Owen Tudor

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Contents 1 Ancestry 2 Marriage/Affair and children 3 Wars of the Roses activities 4 External links

For the husband of Larissa Tudor, see Owen Frederick Morton Tudor

Owain ap Maredudd (or Owain ap Meredith ap Tewdur or Owen Tudor) (c. 1400 - February 2, 1461) was a Welsh soldier and courtier, directly descended from The Lord Rhys but remembered only because of his role in founding the Tudor dynasty and for his relationship with Catherine of Valois, widow of King Henry V of England. At some point Owain anglicised his name from the Welsh Owain ap Maredudd to Owen Tudor, taking his grandfather's name for a surname rather than the more common practice of taking his father's.

[edit] Ancestry

Owen was a descendant of Rhys ap Gruffydd (1132 - 1197). Rhys had a daughter Gwenllian ferch Rhys who was married to Ednyfed Fychan, Seneschal of the Kingdom of Gwynedd (d. 1246).

They were parents to Goronwy, Lord of Tref-Gastel (d. 1268). Goronwy was later married to Morfydd ferch Meyric, daughter to Meuric of Gwent. Meuric was son of Ithel, grandson of Rhydd and great-grandson to Iestyn ap Gwrgan(t). Iestyn had been the last King of Gwent (reigned 1081 - 1091) before its conquest by the Normans.

Goronwy and Morfydd were parents to Tudor Hen, Lord of Penmynydd (d. 1311). He was married to Angharad ferch Ithel Fychan, daughter of Ithel Fychan ap Ithel Gan, Lord of Englefield. They were parents to Goronwy Ap Tudor, Lord of Penmynydd (d. 1331).

Goronwy was himself later married to Gwerfy ferch Madog, daughter of Madog ap David, Baron of Hendwr. They were parents to Tudor Fychan, Lord of Pemmynydd (d. 1367).

Tudor was married to Margaret ferch Thomas. Margaret was daughter to Thomas ap Llewellyn, Lord of Iscoed, South Wales and his wife Eleanor ferch Philip. Her paternal grandfather was Llewellyn ap Owain, Lord of Gwynnionith. The maternal grandfather was Philip ab Ifor, Lord of Iscoed.

Tudor and Margaret were parents to Maredudd ap Tudor (d. 1406). He was married to Margaret ferch Dafydd. Margaret was daughter to Dafydd Fychan, Lord of Anglesey and his wife Nest ferch Ieuan.

Maredudd and Margaret were the parents of Owen.

[edit] Marriage/Affair and children

Owain entered the service of Queen Catherine of Valois as keeper of the Queen's household (or her wardrobe) some time after the death of her husband Henry V of England on 22 August 1422. The Queen lived in the household of her young son, King Henry VI. Henry had succeeded his father as the King of England. Following the death of his maternal grandfather Charles VI of France on October 21, 1422, Henry had also been declared King of France, a title that would be disputed by his maternal uncle Charles VII of France, also crowned King of France on July 17, 1429. Around 1430 Catherine left her son's household, and it was some time after that she may have married Owen Tudor. It is debatable that the marriage took place at all, since Parliament had passed a resolution against it.

Owen and Catherine had at least six children:

• Owen Tudor (1429-1501). He was a monk at Westminster.
• Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond (1430 - November 1, 1456), married Lady Margaret Beaufort. Father of King Henry VII.
• Jasper Tudor, 1st Duke of Bedford (1431 - December 21/26, 1495), married Katherine Woodville, daughter to Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg. No issue. He did have two illegimate children.
• Tacina Tudor (died 1469).
• Daughter Tudor. She became a nun.
• Margaret (Catherine) Tudor (born 1437). Died young.

Owen Tudor had at least one illegimate child:

• David Owen (1459-1528), knighted in 1485 by his nephew King Henry VII at Milford Heaven. He married Mary Bohun (born 1459), daughter of Sir John De Bohun of Midhurst and Anne Arden, before 1488.

After Queen Catherine's death, Owen Tudor was imprisoned at Newgate Prison, but later released.

See: The Oxford Dictionay of National Biography[1]

[edit] Wars of the Roses activities

Owen was later involved in the Wars of the Roses (1455 - 1487) between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. On February 2, 1461, as a man of advanced years, Owen led the Lancastrian forces at the Battle of Mortimer's Cross against Edward, Earl of March. They were defeated. Owen was shortly after executed by decapitation along with other prisoners. He is said to have expected a reprieve because of his relationship with the former royal family. Owen reportedly was not convinced of his approaching death until the collar was ripped off his doublet by the executioner. At which point he is alleged to have said that "the head which used to lie in Queen Katherine's lap, would now lie in the executioner's basket".

[edit] External links

• His pedigree (not necessarily reliable)
• Mention's Owain ap Maredudd's decision to anglicise his name
• Royal Berkshire History: Owen Tudor