A surviving son of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys, holding the upland cantref of Penllyn around Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake), between Gwynedd, Edeirnion and Powys Wenwynwyn.
Penllyn had been taken under Gwynedd's lordship by Owain Gwynedd after 1160; on 1 January 1200 Elise holds it as his own.
Who he is
- Name
- Elise ap Madog
- Title
- Lord of Penllyn
- Since
- Not pinned (a son of Madog ap Maredudd, the last king of all Powys, who died 1160)
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- Son of Madog ap Maredudd; half-brother of Owain Brogyntyn; uncle of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth through Llywelyn's mother Marared.
- Confidence
- medium
Wikipedia (Llywelyn the Great: Elise stripped of almost all his lands after refusing Llywelyn's summons in 1202).
Overlord
None in practice
What it holds
- The cantref of Penllyn with the motte of Tomen y Bala and Llanuwchllyn
How it was acquired
Share of the Powys inheritance (not pinned).
Allies and rivals
Uneasy neighbour of both Llywelyn and Gwenwynwyn.
How things stand that morning
Holds Penllyn.
Wealth
Cattle and upland pasture.
Military
His teulu; the motte at Bala.
Threats
- Llywelyn, who strips him of nearly all his lands in 1202 when he refuses the summons against Gwenwynwyn
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- August 1202 or soon afterElise refuses Llywelyn's summons against Gwenwynwyn and loses almost all his lands.Depends on: Llywelyn's war on Gwenwynwyn Stopped by: Elise answering the summons
Places of note
- Tomen y Bala: Motte of Penllyn
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Known mainly from his fall in 1202.
On the map: Cantref outline approximate.
Primary sources for Powys
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Wales, Anonymous (St Davids and other Welsh houses) (10th to 13th centuries; the B and C texts continue to 1286 and 1288). Short Latin annals whose later versions are kept at St Davids and Cistercian houses. Read online
- Chronicle of the Princes, Anonymous (Welsh translation of a lost Latin chronicle kept at Strata Florida) (Latin original to about 1282, compiled from contemporary annals; Welsh versions about 1300 and later). The native Welsh record of the year. Read online
- The Journey through Wales; The Description of Wales, Gerald of Wales (Giraldus Cambrensis) (Itinerarium 1191, revised to about 1214; Descriptio 1194). The standing description of Wales a decade before 1200: the cantrefs and their lords, the castles of the March, the bishoprics, the Welsh way of fighting and living, and Gerald's advice on how the Welsh might be conquered and how they might resist. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.