Llywelyn ap Gruffudd

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
Fanciful sculpture of Llywelyn byHenry Alfred Pegram,Cardiff City Hall
King of Gwynedd
Reign	1246–1282
Predecessor	Dafydd ap Llywelyn
Successor	Dafydd ap Gruffydd
Born	c. 1223 Gwynedd
Died	11 December 1282 Cilmeri
Spouse	Eleanor de Montfort
Issue	Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn
House	Aberffraw
Father	Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ap Iorwerth
Mother	Senana ferch Caradog

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd(c. 1223 – 11 December 1282),Llywelyn II,also known asLlywelyn the Last(Welsh:Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf,lit. 'Llywelyn, Our Last Leader'), wasKing of Gwynedd,and later was recognised as theprince of Wales(Latin:Princeps Walliae;Welsh:Tywysog Cymru) from 1258 until his death atCilmeriin 1282. Llywelyn was the son ofGruffudd ap Llywelyn ap Iorwerthand grandson ofLlywelyn ab Iorwerth(Llywelyn the Great) (Llywelyn I), and he was one of the last native and independent princes of Wales before itsconquestbyEdward I of EnglandandEnglish rule in Walesthat followed, untilOwain Glyndŵrheld the title during theWelsh Revoltof 1400–1415.

Genealogy and early life

Llywelyn was the second of the four sons ofGruffudd ap Llywelyn ap Iorwerth,the eldest son ofLlywelyn ab Iorwerth,andSenana ferch Caradog,the daughter of Caradoc ap Thomas ap Rhodri, Lord of Anglesey.

The eldest wasOwain Goch ap Gruffyddand Llywelyn had two younger brothers,Dafydd ap GruffyddandRhodri ap Gruffydd.Llywelyn is thought to have been born around 1222 or 1223. He is first heard of holding lands in theVale of Clwydaround 1244.

Following his grandfather's death in 1240, Llywelyn's uncle,Dafydd ap Llywelyn(who was Llywelyn the Great's eldest legitimate son), succeeded him as ruler ofGwynedd.At this time, Llywelyn went on crusade withRichard of Cornwall,brother ofHenry IIIofEngland.

Llywelyn's father, Gruffydd (who was Llywelyn's eldest son but illegitimate), and his brother, Owain, were initially kept prisoner by Dafydd, then transferred into the custody of King Henry III of England. Gruffydd died in 1244 from a fall while trying to escape from his cell at the top of theTower of London.The window from which he attempted to escape the Tower was bricked up and can still be seen to this day.King Henry could no longer use Gruffydd against him, war broke out between Dafydd II and King Henry in 1245.Llywelyn supported his uncle in the savage fighting that followed.Owain, meanwhile, was freed by Henry III after his father's death and was given a portion ofSnowdonia(Eryri) by Henry at the treaty of Woodstock in 1247.

Early reign

Gwynedd

North Walesdivision 1247.

Llywelyn and Owain came to terms with King Henry III and in 1247 signed the Treaty of Woodstock atWoodstock Palace.The terms they were forced to accept restricted them to the west ofConwy(Gwynedd Uwch Conwy) aroundSnowdoniaandAnglesey,which was divided between them. The other half ofGwyneddeast of Conwy known as thePerfeddwladwas taken over by King Henry.

WhenDafydd ap Gruffyddcame of age, King Henry accepted hishomageand announced his intention to give him part of the already reduced Gwynedd. Llywelyn refused to accept this and Owain and Dafydd formed an alliance against him. This led to theBattle of Bryn Derwinin June 1255. Llywelyn defeated Owain and Dafydd and captured them, thereby becoming the sole ruler of Gwynedd Uwch Conwy. Llywelyn now looked to expand his area of control. The population ofGwynedd Is Conwyresented English rule. This area, also known as "Perfeddwlad" (meaning "middle land" ) had been given by King Henry to his sonEdwardand during the summer of 1256, he visited the area but failed to deal with grievances against the rule of his officers. An appeal was made to Llywelyn, who, that November, crossed the River Conwy with an army, accompanied by his brother, Dafydd, whom he had released from prison. By early December, Llywelyn controlled all of Gwynedd Is Conwy, apart from the royal castle atDyserth,as a reward for his support and dispossessing his brother-in-law, Rhys Fychan, who supported the king. An English army led byStephen Bauzaninvaded to try to restore Rhys Fychan but was decisively defeated by Welsh forces at theBattle of Cadfanin June 1257, with Rhys having previously slipped away to make his peace with Llywelyn.

All of Wales

During 1257, Llywelyn aggressively pursued his interests and gained control of lands inGwrtheyrnion,driving out his cousin, the Anglo-Norman, Roger Mortimer. Then toPowys,which affected his fellowWelshman,Gwenwynwyn,andDeheubarthinSouth Wales,helping his kin against Norman control going as far as theBristol Channel,leaving a trail of destruction during the time ofLent.Despite liberating his fellow Welsh folk, some would return to siding with the English upon his departure. The English retaliated by mobilising a force fromScotlandtoDeganwyin Wales but did not cross into Conwy, which was officially Llywelyn's Welsh territory. Henry III waited for an Irish naval force to attack on land from the west to corner Llywelyn, however, his force never arrived. The acts of aggression were followed by a peace truce for 1258, of which theMarcher Lords,did not completely abide by.

The leader of Deheubarth, Rhys Fychan now accepted Llywelyn as overlord, but this caused problems for Llywelyn, as Rhys's lands had already been given to Maredudd. Llywelyn restored his lands to Rhys, but the king's envoys approached Maredudd and offered him Rhys's lands if he would change sides. Maredudd paid homage to Henry in late 1257. After the betrayal, in 1259, Llywelyn jailed Maredudd untilChristmasinCriccieth Castle.Maredudd was released only for him to surrender a son as hostage, it was thenDinefwrbecame a vassal kingdom of Gwynedd.

In early 1258, Llywelyn was using the titlePrince of Wales,first used in an agreement between Llywelyn and his supporters and theScottishnobility associated with theComynfamily. The English Crown refused to recognise this title however,and, in 1263, Llywelyn's brother, Dafydd was hostile against the Prince and submitted himself to King Henry.

Then in January 1260, Llywelyn pursued his interests internally by dislodging Roger Mortimer ofBuellt.This would be an act of war which would be followed by an English decree which was summoned inOxfordon August 1. Armies assembled atShrewsburyandChesterwith the sole purpose of removing Llywelyn from power. However, the English could not come to an agreement in government over the matter, and a truce was enacted again for a further 2 years. After 2 years the English continued castle building which caused a revolt from the Welsh, who in turn requested and were assisted by Llywelyn in defending their lands inMaelienydd.After, Llywelyn continued his expansion into South Wales to theLordship of Brecon,where he received fealty from the Welsh who too ousted their Anglo-Norman Marcher Lord Mortimer. This success brought him to the attention of the Montfort family, which would start a new era for Gwynedd and Llywelyn. The change in territory forced Edward I to return to Wales for the first time since 1254.

On 12 December 1263, in thecommoteof Ystumanner,Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn(Mathrafal,Powys Wenwynwyn) did homage and sworefealtyto Llywelyn. In return he was made a vassal lord and the lands taken from him by Llywelyn about six years earlier were restored to him.

Supremacy in Wales

Wales after theTreaty of Montgomeryof 1267:

Gwynedd,Llywelyn ap Gruffudd's principality

Territories conquered by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd

Territories of Llywelyn's vassals

Lordships of theMarcher barons

Lordships of the King of England

Kingdom of England

Llywelyn's interests were now not solely excluded to Wales. In England,Simon de Montfort(the Younger) defeated the king's supporters at theBattle of Lewesin 1264 (Second Barons' War), capturing the king and Lord Edward. Llywelyn began negotiations with de Montfort, and in 1265, offered him 25,000 marks in exchange for a permanent peace, 5,000 of which immediately and then 3,000 a year thereafter. TheTreaty of Pipton,22 June 1265, established an alliance between Llywelyn and de Montfort, althoughPope Clement IVwarned Llywelyn against allying himself with the excommunicated Montfort. As well as the rule of the whole Principality, Llywelyn was offered the castles of Maud,Hawarden,EllesmereandMontgomery.Thus, Llywelyn's right to rule thePrincipality of Walesas the hereditary Prince of Wales would be acknowledged. De Montfort was to die at theBattle of Eveshamin 1265, a battle in which Llywelyn took no part.After Simon de Montfort's death, Llywelyn launched a campaign in order to rapidly gain a bargaining position before King Henry had fully recovered. In 1265, routed the combined armies ofHamo le StrangeandMaurice FitzGeraldin North Wales.Llywelyn then moved on toMontgomery,and routedRoger Mortimer's army. With these victories and the backing of the papal legate,Ottobuono,Llywelyn opened negotiations with the king and was eventually recognised as Prince of Wales by King Henry in theTreaty of Montgomeryin 1267.All of the Welsh princes submitted to Llywelyn II except forMaredudd ap Rhys Gryg.For this recognition he would have to pay the English crown 24,000 marks in installments, this agreement was confirmed by the papacy in Rome.If he wished, Llywelyn could purchase the homage of the one outstanding native prince – Maredudd ap Rhys of Deheubarth – for 5,000 marks. However, Llywelyn's territorial ambitions gradually made him unpopular with some minor Welsh leaders, particularly the princes of South Wales.

The Treaty of Montgomery marked the high point of Llywelyn's power. Problems began arising soon afterward, initially a dispute withGilbert de Clareconcerning the allegiance of a Welsh nobleman holding lands inGlamorgan.Gilbert builtCaerphilly Castlein response to this.King Henry sent a bishop to take possession of the castle while the dispute was resolved but when Gilbert regained the castle by trickery, the king was unable to do anything about it.

Following the death of King Henry in late 1272, with the new KingEdward I of Englandaway from the kingdom on acrusade,the rule fell to three men. One of them, Roger Mortimer was one of Llywelyn's rivals in the marches. WhenHumphrey de Bohuntried to take backBrycheiniog,which was granted to Llywelyn by the Treaty of Montgomery, Mortimer supported de Bohun.Llywelyn was also finding it difficult to raise the annual sums required under the terms of this treaty and ceased making payments.

In early 1274, there was a plot by Llywelyn's brother, Dafydd,andGruffydd ap GwenwynwynofPowys Wenwynwynand his son,Owain,to kill Llywelyn.Dafydd was with Llywelyn at the time, and it was arranged that Owain would come with armed men on 2 February to carry out the assassination; however, he was prevented by a snowstorm. Llywelyn did not discover the full details of the plot until Owain confessed to theBishop of Bangor.He said that the intention had been to make Dafydd prince of Gwynedd and that Dafydd would reward Gruffydd with lands. Dafydd and Gruffydd fled to England where they were maintained by the king and carried out raids on Llywelyn's lands, increasing Llywelyn's resentment. When Edward called Llywelyn to Chester in 1275 to pay homage, Llywelyn refused to attend.

Llywelyn also made an enemy of King Edward by continuing to ally himself with the family of Simon de Montfort, even though their power was now greatly reduced. Llywelyn sought to marryEleanor de Montfort,born c. 1258, Simon de Montfort's daughter. They were married by proxy in 1275, but King Edward took exception to the marriage, in part because Eleanor was his first cousin: her mother wasEleanor of England,daughter ofKing Johnand princess of theHouse of Plantagenet.When Eleanor sailed fromFranceto meet Llywelyn, Edward hired men to seize her ship and she was imprisoned atWindsor Castleuntil Llywelyn made certain concessions.

Treaty of Aberconwy

Gwynedd c. 1277.

In 1276, Edward declared Llywelyn a rebel and in 1277, gathered an enormous army to march against him.Edward's intention was to disinherit Llywelyn completely and take over Gwynedd Is Conwy himself. He was considering two options for Gwynedd Uwch Conwy: either to divide it between Llywelyn's brothers, Dafydd and Owain or to annexAngleseyand divide only the mainland between the two brothers. Edward was supported byDafydd ap GruffyddandGruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn.Many of the lesser Welsh princes who had supported Llywelyn had hastened to make peace with Edward. By the summer of 1277, Edward's forces had left from Chester to reach theRiver Conwyand encamped atDeganwy,while another force had captured Anglesey and took possession of the harvest there. This deprived Llywelyn and his men of food, forcing them to seek terms. The attack came from all directions from east of the border,Henry de Lacyattacked fromShrewsburyandMontgomeryshire,Roger Mortimer to Builth and Gwenwynwyn returned to take backCyfeiliogand other parts of Powys. The lack of provisions forced Llywelyn into hiding, but the Welsh did see minor successes against the English.

Following the battles, the result was theTreaty of Aberconwy,signed by Llywelyn on the 9th of November 1277. The outcome and peace accord guaranteed the return of lands to Llywelyn, however at a price. He regained Anglesey and parts of Snowdonia as his Kingdom of Gwynedd ruled as the Prince of Wales with the homage of five lords. He would have to pay a fine of 50,000 marks for the incident and would forgo his share of the rent of Anglesey to the crown. Whilst, theLlyn Peninsulawas given to his brother Owain who was released from jail in 1254. Then the Perfeddwlad in Gwynedd was given to Dafydd ap Gruffydd,with a promise that if Llywelyn died without an heir, he would be given a share of Gwynedd Uwch Conwy instead.

English parliament; left to right:-Alexander III of Scotland,Edward I of England,Llywelyn II Prince of Wales.

With the peace accord in place, Llywelyn went to London and Parliament for the Christmas of 1277 and paid homage to the King of England. Llywelyn met Edward, and his partner Eleanor with the royal family atWorcester,they would marry the next year.

Llywelyn exacted peace for several years, however, the English continued to pursue anAnglicisationpolicy in Wales. In the North East of Wales, the fourcantrefsof the Court of Chester were brought under power violently. Whilst in the South West in Cardiganshire (Ceredigion) andCarmarthenshirethe same policy was enacted by local sheriffs. The rough policy forced theArchbishop of Canterbury,John Peckhamto attempt to bring harmony between theChurch of Englandand theChurch in Wales.In 1280, Peckham met with Llywelyn to make an agreement on the changes. However, Llywelyn's intentions were distracted and claimed the truce was broken by his fellow kin, Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn. The archbishop reminded Llywelyn that his grievance would not be heard, as Llywelyn's terms ofCyfraith Hywel(Welsh law code) were unreasonable in a contemporary setting. However, Llywelyn reconciled with his brother, Dafydd III, and they listened to the grievances of the cantrefs in Chester and once more secretly plotted a revolt together, this time, the forces of Wales were united against the English.

Marriage and family

Llywelyn agreed with Edward I and was given permission to be married at the door ofWorcester Cathedralon the 13th of October 1278. It was a minor ceremony attended by the Kings of Scotland and England, theEarl of Lancaster.Eleanor was to die in childbirth on the 19th of June 1282 after she gave birth to a daughter namedGwenllian.A stained glass window exists to this day depicting the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Eleanor. By all accounts, the marriage was a genuine love match; Llywelyn is not known to have fathered any illegitimate children, which is extremely unusual for the Welsh royalty. (In medieval Wales, illegitimate children were as entitled to their father's property as legitimate children.)

Descendants confusion

Since the lifetime of Llywelyn, sources have differed as to how many children he fathered, and whether he has any living descendants today. Llywelyn definitely had one daughter namedGwenllian of Wales,however, she died childless. He was also alleged to have had another daughter by his wifeEleanor de Montfort,named Catherine. However, the existence of Llywelyn's first daughter, Catherine, has since been contested by ProfessorJohn Edward Lloyd,who said when speaking ofGruffydd Fychan II(father ofOwain Glyndwr):

"The genealogists of a later age are not content even with this distinction; they proceed to heighten its effect by alleging that Helen was descended on her mother's side from a daughter of the last Llywelyn, so making Glyn Dwr represent Gwynedd as well as the other two principalities. But there is no evidence that Llywelyn had any daughter but Gwenllian, born in the last year of his life and after his death confined for the rest of her days as a nun of the order of Sempringham".

Many authors have subsequently adopted Lloyd's position and deny the existence of Catherine.Others continue to accept the evidence of Catherine's supposed lineage through to Glyndwr in medieval manuscripts, however, this documentation was only discovered centuries after Llywelyn's death, and not from contemporary sources. The potential existence of another daughter called Catherine was adopted by genealogists in the publication of The Heralds and by other respected authors, adding to the confusion of medieval sources stating Llywelyn and his wife only had one child.

Last campaign and death

See also:Conquest of Wales by Edward I

The death of Llywelyn

The Llywelyn Monument atCilmerinearBuilth Wells

Aerial view of the ruined abbey of Cwm Hir

By early 1282, many of the lesser princes who had supported Edward against Llywelyn in 1277 were becoming disillusioned with the exactions of the royal officers.OnPalm Sundaythat year, Dafydd ap Gruffydd attacked the English atHawarden Castleand then laid siege toRhuddlan.Meanwhile, the revolt quickly spread to other parts of Wales, withAberystwyth Castlecaptured and burnt byMaredudd ap Rhys Gryg(heir of Prince of South Wales/Deheubarth) and rebellion in South Wales,also inspired by Dafydd according to the annals, whereCarreg Cennen Castlewas captured. Llywelyn, according to a letter he sent to theArchbishop of CanterburyJohn Peckham,was not involved in the planning of the revolt. He felt obliged, however, to support his brother and a war began for which the Welsh were ill-prepared.

Events followed a similar pattern to 1277, with Edward's forces capturing Gwynedd Is Conwy, Anglesey and taking the harvest. The English force occupying Anglesey tried to cross to the mainland on a bridge of boats but failed and was defeated in theBattle of Moel-y-don.The Archbishop of Canterbury tried mediating between Llywelyn and Edward, and Llywelyn was offered a large estate in England if he would surrender Wales to Edward, while Dafydd was to go on crusade and not return without the king's permission.In an emotional reply, which has been compared to theDeclaration of Arbroath,Llywelyn said he would not abandon the people whom his ancestors had protected since "the days ofKamberson ofBrutus"and rejected the offer.

Llywelyn now left Dafydd to lead the defence of Gwynedd and took a force South, trying to rally support in Mid and South Wales and open up an important second front. On 11 December at theBattle of Orewin BridgeatBuilth Wells,he was killed while separated from his army. The exact circumstances are unclear and there are two conflicting accounts of his death. Both accounts agree that Llywelyn was tricked into leaving the bulk of his army and was then attacked and killed. The first account says that Llywelyn and his chief minister approached the forces ofEdmund MortimerandHugh Le Strangeafter crossing a bridge. They then heard the sound of battle as the main body of his army was met in battle by the forces ofRoger DespenserandGruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn.Llywelyn turned to rejoin his forces and was pursued by a lone lancer who struck him down. It was not until some time later that an English knight recognised the body as that of the King. This version of events was written in the north of England some fifty years later and has suspicious similarities with details about theBattle of Stirling Bridgein Scotland.

An alternative version of events written in the east of England by monks in contact with Llywelyn's exiled daughter,Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn,and niece,Gwladys ferch Dafydd,states that Llywelyn, at the front of his army, approached the combined forces of Edmund and Roger Mortimer, Hugo Le Strange, and Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn on the promise that he would receive their homage. This was a deception. His army was immediately engaged in fierce battle during which a significant section of it was routed, causing Llywelyn and his eighteen retainers to become separated. At around dusk, Llywelyn and a small group of his retainers (which included clergy) were ambushed and chased into a wood atAberedw.Llywelyn was surrounded and struck down. As he lay dying, he asked for a priest and gave away his identity. He was then killed and his head hewn from his body. His person was searched and various items recovered, including a list of "conspirators", which may well have been faked, and his privyseal.

If the king wishes to have the copy [of the list] found in the breeches of Llywelyn, he can have it from Edmund Mortimer, who has custody of it and also of Llywelyn’s privy seal and certain other things found in the same place.

— Archbishop Peckham, in his first letter to Robert Bishop of Bath and Wells, 17 December 1282 (Lambeth PalaceArchives)

The privy seal of Llywelyn the Last, his wife Eleanor and his brotherDafydd ap Gruffyddare thought to have been melted down by the English after finding them upon their bodies to make a chalice in 1284.

There are legends surrounding the fate of Llywelyn's severed head. It is known that it was sent to Edward at Rhuddlan and after being shown to the English troops based in Anglesey, Edward sent the head on to London. In London, it was set up in the citypilloryfor a day, and crowned withivy(i.e. to show he was a "king" of Outlaws and in mockery of the ancient Welsh prophecy, which said that a Welshman would be crowned in London as king of the whole of Britain). Then it was carried by a horseman on the point of his lance to theTower of Londonand set up over the gate. It was still on the Tower of London 15 years later.

The last resting place of Llywelyn's body is not known for certain; however, it has always been tradition that it was interred at theCisterciansAbbey atAbbeycwmhir.On 28 December 1282, Archbishop Peckham wrote a letter to theArchdeacon of BreconatBrecon Priory:

... inquire and clarify if the body of Llywelyn has been buried in the church of Cwmhir, and he was bound to clarify the latter before the feast ofEpiphany,because he had another mandate on this matter, and ought to have certified the lord Archbishop before Christmas, and has not done so.

There is further supporting evidence for this hypothesis in the Chronicle ofFlorence of Worcester:

As for the body of the Prince, his mangled trunk, it was interred in the Abbey of Cwm Hir, belonging to the Cistercian Order.

Another theory is that his body was transferred toLlanrumney HallinCardiff.

The poetGruffudd ab yr Ynad Cochwrote in an elegy on Llywelyn:

Do you not see the path of the wind and the rain?
Do you not see the oak trees in turmoil?
Cold my heart in a fearful breast
For the king, the oaken door of Aberffraw

There is an Enigma tic reference in the Welsh annalsBrut y Tywysogion,"... and then Llywelyn was betrayed in the belfry at Bangor by his own men". No further explanation is given.

Annexation

With the loss of Llywelyn, Welsh morale and the will to resist diminished. Dafydd was Llywelyn's named successor. He carried on the struggle for several months, but in June 1283 was captured in the uplands aboveAbergwyngregynat Bera Mountain together with his family. He was brought before Edward, then taken toShrewsburywhere a special session ofParliamentcondemned him to death. He was dragged through the streets,hanged, drawn and quartered.

After the final defeat of 1283, Gwynedd was stripped of all royal insignia, relics and regalia.Edward Longshankstook particular delight in appropriating the royal home of the Gwynedd dynasty. In August 1284, he set up his court atAbergwyngregyn,Gwynedd. With equal deliberateness, he removed all the insignia of majesty from Gwynedd; a coronet was solemnly presented to the shrine of St. Edward at Westminster; the matrices of the seals of Llywelyn, of his wife, and of his brother Dafydd were melted down to make a chalice which was given by the king toVale Royal Abbeywhere it remained until the dissolution of that institution in 1538, after which it came into the possession of the family of the final abbot.The most precious religious relic in Gwynedd, the fragment of theTrue Crossknown asCross of Neith,was paraded through London in May 1285 in a solemn procession on foot led by the king, the queen, the archbishop of Canterbury and fourteen bishops and the magnates of the realm. Edward was thereby appropriating the historical and religious regalia of the house of Gwynedd and placarding to the world the extinction of its dynasty and the annexation of the principality to his Crown. Commenting on this a contemporary chronicler is said to have declared "and then all Wales was cast to the ground".

Most of Llywelyn's relatives ended their lives in captivity with the notable exceptions of his younger brotherRhodri ap Gruffudd,who had long since sold his claim to the crown and endeavoured to keep a very low profile, and a distant cousin,Madog ap Llywelyn,who in 1294 led a revolt and briefly claimed the titlePrince of Wales.Llywelyn and Eleanor's baby daughterGwenllian of Waleswas captured by Edward's troops in 1283. She was interned atSempringham Prioryin England for the rest of her life, becoming anunin 1317 and dying without issue in 1337, probably knowing little of her heritage and speaking none of her language.

Dafydd's two survivingsonswere captured and incarcerated atBristolGaol, where they eventually died many years later. Llywelyn's elder brotherOwain Goch ap Gruffydddisappears from the record in 1282. Llywelyn's surviving brother Rhodri ap Gruffudd (who had been exiled from Wales since 1272) survived and held manors inGloucestershire,Cheshire,Surrey,andPowysand died around 1315. His grandson,Owain Lawgoch,later claimed the titlePrince of Wales.

Family tree

Llywelyn ab Iorwerth 1173–1195–1240

Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ap Iorwerth 1198–1244

Dafydd ap Llywelyn 1212–1240–1246

Owain Goch ap Gruffydd d. 1282

Llywelyn ap Gruffydd 1223–1246–1282

Dafydd ap Gruffydd 1238–1282–1283

Rhodri ap Gruffudd 1230–1315

Gwenllian of Wales 1282–1337

Llywelyn ap Dafydd 1267–1283–1287

Owain ap Dafydd 1275–1287–c. 1325

Tomas ap Rhodri 1300–1325–1363

Coat of Arms

The Arms of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd (and ofOwain GlyndŵrandOwain Lawgoch) are here shown graphically, being reproduced from the image on a roll of painted arms c. 1270–1280 as documented by Siddons.Other rolls exist where variations of the coat of arms are found.

In popular culture

The life of Llywelyn the Last is the subject ofEdith Pargeter'sBrothers of Gwynedd Quartet:"Sunrise in the West" (1974); "The Dragon at Noonday" (1975); "The Hounds of Sunset" (1976) and "Afterglow and Nightfall" (1977).

The 1982Bardic Chairat theNational Eisteddfod of Waleswas awarded toGerallt Lloyd Owenfor hisawdlCilmeri,whichHywel Teifi Edwardshas called the only 20th centuryawdl,that matchesT. Gwynn Jones' 1902 masterpieceYmadawiad Arthur( "The Passing of Arthur" ). Owen'sCilmerireimagines the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in battle nearthe village of the same nameon 11 December 1282, while leading his doomed uprising against the occupation of Wales by KingEdward I of England.Owen's poem depicts the Prince as atragic heroand invests his fall with an anguish unmatched sinceGruffudd ab yr Ynad Cochwrote his famous lament for the king immediately following his death. Owen also, according to Edwards, encapsulates in the Prince's death theWelsh people's continuing "battle for national survival".

The lives of Llywelyn Fawr, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd and Dafydd ap Gruffydd are the subject ofSharon Kay Penman's "Welsh Trilogy":Here Be Dragons(1985),Falls the Shadow(1988) andThe Reckoning(1991).

Analternate history/time travelscience fictionseries,After CilmeribySarah Woodbury,explores what might have happened if Llywelyn had survived the ambush at Cilmeri, and had a son and assistance from people from the future.

Llywelyn the Last is the subject of theNew Riders of the Purple Sage song"Llewellyn". The song focuses on theConquest of Wales by Edward I,but specifically on theCampaign of 1282–1283.In the song, the band claims "In September, Edward [Edward I] moved up to the baird/ His forces stronger every day/ Llewellyn then turned southward bound/ His forces lay upon the ground ". It also claims that the message of Llywelyn's death came" soon thereafter ".

Llywelyn is a minor character inJean Plaidy's novelEdward Longshanks,the seventh novel of the Plantagenet Saga series.

Bertrice Smallincludes Llywelyn's life in her book,A Memory of Love,which centres on the fictional life of one of his illegitimate children, Rhonwyn.

See also

• Castell Du
• List of rulers of Wales

Sources

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• Pierce, T. Jones (1962).Cymdeithas Hanes Sir Caernarfon-Trafodion[Caernarfronshire History society talks]. Abergwyngregyn.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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• Turvey, Roger (2010).Twenty-One Welsh Princes.Conwy: Gwasg Carreg Gwalch.ISBN978-1845272692.
• Stephenson, David (1984).The Governance of Gwynedd.University of Wales Press.ISBN978-0-7083-0850-9.OL22379507M.
• Y Traethodydd[The Essayist]. July 1998.ISSN0969-8930.Garth Celyn evidence (Tystiolaeth Garth Celyn)

External links

Media related toLlywelyn ap Gruffuddat Wikimedia Commons

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Llewelyn".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Tout, Thomas Frederick(1893)."Llywelyn ab Gruffydd".InLee, Sidney(ed.).Dictionary of National Biography.Vol. 34. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 13–21.
• Pierce, Thomas Jones (1959)."LLYWELYN ap GRUFFYDD (" Llywelyn the Last "or Llywelyn II), Prince of Wales (died 1282)".Dictionary of Welsh Biography.National Library of Wales.
• Death of Llywelyn.Cilmeri is another name for Cefn-y-Bedd ( "Ridge of the Grave" ), a burial mound where Llywelyn is said to have been slain.
• Places and artifacts associated with Llywelyn the Last