BBC Wales - History | Tudor Dynasty
FromhumblebeginningsintheserviceoftheprincesofGwynedd,theTudorfamilyrosesteadilytoroyalstock.TheTudorroyaldynastybeganwithKingHenryVIIaccedingtothethroneofEngland,WalesandIrelandin1485,andendedwiththechildlessdeathofElizabethIin1603.Theyarefamedfortakingthecountryfromarun-of-the-millmedievalkingdomtothepre-eminentworldpoweronthebrinkofEmpire.ButwhileHenryVIIIandElizabethIwerenotedmonarchsofvastwealthandpower,thefamilyhadfarhumblerorigins.TheprincesofGwyneddsuchasLlywelynabIorwerth(LlywelynTh...
From humble beginnings in the service of the princes of Gwynedd, the Tudor family rose steadily to royal stock.
The Tudor royal dynasty began with King Henry VII acceding to the throne of England, Wales and Ireland in 1485, and ended with the childless death of Elizabeth I in 1603. They are famed for taking the country from a run-of-the-mill medieval kingdom to the pre-eminent world power on the brink of Empire.
But while Henry VIII and Elizabeth I were noted monarchs of vast wealth and power, the family had far humbler origins.
The princes of Gwynedd such as Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (Llywelyn The Great) and his sons had in their service an aristocratic family of advisors, diplomats, servants and councillors.
The first of the dynasty of the early Tudors was Cynfrig ab Iorwerth but his son, Ednyfed Fychan, was the one who cemented his familys position in the administration of Gwynedd. He was a diplomat and ambassador, acting for Llywelyn in negotiation...