House of Dinefwr

The Royal House of Dinefwr was a cadet branch of the Royal House of Gwynedd, founded by King Cadell ap Rhodri (reign 872–909), son of Rhodri the Great.[1] Their ancestor, Cunedda Wledig, born in late Roman Britain, was a Sub-Roman warlord who founded the Kingdom of Gwynedd during the 5th century, following the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. As Celtic Britons, the House of Dinefwr was ruling before the Norman conquest, having to fight with their neighbors such as the Celtics, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, before struggling with the Normans afterwards. Many members of this family were influential in Welsh history, such as Hywel Dda, who codified Welsh law under his rule, and achieved the important title of King of the Britons, or Lord Rhys, Prince of Wales, who rebelled against Richard the Lionheart, and became one of the most powerful Welsh leaders of the Middle ages.[2][3]

House of Dinefwr

Traditional arms of Dinefwr
Parent houseHouse of Gwynedd
CountryWales
Founded854 (854)
FounderCadell ap Rhodri, Prince of Seisyllwg
Titles
Connected families
Estate(s)
Cadet branches
Painting of Dinefwr Castle, ancient seat of the Royal House of Dinefwr, in Deheubarth
Battle of Bosworth, where Sir Rhys ap Thomas helped secure the victory of Henry Tudor as a Commander
The ruins of Carreg Cennen Castle of Lord Rhys, it later belonged to the Crown under the Duchy of Lancaster
King Hywel Dda proclaiming his laws

History
Lord Rhys, Prince of Wales, followed John Plantagenet to meet his brother, Richard the Lionheart, to settle a dispute

With the death of Rhodri Mawr, the Kingdom of Gwynedd passed to his eldest son Anarawd ap Rhodri. Rhodri's second son Cadell ap Rhodri, however, looked outside Gwynedd's traditional borders and took possession of the Early Medieval Kingdom of Dyfed by the late 9th century, establishing his capital at the citadel of Dinefwr Castle. Cadell ap Rhodri's descendants are designated Dinefwr after the citadel from which they would rule Dyfed.

The Dinefwr dynasty under King Hywel Dda would unite Dyfed and Seisyllwg into the Kingdom of Deheubarth in the early 10th century. During his reign, Hywel Dda would have to submit to the King of the Anglo-Saxons, Edward the Elder, and thereafter support his successor King Æthelstan, the first King of England, and his invasion of Scotland.[4] His legacy would be the codification of Welsh law known as the Laws of Hywel Dda, as he had gathered expert lawyers and priests from all over the country under his leadership for its formation.[5]

The Dinefwrs would rule in Deheubarth until their conquest by the Plantagenet kings in the 13th century. This branch would compete with the House of Aberffraw for supremacy and influence in Wales throughout the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries, with the Kingdom of Powys variously ruled between them. Eventually, a cadet branch of the House of Dinefwr would establish itself in Powys by the mid-11th century, designating themselves as the House of Mathrafal after the castle there named Mathrafal Castle. This dynasty will be the last with a native Welsh Prince of Wales before its annexation into the Kingdom of England.[6]

During the 12th century, Lord Rhys's father, Prince Gruffydd ap Rhys, fought the Normans following the civil war in England and Normandy. This war arose from the rival claims of Stephen of Blois and Empress Matilda to the throne England as descendants of William the Conqueror. From that era, Lord Rhys would end up becoming one of the most successful and powerful Welsh leaders of the Middle Ages, fighting against King Henry Plantagenet as well as against his son, Richard the Lionheart, attacking his Norman lordship and capturing many of his castles.[7] Through Lord Rhys's daughter Gwenllian, wife of Seneschal Ednyfed Fychan, he would also become an ancestor of the House of Tudor, House of Stuart, as well as the current reigning House of Windsor.[8]

Other important members of the Dinefwr family were Sir Rhys ap Gruffydd and Sir Rhys ap Thomas.[9] Sir Rhys ap Gruffydd, a descendant of Ednyfed Fychan, rose to prominence after supporting Hugh Despenser, Earl of Winchester, and Hugh Despenser the Younger, who became the Royal Chamberlain. From supporting the Angevin cause, he would end up becoming the wealthiest and most influential figure among the native Welsh gentry of the 14th century.[10] Thereafter, he was involved in the abdication of Edward II, and joined the new King, Edward of Windsor, fighting for him and Edward the Black Prince at the Battle of Crecy.[10]

One of Rhys ap Gruffydd's descendant, Sir Rhys ap Thomas, would later be instrumental during the War of the Roses, being one of the leader and commander at the Battle of Bosworth Field, alongside the future Tudor King as well as Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford, and John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford.[11] From that victory, he received lands and positions, such as Privy Councillor, Chamberlain, Justiciar of South Wales and Governor of all Wales. He supported the next King Henry VIII, and joined him and Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, of the House of Habsburg, at the Battle of the Spurs in France.[12][13][14] He was also one of the Garter Knights to accompany the King in 1520 at his meeting with Francis I of France at the Field of the Cloth of Gold.[15] He spent his later years at Carew Castle in Wales after receiving the titles of Knight Banneret and Knight of the Garter.[14]

Ancestral seat

The ancestral seat of the dynasty was Dinefwr Castle, initially built by the Prince of Wales, Lord Rhys, and eventually seized during the 16th century by the Tudor King Henry VIII, as the then owner of the House, Rhys ap Gruffydd, was accused of plotting with King James V of Scotland to replace him and become Prince of Wales.[16] Rhys was powerful and had married well, having married Catherine Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. By this marriage, Rhys became the uncle of Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Catherine Howard, and granduncle of Queen Elizabeth Tudor. Their ancestral seat would eventually be restored by Queen Mary Tudor.[17] A house was also rebuilt in Dinefwr Park, now called Newton House, and the descendants of Lord Rhys anglicized their name from Rhys to Rice.[18]

William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, became the first Baron Dynevor, an anglicization of Dinefwr. He was made Privy Councillor, Lord High Steward, and Lord Steward of the Household under King George III of the House of Hanover. He also married the daughter and heiress of Adam de Cardonnel, Secretary of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough of Blenheim Palace. This branch continued the line of Sir Rhys ap Thomas.

Another notable member was Walter Rice, 7th Baron Dynevor, who served Lord George Hamilton, and married to a daughter of the Viceroy of South Wales, Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, of Osterley Park, member of the Ducal House of Villiers. His son David Reginald Rhys (1907-1991) married Anne Wellesley, 7th Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo, a member of the Spanish nobility, and great-great-granddaughter of the 1st Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.

She was also a first cousin of the 9th Duke who married Princess Antonia of Prussia, of the Imperial House of Hohenzollern of Hohenzollern Castle, and a first cousin of Lady Pamela Wellesley Grant, who married the grandson of Countess Hannah de Rothschild of Mentmore Towers, 3x great-grandson of Mayer Amschel, founder of the House of Rothschild.[19][20]

As Spanish law allowed the inheritance of estates and titles in the female line, Anne became Duchess after the death of her brother Henry, making her husband David Rhys, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, Grandee of Spain and heir of their estates in Andalusia.[21][22] The Wellesley family negotiated with the couple to get the title and estates back, and the matter was settled between the families.[23][24] Their daughter Imogen Alice Rhys (1903-2001), married David Brand, 5th Viscount Hampden, Chairman of the English, Scottish & Australian Bank, and grandson of William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch of Boughton House. The Duke was the grandfather of Princess Alice, and the great-grandfather of Prince William and Prince Richard, members of the Royal House of Windsor.

The most recent Baron Dynevors are Richard Rhys, 9th Baron Dynevor (b. 1935) and Hugo Rhys, 10th Baron Dynevor (b. 1966). The heir presumptive is the present holder's second cousin, Robert David Arthur Rhys (b. 1963) and afterwards, Robert's son Edward (b. 2002).

The dynasty also attacked and captured many castles throughout the centuries such as Cardigan Castle, Kidwelly Castle, Rhuddlan Castle, Carmarthen Castle, Laugharne Castle, Llandovery Castle, Swansea Castle, Aberystwyth Castle, Oystermouth Castle, Llansteffan Castle, Tenby Castle, Aberavon Castle, St Clears Castle, Aberdyfi Castle, Cilgerran Castle, Builth Castle, Nevern Castle, Painscastle, Colwyn Castle, New Radnor Castle.

Members
Prince Rhys Fychan, in-law of Richard of Cornwall, King of the Romans
Sir Rhys ap Thomas, commander under Henry VIII, joined the Tudors and Habsburgs at the Battle of the Spurs

Before the Norman Conquest of England

After the Norman Conquest of England
George Rice, 3rd Baron, father of Lt. Col. Rice-Trevor, aide de camp to Queen Victoria
Walter Rice, 7th Baron, son married Duchess Anne Wellesley, family of the Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon

After the Edwardian Conquest of Wales

Castles

Sources
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  2. Thomas Peter Ellis. "Welsh Tribal Law and Custom In The Middle Ages, Volume 1". McMaster University. p. 356. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
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  4. Sir John Edward Lloyd (1912). "A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest". archive.org. Longmans, Green. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  5. "HYWEL DDA (Hywel the Good) (died 950), king and legislator". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  6. "RCAHMW: In the steps of Owain Glyndwr". rcahmw.gov.uk. Royal Commission on the ancient and historical monuments of wales. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  7. R.A. Griffiths and P.R. Schofield, ed. (2011). Wales and the Welsh in the Middle Ages, Essays presented to J. Beverley Smith. University of Wales Press. ISBN 9780708324479. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  8. Rees, D. pp. 38–39.
  9. Ralph A. Griffiths (1991). "King and Country England and Wales in The Fifteenth Century". Bloomsbury Academic. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  10. "RHYS ap GRUFFYDD or ' Syr RHYS ' (died 1356), nobleman". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  11. Ralph A. Griffiths (1991). "King and Country England and Wales in The Fifteenth Century". Bloomsbury Academic. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  12. Oman, Sir Charles W. C. (1998), History of the Art of War in the 16th Century, p. 295
  13. Hall 1809, p. 542; Grafton, Richard, Chronicle at Large, vol. 1 (1809), pp . 256, 257–8
  14. "RHYS ap THOMAS, Sir (1449 - 1525), the chief Welsh supporter of Henry VII". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  15. Griffiths, Ralph. The Principality of Wales in the Later Middle Ages.
  16. "Dinefwr Park". www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  17. "Dinefwr Park". www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  18. "Dinefwr Park". www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  19. What is a Second Cousin, Common grandfather is Arthur Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington. Lady Pamela through Lord Richard Wellesley, son of the 4th Duke, Lady Anne through the 5th Duke, and the 9th Duke through the 7th Duke. Lady Pamela married Charles Grant, son of Lady Sybil Grant
  20. Pamela Berry (née Wellesley); Charles Robert Archibald Grant, 1 of 5 portraits of Charles Robert Archibald Grant, National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London
  21. Wellesley, Jane (2010). Wellington: A Journey Through My Family. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 9780297856344.
  22. George Edward Cockayne (1998). The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom: Addenda and Corrigenda. St. Catherine Press, Limited. p. 627.
  23. Wellesley, Jane (2010). Wellington: A Journey Through My Family. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 9780297856344.
  24. George Edward Cockayne (1998). The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom: Addenda and Corrigenda. St. Catherine Press, Limited. p. 627.
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