Madog was born about 1100, the son of unknown parents. The place is not known.
He died in 1160. The place is not known.
His wife was Susanna fetch Gruffudd. They were married, but the date and place have not been found. Their only known child was Gwenllian (c1131-1211).
| Event | Date | Details | Source | Multimedia | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | ABT 1100 | ||||
| Death | 1160 |
Note 1
!StyleName: ap Maredudd, Madog the last Prince of all Powys [~1100 - ]
!Source: https://biography.wales/article/s-MADO-APM-1160
MADOG ap MAREDUDD , king of Powys
Name: Madog ap Maredudd
Date of death: 1160
Spouse: Susanna ferch Gruffydd ap Cynan
Child: Gwenllian ferch Madog ap Maredudd
Child: Margaret ferch Madog ap Maredudd
Child: Gruffydd ap Madog
Child: Owain Fychan ap Madog ap Maredudd
Child: Owain Brogyntyn
Child: Cynric Efell
Child: Llywelyn ap Madog
Parent: Maredudd ap Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
Gender: Male
Occupation: king of Powys
Area of activity: Politics, Government and Political Movements; Royalty and Society
Author: Thomas Jones Pierce
Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn ap Cynfyn. He was the last of his dynasty to rule as king over the whole of Powys, including, for a time, the Fitzalan lordship of Oswestry . Succeeding his father in 1132, his main pre-occupation, particularly between the years 1149-57, was the defence of Powys against the aggression of Owain Gwynedd. Threatened by the building of the castle of Tomen-y-Rhodwydd at the southern end of the Vale of Clwyd, Madog, in alliance with Ranulf, earl of Chester, unsuccessfully challenged Owain's advance, losing, for a time, the control of his lands in Iâl.
This loss was retrieved in 1157 when Henry II, with Madog's support, made a decisive assertion of authority in North Wales. When he died three years later he was still friendly with his powerful patron. His praises were sung by the leading poets of the day, and the impression created on the minds of contemporaries by the influence which he asserted in central Wales is enshrined in contemporary prose romances. He was buried in the mother-church of Powys - S. Tysilio at Meifod. He married Susanna, daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan.
His dominions were divided among a number of minor lords of Powys - his sons and nephews - and were never again to be reunited in the hands of a single ruler. For his heirs see Gruffydd Maelor I, Owain Fychan, Owain Brogyntyn, and Owain Cyfeiliog.
Author
Professor Thomas Jones Pierce,
!Source: Madog ap Maredudd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madog_ap_Maredudd
Madog ap Maredudd was the last prince of the entire Kingdom of Powys, Wales. He held for a time, the FitzAlan Lordship of Oswestry, family of the Earls of Arundel, of Arundel Castle. His daughter married Lord Rhys, prince of Wales.
Early life
Madog was the son of King Maredudd ap Bleddyn and grandson of King Bleddyn ap Cynfyn. He followed his father on the throne of Powys in 1132. He is recorded as taking part in the Battle of Lincoln in 1141 in support of the Earl of Chester, along with Owain Gwynedd's brother Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd and a large army of Welshmen. In 1149 he is recorded giving the commote of Cyfeiliog to his nephews Owain Cyfeiliog and Meurig.
The same year Madog was able to rebuild Oswestry Castle, a fortress of William Fitzalan. It would seem likely that he had gained both the fortresses of Oswestry and Whittington in 1146 of Fitzalan, the great-grandfather of the Earl of Arundel of Arundel Castle, John Fitzalan.[1]
Defeat by Gwynedd
At this time the King of Gwynedd, between 1149 and 1150, Owain Gwynedd was exerting pressure on the borders of Powys, despite the fact that Madog was married to Susanna, Owain's sister. Around 1150, Madog made an alliance with Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, but Owain defeated them near Ewloe/Coleshill and took possession of Madog's lands in the Lordship of Iâl .[2]
In 1157 King Henry II of England invaded Gwynedd. Though he was defeated at the Battle of Ewloe , he was supported by Madog, who was able to regain many of his Welsh lands. Even so, he retained the lordships of Oswestry and Whittington. In 1159 Madog would seem to have been the Welsh prince who accompanied King Henry II in his campaign to Toulouse which ended in failure.
Returning home to Wales Madog died about 9 February 1160 in Whittington Castle.[1] He was buried soon afterwards in the church of St Tysilio at Meifod, the mother church of Powys.
Succession Shared
Madog's eldest son, Llywelyn, was killed soon after his father's death in 1160; Powys was then shared between Madog's sons Gruffydd Maelor, Owain Fychan and Owain Brogyntyn, his nephew Owain Cyfeiliog and half-brother Iorwerth Goch.[3][page needed] Powys was never subsequently reunited, being separated into two parts; Powys Fadog and Powys Wenwynwyn . Madog's death enabled Owain Gwynedd to force the homage of Owain Brogyntyn, Madog's youngest son, and effectively annex part of northern Powys.
The poet Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr in his elegy on Madog said:
While Madog lived there was no man
Dared ravage his fair borders
Yet nought of all he held
Esteemed he his save by God's might…
If my noble lord were alive
Gwynedd would not now be encamped in the heart of Edeyrnion
Edeyrnion was a commote inherited by Owain Brogyntyn and had been the home of his mother . Owain may also have been raised there. It was annexed to Gwynedd during Owain's time.
Children
Llywelyn ap Madog, died 1160
Gruffydd Maelor ap Madog, died 1191
Owain Fychan ap Madog, c. 1125–1187
Owain Brogyntyn ap Madog
Gwenllian ferch Madog, married Rhys ap Gruffydd, prince of Deheubarth and Carreg Cennen Castle
Marared ferch Madog, married Iorwerth ab Owain Gwynedd and was the mother of Llywelyn the Great
Efa ferch Madog, married Cadwallon ap Madog ap Idnerth, prince of Maelienydd
The Mabinogion
The Mabinogion tale The Dream of Rhonabwy is set during Madog's reign. The central character, Rhonabwy, is one of Madog's retainers sent to bring in Madog's rebellious brother Iorwerth Goch ap Maredudd. His titular dream contrasts his own time with the grandeur of King Arthur's period.[4]
Fiction
Madog's intervention in the Battle of Lincoln in 1141 forms an important plot element in the detective novel Dead Man's Ransom, part of the Brother Cadfael chronicles by Edith Pargeter .