The Last Princes of Wales (Violent Delights Book 7)

Chapter 10: The siege, February 1409

According to Margaret Hamner, Princess of Wales

We run out of food early February. We know it's coming. We make the girls a good dinner, and we skip, as we've done every other night now. Catrin and I sing to them, we play music. And the halls of Harlech dance one last time.
And the next morning we simply open the gate. After almost two years of siege. We open the gates. The remaining guards line up with us. No weapons. And we walk out over the drawbridge.
"We surrender," I say, "It's only us."
They have guards rush past us, going in to search see if I still have a son they could kill.
"Only us," I say, in English again, "Can we please have food? The girls have not yet eaten today."
Catrin holds the littlest girl, the other two crowd against her skirt, terrified. We're just standing on the drawbridge, cold wind whipping us. We're all skeletal after this long.
"You're to be taken to the Tower, to be held until Owain Glyndower surrenders," the english soldier says, looking at us with obvious disdain.
"He's dead," I say, frowning, "How—he's dead."
"The bandit must surrender, if you are to go free. for now you remain our prisoners, by orders of the Prince of Wales."

The End

Catrin and her three daughters would live in captivity until 1413. Their deaths are listed but the cause of death is not noted, it is generally believed they died of starvation. A monument stands for them in Wales.

Margaret Hamner would live till nearly 1420, in the Tower, until she too would die likely of age related causes, or the conditions in the Tower.

Both Henry and Richard Courtenay would die of disease on Henry's campaigns in France. Courtenay in 1415, and Henry in 1422, neither man living to be more than 35 years old. They are buried together in Westminster.

An active warrant for Owain's arrest remained until the 1420s. It is commonly believed he did in fact survive until 1415, but he was never seen again after the siege of Aberyswyth.

John Fastolf would outlive both Henry and Thomas, serving in the 100 years war and becoming a very rich man by his death. He had no children.

Owain 'Glyndower' ap Gryffud is considered the last true Prince of Wales. On September 16 all of Wales celebrates the day he instigated the revolt. It is a common folk tale that he will come back to life when Wales is in need.

Henry of Monmouth would be the last Prince of Wales to even be born in Wales. Despite being raised in England, and of English parents, he was born in Wales. No other 'Prince of Wales' since has been even legally Welsh.

The Welsh people would go on to suffer oppression from the English, for the next several hundred years, for much of the time not possessing the same rights as English citizens. It would not be until 1967 that they gained the right to use the Welsh language in legal documents and proceedings in their own country.

Catrin' s daughters names remain unknown. Her death itself remains a mystery, but she remained in the Tower the rest of her life, as did Margaret Hamner. They were being held in hopes of forcing Owain to reveal himself. He never did.

Henry would eventually offer Owain and his sons a pardon if they'd come forward. Eventually, in 1422, one surviving son, Maredudd, did, accepting the pardon. This was after Henry's death.

The location of Owain's grave is unknown to this day.

John Oldcastle would be convicted as a Lollard. Henry would attempt to reason with him, but that would fail. Eventually, Henry would catch Oldcastle, and have him burned to death.

Warwick served Henry the rest of his life, and became the tutor (guardian) of the infant Henry VI on Henry V's death. Edward of York would also serve Henry the rest of his life, dying at Agincourt. Scrope would eventually be tortured and executed by Henry, on charges of treason, charges that were never verified.

Aberyswyth and Harlech remain Henry's longest sieges, at a year, and eighteen months respectively. He would never siege that long again, becoming known for breaking castles. His next longest siege, and the one that would destroy his health and claim his life, would be Meaux, at 216 days, just past 7 months.