The Tudors of Penmynydd (Welsh: Tuduriaid Penmynydd) were a prominent Welsh noble family associated with the village of Penmynydd on the island of Anglesey in North Wales. They became influential in Welsh—and later English—politics, and from their line came Sir Owen Tudor, whose descendants founded the Tudor dynasty that ruled England from 1485 to 1603, ending with the death of Elizabeth I.
Origins and early generations
The family traced its roots to Ednyfed Fychan (d. 1246), a celebrated Welsh warrior and statesman who served as seneschal to the rulers of Gwynedd, including Llywelyn the Great and his son Dafydd ap Llywelyn. Tradition linked Ednyfed’s ancestry to Marchudd ap Cynan, an early lord of Rhos, and to one of the famed “Fifteen Tribes of Wales.”
From Ednyfed’s sons emerged an influential northern Welsh elite. Lands including Tre-castell, Penmynydd, and Erddreiniog in Anglesey passed to children from his second marriage to Gwenllian, daughter of Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth. One of these sons, Goronwy (d. 1268), became the founder of the Penmynydd Tudor line.
Goronwy served as seneschal to the last native prince of Gwynedd, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. His descendants held land and status in Anglesey and beyond. A later figure, Tudur Hen (d. 1311), submitted to Edward I of England and helped found a Carmelite house in Bangor. In the next generations, members of the family continued as patrons of religious institutions and local leaders, holding estates in Anglesey and parts of Cardiganshire.
The Owain Glyndŵr era
By the early fifteenth century, several Tudors of Penmynydd were connected to the English court through service to Richard II. After Richard’s overthrow, however, brothers Rhys, Gwilym, and Maredudd ap Tudur shifted their support to Owain Glyndŵr’s rebellion. Rhys was executed in 1412, and after the uprising collapsed, the Crown confiscated much of the family’s land. Significant portions were later granted to the Griffiths of Penrhyn, a related family through marriage.
From Penmynydd to the English throne
The family’s lasting fame came through a younger branch. Owain Tudur (Owen Tudor), son of Maredudd ap Tudur, entered royal service and secretly married Catherine of Valois, the widow of King Henry V. Their sons—Edmund Tudor (Earl of Richmond) and Jasper Tudor (Earl of Pembroke, later Duke of Bedford)—became key figures in Lancastrian politics.
Edmund Tudor married Margaret Beaufort, and they had one child, Henry Tudor (born 1457). After years of political struggle and exile, Henry invaded England and defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, becoming King Henry VII and launching the Tudor monarchy.
Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, uniting the Lancastrian and Yorkist claims. Their son Henry VIII succeeded in 1509. The Tudor line continued through Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I, and ended in 1603 when Elizabeth died without heirs. The crown then passed to James VI of Scotland (James I of England), who carried Tudor blood through descent from Margaret Tudor, Henry VII’s daughter.
A continuing Penmynydd line
Although the royal Tudors rose from a junior branch, another line tied to Penmynydd persisted for generations. Through inheritance shifts and marriages—especially involving the Griffith family—descendants retained lands and local standing and were recognized as kin of the Tudor monarchs. Over time, however, the estate eventually passed out of the family, ending the long Penmynydd connection through sale and inheritance changes.
In summary: the Tudors of Penmynydd began as a powerful Welsh aristocratic family, weathered confiscations and political upheaval, and ultimately produced Owen Tudor and Henry VII, whose victory in 1485 reshaped English history and began the Tudor era.
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