Awkward dinner guests
In 1171 Rhys ap Gruffudd of Deheubarth launched another assault on Owain Cyfeiliog of Powys. The attack was probably triggered by Owain's founding of the abbey at Strata Marcella, by which he effectively declared himself a rival to Rhys, who had earlier founded an abbey at Strata Florida. The church was as much a weapon in these dynastic conflicts as any sword.
The result was a battle fought in Cyfeiliog, within Powys. This was the sad postscript of Owain Gwynedd's victory over Henry II in 1165: he was now dead, and his former allies were tearing each other to bits.
This war resulted in the death of Iorwerth Goch, Owain Cyfeiliog's uncle and chief commander of Henry II's castles in the northern March. The poet Cynddelw recorded that the 'Draig Argoed' – as Iorwerth was known – met a violent death in battle. His elegy or 'marwnad' for Iorwerth coincided with a sudden stop in the Exchequer payment to Iorwerth, after forty-seven weeks of the financial year 1170-71. So, this is a rare example of poetry matching up with tax returns.
Otherwise the battle seems to have ended in stalemate. It came to the attention of Henry II, who was not best pleased. Owain Cyfeiliog had to hand over seven hostages to the king, while Rhys travelled to the Forest of Dean for an uncomfortable interview with Henry. Both men must have wondered how they came to be at the English king's beck and call again, only six years after defeating him in war.
After that, Rhys and Owain steered clear of each other. They were on good terms with Henry, and frequent dinner guests at court: although, given their history, probably not at the same time. Owain apparently made jokes at the king's expense. Quote:
“Owain tore up a loaf of bread into pieces resembling those taken at Communion, before eating them all in turn. When the king asked him what he was doing, he answered “I'm imitating you, my lord”, a witty allusion to Henry's thirst for church revenues.”
Not that Owain had lost his edge. There remained the problem of his old rival, Owain Fychan, still clinging onto his last territory of Mechain. It was time to settle his account. In 1187 Owain Cyfeiliog's sons, Gwenwynwyn and Caswallon, lured Owain Fychan to a meeting at the frontier castle of Carreg Hofa. There, 'by nocturnal treachery and plot', they murdered him with their own hands. This was almost certainly done at the urging of their father.
In the following year, Owain Cyfeiliog refused to meet Gerald of Wales, when the latter was journeying through Powys. This may have been due to fear of excommunication, after the murder of his rival. Otherwise his last years were peaceful: Gerald noted that Owain was one of those Welsh lords who governed his lands particularly well, as a close associate of Henry II.
And that's it for Wales, for now. Tomorrow I'm off to Istanbul and western Turkey for a few days, to look at Byzantine and Ottoman history. That promises to be totally non-controversial (obviously).
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