Owain Glyn Dwr: an assessment

Owain Glyn Dwr: the mystery
   Why Owain Glyn Dwr led a revolt against the crown when he was advanced in age for such a risk and was happily married, father of several children in a beautiful home, is a question I have addressed in a previous post (link below). Bards who had the status of prophets spoke of the coming of a new leader after the deaths of the two great Princes who might have succeeded in forming a united Wales to endure for generations: Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (the Great) and Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (the Last.)
    Dissatisfaction with the status quo combined with fierce national pride produced an impetus towards rebellion in a country where - it must be admitted - various factions had warred against one another and failed to accept a single leader to maintain a strong and independent state.
   Histories have given the details of his guerrilla campaigns and fixed battles at first seeming to lead to triumph but then failing, leading to his defeat near Usk in May 1405, the turning point.
The downside.
   There seems little doubt that his rebellion caused widespread devastation in the country he hoped to make powerful. His invasion of Gwent in 1402 caused dislocation of economic life and the structures of society. No courts were held in 1402 and 1403 in Monmouth, White Castle, Grosmont and Dingestow nor could revenue be collected at Monmouth in 1405. Tenants protested that they could not sow crops for 3 years and rents were uncollected as late as 1411. Tenements were burned and destroyed and the value of properties fell continuously until, in 1410, the manor of Caerleon was worth as little as 16s 8d. In August 1403 Newport was laid waste by his followers, one of many towns to be attacked and ruined. Abergavenny was burned in that same year. Life in Gwent was on a war footing and civilian governance was replaced by a series of ad hoc military commands.
   The plague had earlier caused a massive decline in population which exacerbated the background situation. Works on sea defences had ceased and storm and winds increased pressure on them until 350 - 600 metres were lost. Grain prices rose and production decreased. These factors caused simmering amongst the population and law and order were breaking down. In August 1403 William Beauchamp reported himself all but ruined (his villeins had risen against him releasing 3 criminals) and claimed that his soldiers could not travel safely between Abergavenny and Hereford without being killed or captured.
   By 1410 the revolt was over but the effects were persistent and deep. Boroughs were in arrears and the Assize roll in Monmouth in 1413 recorded over 60 tenants fined for non-appearance. The lordships had been shaken but castles had had a new lease of life, having been repaired and fortified at vast expense although many suffered in the war. The countryside was hugely impoverished, the troops having burned, looted, ravaged crops, damaged mills and rustled cattle all as acts of reprisal against lordships by depriving them of income. It sounds like the infamous "Harrying of the North" by William I except that this was done, ironically, by would-be leaders to their own. In Usk "all the tenants had fled, certain of them had been killed" and the priories of Abergavenny and Usk pleaded poverty. Some towns were ghostly and the equilibrium of a frontier society was overturned.

The vision
   It may seem hard to balance this devastation with anything positive but hindsight casts a shadow. The rebellion might be viewed differently had Owain Glyn Dwr's forces won and his ideas been put into practice. We have some insight into his vision from the Pennal Letter of 31st March 1406, written in Latin on goatskin parchment after a "Senedd" or meeting of lords near Machynlleth in which the leading churchmen decided to switch allegiance to the Pope at Avignon.
   There would have been an alliance with the recipient, Charles VI of France, severance of the Welsh church from Canterbury, the creation of an archbishopric at St. David's and the foundation of 2 universities in Wales, one in the north and one in the south so that Wales could be spiritually and intellectually empowered to work out her own destiny. This is truly a prophetic mission, not a desire for personal aggrandisement.

Summary
    Perhaps Shakespeare hit the spot in Henry IV pt i. Although there is no historical evidence that the real Glyn Dwr boasted of strange events at his nativity and magical powers, such an aura surrounded him and added to his charismatic appeal. Mortimer puts the other view that he is a "worthy gentleman, exceedingly well read" whilst the lower orders complain of the rise in the price of oats and Falstaff, in a moment of seriousness, points out that "you may buy land now as cheap as stinking mackerel."  The great ones quarrel and the ordinary man and woman suffer.

 For my earlier post on Owain Glyn Dwr and an account of the battles, click here. I have also written about Usk Castle, White Castle and Monmouth Castle.

Henry V of Monmouth - insights into The Hollow Crown

Warrior King - son of Monmouth
   Henry V, best known for his victory against the odds at Agincourt, was born in Monmouth Castle on 9th August 1387. He was educated to be capable of all the gentlemanly arts of riding, swimming, archery and hunting and, by the age of 10, was proficient in them all. He is often known as Harry of Monmouth and his birth took place when his father's wars against the Welsh were at their height: Henry IV against Owain Glyndwr who fought and destroyed towns in the area and burned down most of nearby Abergavenny.

Shakespeare's version
   Henry V features in the tetralogy (group of four plays) which form the first part of the BBC's series, The Hollow Crown. In Henry V, the last play of the four, he tells Pistol: "I am a Welshman" but the most interesting presentation of him is in the second play, Henry IV pt i. Here he is Prince Hal, friend of the charming rogue, Falstaff, with whom he is apparently wasting his youth in taverns and taking part in semi-legal escapades. His father is in despair although we, as audience, know early on that he intends to reform and "show more goodly".  By the end of the play he has started to perform his role and meets his enemy, Hotspur, aka Harry Percy, on the battlefield. Hotspur greets him: "If I mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth." Hal slays his rival even though Falstaff takes the credit.

The dilemma
   It is possibly this massive lie and the piiful, ragged troops that Falstaff collected, that convinces Hal that he cannot continue his wastrel's life and friendship with him for ever, although he relapses during Henry IV pt ii.  At the end of that drama, when he is King, he brutally and publicly refuses to acknowledge the old, fat man, saying that Falstaff was unreal: "But, being awak'd, I do despise my dream." Falstaff, who hoped to cash in on his relationship with a future monarch, is crushed and dies of a broken heart off-stage at the beginning of Henry V: according to the Hostess he became gradually cold "as a stone" all over but "made a finer end, and went away" as if he "had been any christom child."

The result
    Henry went on to reclaim English territory in France in a succession of battles, preceded in Shakespeare by rousing speeches and culminating at Agincourt, on the 25 October, 1415, St. Crispin's Day. His troops were outnumbered but were helped to victory by Monmouthshire archers. In Shakespeare's play he goes round the camp incognito the night before the dreaded conflict and reassures the soldiers who open their hearts to him as an equal. Perhaps it is his early comradeship with the frequenters of the Boar's Head Tavern in Eastcheap that enables him to give that "little touch of Harry in the night" that so boosts his soldiers' morale. Yet the reaction of the modern audience must be ambivalent to this mixture of calculated manipulation, acceptance of duty and military genius.

Today
   His statue stands in a high niche in the Shire Hall in Monmouth and, when you have read this or watched the BBC series, you can sit outside The Punch House in Agincourt Square, gazing at him whilst sipping your coffee and eating your CAKE, and make up your mind about him. You can then go on up the road, pass the church and turn in on your right into the Priory garden where Geoffrey of Monmouth is said to have written about King Arthur. Monmouth Castle where he was born is off the main street a little lower down. The no 69 bus will take you to Tintern Abbey and the no 60 will go to Usk with its charming castle and nearby battlefield as well as being the birthplace of Alfred Russel Wallace. Before that is Raglan with its imposing castle and further on this same route you can stop off at Caerleon with its fascinating Roman baths, remains of the barracks, huge amphitheatre and interesting museum. Links to these can be found on the Roman baths post.