Once Upon a Time…In 1170 A.D. PARADISE Was Found Here in ALABAMA copy
A Welsh Prince’s Paradise: The Legend of Madoc’s Journey to Gulf Shores, Alabama in 1170 A.D
Once upon a time in the Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd, a noble prince named Madoc made a profound decision to pursue peace, love and adventure instead of pursuing the bloody royal path of power and possessions.
Prince Madoc’s heroic choice of peace, instead of war, led him and his 600 followers to a very real twelfth-century paradise. Today their paradise (where Prince Madoc’s epic expedition landed in 1170) is known as Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Madoc: Commander and Confidant of the Vikings
Prince Madoc was a man of a different temperament. He possessed a deeply compassionate nature that recoiled from treachery and bloodshed. Furthermore, unlike his land-focused brothers, Madoc’s life was defined by the sea. He was an experienced and talented sailor, a seasoned navigator, and held the position of Commander in the Welsh navy.
Prince Madoc’s skills were not limited to coastal defense. He was an adventurer, trader and fisherman who had cultivated a unique relationship with the era’s preeminent seafarers…the Vikings.Madoc was a trusted ally, trading partner and confidant of the Norsemen. Through his extensive interactions over a long period of time, he became privy to their closely guarded lore.
The Vikings, who had already established settlements in North America centuries earlier, spoke of vast lands that were South and West of territory the Norseman had already colonized.The stories told were of sparsely populated territories possessing abundant food, fresh water and resources.To a Welshman familiar with scarcity and struggles, the concept of such a peaceful sanctuary sounded like a divine promise.
The Horrific Reality of 12th Century Wales
The bleak twelfth-century homeland of Prince Madoc was defined by fierce disputes and mist-shrouded mountains. Resources were scarce, life was hard and dominated by the perpetual realities of civil war.
Madoc’s father (King Owain Gwyned) had managed to remain King of the Wales for more than 40 years by being shrewd, ambitious, fair, decisive and brutal when circumstances demanded it.
King Owain had 17 sons during his 40 year rein. When he passes away in 1170 he left behind a complicated situation because he had not named a successor to his throne
When King Owain passed away in the year 1169 A.D. he left behind a complicated legacy. King Owain had 17 sons. Because Owain had not named a successor…any one of these 17 sons could legitimately lay claim to the throne.
Among this large brood, four sons stood out for their capabilities and influence: Hywell, Davydd, Madoc and Rhodri. The first two (Hywell and Davydd) were deeply entrenched in the ruthless power struggles that defined Welsh royal succession.
Hywell, initially taking the throne after King Owain’s death, was quickly murdered by his half-brother Davydd. Chaos ensued and powerful clans began carving up the kingdom in a violent civil war. The nature of this royal struggle was vicious, driven by ambition and a grim sense of survival.
Plots and counter-plots were common in 12th Century Wales and those with foresight, intelligent plans and the means to execute those plans held a significant advantage.
Fortunately the brutal reality of what would occur upon King Owain’s passing was predicted and foreseen by Prince Madocrs before it played out and he took actions to avoid this chaos and bloody power struggle.
The Decision to Seek Paradise
Prince Madoc and his brother Rhodri (born of the same mother) had the foresight and practical experience to understand the impending power struggle and bloody chaos that would erupt upon their Father’s (King Owain’s) passing. When they witnessed a decline in their father’s health and vigor in 1164, they conspired a lofty and ambitious plan. The next year they put their plan into action.
In 1165 Prince Madoc convinced his highly trusted Norseman ally to be a working navigator on a radical Viking expedition. This voyage departed on an exploratory journey to the northern coastline of a body of water today known as the Gulf of America.While on this voyage they encountered Moblie Bay and at that moment Madoc knew this specific location would be his destination when all hell broke loose in his homeland.
Upon Madoc’s return, he and his brother finalised their plot of exodus.This plan remained a secret until their father’s passing in 1169.This plan recognized the ruthless natures of their sibling brothers and contained a promise (sacred pact) to self exile themselves along with their most trusted followers in exchange for a peaceful no conflict departure that benefited all parties.This pact was agreed upon by his formable throne seeking brothers and it guaranteed Prince Madoc and his brother Rhondri, the time and the where with all to successfully depart Wales shortly after King Owain’s death.
The First Voyage and the Discovery of Navy Cove
The plan called for an initial expedition of a modest fleet of three ships and a crew of 100. Their mission was to establish a sustainable beach head for the another 500 family and friends to follow.Relying on his experience and drawing upon Viking navigational aids, Prince Madoc sailed west across the Atlantic to fulfill the promise to find paradise in 1170.
So, in March of 1170 Prince Madoc’s 3 ships and modest crew of 100 arrived at their destination…the entrance to a vast sheltered body of water…Mobile Bay.His initial landing point was the at the western end of a peninsula on the eastern side of the bay’s mouth. This location is known today as Fort Morgan. Specifically, he anchored his small fleet in a quiet protected inlet that is today called Navy Cove.
Today all residences and businesses at Navy Cove and on the Fort Morgan Peninsula have a United States Postal Service address and zip code of Gulf Shores, Alabama 36542.
This bay was a veritable paradise just as Prince Madoc remembered from his previous journey with the Norseman. The waters teemed with fish and there was an abundance of easily harvested oysters.The lush surrounding forests were full of wild game and crucially, there was an abundance of fresh spring water, firewood and shelter materials.It was a peaceful haven and a stark contrast to the blood-soaked hills of Wales.
The Return and the Second Expedition
Madoc and his crew established a temporary settlement, confirming the viability of their new found paradise.In late October of 1170, Madoc made the journey back to Wales.Taking 2 of the 3 ship fleet, he set sail with a crew of 32.He successfully made the voyage and was pleased to discover that his brother Prince Rhodri and the privileged 500 family and friends were safe and ready to depart.All were there to greet him and were ecstatic that he had returned safely.
While Prince Madoc had been gone Rhodri had acquired, equipped and prepared all the crew and passengers for the journey to the new peaceful promised land.The new fleet consisted of 10 ships.Each was capable of transporting 50 individuals along with the necessary crew and provisions.
In December of 1170 the 12 ship fleet (10 new plus Madoc’s original 2) set sail without incident from the warring chaos that had engulfed their homeland.Under the command of Prince Madoc all 12 ships landed safely on the sandy shores of the new peaceful paradise in what today is known as Alabama.
A Peaceful Integration and a Lingering Mystery
According to the enduring legend, Madoc and his followers did not arrive as conquerors.They came in peace, seeking only a place to live in harmony.They integrated with the sparse and peaceful indigenous peoples already living in the region.They engaged in trade and crucially intermarried.
The Welsh explorers were said to have ventured far inland, exploring the vast network of rivers that flow into Mobile Bay and over centuries explored the Mississippi River.These explorers left evidence of their presence that some historians and enthusiasts claim they found Welsh speaking Native American tribes, Welsh style boats and Welsh style fortifications all the way up to the Ohio River Valley.
The ultimate fate of Madoc and his colony remains one of North America’s great historical mysteries. Their assimilation into the local Native American cultures and the fading of their Welsh identity over generation makes it difficult to prove.There is some compelling evidence and the legend persists.The story speaks to a universal human desire for peace, the allure of a new beginning, and the courage of a navigator who chose paradise instead of a blood-soaked throne in Wales. The shores of Mobile Bay, with its quiet coves and rich history, still whisper the possibility that a Welsh prince found a haven in Gulf Shores, Alabama in the year 1170.
