Special Sub-Topic: Prince Madoc Click Here To Play: Prince Madoc

Why did Prince Madoc want to leave Wales?

Civil unrest. After the death of his Father in 1169 Prince Madoc became entangled in the fight for power. Being a peaceful man he decided to set sail for more peaceful shores.

Did Prince Madoc ever come back to Wales?

yes. After his initial voyage to a new land he came back and recruited settlers through amazing stories of what he had discovered. They were never heard of again.

How many ships departed Wales bound for the new land?

10. They set sail from Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel.

Where did they settle according to the legend?

Georgia/Kentucky/Tennessee area. They entered through Mobile Bay and proceeded into the great river systems eventually settling in the area of Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Why did they decide to leave the area they first settled?

War with a local tribe. They warred with the Cherokee tribe and decided it best to leave. As they were leaving they were ambushed near Louisville, Kentucky. They battled the Cherokee for several days when a truce was agreed to. They agreed never to return and swapped prisoners of war.

They then went to the banks of the Missouri river and integrated with a powerful tribe. What was the name of this tribe?

Mandans. According to the legend the Mandans adopted many of the tools that the Welsh used and even had tales of a white skinned people speaking a foreigh language.

As white settlers moved into the Missouri river area what fueled speculation that Madoc and his followers had been found?

All of these (Use of round boats similar to Welsh fishing boats, Stone forts, Tales of a white skinned people living in the area). According to the Mandan tale, the Mandans were a nomadic people until they met with a white skinned tribe. The white skinned tribe showed them how to build stone forts, fishing boats, and round houses similar to that of Wales.

In 1796 a Welsh adventurer and explorer came to America to determine if there was any truth to the stories coming back to Wales. What was his name?

John Thomas Evans. He wanted to find a Welsh speaking tribe but did not and concluded there was no evidence of a Welsh influenced tribe in America.

According to a Cherokee legend what happened to the Welsh?

They mingled with indians and their skin turned red. According to the legend they had built stone forts, round houses and called themselves Welsh. They eventually assimilated into another tribe and became indians themselves. In other words their skin turned red over the years. This story comes out after the American Revolution when an officer in the American Army was asking about old stone forts in the area and who built them.

What ruler of England used this legend as a basis for claiming North America for England?

Queen Elizabeth I. She used the legend to support the idea that England had colonized North America first, therefore it belonged to England. The report had been published in 1583 and revised several times after that. For more information on the subject you can visit any of the sites below or just google for Madoc. Madoc1170 also has a discussion forum on the topic which is very interesting. Fact or Fiction, I don't know. http://www.ramtops.co.uk/madocdee.html http://www.madoc1170.com http://www.wovoca.com/hidden-history-madoc.htm