Owen
"Owain"
Tudor
aka ap Maredudd ap Tudur, ap Meredith ap Tudor, Tewdwr
Born about in Penmynydd, Anglesey, Wales
[uncertain]
Ancestors [uncertain]
Son of Meredydd (Tudor) ap Tudor
and Margaret ferch Dafydd
Brother of
Agnes Tudor
Husband of
Unknown Tewdwr
— married
[date unknown] [location unknown]
Husband of
Catherine (Valois) of France
— married
about 1428 [location unknown]
Descendants 
Father of
Owen Tudor, Edmund Tudor, Edward Tudor, Jasper Tudor KG, Mary Tudor, David Tudor, Margaret Catherine Tudor, Henry ap Owen Tudor and David Owen
Died
at about age 64
in Herefordshire, England
Profile last modified
| Created 12 Sep 2010
This page has been accessed 27,054 times.
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Contents |
Biography
Per Douglas Richardson, Owen was not a knight (therefore no 'Sir' prefix), but was merely an esquire at his death. [1]
Owen Meredith Tudor (Welsh: Owain ap Maredudd ap Tudur pronounced [ˈəuain ap maˈrɛdɨð ap ˈtɛudʊr]; c. 1400 – 2 February 1461[1]) was a Welsh soldier and courtier, descended from a daughter of the Welsh prince Rhys ap Gruffudd, "Lord Rhys". However, Owen Tudor is particularly remembered for his role in founding England's Tudor dynasty – including his relationship with, and probable secret marriage to, Catherine of Valois, widow of King Henry V of England.[2]
Early life
Owen's father Maredudd ap Tudur (English:Meredith) had been (together with his two brothers Rhys and Gwilym) stalwarts of Owain Glyndwr's uprising of 1400. When that uprising ebbed away Maredudd lost most of his land to the English Crown. His saw his chance to better his position in society by moving to London and changing his son's name from Owain ap Maredydd to Owain Tudor. This is one of the first instances where a surname is used by Welshmen. Had he taken his father's name (rather than his grandfather) the royal English Dynasty that ruled England for the next hundred years would have been called The Meredith Dynasty.[3]
In London, Owen (or Owain) became the ward of his father's second cousin, Lord Rhys. At the age of seven he was sent to the English court of Henry IV as page to the King's Steward. He went on to fight for the English at Agincourt in 1415, and appears to have been promoted to squire for his efforts. After Agincourt he was granted "English rights" and permitted to use Welsh arms in England. (King Henry IV had deprived Welshmen of many civil rights).
Catherine of Valois
There is little doubt that Owen was of gentle birth. Queen Catherine, upon being denied permission by her son's regents to wed John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, allegedly said upon leaving court, "I shall marry a man so basely, yet gently born, that my lord regents may not object." (The objection to Somerset was that he was a second cousin of Henry V through the legitimised Beaufort line sired by John of Gaunt).
Owen entered the service of Queen Catherine of Valois as keeper of the Queen's wardrobe, (essentially her major-domo) after the death of her husband Henry V of England on 22 August 1422. The Queen initially lived with her infant son, King Henry VI, before moving to Wallingford Castle early in his reign and taking Tudor with her. Catherine left court when her son's regents, John of Bedford and Humphrey of Gloucester (brothers of Henry V) denied her permission to marry John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset and scion of a legitimised Plantagenet line. Ironically, Somerset became Henry VII's other grandfather. No documentation survives of her marriage to Owen Tudor in 1429. Parliament passed a resolution in 1428 forbidding dowager queens to remarry without the king's permission, so the marriage of Catherine and Owen Tudor may not have been legally valid. Still, they were communicants, and kept a chaplain. Henry VI in due time gave his two oldest Tudor half-brothers the rank of Earl though, as a signal recognition of their rank, they ranked above Marquesses and immediately below non-royal Dukes. Henry VI also issued an edict that the legitimisation of his two Tudor half-brothers was unnecessary. Henry VI knighted his stepfather Owen, made him Warden of Forestries, and appointed him a Deputy Lord Lieutenant. Prior to his creation as a Knight Bachelor, Owen, though excused from duty, was appointed an Esquire to the King's Person. Ironically, many years later, in order that he could command Henry VI's forces at Mortimer's Cross, Owen was made a Knight Banneret.
After Queen Catherine's death, Owen Tudor was imprisoned at Newgate Prison, but later released.
Wars of the Roses
Owen Tudor became an early casualty of the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487) between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. On 2 February 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 subsequently executed, beheaded at Hereford along with other prisoners, and buried there. 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 this point he is alleged to have said that "the head which used to lie in Queen Catherine's lap would now lie in the executioner's basket".
Death and burial
(Royal Ancestry) He was beheaded by the Yorkists after the Battle of Mortimer's Cross at Hereford 4 Feb. 1461, and was buried in the chapel of the church of the Grey Friars, Hereford.
Pedigree
Owen descends from Rhys ap Gruffydd's (1132–1197) daughter, Gwenllian ferch Rhys.
- See pedigree chart on Wikipedia: Owen Tudor
Gwenllian ferch Rhys m. Ednyfed Fychan, Seneschal of the Kingdom of Gwynedd (d. 1246). Issue: Goronwy, Lord of Tref-gastell (d. 1268).
Goronwy m. Morfydd ferch Meurig, daughter of Meurig of Gwent.[2] Issue: Tudur Hen, Lord of Penmynydd (d. 1311) m. Angharad ferch Ithel Fychan, dau. of Ithel Fychan ap Ithel Gan, Lord of Englefield. Issue: Goronwy ap Tudur, Lord of Penmynydd (d. 1331).
Goronwy ap Tudur m. Gwerfyl ferch Madog.[3] Issue: Tudur Fychan, Lord of Penmynydd (d. 1367).
Tudur Fychan m. Margaret ferch Thomas of Is Coeod.[4] Issue: Maredudd ap Tudur (d.1406)
Maredudd ap Tudur m. Margaret ferch Dafydd.[5] Issue: Owen Tudor.
Issue
- Owen and Catherine of Valois. Issue: at least 6 children
- Thomas Tudor (6 Nov 1429 – 1501 bur. Westminster Abbey). Monk at Monk at Westminster Abbey. Alias: Edward Bridgewater (as a monk).
- Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond (1430 – 1 Nov 1456) m. Margaret Beaufort. Issue: Henry Tudor.
- Jasper Tudor, 1st Earl of Pembroke and 1st Duke of Bedford (1431 – 21/26 Dec 1495) m. Catherine Woodville[6] 1485[7] No issue.[8]
- Owen Tudor (1432–1510). Monk at Westminster Abbey.
- Tacinda Tudor (b. 1433) m. Reginald Grey, Baron Grey of Wilton (1420/1421 – 22 Feb 1494)
- ___ (dau.) Tudor (b. c. 1435). Nun.[9]
- Margaret (Catherine) Tudor (b./d. Jan 1437 Abbey of St Saviour, Bermondsey, London).[10]
- Owen Tudor had at least 1 illegitimate child:
- Sir David Owen (1459–1528), knighted in 1485 by his nephew, King Henry VII, at Milford Haven.
Sources
- ↑ 3 Aug 2016 post on Gen-Medieval
- ↑ Meurig was the son of Ithel, grandson of Rhydd and great-grandson of Iestyn ap Gwrgant. Iestyn had been the last King of Gwent (reigned 1081–1091) before its conquest by the Normans.
- ↑ Father: Madog ap Dafydd, Baron of Hendwr.
- ↑ who's direct ancestor was Anghard ferch Llewellyn, daughter of Llewellyn the Great. (Margaret was the daughter of Thomas ap Llewelyn, Lord of Is Coed, South Wales, and his wife Eleanor ferch Philip. Margaret's sister Ellen ferch Thomas was the mother of Owain Glendoŵr (the last native "Prince of Wales"). Her sister Eleanor ferch Thomas was the ancestor of the Newport family and the Earl of Bradford and the Lingen family and Baron Lingen of Lingen. Margaret's paternal grandfather was Llewelyn ab Owain, Lord of Gwynnionydd. Her maternal grandfather was Philip ab Ifor, Lord of Is Coed.)(ref Visitation of Shropshire 1623,R Tresswell. Somerset Herald)
- ↑ p. Dafydd Fychan, Lord of Anglesey, and Nest ferch Ieuan
- ↑ p. Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg; Catherine, was the sister-in-law of Edward IV
- ↑ after Henry VII m. Elizabeth of York, several months after Bosworth Field.
- ↑ Jasper had no legitimate children. He had 2 illegitimate kids: Joan Tudor, ancestor of Oliver Cromwell, and _____.
- ↑ Only shown in Europäisch Stammtafeln Band II tafel 63.
- ↑ Died there shortly after birth.
- ↑ Father: William Blount
- ↑ p. Sir John de Bohun of Midhurst and Anne Arden
- ↑ Issue: David Owen; Jasper Owen; Roger Owen; Anne m. Sir Arthur Hopton
- Royal Ancestry D. Richardson 2013 Vol. III p. 514-530
- http://www.thepeerage.com/p10200.htm#i101994
See also:
- Benolte, Thomas; Philipot, John; & Owen, George. The Visitations of the County of Sussex: 1530 and 1633-4. London: The Harleian Society, 1905. Vol LIII, pp 95, Owen 1 & 122, Owen 2.
- Wikipedia: Owen Tudor
- Foster, Joseph. The Register of Admissions to Gray's Inn, 1521-1889 (The Hansard Publishing Union, Ltd., London, 1889) Page 29: "1458. Sir Owen Tudor."
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Owen by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. Y-chromosome DNA test-takers in his direct paternal line on WikiTree:
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Owen by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. Y-chromosome DNA test-takers in his direct paternal line on WikiTree:
- Gordon Griffin
:
Family Tree DNA Y-DNA Test 111 markers, haplogroup I-M223, FTDNA kit #271805, MitoYDNA ID T16152 [compare]
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Featured National Park champion connections: Owen is 15 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 21 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 16 degrees from George Catlin, 17 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 25 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 17 degrees from George Grinnell, 21 degrees from Anton Kröller, 15 degrees from Stephen Mather, 22 degrees from Kara McKean, 19 degrees from John Muir, 14 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 26 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
The Tudor Intruders -and more · Follow 9 hours ago · 🖤 On this day - 2nd February 1461 🖤 . 🖤 Death of Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty of England 🖤 . 🖤 Owen Tudor - Owain ap Maredudd ap Tudor - was a Welsh courtier who secretly married Catherine of Valois, daughter of Charles VI of France. Owen's background may be obscure but we do know that he was born around 1400 in Anglesey in Wales - the son of Meredudd Tudor and his wife Margaret. The Tudors, or Tewdwrs, were kings of Deheubrath and held estates in north Wales. 🖤 Catherine of Valois was the widow of Henry V of England - and mother of Henry VI of England. When Henry V died, Catherine, was now an ex-queen and the mother of the reigning child-king, Henry VI. She was not content to live a retired life for the rest of her days. She begun a secret affair with Welsh nobleman Owen, who at the time, was a member of her household. 🖤 This is the following account, of how their affair began.... "Catherine of Valois was left bereft, a lusty young woman in the prime of life. She did not remain single for long. Owen Tudor, a handsome young Welshman of obscure origins, had become her Keeper of the Wardrobe. According to romantic rumour Owen had caught the queen's notice when he stumbled, incapably drunk, into her lap. Intrigued, she spied on him as he swam nude, and liked what she saw…" 🖤 The English Parliament prohibited Catherine from remarrying without her son, the king's, consent in 1428, but the former queen ignored this and secretly married Owen anyway. The union was kept secret until 1436, but when it became public knowledge, Catherine was obliged to retire to a nunnery at Bermondsey outside London, where she died prematurely the following year. 🖤 Owen fared even worse and was locked up in Newgate Prison. The Welshman managed to escape in 1438, and went into hiding in his native Wales. Owen's fortunes improved when he raised an army to support Henry VI but after the battle at Mortimer's Cross in February 1461, Owen was captured by Yorkist forces. He was then b~headed on 2nd February 1461, in Hereford marketplace, as the Wars of the Roses - the dynastic dispute between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, raged on. 🖤 According to tradition, when Owen faced his imminent execution, he had lamented that: "the head that had once lain on Queen Catherine's lap, would now lie on the exEcutioner's stock". After the dreadful sentence was carried out, it was said that a local madwoman cleaned his head, combed his hair and surrounded it with candles, as that particular day was the 'feast of Candlemas'. Owen Tudor was buried at Greyfriars in Hereford. 🖤 Owen & Catherine had several children, three sons, and two daughters. One of whom was Edmund Tudor, who would go on to marry Margaret Beaufort, the Great-Grandaughter of John of Gaunt. Their son, Henry Tudor, would become Henry VII of England and marry Elizabeth of York. Their union would bring the houses of Lancaster & York together, bringing the Wars of the Roses to a conclusion. So thus, begins the Royal House of Tudor.... https://www.facebook.com/groups/537859523834021
https://scontent.flba3-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/425379445_904331631336591_2728885869816059455_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=3635dc&_nc_ohc=hNsDuKzjpcYAX_43iJH&_nc_ht=scontent.flba3-2.fna&oh=00_AfDrsVv2wxKGHh3bvbIWVoFeCWAXBh_kRLlabaZm2252Nw&oe=65C2A573 . 🖤 worldhistory/Owen_Tudor . ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders