Rhys ap Gruffydd (1508–December 1531) was a powerful Welsh landowner who was accused of rebelling against King

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

by plotting with

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and du ...

to become

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 ...

. He was executed as a rebel. He married Lady Catherine Howard (b. abt 1499 Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk, England), the daughter of

Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (144321 May 1524), styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1485 and again from 1489 to 1514, was an English nobleman, soldier and statesman who served four monarchs. He was the eldest son of John Howard, 1st Du ...

and his second wife

Agnes Tilney Agnes Howard (née Tilney) (c. 1477 – May 1545) was the second wife of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Two of King Henry VIII's queens were her step-granddaughters, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard. Catherine Howard was placed in the Dowag ...

Early life

Rhys was the grandson of

Rhys ap Thomas Sir Rhys ap Thomas (1449–1525) was a Welsh soldier and landholder who rose to prominence during the Wars of the Roses, and was instrumental in the victory of Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth. He remained a faithful supporter of Henry ...

, the most powerful man in Wales and close ally of

. His father, Gruffydd ap Rhys ap Thomas, died in 1521, leaving him his grandfather's heir. In 1524 Rhys married Catherine Howard, daughter of

.Dictionary of Welsh Biography, National Library of Wales
/ref> As his grandfather's heir, Rhys expected to inherit his estates and titles. When Rhys ap Thomas died in 1525, Henry VIII gave his most important titles and powers to Walter Devereux, Lord Ferrers, leading to a feud between Rhys and Ferrers, which escalated over the next few years.

Conflict with Ferrers

Rhys attempted to increase his status in Wales, petitioning Cardinal

Thomas Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's Lord High Almoner, almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the ...

to be given various posts. The potential for conflict with Ferrers increased when both men were given the right to extend their number of retainers; this led to the emergence of competing armed gangs. The bad blood between Rhys and Ferrers reached a crisis point in June 1529 when Ferrers made a display of his status during preparations for the annual Court of Great Sessions in Carmarthen. Rhys, surrounded by forty armed men, threatened Ferrers with a knife. Rhys was arrested and imprisoned in

Carmarthen Castle Carmarthen Castle ( Welsh: ''Castell Caerfyrddin'') is a ruined castle in Carmarthen, West Wales, UK. First built by Walter, Sheriff of Gloucester in the early 1100s, the castle was captured and destroyed on several occasions before being reb ...

. Rhys's wife Catherine escalated the situation by collecting hundreds of her supporters and attacking the castle. She later threatened Ferrers himself with an armed gang. In the conflict between the two factions, several of Ferrers's men were killed. The factions continued to cause other disruptions over the coming months, leading to deaths in street fights and acts of

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

Treason charges

The rebellious actions of Rhys's supporters led to Rhys's transfer to prison in London in 1531. By this stage, Henry was claiming that Rhys was attempting to overthrow his government in Wales. Rhys had added the title Fitz-Urien to his name, referring to

Urien Urien (; ), often referred to as Urien Rheged or Uriens, was a late 6th-century king of Rheged, an early British kingdom of the Hen Ogledd (today's northern England and southern Scotland) of the House of Rheged. His power and his victories, ...

, the ancient Welsh ruler of

Rheged Rheged () was one of the kingdoms of the ''Hen Ogledd'' ("Old North"), the Brittonic-speaking region of what is now Northern England and southern Scotland, during the post-Roman era and Early Middle Ages. It is recorded in several poetic and b ...

, a person of mythical significance. Rhys's accusers claimed that this was an attempt to assert himself as Prince of Wales. He was supposed to be plotting with

to overthrow Henry in fulfilment of ancient Welsh prophecies. Rhys was convicted of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

and was executed in December 1531. The execution caused widespread dismay and he was openly said to have been innocent. Contemporary writer Ellis Gruffudd, however, argued that the arrogance of the Rhys family had caused their downfall, saying that "many men regarded his death as Divine retribution for the falsehoods of his ancestors, his grandfather, and great-grandfather, and for their oppressions and wrongs. They had many a deep curse from the poor people who were their neighbours, for depriving them of their homes, lands and riches." Historian Ralph Griffith asserts that "Rhys's execution...was an act of judicial murder based on charges devised to suit the prevailing political and dynastic situation". Since it was linked to Henry's attempt to centralise power and break with the church of Rome, he argues that it "in retrospect made him hysone of the earliest martyrs of the English Reformation."Ralph Griffith, ''Rhys ap Thomas and his Family'', University of Wales Press, Cardiff, 1993, pp.106, 110–11. Rhys was believed to be opposed to the Reformation and had spoken disparagingly of

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

. He had also been friendly with

Katherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously P ...

and Cardinal Wolsey, so ridding himself of Rhys helped Henry to prepare the ground for the Reformation.London Carmarthenshire society, ''A history of Carmarthenshire'', Volume 1, Society by W. Lewis limited, 1935, p.263. The execution led to fears of a Welsh rebellion. One clergyman was concerned that the Welsh and Irish would join together.

Family

With his death, Rhys' vast possessions were forfeit to the crown. His children are known by the Anglicised surname "Rice". His son, Griffith Rice (c.1530–1584), was restored to some of the family estates by Queen Mary. His daughter Agnes Rice had a much-publicised affair with William Stourton, 7th Baron Stourton, and in defiance of the rights of his widow and children, she inherited much of the Stourton estates after his death in 1548. She later married Sir Edward Baynton, and had children with both William and Edward.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhys Ap Gryffed (rebel) 1508 births 1531 deaths 16th-century Welsh politicians People executed under the Tudors for treason against England Executed Welsh people People executed under Henry VIII