Coat of arms of Gruffydd Maelor I ap Madog Prince of Powys Fadog

Gruffydd Maelor (died 1191) was Prince of

Powys Fadog Powys Fadog (English: ''Lower Powys'' or ''Madog's Powys'') was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys, which split in two following the death of Madog ap Maredudd in 1160. The realm was divided under Welsh law, with Madog's ...

in Wales. He is known as Gruffydd Maelor I to distinguish him from his grandson, Gruffydd Maelor II (died 1269).

Lineage

He was a son of Prince

Madog ap Maredudd Madog ap Maredudd ( wlm, Madawg mab Maredud, ; died 1160) was the last prince of the entire Kingdom of Powys, Wales and for a time held the Fitzalan Lordship of Oswestry. Madog was the son of King Maredudd ap Bleddyn and grandson of King Bleddy ...

by Susanna, daughter of King

Gruffudd ap Cynan Gruffudd ap Cynan ( 1137), sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembe ...

. He was to be the founder of the principal ruling family of northern Powys during the 13th century.

Inheritance

On his father's death in 1160 Powys was divided between his three sons (Gruffydd,

Owain Brogyntyn Owain ''Brogyntyn'' ap Madog ( fl. 1160–1186) was the third and illegitimate son of king Madog ap Maredudd, the last king of a united Kingdom of Powys. He was the son of Madog by the daughter of the ''Maer du'' or "black mayor" of Rûg in ...

and

Owain Fychan Owain Fychan ap Madog (alternatively ''Owain Vychan ap Madoc'') (c. 1125 – 1187) was styled Lord of Mechain Is Coed and one of the sons of Madog ap Maredudd. His mother was Susanna, daughter of Gruffudd ap Cynan. Division of the Kingdom of Po ...

), a nephew (

Owain Cyfeiliog Owain ap Gruffydd (c. 1130–1197) was a prince of the southern part of Powys and a poet. He is usually known as Owain Cyfeiliog to distinguish him from other rulers named Owain, particularly his contemporary, Owain ap Gruffydd of Gwynedd, who is k ...

) and a half-brother (

Iorwerth Goch ap Maredudd Iorwerth Goch ap Maredudd (c. 1110 – c. 1171), a minor prince and nobleman of the Kingdom of Powys, was the illegitimate son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn and Cristin ferch Bledrus. The appellation "Goch", meaning red, probably referred to the colour of ...

). Gruffydd received

Maelor The Maelor is an area of north-east Wales along the border with England. It is now entirely part of Wrexham County Borough. The name ''Maelor'' is an old Welsh word: it can be translated as "land of the prince", from ''mael'' ("prince") and ''l ...

(also known as Bromfield) and

Iâl Ial or Yale ( cy, Iâl) was a commote of medieval Wales within the cantref of Maelor in the Kingdom of Powys. When the Kingdom was divided in 1160, Maelor became part of the Princely realm of Powys Fadog (Lower Powys or Madog's Powys), and belon ...

(also known as Yale), as his allotted portion of Powys. He later added

Nanheudwy Nanheudwy was a medieval commote of Wales considered part of the ancient Kingdom of Powys in the cantref of Swydd y Waun. It was traditionally defined as the region between the valleys of the rivers Dee and Ceiriog with a mountain ridge running ...

Cynllaith Cynllaith or Cynllaeth was a ''cwmwd'' (commote) of north east Wales in the cantref of Swydd y Waun which was once part of the Kingdom of Powys and later part of the smaller kingdom of Powys Fadog. Cynllaith, or at least the part of it called '' ...

Owain and

Mochnant Mochnant, a name translating as "the rapid stream", was a medieval cantref in the Kingdom of Powys. In the 12th century it was divided into the commotes of Mochnant Is Rhaeadr (in the north) and Mochnant Uwch Rhaeadr (in the south) (''Is'' signif ...

Is Rhaeadr after the death of his half-brother Owain Fychan in 1187.

Unification of northern Powys

His inherited and acquired lands in effect unified and reunited most of northern Powys forming what became known as

after it was inherited by his son.

Marriage

He married

Angharad Angharad (; ) is a feminine given name in the Welsh language, having a long association with Welsh royalty, history and myth. It translates to English as ''much loved one''. In Welsh mythology, Angharad Golden-Hand is the lover of Peredur in th ...

, his cousin and daughter of

Owain Gwynedd Owain ap Gruffudd ( 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great ( cy, Owain Fawr) and the first to be ...

, King of

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 ...

Death and issue

He died in 1191, leaving issue: *

Madog Madoc ab Owain Gwynedd (also spelled Madog) was, according to folklore, a Welsh prince who sailed to America in 1170, over three hundred years before Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492. According to the story, he was a son of Owain Gwyned ...

, who succeeded his father. * Owen, joint ruler with his brother, died 1197.

References and sources

*Prof. T Jones Pierce MA FSA, ''The History of Wales'' (Aberystwyth) *Lloyd, ''History of Wales'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Gruffydd Maelor 1191 deaths Monarchs of Powys 12th-century Welsh monarchs Year of birth unknown Welsh princes House of Mathrafal The Lordship of Bromfield and Yale