Owain Glyndŵr

Dead Funny History: Owain Glyndŵr. Join historian Greg Jenner for a fast-paced, funny and family-friendly journey through the life of Owain Glyndŵr: Wales’ legendary rebel leader, lawman, hostage-taker and Merlin superfan. This episode of Dead Funny History is packed with sketch comedy making it perfect for Key Stage 2 learners and their grown-ups. Owain Glyndŵr’s story is full of twists. Born into a posh Welsh family, he trained as a lawyer in London before returning home to live the good life. But after years of bad neighbour behaviour from Lord Grey de Ruthyn, and being ignored by King Henry IV, Owain snapped. He declared himself Prince of Wales and led a rebellion that shook the English crown. Expect battles, betrayals and a surprising number of hostages. Owain captured his enemies, held them for ransom, and even turned one prisoner into a son-in-law. He built alliances with France, inspired Welsh students to ditch Oxford, and launched a bold new vision for Wales including its own parliament, universities and laws. But Owain wasn’t just a warrior, he was a dreamer. Obsessed with Merlin and Welsh mythology, he became a symbol of national pride. Even after disappearing from history, his legend grew. Today, he’s remembered as a hero who fought for Welsh independence and inspired generations. Written by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch, Athena Kugblenu and Dr Emma Nagouse Host: Greg Jenner Performers: Mali Ann Rees and John-Luke Roberts Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Associate Producer: Gabby Hutchinson Crouch Audio Producer: Emma Weatherill Script Consultant: Dr Kathryn Hurlock Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Production Manager: Jo Kyle Sound Designer: Peregrine Andrews A BBC Studios Production

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Greg Jenner?

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• 1:08Greg Jenner?

  Hello and welcome to Dead Funny History. I'm Greg Jenner. I'm a historian and I want to tell you about someone cool, Owain Lindor. Now, if you're Welsh, you might know him as a 15th century revolutionary hero. His story is full of twists, battles and poems about how nice it was to stay at his house. What rhymes with lovely guest towels? Owain was born around the year 1359, near Wrexham. Did someone say Wrexham? Back off, Ryan Reynolds. This is my show. Both sides of Owain's family were very posh. After his dad died, he was fostered by a rich lawyer called David Hamner, and he got a fancy law job in London. Less. Give me freedom! And more.

• 1:53Greg Jenner?

  Give me a mok of frappa, yeah? By 1383, he'd had enough of London life. But this isn't when he became an icon of Welsh independence. No, I live the good life, yeah? He married David Hamner's daughter. She was called Mared. And they moved back to his castle in Wales. And then Welsh independence? No, I'm off to join the English military. Ah. Owain spent years fighting for the English king, Richard II. But then, in 1387, his foster dad, David Hamner, died.

• 2:28Greg Jenner?

  And Owain went back to Wales again. Now, if this were Hollywood, here would be the perfect moment for our hero to emerge, ready to fight.

• 2:38Speaker 03

  With great power comes great responsibility. I'm Welsh Batman.

• 2:44Greg Jenner?

  But it was more like...

• 2:45Speaker 03

  I'd just chill out in my castle for ten years, actually.

• 2:49Greg Jenner?

  Owain and Mared had nine children, and other Welsh nobles loved hanging out with the Glyndoras. One of them, a guy called Yolo Gok, even wrote a poem about what good hosts they were. You don't get that on Come Dine With Me.

• 3:02Speaker 04

  Their starters were great, their puddings divine, then we sang karaoke. I give them a nine.

• 3:09Greg Jenner?

  But there was one guy who was definitely not writing nice poems about Owain. Lord Grede Rhythin, Owain's neighbour. Howdly kay! Oh, and arch-enemy. Boo! The English king that Owain had fought for, Richard II, had been booted off the throne.

• 3:28Greg Jenner?

  And replaced with King Henry IV, who was personal friends with Owain's nemesis neighbour, Lord Grede Rhythin, and who set about making Owain look bad in front of the new king.

• 3:41Speaker 03

  Your Majesty, Owain farted. He was malte taltet, Majesty. Ah, but Majesty, he who said the rhyme did the crime.

• 3:50Greg Jenner?

  In 1400, Lord Grede Rhythin played a trick on Owain and didn't tell him about a command from the king, and this created rumours in London that poor Owain was a traitor. And that wasn't his only bad neighbour behaviour. Lord Gre also seized a load of Owain's land.

• 4:07Speaker 03

  Aye, that's my edge and my fields.

• 4:11Greg Jenner?

  Oh, I'll write to the king. But Henry IV's parliament ignored Owain's pleas for help, even after all of that lovely military service. Rude. So that was the point where Owain went...

• 4:23Speaker 03

  That's it. I fight them back. I'm Welsh Batman!

• 4:29Greg Jenner?

  To be fair, bad neighbour behaviour can be enough to push anyone into battle mode.

• 4:34Speaker 03

  Upstairs are playing their so-called music again.

• 4:37Greg Jenner?

  That's it, Doris, fetch my longbow.

• 4:41Greg Jenner?

  It wasn't just a fence dispute gone wrong, though. Lots of Welsh people had really liked King Richard II and weren't keen on the new king, Henry. When one of Richard II's officers was put to death in Chester, near Wales, that was the last straw for a lot of Welsh people.

• 4:59Speaker 03

  You wouldn't suppose the Welsh's favourite king? You wouldn't kill one of his main guys? You wouldn't ignore a perfectly reasonable complaint about my terrible neighbour? Let's rebel!

• 5:14Greg Jenner?

  Owain's posh family meant he was entitled to call himself a Welsh prince, so in September 1400, he took up the title 'Prince of Paus'.

• 5:25Speaker 03

  For the honour of Glyndur, I have the Paus!

• 5:31Greg Jenner?

  And his followers proclaimed him 'Prince of Wales'. Hang on, today doesn't 'Prince of Wales' just mean 'next in line to the King of England'? Yes, and it's been that way since the 13th century. So this meant there was already a Prince of Wales— King Henry IV's son, the future Henry V. So Owain declaring himself Prince of Wales threatened the royal order. While many historians believe Owain didn't actually start this rebellion, he quickly became the figurehead of the movement, like Katniss in The Hunger Games.

• 6:02Speaker 03

  I volunteer as a tribut.

• 6:05Greg Jenner?

  Well, if Katniss was extremely mad at her neighbour.

• 6:07Speaker 03

  Doris, fetch my longbow.

• 6:10Greg Jenner?

  In response, Henry IV sent a super-soldier to fight Owain. His nickname was Harry Hotspur because he was so fast at attacking, his horse-riding spurs got hot.

• 6:22Greg Jenner?

  But Owain still won this pretty major battle of Maneth Huthgen. Annoyed, King Henry made Parliament issue the Penal Laws Against Wales, which was meant to punish and dominate the Welsh. But this just made people even angrier. More rebellion it is, lads! In 1402, Owain Glendora captured his nemesis, Lord Grederhuthin, and held him hostage for a year.

• 6:46Speaker 03

  You're keeping me prisoner for a year? Isn't that a bit petty when you have a rebellion to do? You should have thought of that before you were a bad neighbour.

• 6:54Greg Jenner?

  Now, this really worked out for Owain. King Henry IV paid a ransom of 10,000 marks for Lord Grey's freedom. And this made Owain think...

• 7:04Speaker 03

  Taking hostages is fun and profitable. I'm just gonna make that my whole thing now.

• 7:10Greg Jenner?

  So, after defeating more English troops at the Battle of Bringlas, Owain captured their leader, Sir Edmund Mortimer.

• 7:16Speaker 03

  Oh, sorry about this, Ernie. I take hostages now.

• 7:19Greg Jenner?

  But Edmund's ransom hit a snag.

• 7:22Speaker 03

  Henry, my love, I'll swap you 10,000 marks for Edmund Mortimer.

• 7:28Speaker 04

  10,000 marks for a guy I hate, and who is actually quite powerful and threatens my throne? Keep him!

• 7:35Greg Jenner?

  Yep, Henry refused to pay for poor Edmund. But at least Owain was a famously good host. And whether it was the great B&B experience, or if Owain's rebelliousness was just infectious, Edmund thought...

• 7:48Speaker 04

  Henry was well harsh. I'm Timoine now. Can I marry your daughter as a signing bonus?

• 7:53Greg Jenner?

  Yep, they went from captor and prisoner to BFFs and in-laws at breakneck speed. But Owain didn't get all of his allies by taking them hostage.

• 8:04Speaker 03

  I do not have enough guest towels for that.

• 8:07Greg Jenner?

  Owain also asked for help from France, who weren't on great terms with England.

• 8:12Speaker 04

  Nations with a bone to pick with England, assemble!

• 8:17Greg Jenner?

  And that's not all. Loads of Welsh people were leaving England to join Owain, including labourers and craftsmen. I can make weapons for Wales. Archers, who until now had been serving the English army. I can fight for Wales. And even Welsh students ditching their Oxford degrees to join Owain's rebellion. I can join the debate club for Wales. Here's the thought that counts. In 1403, Owain even managed to bag the famous warrior Harry Hotspur from the English side.

• 8:54Greg Jenner?

  Except he was almost immediately killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury. Yeah, sorry. Despite that setback, things were going well for Owain, and England and Wales had a massive breakup.

• 9:04Speaker 03

  To court a wise woman, we are never, ever, ever getting back together.

• 9:13Greg Jenner?

  In 1404, Owain Glyndua called his first Welsh parliament and announced his new vision for Wales.

• 9:20Speaker 03

  Launch in the I Wales twelve with a new parliament, a separate church, two universities and cwrith hwyw, a return to traditional Welsh laws. But does it have a headphone socket? I wish you'd focus on the bigger picture.

• 9:39Greg Jenner?

  In February 1405, Owain teamed up with Edmund Mortimer and Hotspur's dad to negotiate something called the tripartite indenture. Ooh, fancy. This was their plan to divide England and Wales between the three of them. It was apparently inspired by the stories of a famous wizard you may have heard of.

• 10:01Greg Jenner?

  That's right. Owain Glyndua was a big fan of stories about Merlin, who has very strong Welsh roots. Harry Hotspur actually got annoyed about it, at one point complaining that Owain wouldn't stop talking.

• 10:14Speaker 04

  Of the dreamer Merlin and his prophecies.

• 10:16Greg Jenner?

  Aw, bless. Looks like Owain was a massive fantasy nerd, tragically missing out on Comic Con by a mere 600 years.

• 10:23Speaker 04

  Sweet Warhammer cosplay.

• 10:26Speaker 03

  What? Sorry, I don't know what that is.

• 10:29Greg Jenner?

  In 1405, France signed a treaty promising that they would help Wales. So at last, the French-Welsh army took up positions against the English army. Gladiators, ready! And then nothing happened for eight days. And then, for no confirmed reason, Welsh and French soldiers retreated. Gladiators, go home, I guess? After so much promise, 1405 saw lots of Welsh defeats. France said, Au revoir! And they left Owain to it. Also, the English changed their tactics. Instead of full-on battles, they cut off Wales' supply and trade routes. No unloading there, mate.

• 11:12Greg Jenner?

  Unfortunately for Owain, this really worked.

• 11:16Speaker 03

  Oh, could this get any worse?

• 11:18Greg Jenner?

  It could, sorry. In 1409, both of Owain's big castles at Aberystwyth and Harlech surrendered. And then things got a lot sadder for Owain. His kidnapped victim turned best buddy Edmund Mortimer died in battle. And then his wife Mared and two of their daughters were imprisoned in the Tower of London, where they all eventually died a few years later.

• 11:45Greg Jenner?

  Poor Owain. Despite being homeless and hunted by the English, he continued to fight, this time for both Wales and for his wife. He was like a Welsh medieval John Wick.

• 11:56Speaker 03

  Those who cling to death, live. Those who cling to Merlin are just really cool guys and not nerds at all, actually.

• 12:06Greg Jenner?

  In 1412, Owain Lindor led one of the final successful raids on the English and captured a really important Welsh supporter of King Henry IV. And then ransom him, you know, for old times' sake.

• 12:20Greg Jenner?

  Oh, I love ransoming people. I'd die happy if ransoming was the last thing I ever did. And that was the last thing that Owain ever did. Well, that is the last trace of Owain that historians can find. He was never captured and never seen again, dead or alive. Oh, that really is big Merlin energy for me. King Henry IV died in 1413, and his famous son, King Henry V, offered royal pardons to the Welsh leaders. But even with the heat off, Owain Glyndur never resurfaced. He had vanished. Maybe he really was a wizard or really good at hide and seek.

• 13:03Greg Jenner?

  Either way, a new mythology was born. There are loads of folktales about Owain and what happened to him after he disappeared from history. From the late 1800s, he became a mythical heroic figure in Wales, a saviour waiting to return to liberate his people. I think you'd be happy that today Wales has its own government, a thriving culture, and that from Hollywood to anime, the whole world shares his love of Merlin and Welsh wizards.

• 13:31Speaker 04

  Wow, it's just like Howl's Moving Castle.

• 13:36Greg Jenner?

  No word of a lie. I don't know what that is either. So how much do you remember from today's speedy history lesson? Let's find out. Pencils are ready. Question one: What mythical wizard was Owain kind of obsessed with?

• 13:52Greg Jenner?

  Merlin. Question two: Name one of Owain's two claimed princely titles.

• 13:59Greg Jenner?

  Prince of Poys or Prince of Wales? And question three: What was the name of Owain's wife?

• 14:06Greg Jenner?

  Farad. Well done. Join us next time for another snappy history lesson. And if you're a grown up and to learn more about Owain Glyndur, listen to our episode of You're Dead to Me with Dr Catherine Hurlock. Thanks for listening. Bye. This was a BBC Studios audio production for Radio 4. Dead Funny History was written by Gavvy Hutchinson-Crouch, Athena Kugblenu and Dr Emma Nagouse. It was hosted by me, Greg Jenner, and performed by Malian Rees and John Luke Roberts. The script consultant was Dr Catherine Hurlock.

• 14:46Speaker 05

  Welcome to The Haunted Library. Join me, Colin Morgan, as I read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. A story of science and ambition, loneliness and longing, and what it truly means to be human.

• 15:05Speaker 05

  Listen to The Haunted Library wherever you get your podcasts, or find us on YouTube.