' politics with an increasing ease, but with Henry VIII's increasing domestic changes, Welsh policy was always struggling to keep up with the English. Powys, seeing an opportunity for gain started to agitate for armed action against England, with Powys sending his brother to Rome to gain Papal blessing for the war. From 1535 to 37 Powys saw to the massive militarisation of Gwlad yr Haf, the territory gained by Wales from the Treaty of Bath and finally in 1537 Powys launched his war, making his rival, the Duke of March lead the Welsh armies into Somerset.
1st Anglo-Welsh War []
The war itself was a damp squib, with the Duke of March dying on the first day of the war and Powys having to take over personal command of the army. Wales managed to secure coastal territory but could not strike out inland. The English for their part retook Bath, but could not dislodge the Welsh from Bristol and the war ended in a stalemate, with the Treaty of Somerset leaving Wales with the Northern Coast territory, but confirming the loss of Bath and some of the hinterland from Gwlad yr Haf.
After the War[]
Prince Rhys' personal power base took a knock from the war and whilst he retained the Chancellorship, the remaining five years of Hywel's reign were quiet ones for the power-hungry prince. With the Kings death however, the Prince was moved to action. Hywel died childless and whilst he had indicated in his will that he wished the throne to pass to his brother, the Prince Rhodri, Rhys decided to push his claim to the throne based on his descent from Maredudd ab Owain. Here Rhys's chickens came home to roost. His abrasive style of rule since 1515 had not left him loved by his fellow nobles. One by one they all declared for Rhodri.
King Rhodri and the Fall of Prince Rhys[]
King Rhodri came to the throne a 41 year old man, and a man who had lived his life in the shadow of Rhys of Powys. Powys was a man Rhodri neither liked nor trusted. As a result once crowned, one of his first actions was to remove Rhys from the Chancellorship. One thing that the new King and the Prince did have in common though was the belief that it was a good time to wage war on England. Rhodri continued the war in Somerset (the 2nd Anglo-Welsh war) whilst in Powys, Rhys was attempting a new bid for power. Whilst trying to have the king killed Rhys tried to implement a Protestant revolution within Powys. In this he failed. His own local nobles had no wish to leave the Catholic Church and the people had no more love of Rhys than anyone else had. As a result he was captured and handed over to Rhodri, who had him sent to Machynlleth to be held pending trial for treason and heresy. On the 14th March 1551 in full view of all his peers and the King, Rhys was executed by beheading in Parliament Square Machynlleth.
The Prince Morgan - Plant Cythraul (The Devils Offspring)[]
Prince Morgan was the eldest son of Prince Rhys, he was also the most closely associated man with his father's policies. Born on the 12th April 1520 he witnessed the greatest years of his fathers political career as Chancellor of Wales. Morgan was more fiery, more combative, more assertive than his father, his shock of red hair coupled with these tendencies gave rise to his nickname, Plant Cythrual or the Devils Offspring. Whilst for Rhys the Lutheran experiment had been a means to an end, for Morgan it was different, he was deeply moved by the religious arguments and just eight years after his fathers execution, he launches his own Lutheran Revolution again within Powys. This time he has more success than this father, with the King Consort, Lennox MacGregor needing to lead an army into Powys crushing the nascent Protestant Principality before it had time to spread its roots. At the special Parliament of 1560, Morgan was forced to renounce Lutheranism in order to retain his crown.
Morgan however had only gone quiet, in the background he was encouraging Calvinist preachers to come to Wales, he himself was busy grooming the Crown Prince, Marc, into the Lutheran faith. By 1596 the Powys Court is again almost openly Lutheran and in 1598 they gain the convert they have long courted, Prince Marc.
This seems to be Morgan's hour of victory, he has the Crown Prince in the palm of his hand and the Queen is elderly and not long left for this world. She dies in the November of 1598 with Marc succeeding her. Here again, Powys' plans unravel. Only Powys supports Marc, the rest of the nobility, rallied by the Duke of March throw their weight behind Rhys, Duke of Dehubarth. The ensuing war sees first Marc die, then Rhys Duke of Dehubarth. This leaves Morgan, the Crown Prince Gruffudd and the new 12 year old Duke of Dehubarth as the only claimants to the throne and Morgan sees a chance to elevate himself to the throne. Morgan kills the Crown Prince in the Battle of Strata Florida, but then Morgan dies just a short time later in the Skirmish of Builth Wells, again ending the hopes of the House of Powys Fadog of climbing onto the throne of Wales.
Princes of Powys - House of Powys-Fadog[]
- Alecsander I of Powys 1600 - 1607 (Son of Morgan)
- Morgan II of Powys 1607 - 1608 (Son of Alecsander)
- Rhys II of Powys 1608 - 1615 (Second Son of Alecsander)
- Dafydd I of Powys 1615 - 1638 (Son of Rhys II)
- Maredudd II - Prince Admiral of Powys 1638 - 1682 (Son of Dafydd)
- Llewellyn of Powys 1682 - 1718 (Son of Maredudd II)
- Maredudd III of Powys 1718 - 1719 (Younger Son of Maredudd II)
- Dafydd II of Powys 1719 - 1738 (Son of Maredudd III) Prince in Exile
- Maredudd IV of Powys 1738 - 1768 (Son of Dafydd II) Prince in Exile
- Iolo of Powys 1768-1804 (Son of Maredudd IV) Restored Prince
- Iorwerth of Powys 1804 - 1836 (Great-Grandson of Dafydd II of Powys, Cousin 1x Removed of Iolo)
- Briallen of Powys 1836 - 1891 (Daughter of Iorwerth)
The Devil's Dynasty[]
Alecsander I needed to rebuild the power of the dynasty following his father and grandfather's failure to gain the Welsh throne. Up till then, the family had married into local Powysian nobility. Alecsander himself marrying into a family from the Ial Cantref. His son and heir, Morgan II had married for love to Lillwen Prosser, but whilst that marriage was being arranged Alecsander managed a marriage coup for his younger son, Rhys (who would succeed his brother to the princely title), to the daughter of Jan Kostka, a magnate of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The marriage to Anna Magdalena Kostka was following up by the marriage of Dafydd I to Christiania De Croy from the Holy Roman Empire. These two marriages opened up opportunities for the family to recover financially. Maredudd II again married for love, but both his sons were married to continental matches, with another two Austrian matches (House of Liechtenstein and the House of Dietrichstein).
These continental connections proved valuable with the fall of Wales in 1718 and with Mareduff III succeeding his brother Llewellyn following his death at the Battle of Abertawe with Dafydd marrying his first cousin, Maria Dietrichstein and his son Maredudd IV marrying into the Austrian princely family of Furstenberg. Maredudd's son, Iolo, married into the Franco-Scottish Fitz-James family, though that marriage proved to be childless.
Office of Prince-Admiral[]
When the Welsh Navy was re-structured
The Badge of the Royal Welsh Navy
and re-constituted in 1630, Prince Maredudd of Powys was made Lord High Admiral of the Fleet. During his tenure as Lord High Admiral, his titles were often mixed together, producing the hybrid title of Prince-Admiral of the Fleet. The Princes of Powys would retain the rank of Prince-Admiral as a hereditary title until the 1930's when the Head of the Navy became a professional position. Prince Maredudd also gifted to the Navy its Coat of Arms, which in turn was reflected in the Banner of Powys. The Prince ordered that the Black Lion of Powys-Fadog or Northern Powys on a field of alternating White and Blue vertical stripes surmounted by a Corona Navalis (Naval Crown) be the arms for the new Navy.
Princes of Powys - House of Powys Fadog-Thomas[]
- Ieuan of Powys 1891 - 1911 (Son of Briallen)
- Owain of Powys 1911 - 1960 (Grandson of Ieuan)
- Gwilym of Powys 1960 - 1990 (Son of Owain)
- Iorwerth II of Powys 1990 - Present (Son of Gwilym) - Heir is Hywel, Lord of Y Trallwng
Titles and Styles of the Princes of Powys[]
The Tywysogaeth Powys is referred to as "the Ancient Principality of Powys" and the holders of the title Tywysog/es Powys are afforded the style of "Ei Uchelder Tangnefeddus, X Tywysog Powys" (His/Her Serene Highness, X the Prince/ess of Powys)
Subsidiary Titles[]
In addition to the title of Tywysoge Powys a number of other titles are linked to the Tŷ'r Tywysog
- Dug Abaty Cwm Hir (Duke of Abbey Cwmhir
- Marcwis Y Trallwng (Marquis of Welshpool)
- Is-Iarll Trefaldwyn (Viscount Montgomery)
- Barwn Chirk (Baron Chirk)
- Arglwydd Y Trallwng (Lord of Welshpool) - Traditional original title to the heir.
Traditionally the heir to the Tywysog Powys is created the Marcwis Y Trallwng at birth and raised to the Dug Abaty Cwm Hir on his or her marriage.
The Coat of Arms of the Principality of Powys is the Red Lion Rampant on a golden field.
List of Tywysogion Powys[]
- Maredudd I Glyndwr
- Rhys I Glyndwr
- Morgan I Glyndwr
- Alecsander I Powys-Fadog
- Morgan II Powys-Fadog
- Rhys II Powys-Fadog
- Dafydd I Powys-Fadog
- Maredudd II Powys-Fadog
- Llewellyn Powys-Fadog
- Maredudd III Powys-Fadog
- Dafydd II Powys-Fadog
- Maredudd IV Powys-Fadog
- Iolo Powys-Fadog
- Iorwerth Powys-Fadog
- Briallen Powys-Fadog
- Ieuan Powys Fadog-Thomas
- Owain Powys Fadog-Thomas
- Gwilym Powys Fadog-Thomas
- Iorwerth II Powys Fadog-Thomas - Heir is Hywel, Dug Abaty Cwm Hir
Princely Seat[]
Engraving showing the Castle in the 1500's
When Maredudd I was raised to the Principality of Powys, he chose as his seat the strategic castle of Montgomery (in Welsh, Trefaldwyn). Montgomery Town is still an important site for the princes, housing the summer palace for the princes. However, the castle itself was damaged during the Third Anglo-Welsh War in 1718, and during the Occupation, the castle was largely ruined. In the vicinity of the old Castell Trefaldwyn, Prince Llewellyn of Powys (1682-1718) had built a palace in the French style, entitled Castell Newydd Trefaldwyn (New Castle Montgomery). This is still retained by the princes as a summer residence.
Chateaux Montgomery
The main residence of the Princes of Powys though is an older castle to the north of Montgomery on the outskirts of the provincial capital Y Trallwng (Welshpool in English). Powis Castle did not originally belong to the princes of Powys, but was acquired by Iolo (1768-1804) following the liberation of north east Wales.
Powis Castle - Seat of the Princes of Powys
It has seen many embelishments both during the English Occupation (when it served as an official residence of the Governor of Wales and during the 18th Century following its acquisition by Iolo. As a result it is one of the most beautiful palaces in Wales attracting many visitors during the summer months when it is open to the public.