Rhys ap Robert (died 1377) was a Welsh nobleman. A descendant of the progenitor of the
Tudor dynasty
The House of Tudor was a royal house of largely Welsh and English origin that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd and Catherine of France. Tudor monarchs ruled the Kingdom of England and it ...
,
Ednyfed Fychan
Ednyfed Fychan ( 1170 – 1246), full name Ednyfed Fychan ap Cynwrig, was a Welsh warrior who became Seneschal to the Kingdom of Gwynedd in Northern Wales, serving Llywelyn the Great and his son Dafydd ap Llywelyn. Ednyfed claimed descent f ...
(d. 1246), he attained several positions in the administration of north Wales, including co-
Constable of Flint Castle
Flint Castle ( cy, Castell y Fflint) in Flint, Flintshire, was the first of a series of castles built during King Edward I's campaign to conquer Wales.
The site was chosen for its strategic position in North East Wales. The castle was only one ...
in north Wales by 1349, escheator of Caernarfonshire from 1347 to 1350, and ''rhaglaw'' (bailiff) of the
commote
A commote (Welsh ''cwmwd'', sometimes spelt in older documents as ''cymwd'', plural ''cymydau'', less frequently ''cymydoedd'')''Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales ...
of Dinmael in 1360–61.
Rhys' career was not without controversy. In 1354 he was fined for taking bribes, and in 1358 the men of Englefield in north-east Wales complained to the
Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, suc ...
about Rhys' oppressive measures. He lived at
Kinmel near
Abergele
Abergele (; ; ) is a market town and community, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough and in the historic county of Denbighshire. Its northern suburb of Pensarn lies on ...
, and was a patron of the poet
Iolo Goch
Iolo Goch (c. 1320 – c. 1398) (meaning ''Iolo the Red'' in English) was a medieval Welsh bard who composed poems addressed to Owain Glyndŵr, among others.
Lineage
Iolo was the son of Ithel Goch ap Cynwrig ap Iorwerth Ddu ap Cynwrig Ddew ...
.
Rhys' most important role in Welsh society was as a supporter of
Owain Lawgoch
Owain Lawgoch ( en, Owain of the Red Hand, french: Yvain de Galles), full name Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri (July 1378), was a Welsh soldier who served in Lombardy, France, Alsace, and Switzerland. He led a Free Company fighting for the French agai ...
, a mercenary in French pay and a claimant to the title of
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
, who attempted to invade Wales with French support in 1369 and again in 1372. During the latter year, Rhys' son Ieuan Wyn - who also served as a mercenary in France - was identified along with Owain as having received over 500 marks from Rhys to aid their fight against the English there. The allegations seem not to have harmed Rhys' career, as he was appointed chief serjeant of the lordship of
Denbigh
Denbigh (; cy, Dinbych; ) is a market town and a community in Denbighshire, Wales. Formerly, the county town, the Welsh name translates to "Little Fortress"; a reference to its historic castle. Denbigh lies near the Clwydian Hills.
History
...
in 1374. He died in 1377.
References
* A. D. Carr, 'Rhys ap Roppert', ''Denbighshire Historical Society Transactions'' XXV (1976), 155–70.
* - ''Owen of Wales: The End of the House of Gwynedd'' (Cardiff, 1991).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhys Ap Robert
1377 deaths
House of Tudor
Year of birth missing
14th-century Welsh nobility