Glendower, Owen (1359?-1416?), was a Welsh prince who led his country against English domination. Glendower’s birthplace was probably Glyndyfrdwy, in North Wales. The son of wealthy landowners, Glendower studied law in London and then served in the English army. Glendower was an ally of Henry of Bolingbroke, who later became King Henry IV. But when Glendower returned to Wales in 1400, he became angry over poverty and border disputes with the English. He decided to try to regain his country’s lost independence. A violent disagreement with one of his English neighbors in North Wales provided the spark that led to Glendower’s rebellion.
On June 22, 1402, Glendower’s Welsh army met the forces of Sir Edmund Mortimer—a powerful lieutenant of King Henry IV—at the Battle of Bryn Glas, in Powys. Mortimer’s army was defeated, and Mortimer was taken prisoner. Henry IV was slow to respond to ransom demands, and Mortimer switched allegiances, marrying one of Glendower’s daughters. In 1403, Sir Henry Percy, the Earl of Northumberland, and the Earl of Worcester joined Glendower in a plot to dethrone Henry IV. On July 12, a defeat near Carmarthen prevented Glendower from reinforcing his new allies. On July 21, the royal army of Henry IV crushed Percy’s rebels at the Battle of Shrewsbury.
Glendower fought on and proved to be an inspiring and able leader. In 1404, he set up the first Welsh parliament at Machynlleth. He tried to separate the church in Wales from the church in England, and he laid plans for two Welsh universities. Glendower proclaimed himself the true Prince of Wales (a title used by the male heir to the English throne).
French troops then landed in Wales in an attempt to aid the Welsh rebels. But the effort was abandoned in 1405 after Glendower’s defeat at Pwllmelyn in Monmouthshire. Henry IV’s son—later King Henry V—led a successful campaign against Glendower, and by 1410, the rebellion was crushed. Glendower’s struggles against the English—despite his final failure—made him a hero to many Welsh people. According to legend, whenever Wales is threatened, Glendower will rise to defend it.
The Welsh form of Glendower’s name is Owain Glyndŵr. The character of Owen Glendower appears in William Shakespeare’s historical drama Henry IV, Part I.
See also Wales, History of.
