History of North Wales - Dafydd ap Gruffydd
Dafydd was born in 1238, the son of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and Senena. When his father was captured by Dafydd ap Llywelyn in 1240, his mother turned to the English king for help. One of the conditions Henry III demanded for his support was Welsh hostages and, in 1241, Dafydd and his younger brother Rhodri were handed over to the English. Henry however did not release Gruffydd, instead he sent him to London and imprisoned him in the Tower. Gruffydd was killed in a fall while trying to escape from the Tower in 1244.
By 1255 Dafydd had returned to Gwynedd. His brother Llywelyn was now Prince and Dafydd and their eldest brother Owain demanded their share of Gwynedd. Llywelyn was not willing to split Gwynedd and the brothers met in battle at Bryn Derwin, Dafydd and Owain's army was vastly outnumbered, they were captured and imprisoned. Dafydd was released and restored to favour in 1256, he and Llywelyn then invaded and retook the Perfeddwlad from the English.
Owain remained Llywelyn's prisoner and in 1263 Dafydd asked Prince Edward, the English king's eldest son, for help in freeing him and securing their share of Gwynedd. Edward agreed to help Dafydd, but was recalled to England by his father King Henry. Dafydd fled Gwynedd for exile at the English court. He returned to Gwynedd in 1267 following The Treaty Of Montgomery. It would appear that he and Llywelyn reconciled as Llywelyn soon named Dafydd as his heir, should he have no son.
It looks as if Dafydd grew tired of waiting for his inheritance and, in 1274, he plotted Llywelyn's death with Prince Gwenwynwyn of Powys. The assassination attempt never happened, bad weather washed out the roads from Powys to Gwynedd and Gwenwynwyn's men could not get through. In October of that year Llywelyn discovered Dafydd's part in the aborted coupe and Dafydd once again fled to England. He was still in England in 1276 when he married King Edward's cousin, Elizabeth de Ferres. The Treaty of Aberconwy in 1277 gave Dafydd two cantrefs in the Perfeddwlad and he returned to Wales.
From now Llywelyn and Dafydd appear to have had a good working relationship and Llywelyn once again named Dafydd as his heir. The Welsh were growing restless with English interference in their affairs. In 1282 Dafydd led a Palm Sunday attack on Hawarden Castle, his forces also attacked Oswestry and Aberwystyth. On Good Friday they attacked and burnt Oswestry. Dafydd then captured the castles at Ruthin and Dinas Bran. For more details of the campaign see . In November King Edward offered terms to Dafydd and Llywelyn:-
- Dafydd was to go on a crusade and not return to England until King Edward said so
- Llywelyn was offered lands in England and an Earldom
They turned Edward down.
On 11th December 1282 Llywelyn was killed in a skirmish near Buellt Wells and Dafydd became Prince of Gwynedd. The Welsh though weren't as willing to follow Dafydd as they had his brother and his support soon fell away. When Edward crossed the river Conwy, Dafydd fled into the heart of Gwynedd.
On 18 January 1283 Dolwyddelan Castle fell to Edward after a short siege - this was one of Llywelyn's strongest castles and its quick fall must have shocked the Welsh, and Dafydd in particular. Gascon mercenaries soon arrived in Wales to help the English. The Menai was bridged, an army crossed over and marched on Bangor, which they took and destroyed. They then march to Caer-yn-Arfon and Harlech, Edward secured his wins by building castles. By now Dafydd and his family were at Dolbadarn, but in March they fled to Castell-y-Bere. This fell on 25 April, but Dafydd and his family had returned to Dolbadarn. The net was closing, and on 21 June 1283 Dafydd was betrayed and captured. He and his wife and children were taken in chains to Rhuddlan castle.
In October Edward gathered earls, barons and knights at Shrewsbury to try Dafydd for treason. He was found guilty - which couldn't have come as a surprise to him. His sentence though was the most severe ever passed. He was dragged behind a horse to the gallows, there he was hung but cut down while he still lived. He was then disemboweled, beheaded and quartered. His body parts were sent to the four corners of the nation as a warning to others.
In 1284 the Statute of Rhuddlan imposed English Law upon the Welsh. New counties were created :-
- Caernarfon, Meirioneth & Anglesey - under control of North Wales
- Flint - under the control of the Justice Of Chester
The Statute of Rhuddlan remained in force until the Act Of Union in 1536.
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd's daughter, Gwenllian, spent her life as a nun at Sempringham in Linconshire, she died in 1337. Dafydd's daughter Gwladys was sent to a convent at Sixhills were she lived as a nun until her death in 1336. Dafydd ap Gruffydd also had three sons, Llywelyn died at Bristol castle in 1288, Dafydd was still held captive when Edward died in 1307 and Owain was held in a wooden cage at night, he was still alive in 1325.
Rhodri ap Gruffydd (Llywelyn and Dafydd's youngest brother) lived out his life on his English manor, he died in 1315.