DEVELOPING A TASTE FOR POWER

to play an active role defending his family’s The Prince moved up to Chester soon title to the Crown. The Principality was after news of the rebellion reached The Great Seal of Owain to dominate his attention for the next 10 him, along with his governor, Sir Glyndwr. It only survives years. It was during these formative years Hugh Despenser and his princi- in a single impression attached to his 1404 that the Prince acquired his education in pal adviser, Henry Percy, son of treaty with Charles VI of the art of warfare. the Earl of Northumberland, France. It is of very fine workmanship and was known as ‘Hotspur’. To those possibly commissioned in The landscape of North It appears that unrest in Wales stemmed from a local dispute at Court it looked as if the rebel- France. On the obverse, Wales. It was in this Owain is shown enthroned between Reginald, Lord Grey of Ruthin and one of his neighbours, lion would end as quickly as it had rugged terrain that beneath a canopy of state, Glyndwr raised his rebellion Owain Glyndwr. It had rapidly escalated though on 16 September begun. However, the daring capture holding a sceptre, but with against Henry IV and no crown. A lawyer by 1400 when Glyndwr, a descendant of Welsh princes, had declared of Conway Castle by Gwilym and Rhys declared himself Prince training, here he repre- of Wales. North Wales was himself Prince of Wales. In quick succession he attacked Ruthin, ap Tudor on Good Friday, 1 April sents the role of a king as ideally suited to Glyndwr’s the giver of justice. As in Denbigh and other places in Flintshire, before moving southwards 1401, rekindled Welsh resistance campaign of guerrilla French royal seals, angels warfare and it was not to assault Oswestry and Welshpool. Although the rebels were to the English. Despite the hold up his cloth of until 1409 that the English majesty, which shows the halted by an English force led by Hugh, Lord Burnell, the rebel- Prince’s attempt to recapture were able effectively to lions rampant of Gwynedd. crush the rebellion. lion quickly adopted a nationalist flavour which aimed at ending Conway, and campaigns by His feet rest on two more lions, and two wolf heads English rule in Wales. Percy in Merionethshire and spring from the arms of Lord Powys in central Wales, his throne. On the reverse, Owain appears on horse- the rebellion gained momentum. back as the warrior and It continued into 1402 with no indi- feudal leader he also was Owain Glyndwr’s Armorial – this time with a crown cation that English efforts to crush it were Mount found at Harlech on his helmet. The Welsh Castle in 1923. It shows having any success. Read about Prince Henry’s activities in Wales: dragon appears on both the arms of the princes his helmet, and on the document 3, Glyndwr’s rebellion. of Gwynedd which he warhorse’s head. The adopted. Coming from legend is now incomplete, a native Welsh family, but by putting the two The Prince gradually assumed control of operations against the Glyndwr could claim sides together probably descent from all three Welsh. Whilst experienced commanders like the Earls of Arundel read OWYNUS DEI GRATIA of the major royal houses PRINCEPS WALLIAE – and Stafford, Lord Grey of Codnor and Lord Powys were given that had dominated Wales ‘Owain, by the grace prior to the Edwardian particular areas of responsibility in Wales and on the border with of God, Prince of Wales’. conquest of 1282. England, they were placed firmly under the Prince’s command. In The quartered shield bears lions rampant, 1403 his authority was enhanced further when he was appointed corresponding to those Royal Lieutenant for the whole of Wales for a year, a significant of Glyndwr as Prince of Wales. step in his military and political education.

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