House of Mathrafal

File:Dudley Castle, England, Aerial View.jpg, inherited by Isabella de Cherleton of Powys, wife of Sir John de Sutton II]]

File:Henry Fuseli (1741-1825) - Dispute between Hotspur, Glendower, Mortimer and Worcester (from William Shakespeare's 'Henry IV Part I') - 1947P6 - Birmingham Museums Trust.jpg's play Henry IV'': featuring Owen Glendower with members of his family ; Hotspur and Mortimer]]

The House of Mathrafal was effectively established in the wake of the Anglo-Saxon King, Harold Godwinson, and his brother, Tostig Godwinson, Earl of Northumbria, and their disastrous raids of 1062–1063 against the King of Wales, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn.{{Citation|url=https://www.academia.edu/528924|title=Wales and West Britain|first=John Reuben|last=Davies|via=Academia.edu}} They installed Bleddyn ap Cynfyn as King over Powys and Gwynedd and kept him and his base in Mathrafal close to the Saxon border.A Companion to Britain in the Early Middle Ages: Britain and Ireland c. 500–1100, edited by Pauline Stafford (Oxford: Blackwell, 2009), pp. 341–357 Mathrafal Castle became their seat and effective capital in Powys, replacing the Roman city of Viroconium.Davies, John (1990). History of Wales. Penguin.

From this point forward, his family jockeyed with the Royal House of Dinefwr and the Royal House of Aberffraw for the control of Wales. (The unrelated dynasty in the Kingdom of Gwent and the Kingdom of Morgannwg was swiftly overrun by the Marcher Lords after the Norman Conquest).

The House of Mathrafal's influence was greatest between 1063 and 1081, until they lost control of Gwynedd to a resurgent Aberffraw family following the Battle of Mynydd Carn. By 1191, the Kingdom of Powys was divided between the Principality of Powys Fadog in the north and the Principality of Powys Wenwynwyn (roughly modern Montgomeryshire) in the south.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fpQlBgAAQBAJ|title=Ulwencreutz's The Royal Families in Europe V|first=Lars|last=Ulwencreutz|date=October 30, 2013|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-304-58135-8 |via=Google Books}} The first became a more-or-less loyal vassal of Gwynedd; the latter, one of its main competitors.

Historian John Davies points out that, following the division of Powys, the dynasty should not be considered as "equal" to that of the Royal House of Aberffraw or the Royal House of Dinefwr.Davies, John (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ogTq2KRuu9IC&q=mathrafal&pg=PT179 History of Wales]. Penguin Books. Mathrafal Castle was utterly destroyed by Gwynedd in 1212 and thenceforth it was entirely dependent on English support for its survival. However, the Mathrafal dynasty continued to exert some influence, undermining and eventually betraying the Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, on behalf of the Plantagenet King, Edward Longshanks, during his Conquest of Wales in 1282{{ndash}}83.

Thereafter, they avoided his campaign of extermination against the Welsh Royal Houses and even exchanged their claims to royalty for an English Lordship at the Parliament of Shrewsbury in 1283. They were displaced by the Lords of Mortimers in the early 14th century, until a momentary reascension of the House during the 15th century, following the Welsh Revolt led by the Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndŵr, against Prince Henry and King Henry IV of England, of the Royal House of Lancaster. Glyndwr combined the claims of the Houses of Mathrafal and Dinefwr, with links to the House of Aberffraw.{{sfn|Davies|1990|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofwales0000davi/page/194/mode/2up 194]}}

The rebellions were supported by the French Royal House of Valois, and were an attempt not only at gaining the independence of Wales, but also the redivision of England to their relatives, the House of Percy and the Mortimers.Owen Glendower (Owen Glyn Dŵr). By J. E. Lloyd. 9 × 6. Pp. xiv + 161. Oxford: at the Clarendon Press, 1931. 10s. 6d.{{Cite web|url=https://biography.wales/article/s-OWAI-GLY-1354#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&manifest=https://damsssl.llgc.org.uk/iiif/2.0/4672503/manifest.json&xywh=879,949,569,459|title=OWAIN GLYNDWR (c. 1354 – 1416), 'Prince of Wales' | Dictionary of Welsh Biography|website=biography.wales}} Despite being crowned as Owain IV of Wales in 1404, and having taking control of all Wales, and having created the first Welsh parliament at Harlech Castle, they eventually lost the war to the English forces of Henry IV and Henry V.

Nonetheless, their efforts didn't go in vain, as their rebellion gave rise to the first Welsh Kings of England, the Royal House of Tudor.{{Cite web|url=https://thehistorypress.co.uk|title=The History Press|website=The History Press}} The Tudors were their cousins on their

mother's side, through the Tudors of Penmynydd, who fought with them during the rebellions, such a Sir Owen Tudor, the second husband of Queen Catherine of France. Glyndŵr was also the wealthiest Welshman in Wales before his downfall in 1415, and captured number of Longshanks's main castles such as Conwy, Harlech and Beaumaris, and besieged Caernarfon.{{Cite web|url=https://www.library.wales/index.php?id=13491|title=News – National Library of Wales|website=library.wales}}{{cite book|chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-23973-3_6|year=1995|title=Medieval Wales, British History in Perspective, Chapter 46 : Rebellion and Revenge|pages=108–132|author=A.D. Carr|chapter=Rebellion and Revenge|publisher=Palgrave, London|doi=10.1007/978-1-349-23973-3_6|isbn=978-1-349-23973-3}}

This historic period would later be immortalized by William Shakespeare in his play Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2, featuring "Owen Glendower" as a character.{{sfn|Davies|1990|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofwales0000davi/page/194/mode/2up 195]}} The plays depict the wars between his family and Prince Hal, future Henry V, and other historical events. Other characters featured include his daughter, Lady Mortimer, his son-in-law, Sir Edmund Mortimer, and in-laws Henry Hotspur Percy and Lady Percy. The plays were succeeded by "Henry V'" and are part of Shakespeare's Henriad.

{{See also|Family tree of Welsh monarchs}}

The House was succeeded by the descendants of prince Owain Glyndŵr and his brother, lord Tudur ap Gruffudd, through the Vaughans of Corsygedol in Snowdonia, North Wales.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iWRHAAAAYAAJ&q=yale+co-representatives+of+the+Sovereign+Dynasties+of+Powys&pg=PA1662|pages=1662–1663|title=A genealogical and heraldic dictionary of the landed gentry of Great Britain & Ireland for 1852|last1=Burke|first1=Bernard|year=1852}}{{cite web|url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/The_Royal_Families_of_England%2C_Scotland%2C_and_Wales_%28IA_royalfamiliesofe01burk_1%29.pdf|title=The Royal Families of England, Scotland, and Wales, with Pedigrees of Royal Descents in Illustration|pages=51|publisher=Sir Bernard Burke, C.B., LL.D., Ulster King of Arms|year=1876}} The Vaughans would become strong supporters of the Lancasters during the Wars of the Roses, holding Harlech Castle for the Tudors as well as supporting the future Henry VII and his uncle Jasper Tudor, hiding them at Corsygedol during their exile to France.{{cite web|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=6DwLAAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA386&hl=fr|title=The History of the Princes, the Lords Marcher, and the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog, and the Ancient Lords of Arwystli, Cedewen, and Meirionydd|last1=Lloyd|first1=Jacob Youde William|year=1887|publisher=Whiting & Co.|pages=1–4–386–389}} After the Tudor victory, they were given positions of power such as Esquire of the Body to Henry Tudor, governor of Cilgerran Castle in Wales, and became one of the official representatives of the Tudor State within the locality under Queen Elizabeth I.[https://archive.org/details/VaughanFamilyOfWales/page/n11/mode/2up Vaughan Family of Wales], B. H. J. Hughes, 1999, p. 12[http://iswe.bangor.ac.uk/iswe-newsletter3.pdf Corsygedol: A Brief History], The Institute for the Study of Welsh Estates, Bangor University, Shaun Evans, 2017, p. 13-14Davies, W. Ll., (1959). VAUGHAN family of Corsygedol, in the parish of Llanddwywe, Meironnydd. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 3 Nov 2023, from https://biography.wales/article/s-VAUG-COR-1250

They are today represented by its derivative branches; the House of Yale (Yale family) and the Hughes of Gwerclas, who act as co-representatives of the dynasty.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lxARAQAAMAAJ&q=yale+sovereign+dynasties&pg=RA2-PA115|title=The Heroes of the American Revolution and their Descendants|author=Henry Whittemore|publisher=The Heroes of the Revolution Publishing Co.|year=1897|page=112}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=Y11BAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Rogers+of+Bryntangor%22+Hughes+of+Gwerclas+Fitzgerald&pg=PA353 Encyclopædia of Heraldry: Or General Armory of England, Scotland, and Ireland], John Burke, 3rd Edition, London, 1844{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TJMWR99J89kC&q=house+of+yale&pg=PA2060|title=A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland|last1=Burke|first1=Bernard|year=1886|pages=2060–2061}}[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/The_history_of_the_state_of_Rhode_Island_and_Providence_Plantations_%28IA_historyofrhod04bick%29.pdf The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations], Biographical, The American Historical Society, New York, 1920, p. 51-52 They are also the co-representatives of the Sovereign dynasties of North Wales (Gwynedd) and South Wales (Dinefwr), having their genealogies traced back to the Romano-British ruler Cunedda.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iWRHAAAAYAAJ&q=yale+co-representatives+of+the+Sovereign+Dynasties+of+Powys%2C+North+Wales%2C+and+South+Wales&pg=PA1662|pages=1662–1663|title=A genealogical and heraldic dictionary of the landed gentry of Great Britain & Ireland for 1852|last1=Burke|first1=Bernard|year=1852}}David Jones, 'Wales and the Crown', 1953, in Epoch and Artist: Selected Writings, ed. Harman Grisewood, London: Faber & Faber, 1959, pp. 41–2.{{Cite web|url=https://www.flashpointmag.com/hunterevans.pdf|title=Bridging the Breaks: David Jones and the Continuity of Culture, by Jasmine Hunter-Evans}} The Vaughans, Yales, and Hughes of Gwerclas, are also cadet branches of the FitzGerald Dynasty through Osborne Fitzgerald, and direct descendants of the Plantagenets.[https://hylbom.com/family/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/encyclopedia-of-connecticut-biography-1917-vol-7.pdf Encyclopedia of Connecticut Biography, Genealogical-Memorial, Representative Citizens], The American Historical Society Publishers, 1917. Vol. 7, Chicago, p. 95-96 Their ancestor, lord Gerald de Windsor, was an Anglo-Norman, son of the 1st governor of Windsor Castle for William the Conqueror, and ancestor of the current Duke of Leinster in Ireland.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/royaltribesofwal00yorkuoft/page/n43/mode/2up?q=Osbern+Fitzgerald+|title=The royal tribes of Wales; To which is added an account of The fifteen tribes of north Wales. With numerous additions and notes, preface and index|publisher=Liverpool I. Foulkes|author=Philip Yorke|pages=16–17|year=1887}} Notably, he married a Welsh princess named Nesta, daughter of king Rhys ap Tudor, of the House of Dinefwr.

The Wynn baronets, who are today represented by the Williams-Wynns, are related to Mathrafal through the princes of Aberffraw and the Wynne family of Peniarth, and the Jones of Faerdref Uchaf through the Hughes of Gwerclas.{{cite web|url=https://archives.library.wales/index.php/wynne-family-of-peniarth|title=Wynne family, of Peniarth|website=archives.library.wales|access-date=2022-10-24}}{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_rRYAAAAcAAJ&q=wynnes+peniarth+De+Veres+Fitzgerald+Vaughans&pg=PA34|title=The Tourist's and Visitor's Hand-Book and Guide to Harlech, Barmouth, Dolgelley, Towyn ...|author=D. JONES (Chemist and Bookseller, Barmouth.)|year=1863|pages=34–35|access-date=2022-10-29}} A descendant, Mary Wynn, daughter of the 4th Baronet, married Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster of Grimsthorpe Castle, and passed the Wynnstay Estate to her cousin, Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet.Roberts, G., (1959). WYNN family, of Gwydir, Caernarfonshire. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 14 Aug 2023, from https://biography.wales/article/s-WYNN-GWY-1300

Along with the Royal Houses of Aberffraw, Dinefwr, and Seisyll, the House of Mathrafal traced their descent from King Merfyn the Oppressor who, along with his son, King Rhodri the Great, established control over northern and western Wales. Rhodri replaced King Cyngen ap Cadell as ruler of the Kingdom of Powys after the latter died while on a pilgrimage to Rome. His father, Merfyn, had previously allied his family with the last rulers of Powys by marrying Princess Nest, the daughter or sister of King Cyngen.{{Harvcolnb|Thornton|2004}}{{#tag:ref|The view that Ethyllt was Merfyn's mother and Nest his wife is held by Davies{{Harvcolnb|Davies|1990|pp=81}}, A History of Wales and many others, including David E. Thornton and Lloyd,{{Harvcolnb|Lloyd|1911|pp=324}}, A History of Wales, Vol I who notes the consistency of the genealogies in Jesus College MS 20 from Oxford university and Harleian MS 3859 against the contrary account that Nest was the mother and Ethyllt the wife. Thornton gives Nest as Cadell's sister.|group=note}}

In Welsh tradition, her family was of the Royal House of Gwertherion, and had been ruling Powys since the 5th century, through the marriage of an ancestor, Vortigern, the High king, to Sevira, the daughter of the Roman Emperor, Magnus Maximus.{{cite book|last1=Bartrum.|first1=Peter Clement|title=A Welsh Classical Dictionary; People In History And Legend Up To About A. D. 1000|date=1993|publisher=The National Library of Wales|isbn=9780907158738|url=https://archive.org/details/a-welsh-classical-dictionary-people-in-history-and-legend-up-to-about-a.-d.-1000/page/n81/mode/2up?q=sevira+severa|access-date=2022-11-08}}{{cite book|last1=L. Reno|first1=Frank|title=Arthurian Figures of History and Legend: A Biographical Dictionary|date=2014|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5824-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X4TUkIotxaMC&dq=pillar+vortigern+maximus&pg=PA181|access-date=August 15, 2022}}{{cite book|last1=Laycock|first1=Stuart|title=Warlords: The Struggle for Power in Post-Roman Britain|date=2011|publisher=The History Press|isbn=978-0-7524-7560-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RrkTDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT65|access-date=August 15, 2022}} Maximus, a relative of the Imperial Theodosian dynasty, is featured on the Pillar of Eliseg, erected in the lordship of Yale by king Cyngen of Powys (b. 790). Its sub-Roman capital was at Viroconium, a Roman city that been founded by Caesar's Legio XIV Gemina, and abandoned later by Legio XX Valeria, for the fortress at Deva Victrix (Chester) during Roman Britain.[https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-435-1/dissemination/pdf/PDF_REPORTS_TEXT/SHROPSHIRE/WROXETER_REPORT.pdfArchaeological Assessment of Wroxeter], Shropshire, Roger White and Hal Dalwood{{Cite book|url=https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-6832|title=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics|first1=Sheppard S.|last1=Frere|first2=Martin|last2=Millett|date=March 7, 2016|via=oxfordre.com|doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.6832}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nw6oAwAAQBAJ&dq=viroconium+Cornoviorum+kingdom+of+powys&pg=PT131|title=As Told in the Great Hall: The Wargamer's Guide to Dark Age Britain|first=Martin|last=Hackett|date=October 15, 2013|publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited|isbn=978-1-4456-2146-3 |via=Google Books}}

As a consequence of Merfyn's alliance, King Cyngen's legitimate heirs were either exiled or reduced to the level of minor land owners (e.g., the family of Sir Gruffudd Vychan). Yet, one of the last Kings of Powys, Cadell ap Brochfael, maternal great-grandfather of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, the first King of the House of Mathrafal, claimed descent from Cyngen's son Aeddan, who seems to have ruled straight after.

Other noble families claimed descent from another of Cyngen's sons, Elisedd, who is mentioned as killing his older brother Gruffydd in the Annales Cambriae. It is therefore likely that Gwynedd's hegemony over Powys was merely propaganda, intended to glorify Gwynedd at the expense of Powys before the time of Prince Owain Gwynedd. Therefore, there was a lot of political instability as the House had to rule two Kingdoms, Powys and Gwynedd.

In the traditional accounts, Rhodri the Great divided his Kingdom among his sons and gave Powys to his youngest, Prince Merfyn. King Cadell in Ceredigion then dispossessed his brother and added Powys to his inheritance. It is possible, however, that Powys remained independent until its 916 annexation by Cadell's son Hywel Dda, who also conquered Dyfed and Gwynedd and established what has become known as the realm of Deheubarth. On the death of Hywel's grandson in 999, Maredudd ab Owain, the realm splintered: Irishmen usurped Gwynedd and falsely passed themselves off as Maredudd's heir in Dyfed. These were removed by King Llywelyn ap Seisyll, from a cadet branch of the Aberffraw line in the commote of Rhuddlan.

In Welsh folklore, Mathrafal, as representative of the House of Gwynedd, claimed descent through the Harleian genealogies from Beli Mawr, an ancestral figure in Welsh royal genealogies, related to Cassivellaunus, a historical Celtic king who led the defence against Julius Caesar during his second invasion of Britain in 54 BC.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FlUrAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA63|last=Nicholson|first=E. Williams B.|date=1908|title=The Dynasty of Cunedag and the 'Harleian Genealogies'|volume=XXI|publisher=Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion|publication-place=London|pages=63–67–105}}Anscombe, A. (1898), "[https://books.google.com/books?id=sjSiRjXf08oC&q=cunedda+wledig+and+his+line&pg=PA147 Indexes to Old-Welsh Genealogies (continuation)]", in Stokes, Whitley; Meyer, Kuno (eds.), Archiv für celtische Lexikographie, vol. II, Halle: Max Niemeyer (published 1904), pp. 58–60GUY, BEN. "[https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/medieval-welsh-genealogy/pedigrees-of-the-kings-of-gwynedd/2EA6360E6505F208A51C4588923958E5 THE PEDIGREES OF THE KINGS OF GWYNEDD." Medieval Welsh Genealogy: An Introduction and Textual Study], NED-New edition, Boydell & Brewer, 2020, pp. 233–64. JSTOR. Accessed 26 May 2023. In Welsh mythology, starting from Beli Mawr, their genealogies claimed descent in the Welsh Triads and Historia Brittonum, written about 828 by Celtic monk Nennius, from Brutus of Troy, the legendary founder of Britain, descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas, founder of Rome in Greco-Roman mythology.White, David John (2022). [https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/bitstream/handle/1974/31373/White_David_J_202212_PhD.pdf?sequence=6 The Matter of Britain: How the Tudors Adapted British Historic Tradition to Legitimise their Dynasty], Graduate Program in History, Queen's University, Ontario, p. 2-31-32Jones, Arthur (1910). [https://ia800205.us.archive.org/15/items/cu31924028052482/cu31924028052482.pdf The history of Gruffydd ap Cynan; the Welsh text], Publications of the University of Manchester, Historical Series, No. IX, Cornell University Library, p. 34-37

Image:Powis Castle 2016 111.jpg, ancient seat of the Princes of Powys Wenwynwyn, now in the Herbert family, their kinsmen]]

File:Glendower by A.C.Michael.jpg of Owain Glyndŵr and Tudur ap Gruffudd which lasted from 1400 to 1415]]

{{main|list of kings of Powys}}

Members of the Mathrafal Dynasty include:{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fpQlBgAAQBAJ&dq=mathrafal+Trahaearn+ap+Caradog&pg=PA51|title=Ulwencreutz's the Royal Families in Europe V|isbn=9781304581358|last1=Ulwencreutz|first1=Lars|date=30 October 2013|publisher=Lulu.com}}

• Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, King of Powys and Gwynedd, joined the Anglo-Saxon resistance with King Harold Godwinson, of the Royal House of Godwin, against William the Conqueror
• Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Wales, son-in-law of Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia, Lady Godiva's son, made an agreement with King Edward the Confessor, of the Royal House of Wessex, his widow remarried the last Anglo-Saxon king Harold Godwinson, who died at Hastings fighting against William the Conqueror
• Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn, King of Powys and Gwynedd, his daughter married the King of Deheubarth, Rhys ap Tewdwr, of the Royal House of Dinefwr, was half-brother of the King of Wales Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
• Trahaearn ap Caradog, King of Gwynedd, fought against the King of the Welsh, Gruffudd ap Cynan, of the Royal House of Aberffraw, and the Norman Lord Robert of Rhuddlan
• Rhiryd ap Bleddyn, King of Powys, killed at war by the King of South Wales, Rhys ap Tewdwr, of the Royal House of Dinefwr, his father King Bleddyn ap Cynfyn was the founder of Mathrafal
• Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, Prince of Powys, married to a member of the House of De Say, companions of William the Conqueror, was an ally of King Gruffudd ap Cynan against the Montgomeries, Norman magnates
• Owain ap Cadwgan, Prince of Powys, he and his father lost lands to King Henry I of England, was known for his abduction of Princess Nest, wife of Gerald de Windsor, of the House of FitzGeraldBrut y tywysogion: Or, The chronicle of the princes A.D. 681–1282 (Great Britain. Public Record Office. Kraus Reprints: 1965, ASIN: B0007JD67I
• Iorwerth ap Bleddyn, Prince of Powys, joined the rebellions of Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, of the House of Bellême, then betrayed him with Lord William Pantulf
• Maredudd ap Bleddyn, Prince, later King of Powys, made peace with King Henry I of England, of the Royal House of Normandy, is featured in Brut y Tywysogion and retired to Snowdonia
• Gruffydd Fychan ap Iorwerth, Marcher Lord, Knight of Rhodes and Knight of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, fought in the Crusades under the Knights Hospitaller, rivals of the Knights Templar, his military order was under the protection of Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor
• Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon, Queen of Deheubarth, and mother of Princess Nesta, who had a son with King Henry I of England, son of William the Conqueror

Image:Cefn glyn.jpg, ancient religious center of Yale]]

Image:Conwy Castle, Conwy - geograph.org.uk - 3833058.jpg, was captured by Rhys ap Tudur and Gwilym ap Tudur, of the Tudors of Penmynydd, their cousins]]

• Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys, fought with Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester of Lincoln Castle, for the Holy Roman Empress Matilda, against the King of England, Stephen of Blois, of the Royal House of Blois
• Gruffydd Maelor I, Prince of Powys Fadog, Lord of Yale, married to Princess Angharad, daughter of the 1st Prince of Wales, Owain Gwynedd, of the Royal House of Aberffraw
• Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor, his son, Prince of Powys Fadog, bore the Black Lion, built the religious center of Valle Crucis Abbey in the lordship of Yale, was grandson of the 1st Prince of Wales, Owain Gwynedd, cousin of Prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, and ally of King John Plantagenet of Magna Carta
• Owain Fychan, Lord of Mechain Is Coed, captured Carreghofa Castle, lost it to King Henry II of England, of the Royal House of Angevin, then took it back
• Owain Brogyntyn, Lord of Edeirnion, Lord of Dinmael, of Castle Brogyntyn, confirmed Baron by King Edward Longshanks, of the Royal House of Plantagenet, under the terms of the Statute of Rhuddlan
• Marared ferch Madog, mother of the Prince of North Wales and Lord of Snowdonia, Llywelyn the Great, and was married to Iorwerth ab Owain Gwynedd, of the Royal House of Aberffraw
• Efa ferch Madog, married to the Prince of Maelienydd, Cadwallon ap Madog, the great-grandson of the Prince of Buellt, who founded one of the Five Royal Tribes of Wales
• Gwenllian ferch Madog, daughter of Prince Madog ap Maredudd, ancestress of the Tudors, was married to Lord Rhys, Prince of Wales, who fought and captured many castles of Richard the Lion Heart
• Gwenwynwyn ab Owain Cyfeiliog, Ruler of Mid Wales, made an agreement with King Richard the Lionheart, of the Royal House of Plantagenet
• Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn, Welsh King and Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn, married to Hawise, daughter of Marcher Lord John Lestrange, whose father John II joined the Third Crusade against SaladinBodleian, MS Ashmole 1120, fo. 174r
• Owen de la Pole, Lord of Powys, family lost their Principality to King Edward Longshanks during his Conquest of Wales, his aunt was Lady Isabella, Queen of Cyprus of the House of Ibelin, and great-great-granddaughter of Balian of Ibelin, who famously defended and surrendered Jerusalem to Saladin
• Hawys Gadarn, mother of Lord Charlton, he was married to a daughter of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, who was the great-grandson of John of Brienne, King of Jerusalem and Emperor of Constantinople
• Griffith de la Pole, Lord of Powys, was the uncle of Lord Charlton, who was married to a granddaughter of Joan of Lusignan, member of the Royal House of Lusignan
• John Charlton, 3rd Baron Charlton, married to a daughter of the Earl of Stafford, his family included the Duke of Buckingham, Lancaster, Gloucester, and Bavaria of the Royal House of Wittelsbach
• Gruffudd Fychan I, Prince of Powys Faddog, Lord of Yale, Edeirnion and Glyndyfrdwy, great-grandfather of Prince Owain Glyndŵr and Lord Tudor Glendower, lost the Lordship of Bromfield and Yale to the Guardian of Scotland, John de Warenne, the Commander defeated by William Wallace at the Battle of Stirling Bridge[https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A36794.0001.001/1:6.16?rgn=div2;view=fulltext The baronage of England, or, An historical account of the lives and most memorable actions of our English nobility in the Saxons time to the Norman conquest], University of Michigan, Dugdale, William, Sir, 1605–1686.
• Gruffudd Fychan II, Prince of Powys Fadog, married to a great-granddaughter of Eleanor Plantagenet, the daughter of King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile of the Royal House of Ivrea{{cite web|url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/The_Royal_Families_of_England%2C_Scotland%2C_and_Wales_%28IA_royalfamiliesofe01burk_1%29.pdf|title=The Royal Families of England, Scotland, and Wales, with Pedigrees of Royal Descents in Illustration|pages=51|publisher=Sir Bernard Burke, C.B., LL.D., Ulster King of Arms|year=1876|access-date=2022-10-02}}
• Eleanor ap Thomas, wife of Prince Gruffudd Fychan II, father was Lord of South Wales, her cousins and in-laws included the Royal houses of Habsburg, Gonzaga, Lorraine, Valois, and Savoy
• Owain Glyndŵr, Prince of Wales, hereditary Prince of Powys Fadog, married to Princess Margaret Hanmer, daughter of Sir David Hanmer, started the Welsh Revolt, was the wealthiest Welshman in Wales
• Tudor Glendower, Lord of Gwyddelwern, brother of the Prince of Wales and cousin of the Tudors, fought against Prince Henry, of the Royal House of Lancaster, during the Welsh Revolt
• Lowry ap Gruffudd, his sister, was married to Robert Puleston, their son held Denbigh Castle for his cousin Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford, of the Royal House of Tudor, during the Wars of the Roses
• John Charlton, 4th Baron Charlton, family included Duchess Elizabeth FitzAlan, ancestress of Queen Anne Boleyn, and Beatrice, daughter of King John I of Portugal of the Royal House of Aviz
• Edward Charlton, 5th Baron Charlton, married to Alianore Holland, in-law of Lord Visconti of Milan, niece of King Richard II, great-grandmother of King Edward IV and Richard III, of the Royal House of York
• Maredudd ab Owain Glyndŵr, son of the Prince of Wales, fought in the Welsh Revolt, was later pardoned by King Henry V of England, of the Royal House of Lancaster
• Catrin ferch Owain Glyndŵr, married to Sir Edmund Mortimer, the great-nephew of Edward the Black Prince and Prince John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and richest man in England, was cousin of King Henry IV of England, and great-grandson of King Edward of Windsor and Queen Philippa of HainaultGoodman, A. (1992). John of Gaunt: The Exercise of Princely Power in Fourteenth-Century Europe (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315844411
• Lowrie ap Tudur, heiress of her father Lord Tudor Glendower, and uncle Owain Glyndŵr, Prince of Wales, inherited the co-representation of the Sovereign dynasties of Powys (Mathrafal), North Wales (Gwynedd) and South Wales (Dinefwr), married Griffith ap Einion of the Fitzgerald dynasty of Corsygedol
• Ellis ap Griffith (Elissau ap Gruffudd), her son, Baron of Gwyddelwern, grandson of Lord Tudor Glendower, heir by marriage of Allt Llwyn Dragon (renamed Plas-yn-Yale),{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/historyprincesl07lloygoog/page/4/mode/2up?q=Gwyddelwern|title=The History of the Princes, the Lords Marcher, and the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog: And the Ancient Lords of Arwystli, Cedewen, and Meirionydd|last1=Lloyd|first1=Jacob Youde William|publisher=London, T. Richards|year=1887|pages=1–4}}{{cite web|url=https://journals.library.wales/view/2919943/3001809/30#?cv=30&m=162&h=gwyddelwern&c=&s=&manifest=https%3A%2F%2Fdamsssl.llgc.org.uk%2Fiiif%2F2.0%2F2919943%2Fmanifest.json&xywh=-461%2C189%2C2697%2C1779|title=Archaeologia Cambrensis (1846–1899), Yale, and Chirkland|volume=Fourth Series No. XXX|year=1877|publisher=Welsh Journals – the National Library of Wales|page=101}} founder of the House of Yale, grandfather of Chancellor Thomas Yale and great-grandfather of Chancellor David Yale, the great-grandfather of Gov. Elihu Yale, benefactor of Yale University{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yr48fD1QbMEC&q=thomas+yale+chancellor+of+matthew+parker&pg=PA1807|title=A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland|last1=Burke|first1=Bernard|year=1882|page=1806}} At the bottom of the page, on the right{{cite web|url=https://biography.wales/article/s-YALE-PLA-1500|title=YALE family, of Plâs yn Iâl and Plas Grono Wrexham|publisher=Dictionary of Welsh Biography|year=1959|author=Arthur Herbert Dodd}}{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R29WAAAAcAAJ&q=Note.+Yale+spelt+in+Welsh+form+Ial+name+of+the+lordship+pl%C3%A2s+yn+yale+family+Elihu+America&pg=PA419|page=419|title=Annals and Antiquities of the Counties and County Families of Wales|author=Thomas Nicholas|publisher=Longmans, Green, Reader, and Co.|year=1872}}

{{Reflist|group=note}}

{{reflist}}

• Lewys Dwnn Heraldic Visitations of Wales and Part of the Marches between the years 1586 and 1613

{{refbegin}}

• Davies, John (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ogTq2KRuu9IC&q=mathrafal&pg=PT179 History of Wales]. Penguin Books. London
• {{ cite DWB|id=s-MERF-FRY-0844|title=MERFYN FRYCH (died 844), king of Gwynedd}}
• {{Citation|last=Davies|first=John|author-link=John Davies (historian)|year=1990|title=A History of Wales|edition=First|publisher=Penguin Group|publication-date=1993|publication-place=London|isbn=0-7139-9098-8}}
• {{Citation|last=Lloyd|first=John Edward|author-link=John Edward Lloyd|year=1911|title=A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest|volume=I|edition=2nd|publisher=Longmans, Green, and Co|publication-date=1912|location=London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NYwNAAAAIAAJ}}
• {{Cite ODNB|last=Thornton|first=David E.|year=2004|contribution=Merfyn Frych (d. 844)|title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/18587|publication-date=2004|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/18587}}
• {{Citation|url=https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/files/20577287/null|year=2013|publisher=Bangor University|last=Jones|first=Owain|title=Historical writing in medieval Wales}}

{{refend}}

{{Royal houses of Britain and Ireland}}

Category:Yale family

Category:House of Mathrafal

Category:Welsh royal houses