Owain Glyndwr was the Welsh Rebel Leader who fought against the English during the reigns of Henry IV and Henry V. He was a reluctant ally of Henry Percy also known as Hotspur and is generally regarded as "The Greatest Welshman Who Ever Lived", since he is the only one ever recorded to unite the Welsh against a single foe
A descendant of the princes of Powys, Glyndwr inherited several manors in northern Wales. He studied law in London and then served with the forces of Henry Bolingbroke, an opponent of King Richard II and afterward King Henry IV.
When he returned to Wales, he found that England's oppressive rule had crippled the Welsh economy and aroused popular resentment. In September 1400, a year after Bolingbroke usurped the throne, Glyndwr's violent feud with a neighbour, Reynold, Lord Grey of Ruthin, touched off an uprising in northern Wales.
The insurgency quickly became a national struggle for Welsh independence. Glyndwr formed an alliance with Henry's most powerful opponents, and by 1404 he had control of most of Wales.
Styling himself Prince of Wales, he established an independent Welsh Parliament and began to formulate his own foreign and ecclesiastical policies. In 1405, however, the tide of battle turned against him. He was twice defeated by Henry IV's son, Prince Henry (later King Henry V), and his allies in England were crushed.
Reinforcements sent by France could not save his cause. By 1408-09 Prince Henry had captured Glyndwr's main strongholds, but the rebel was active in guerrilla fighting as late as 1412.
He died in 1416 | 
