#OTD in 1418 Henry V made Philip Morgan his chancellor of Normandy. The Welshman received further rewards in August 1419, when he was granted lands in Evreux, and in 1421, when Henry appointed him 'louvetier' of Rouen. I think this translates as 'wolf-hunter'.

Philip was a direct descendent of Morgan ap Maredudd, one of the Welsh gentry who rose high in the service of Edward I after the conquest of Gwynedd in 1283. Morgan, himself a descendent of the old kings of Morgannwg in south-east Wales, had served the first two Edwards as spy, diplomat and military captain.

Many of the Welsh landholding class were alienated from the Plantagenet regime after the mid-14th century, when Edward III and the Black Prince ceased to offer them patronage. The Black Prince in particular harmed relations by ordering that no Welshman should be made constable of a castle in Wales. That proved a mistake, since it denied the Welsh access to revenue and high office in their own country.

The breakdown in relations between crown and gentry was one of the major causes of the revolt of Owain Glyndwr, at the start of the 15th century. Even so, loyalists such as Philip Morgan were still willing to serve for reward.