Owen Tudor

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Owen Tudor

Owain ap Meredydd, or Meredudd (or Owen ap Meredith ap Tewdwr or Owen Tudur or Owen Tudor) (c. 1385 – February 2, 1461) was a Welsh soldier and courtier, descended from the Welsh prince Rhys ap Gruffudd, "The Lord Rhys". However, Owen Tudor is particularly remembered for his role in founding England's Tudor dynasty

Tudor dynasty

The House of Tudor was a prominent European royal house that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms from 1485 until 1603. Founded by Henry VII of England, who, though his paternal family was Welsh people ?his grandfather was Owen Tudor? was himself also a legitimized descendent of the royal House of Lancaster....
--including the legitimacy of his relationship with, and probable secret marriage to, Catherine of Valois

Catherine of Valois

Catherine of Valois was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of King Henry V of England, mother of King Henry VI of England, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of King Henry VII of England....
, widow of King Henry V of England

Henry V of England

Henry V was one of the most significant English warrior kings of the 15th century. He was born at Monmouth, Wales, in the tower above the gatehouse of Monmouth Castle, and reigned as King of England from 1413 to 1422....
.

At some point Owain anglicised his name to Owen Tudor from the Welsh Owain ap (son of) Maredydd --taking his surname from his paternal grandfather, Tudur Fychan, rather than from his father.

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Tudor dynasty

Catherine of Valois

Henry V of England

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was the Kingdom of England and Lordship of Ireland from his usurpation of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty....
.

Ancestry

Owen was a descendant of Rhys ap Gruffudd (1132 - 1197) via the lineages described below.

Rhys had a daughter, Gwenllian ferch (daughter of) Rhys, who was married to Ednyfed Fychan

Ednyfed Fychan

Seneschal

A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the s?n?chal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli....
of the Kingdom of Gwynedd

Kingdom of Gwynedd

Gwynedd is one of several Wales successor states that emerged in 5th-century sub-Roman Britain. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the Deceangli which were collectively known as Venedotia in late Romano-British documents....
(d. 1246)

Ednyfed Fychan

Ednyfed Fychan

Ednyfed Fychan , full name Ednyfed Fychan ap Cynwrig, was a Wales warrior who became seneschal to the Kingdom of Gwynedd in northern Wales, serving Llywelyn the Great and his son Dafydd ap Llywelyn....
and Gwenllian ferch Rhys were parents to Goronwy, Lord of Tref-gastell (d. 1268). Goronwy was later married to Morfydd ferch Meurig, daughter to Meurig of Gwent

Kingdom of Gwent

Gwent was, between about the 6th and 11th centuries, one of the kingdoms or principalities of medi?val Wales, traditionally lying between the rivers River Wye and River Usk in what later became known as the Welsh Marches....
. (Meurig was son of Ithel, grandson of Rhydd and great-grandson to Iestyn ap Gwrgant

Iestyn ap Gwrgant

Iestyn ap Gwrgant or Jestyn ap Gwrgant was the last ruler of the Wales kingdom of Morgannwg, which encompassed the historic counties of Wales of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ....
. Iestyn had been the last King of Gwent (reigned 1081 - 1091) before its conquest by the Normans

Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. They descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock....
.)

Goronwy and Morfydd were parents to Tudur Hen, Lord of Penmynydd

Penmynydd

Penmynydd is a village on Anglesey situated on a slight hill on the B5420 road between Menai Bridge and Llangefni, at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL61....
(d. 1311); Tudur Hen later married Angharad ferch Ithel Fychan, daughter of Ithel Fychan ap Ithel Gan, Lord of Englefield

Englefield

Englefield may refer to:...
. They were parents to Goronwy ap Tudur, Lord of Penmynydd

Penmynydd

Penmynydd is a village on Anglesey situated on a slight hill on the B5420 road between Menai Bridge and Llangefni, at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL61....
(d. 1331)

Goronwy ap Tudur was married to Gwerfyl ferch Madog, daughter of Madog ap Dafydd, Baron

Baron

Baron is a specific title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English language beorn meaning "nobleman."...
of Hendwr. They were parents to Tudur Fychan, Lord of Pemmynydd (d. 1367)

Tudur Fychan married Margaret ferch Thomas. (Margaret was daughter to Thomas ap Llewelyn, Lord of Is Coed, South Wales

South Wales

South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west....
and his wife Eleanor ferch Philip. Her paternal grandfather was Llewelyn ab Owain, Lord of Gwynnionith. The maternal grandfather was Philip ab Ifor, Lord of Is Coed.)

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

Maredudd ap Tudur and Margaret ferch Dafydd were the parents to Owen Tudor.

Catherine of Valois and children

Owen entered the service of Queen Catherine of Valois

Catherine of Valois

Henry V of England

Henry VI of England

Henry VI was Kingdom of England 1422?1461 and then 1470?1471, and King of France as the de jure monarch from 1422 to 1429....
, before moving to Wallingford Castle

Wallingford Castle

The remains of Wallingford Castle, once an important royal castle and defensive stronghold, are situated in Wallingford in the England county of Oxfordshire , adjacent to the River Thames....
early in his reign, taking Tudor with her. No documentation survives of her marriage to Owen Tudor, which is believed to have taken place in around 1428. As Parliament had passed a resolution in 1428 forbidding queens dowager to remarry without the king's permission, their marriage may not have been legally valid.

Owen and Catherine had at least six children:

Owen (or Thomas) Tudor (1429 - 1501). He was a monk at Westminster.
Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond
Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond

Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond was the father of King Henry VII of England.Tudor was born either at Much Hadham Palace in Hertfordshire or at Hadham in Bedfordshire, an older son of Owen Tudor and Catherine of Valois ....
(1430 - November 1, 1456). He married Lady Margaret Beaufort, then fathered Henry Tudor, the future king; and died shortly before his son's birth.
Jasper Tudor, 1st Duke of Bedford
Jasper Tudor, 1st Duke of Bedford

Jasper Tudor : c. 1431 – December 21/26, 1495, Earl of Pembroke and 1st Duke of Bedford, was the uncle of King Henry VII of England and the architect of his successful conquest of England and Wales in 1485....
(1431 - December 21/26, 1495). He married Catherine Woodville
Catherine Woodville

Catherine Woodville , was an English medieval nobility, best known for marrying a number of influential husbands and producing several illustrious children....
, daughter to Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers
Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers

Richard Woodville , 1st Earl Rivers , was an England nobleman, best remembered as the father of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV of England....
and Jacquetta of Luxembourg
Jacquetta of Luxembourg

Jacquetta of Luxembourg was the elder daughter of Peter I, Count of St Pol, Conversano and Brienne and his wife Margaret de Baux ....
. Jasper had no legitimate children. He did have two illegitimate children. One was Joan Tudor, an ancestor of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English people Military history of the United Kingdom and Politics of England leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
.
Jacina (or Mary) Tudor (1433 - 1469). She married Thomas Gray (1430-1501); they had a daughter Jane Gray (1475-1509)
(Daughter) Tudor (born c. 1435). She became a nun.
Margaret (Catherine) Tudor (born 1437). Died shortly after her birth.

Owen Tudor had at least one illegitimate child:

David Owen (1459-1528), knighted in 1485 by his nephew King Henry VII at Milford Haven. 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

Newgate Prison

Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Ancient Rome London Wall....
, but later released.

Participation in the Wars of the Roses

Owen Tudor became an early casualty of the Wars of the Roses

Wars of the Roses

The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses of House of Lancaster and House of York....
(1455 - 1487) between the House of Lancaster

House of Lancaster

The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century....
and the House of York

House of York

The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three of whom became List of monarchs of England in the late 15th century....
. On February 2, 1461, as a man of advanced years, Owen led the Lancastrian forces at the Battle of Mortimer's Cross

Battle of Mortimer's Cross

The Battle of Mortimer's Cross was fought on February 2, 1461 near Wigmore, Herefordshire, Herefordshire . It was part of the Wars of the Roses....
against Edward, Earl of March. They were defeated. Owen was subsequentally executed by decapitation

Decapitation

Decapitation , or beheading, is the cutting off of the head of a person or animal. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or capital punishment; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by means of a guillotine....
along with other prisoners. He is said to have expected a reprieve

Reprieve

1.A reprieve is a postponement of the execution of a sentence imposed by a court.2.A forgiveness grantedReprieve can refer to:* In criminal proceedings, the act of clemency...
because of his relationship with the former royal family. Owen reportedly was not convinced of his approaching death

Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
until the collar

Collar (clothing)

In clothing, a collar is the part of a shirt, dress, coat or blouse that fastens around or frames the neck. A collar may also be a separate or detachable accessory worn around the neck....
ripped off his doublet

Doublet

Doublet may refer to:*Doublet , a man's snug-fitting buttoned jacket that was worn from the late 14th century to the mid 17th century*Doublet , an assembled gem composed in two sections, such as a garnet overlaying green glass...
by the executioner

Executioner

A judiciary executioner is a person who carries out a capital punishment ordered by the state or other law authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice....
. 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

Basket

A basket is a container which is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers, often made of willow. . The top is either left open or the basket may be fitted with a lid....
".

Descendants

Henry Tudor, Owen Tudor's grandson, became King Henry VII of England

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was the Kingdom of England and Lordship of Ireland from his usurpation of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty....
in 1485, founding the Tudor dynasty

Tudor dynasty

Richard III of England

Richard III was List of the monarchs of the Kingdom of England of Kingdom of England from 1483 until his death. He was the last king from the House of York, and his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field marked the culmination of the Wars of the Roses and the end of the Plantagenet dynasty....
to end the Wars of the Roses

Wars of the Roses

The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses of House of Lancaster and House of York....
.

His descendants include King Juan Carlos of Spain and Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...
, the current Queen regnant

Queen regnant

A queen regnant is a qualifying reference to a female monarch possessing and exercising all of the monarchical powers of a ruler, in contrast to a "queen consort", who is the wife of a male reigning as monarch and who is without any official powers of state....
of the United Kingdom and of 15 other independent states.

Other descendants include Allene Stone Gano Hughes, mother of American

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
aviator

Aviator

An aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession.The feminine word aviatrix is sometimes used and is the correct term to refer to all women pilots....
, engineer

Engineer

An engineer is a person professionally engaged in a field of engineering. Engineers are concerned with developing economical and safe solutions to practical problems, by applying mathematics and scientific knowledge while considering technical constraints....
, industrialist

Business magnate

A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a mogul, tycoon, baron, or industrialist, is a partially informal term used to refer to a person who has reached a prominent place in a particular industry and whose wealth has been derived primarily therefrom....
, film producer

Film producer

A film producer is someone who creates the conditions for making film. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors....
/director

Film director

A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
, and philanthropist

Philanthropist

A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable organization....
Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes

Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American aviator, industrialist, film producer and director, philanthropist, and one of the wealthiest people in the world....
.

See: The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

External links

With sourced Ancestry of Owen Tudor, as daughter of Owen Tudor and Catherine De Valois; and Mary Tudor's daughter Jane Gray lived 1475-1509, earlier Jane than Jane Grey who was daughter of the later Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII)