Ednyfed Fychan (c. 1170 – 1246), full nameEdnyfed Fychan ap Cynwrig,[ed 1] was aWelsh warrior who became Seneschal to theKingdom of Gwynedd in NorthernWales, servingLlywelyn the Great and his sonDafydd ap Llywelyn.^[3][4] Ednyfed claimed descent from Marchudd ap Cynan,Lord ofRhos, andRhufoniog.^{[5][ed 2]} He was thepatrilineal ancestor ofOwen Tudor and thereby of theTudor dynasty.^[6][7]

As is usual with medieval orthography, a variety of spellings were used for his name in medieval sources, such asVychan,Idneved Vachan, andEdeneweth Vakan.^[4][8]

Ednyfed is said to have first come to notice in battle, fighting against the army ofRanulph de Blondeville, 4th Earl of Chester who attacked Llywelyn,^[5] this act of war was at the behest ofKing John of England. Ednyfed cut off the heads of three English lords in battle and carried them, still bloody, to Llywelyn, who commanded him to change his familycoat of arms to display three heads in memory of the feat.^[3][9][10] Ednyfed probably went on acrusade on behalf the English crown to theHoly Land around 1235, although the evidence is not conclusive.^[3][11]

In 1215, he succeeded Gwyn ab Ednywain as Seneschal (Welsh:cynghellwr) of Gwynedd, roughly equivalent to Chief Councillor or Prime Minister. His titles included Lord of Bryn Ffanigl, Lord ofCriccieth and Chief Justice. He was involved in the negotiations leading to theTreaty of Worcester in 1218 and represented Llywelyn in a meeting with the king of England in 1232.^[3][12][13]

Ednyfed was married twice. His first marriage was to Tangwystl ferch Llywarch,^[5][14] a known mistress ofLlywelyn the Great, the daughter of Llywarch ap Brân. His second marriage was to Gwenllian ferch Rhys, daughter of princeRhys ap Gruffydd ofDeheubarth.^[14] Ednyfed is recorded as having a dozen children and many more descendants, Professor Glyn Roberts ofDictionary of Welsh Biography noted, "Ednyfed's own descendants in the same period are found in the townships of Trecastell, Penmynydd, Erddreiniog, Clorach, Gwredog, Trysglwyn, and Tregarnedd in Anglesey, and in Crewyrion, Creuddyn, Gloddaeth, Dinorwig, and Cwmllannerch in Caernarfonshire. They are also found in Llansadwrn in Carmarthenshire and at Llechwedd-llwyfan, Cellan, and Rhyd-onnen in Cardiganshire ... descendants formed a 'ministerial aristocracy' of considerable wealth, and their widespread possessions, combined with the favourable terms on which they were held".^[5]

Ednyfed had estates at Bryn Ffanigl Isaf nearAbergele and atLlandrillo-yn-Rhos, now a suburb ofColwyn Bay. At Rhos-On-Sea was palace ofLlys Euryn on the hill of Bryn Euryn, the court was burnt to the ground during theGlyndŵr Rising, only to be rebuilt, and again for the same fate to happen in the 17th century, and the building to fall into ruin to date.^[15][16]Rhos Fynach sits on the seashore below the ruins. 'Ros Veneych', as it was called (now a restaurant and wedding venue), was granted to Ednyfed circa 1230. Excavations on the site found to have Roman coins from the time ofConstantine the Great, and was probably used by Monks as a lay by to rest and fish on route toAberconwy Abbey nearMaenan, in the Conwy Valley.^[6][17]

Gwenllian died in 1236. On Llywelyn the Great's death in 1240, Ednyfed continued as Seneschal in the service of Llywelyn's son,Dafydd ap Llywelyn, until his own death in 1246.^[13] In 1240 Ednyfed served as a witness to a charter that Dafydd ap Llywelyn wrote forBasingwerk Abbey, alongside his brothers Grono and Heilyn.^[4] One of his sons, Goronwy ap Ednyfed replaced him in court working with the Princes of Gwynedd.^[13]

Ednyfed was buried in his own chapel, now Llandrillo yn Rhos Church, Llandrillo-yn-Rhos (Rhos-on-Sea), North Wales, which was enlarged to become the parish church after the previous one (Dinerth Parish Church) had been inundated by the sea during Ednyfed's lifetime.^[3] Ednyfed's tombstone has been incorporated into the church which was redeveloped in the 15th century.^[18]

Two other sons were successively Seneschals of Gwynedd underLlywelyn ap Gruffudd. Ednyfed's son Goronwy gave rise to theTudors of Penmynydd in Anglesey, from whom Owen Tudor and laterHenry VII were descended.^[3][5] After Llywelyn's death in 1282, the family made its peace with the English crown, though a descendant,Goronwy ap Tudur Hen joinedthe revolt ofMadog ap Llywelyn in 1294–5, acting as Madog's Seneschal after his proclamation of himself as Prince of Wales.^[19]

It was King Henry VII (Henry Tudor), who shortly after his accession to the throne in the late 15th century established a Commission to the Abbot ofValle Crucis Abbey with instruction to search the archives of Wales, that he might know who his grandfather (Owen Tudor) was. The Commissioners’ report printed in 1584 was appended toLewys Dwnn’s Heraldic Visitations in 1846. The Commission, usingMatthew Paris' work, noted that Henry Tudor's royal ancestor was indeed Ednyfed Fychan.^[20]

According to folk tradition, Ednyfed is said to have composed a farewell song to Gwenllian before leaving to take part in the Crusades. He was away for several years, and his family thought him dead. According to an old Welsh tale, Gwenllian accepted another offer of marriage. On the wedding night, a 'pitiable beggar' arrived at the house and asked permission to borrow aharp with which to entertain the party with a song. According to this legend the beggar sang Ednyfed's Farewell song and as he reached the last verse, removed his hat, revealing himself to be Ednyfed.^[11] He sang:

A wanderer I, and aweary of strife,

Get ye gone, if ye so desire;
But if I may not have my own wife

I'll have my own bed, my own house, my own fire!

Ednyfed then announced to the stunned throng:

"This was the tune 'Farewell' to my dear Gwenllian. Hence let her go with her new husband. My faithful harp, come to my arms."^{[21][ed 3]}

By first marriage to Tangwystl ferch Llywarch he had:^[5]

• Sir Tudur ap Ednyfed Fychan,^[22] ofNant andLlangynhafal, Seneschal of Gwynedd (c. 1205 – 1278), married Adles ferch Rhicert, ofDinllaen; his issue included the Griffiths ofPenrhyn and the second house ofTudors of Penmynydd^[5][7]
• Llywelyn ap Ednyfed Fychan, ofCreuddyn
• Hywel ap Ednyfed Fychan,Bishop of Llanelwy (1235 – 1247)^[14]
• Rhys ap Ednyfed Fychan, (ofGarth Garmon) (born c. 1205)
• Cynwrig ap Ednyfed Fychan, ofCreuddyn
• Iorwerth ap Ednyfed Fychan "y Gwahanglwyfus" (aleper^[23]), ofAbermarlais
• Angharad ferch Ednyfed Fychan, married Einion Fychan ab Einion, (ofMalltraeth)^[14]

By second marriage to Gwenllian ferch Rhys he had:^[5][13]

• Goronwy ap Ednyfed Fychan, Lord of Tref-Gastell, Seneschal of Gwynedd (c. 1200 – 1268, burBangor), married Morfudd ferch Meurig, ofGwent, daughter of Meuric of Gwent ap Ithel, Lord of Gwent. He was ancestor of the first house ofTudors of Penmynydd, and hence of theHouse of Tudor.^[7][13]
• Gruffudd ap Ednyfed Fychan, ancestor of the Griffiths ofWychnor, including "the wealthiest and most influential figure among the native gentry of the 14th century",Sir Rhys ap Gruffydd.^[24]
• Gwladus ferch Ednyfed Fychan, married Tegwared ap Cynwrig.
• Gwenllian ferch Ednyfed Fychan, married Tegwared y Baiswen, illegitimate son ofLlywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd.

By one of his marriages he had:

• Gwenllian ferch Ednyfed Fychan, married firstlySir Aron ap Rhys,Knight of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre, and married secondly Gwrwared ap Gwilym.

Out of wedlock, he had by an unknown woman:

• Tudur Gwilltyn ap Ednyfed Fychan

• Amin, Nathan (2014).Tudor Wales.ISBN 978-1445617732.
• Carr, A. D. "Tudor family, forebears of".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/77357.(Subscription orUK public library membership required.)
• Dodsworth, Roger (1655).Monasticon Anglicanum (in Latin). Vol. 1. London. p. 721 – via archive.org.William Dugdale
• Lloyd, John Edward (1911).A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest.Longmans, Green & Co.ISBN 0-14-014581-8 – via library.wales.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Lowe, Walter Bezant (1912).The Heart of Northern Wales: As it was and as it Is, Being an Account of the Pre-historical and Historical Remains of Aberconway and the Neighbourhood. Vol. 1.The heart of North Wales atGoogle Books
• Lyte, H.C. Maxwell (1901).Patent rolls of the reign of Henry III. Mackie and co. ld. p. 821 – via archive.org.
• Roberts, Glyn (1959)."EDNYFED FYCHAN, (EDNYFED ap CYNWRIG) and his descendants, noble family of Gwynedd.".Dictionary of Welsh Biography.National Library of Wales.
• Williams, William (1802).Observations on the Snowdon Mountains: With Some Account of the Customs and Manners of the Inhabitants : To which is Added a Genealogical Account of the Penrhyn Families. E. Williams. p. 168.ISBN 1298825822.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)