Morgan ap Hywel
| Morgan ap Hywel | |
|---|---|
| Lord of Gwynllwg | |
|
In office c. 1215 – c. 1248 |
|
| Preceded by | Hywel ap Iowerth |
| Succeeded by | Merdudd ap Gruffudd |
| Personal details | |
| Died | c. 1248 |
| Nationality | Welsh |
Morgan ap Hywel (died c. 1248) was Lord of Gwynllwg in Wales from about 1215 until his death in 1245, and for many years laid claim to the lordship of Caerleon, which had been seized by the Earl of Pembroke. For most of his life he was at peace with the English, at a time when there were periodic revolts by Welsh leaders against their rule. He may have participated in a crusade between 1227 and 1231.
Morgan ap Hywel was descended from Rhydderch ap Iestyn, a ruler of most of southern Wales whose grandson Caradog ap Gruffydd was killed in the Battle of Mynydd Carn in 1081. By the time of Caradog's death the Normans had taken control of Gwent and Gwynllwg, and in the following years the Welsh royalty lost their strongholds and became subordinate to the English crown. Caradog's son Owain ap Caradog is mentioned in 1140, and his son Morgan ab Owain was recognized as lord of Caerleon by King Henry II of England (r. 1154–1189). Morgan ap Owain was killed by Ifor Bach in 1158 and succeeded by Iorwerth ap Owain Wan, his brother.
Henry II confiscated Caerlon from Iorwerth in September 1171 for undocumented reasons. In 1172 men of William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester killed Iorwerth's son Owain, and Iowerth and his surviving son Hywel launched a rebellion against the Normans. Iowerth attended the council of Gloucester in June 1175, where Caerlon was restored to him at the urging of Rhys ap Gruffydd (1132–97), lord of Deheubarth. Hywel seems to have succeeded his father as lord of Caerlon by 1184. He guarded castles in Glamorgan and Gwynllwg for the king during the Welsh revolt of 1184–85, and continued to serve the crown in the reign of Richard I of England (r. 1189–1199). Hywel of Caerlon appears to have died during the attacks that Llywelyn the Great led against the royal and Marcher lands in Wales in the early summer of 1215.
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