Owain Glyndwr was the man to lead the Welsh in revolt against the English.His banner was the Red Dragon, the old symbol of victory of Briton over the Saxon. Still the sign of the flag of Wales today. His revolt was not unforeseen; the way had been prepared not only by the men of literature, but also by earlier uprisings begun by Madog ap Llywelyn and by Owain Lawgoch

Madog ap Llywelyn, calling himself Prince of Wales, had actually begun the revolt against English rule in 1294, only a dozen years after the death of Llywelyn Gruffudd. Though his efforts did not gain enough support to succeed, they brought a harsh response from King Edward in the form of humiliating and punitive ordinances further restricting the civil rights and economic and social opportunities of the Welsh.

It wasn't long before Llywelyn Bren, Lord of Senghenydd, led a second rebellion, aided by some of the more prominent Marcher Lords in 1316. Prior to the arrival of Glyndwr, it was Owain Lawgoch (Owain ap Thomas: Owain Red Hand ) who had the greatest and most lasting influence upon Welsh aspirations for independence from England.

It was this popular prophetic tradition, uniting with the social unrest and racial tension that opened the door for Owain Glyndwr, Lord of Glyndyfrdwy (the Valley of the Dee). He seized his opportunity in 1400 after being crowned Prince of Wales by a small group of supporters and who subsequently felt confident enough to defy Henry IV's many attempts to dislodge him.

At first, it seemed that Owain was attempting more than he could handle; his raids upon the English boroughs were easily repulsed and his supporters scattered. Repressive measures undertaken by the new King Henry, however, and the penal legislation of 1401 that further restricted Welsh civil rights at the expense of English settlers gave Owain the support he had lacked.

As a wealthy landowner at Sycharth, in the Valley of the Dee, overlooking the Cheshire Plain, Owain was well educated, well travelled, and greatly experienced in civil and military matters. His wife Margaret was the daughter of a Chief Justice of the King's Bench. Yet he was willing to leave the security and prosperity he enjoyed at Sycharth to risk everything in his desire to create a self-governing Welsh state.

One reason came from the usurpation of Richard II and the accession of Henry Bolingbroke as Henry IV in 1399, which had created feelings of great uncertainty among the Welsh concerning their future. Discontentment had fostered, but the revolt began with a dispute over land between Owain as Lord of Glyndyfrdwy, and Reginald de Grey, Lord of Ruthin, but a few miles distant. The English Parliament treated Owain's attempt at redress with contempt, referring to the Welsh as nothing less than "bare-footed rascals."

This was indeed an insult that called for action: Owain and his small band of warriors struck back, attacking some of the newly created English boroughs in Wales. They captured Lord Grey, seized Conwy, threatened Harlech and Caernarfon and managed to take a great deal of North Wales under their control. Their early successes released the long-suppressed feelings of thousands of Welshmen who eagerly flocked to his support from all parts of England and the Continent. At long last, they had a chance to fight back and a leader under whom they could fight.

By 1404, all had gone well with the Welsh rebellion. The English Parliament condemned the rebellion as a mere peasant's revolt, yet also stressed the importance of the prophetic element -- that part of "Glendower" characterized by Shakespeare as being influenced by divinations and magic. It was true that Owain received a great deal of his support from the peasantry, and the comet that appeared in 1402 was seen by the Welsh as a sign of their forthcoming deliverance from bondage as well as one that proclaimed the appearance of Owain.

Glyndwr must have possessed a magnetic personality, for he rallied the long-suffering people of Wales, strengthening their armies and inspired their confidence. In June, 1402, Henry IV's invading army was totally destroyed at Pilleth.

It soon seemed as if the long-awaited dream of independence was fast becoming a reality. Three royal expeditions against Glyndwr had completely failed. He held Harlech and Aberystwyth in the West, had extended his influence as far as Glamorgan and Gwent in the South and East, and was receiving support from Ireland and Scotland. He had also formed an alliance with France, been recognized by the leading Welsh bishops, and had summoned parliaments at various towns in Wales including Machynlleth where he was crowned as Prince of Wales

It didn't seem too ambitious for Owain to believe that with suitable allies, he could even help bring about the dethronement of the English king; thus he entered into a tripartite alliance with Henry Percy, the Earl of Northumberland and Edmund Mortimer to divide up England and Wales among them. Edmund had married Owain's daughter Caitrin after he had been captured at Pilleth and gone over to the Welsh side.

The plan seemed perfectly logical and attainable. After all, Henry IV's crown was seen even by many Englishmen as having been falsely obtained, and many welcomed armed rebellion against their illegitimate ruler. Hoping to make the Welsh Church completely independent from Canterbury, and that appointments to benefices in Wales be given only to those who could speak Welsh, Glyndwr was also ready to implement his wish to set up two universities in Wales to train native civil servants and clergymen. Then the dream died.

Henry Percy, (Hotspur) was killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury, and the increasing boldness and military skills of Henry's son, the English prince of Wales and later King Henry V, began to turn the tide against Glyndwr. In France, Louis of Orleans, Owain's friend and supporter, was assassinated, and because of subsequent anarchy in that country, his French allies could not sustain their support; they withdrew their forces from Wales.

Owain's other main ally, the Scottish king, was taken prisoner by the English. Saddest of all, like so many of his predecessors, Glyndwr was betrayed at home. It is not too comforting for Welsh people of today to read that one of the staunchest allies of the English king and enemy of Glyndwr was a man of Brecon, Dafydd Gam (later killed at Agincourt, fighting for the English).

A sixth expedition into Wales undertaken by Prince Henry retook much of the land captured by Owain, including many strategic castles. Edmund Mortimer was killed at the siege of Harlech (right) in 1409. The boroughs, with their large populations, had remained English, and by the end of 1409, the Welsh rebellion had dwindled down to a series of guerilla raids led by the mysterious figure of Owain, whose wife and two daughters had been captured at Harlech and taken to London as prisoners.

The English response was predictable: again the imposition of harsh, punitive measures were enacted against any signs of further resistance to their rule. The Welsh people were forced to pay large subsidies; they were prohibited from acquiring land east of Offa's Dyke or even within the boundaries of the English boroughs in Wales. The Charter of Brecon of 1411 is typical of the English response to Welsh hopes:

The liberties of Brecon shall be limited to whose whom we deem to be Englishmen and to such of their heirs as are English on both their mother's and their father's side.