Prince Madoc
By Madison Echlin
Prince Madoc, otherwise known as Prince Madog ab Owain Gwynedd, was a pseudo-archaeological Welsh Prince who supposedly emigrated with his followers to North America in 1170. He was from Gwynedd which is a Welsh country that shares boarders with Powys, Conwy, Debinshire, Anglesey, and Ceredigion. His father, Owain, was the King of Gwynedd in the 12th century. King Owain had 19 children, 13 of which were illegitimate including Madoc himself. After the death of Owain of Gwynedd, his sons debated who would inherit the throne. It is said that Prince Madoc left Gwynedd in a heated disagreement with his brothers and instead sought adventure by sea. [1].
The Mandan
The Mandans are a tribe of Native American Siouan speakers associated with the Great Plains and have lived for centuries in what is now North Dakota. They historically lived along the Missouri River valley in large settled villages and mostly practiced full time agriculture. However, 18th century reports of occasional physical characteristics among the tribe like their light colored blue or gray eyes and their light colored hair spurred rumors about pre-Colombian European contact. Some believed that the Mandan were "Welsh Indians" or descendants of Prince Madoc and his Welsh followers. It was proposed that interbreeding with the Norse emigrants would explain the blonde Indians. However, there is no real archaeological or scientific evidence to prove anything of the sort. [2].
Unraveling the Prince
The sea-trade which was then active between Greenland and the people of Western Europe in 1100 AD would have given Madoc an idea of voyage through the Atlantic ocean. Furthermore ships of 1170 were large enough and strong enough to cross the Atlantic, so in these respects it would have been logistically possible for Madoc to make it to North America. However, the viking world by 1100 AD linked Norway, Iceland, and Greenland with Britain and had spread along the Western Islesand the shores of the Irish Sea at Dublin, Cumbria and in Gwynedd. A voyage to Greenland was less than 2000 miles in the Atlantic, to put everything into perspective there were hundreds of miles without inhabitants between the Eastern and Western Viking colonies. A voyage to what is now Florida would have been more than 4000 miles into what was basically the unknown. Madoc could have followed the route of trade where he would steer west towards the Greenland coast however, no trace has ever been found of Madoc's presence in any part of North America.
Motivations
The motivations for the creation of Prince Madoc and his voyage to the Americas