Morgan's run (1)

Maredudd ap Gruffudd, lord of Hirfryn in south Wales, died at Llandovery castle in 1270 and was buried in the chapter house at Strata Florida. He had previously spent a year in prison in Ireland, after Earl Gilbert de Clare annexed his lands in Glamorgan and took him prisoner. 

Clare's action was in response to the decision of Lord Edward, who had granted Maredudd's lands and homage to Prince Llywelyn of Wales. This enraged Clare, who waited until Edward departed on crusade and then launched an invasion of the Glamorgan uplands. His conquest marked the end of the descendents of the old kings of Morgannwg, who had clung onto their patrimony for almost two hundred years. 

Maredudd's heir, Morgan, was left with Hirfryn in Deheubarth. Via the treaty of Montgomery in 1267, the homage of virtually all the lords of Wales was now owed to Prince Llywelyn. Morgan was duly summoned to Snowdonia to perform the ritual act of homage and fealty to the prince. As soon as the oath was sworn, Llywelyn declared Hirfryn forfeit and confiscated it. 

Morgan was now landless, completely shorn of his inheritance. The bare facts of the record give no reason for Llywelyn's action, which is puzzling. He had previously re-granted Hirfryn to Morgan's father after taking it out of the hands of the former lord, Maredudd ap Rhys Gryg. Llywelyn then insisted the lordship be held direct of him as a Welsh barony. Edward consented to this, at the expense of Clare. 

Llywelyn may well have considered that Morgan's family had expended their usefulness. After losing their lands in Glamorgan, they were now minor lords, of no great power or influence. In terms of hard politics, it made far more sense to take their last land under direct control. This gave Llywelyn a foothold in Deheubarth, and some potentially useful leverage against the rival lords of Dinefwr. The prince's decision was typically ruthless: his neighbours, Henry III and Edward I, were dab hands at this sort of barely legal theft. It was a question of dressing it up as legal process. 

As for Morgan, he could go and die in a ditch. He was an extra prince now, and extra princes in this era only went one way – down. 

Morgan said no.