Llywelyn the Great

style="text-align:center; font-size:larger;" | **Llywelyn the Great**
Reign	c. 1194 - 11 April, 1240
Predecessor	Dafydd ab Owain
Successor	Dafydd ap Llywelyn
Spouse	Joan, Lady of Wales
Issue	Dafydd ap Llywelyn Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Elen ferch Llywelyn Gwladus Ddu Marared ferch Llywelyn Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn Angharad ferch Llywelyn Susanna ferch Llywelyn
Royal House	Aberffraw
Father	Iorwerth Drwyndwn
Mother	Marared ferch Madog
Born	c. 1173
Died	11 April, 1240

Llywelyn the Great (Welsh Llywelyn Fawr, IPA pronunciation: weln), full name Llywelyn ab Iorwerth and sometimes called Llywelyn I of Wales,Llywelyn has also been called "Llywelyn II of Gwynedd". The main Welsh historians of the period, for example J.E. Lloyd and R.R. Davies, do not use regnal numbers for the Welsh princes. John Davies sometimes uses "Llywelyn I". (c. 1173 – April 11, 1240) was a Prince of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually de facto ruler over most of Wales. By a combination of war and diplomacy he dominated Wales for forty years and was one of only two Welsh rulers to be called "the Great".

During Llywelyn's boyhood Gwynedd was ruled by two of his uncles, who had agreed to split the kingdom between them following the death of Llywelyn's grandfather, Owain Gwynedd, in 1170. Llywelyn had a strong claim to be the legitimate ruler and began a campaign to win power at an early age. He was sole ruler of Gwynedd by 1200, and made a treaty with King John of England the same year. Llywelyn's relations with John remained good for the next ten years. He married John's illegitimate daughter Joan in 1205, and in 1208 he annexed southern Powys, taking advantage of the king's action in arresting Gwenwynwyn ab Owain of Powys. In 1210 relations deteriorated and John invaded Gwynedd in 1211, forcing Llywelyn to seek terms and to give up all his lands east of the River Conwy. However Llywelyn recovered his position the following year in alliance with the other Welsh princes and allied himself with the barons who forced John to sign Magna Carta in 1215. By 1216 he was the dominant power in Wales, holding a council at Aberdyfi that year to apportion lands to the other princes.

Following King John's death Llywelyn concluded the Treaty of Worcester with his successor Henry III in 1218. In the years following this treaty Llywelyn was frequently involved in fighting with certain Marcher lords and sometimes with the king, but also made alliances with several of the major powers in the Marches. The Peace of Middle in 1234 marked the end of Llywelyn's military career, as the agreed truce of two years was extended year by year for the remainder of his reign. He maintained his position in Wales until his death in 1240, and was succeeded by his son Dafydd ap Llywelyn

Genealogy and early life

Llywelyn was born about 1173, the son of Iorwerth Drwyndwn and the grandson of Owain Gwynedd who had been ruler of Gwynedd until his death in 1170. Llywelyn was a descendant of the senior line of Rhodri Mawr, thus a member of the princely house of Aberffraw. There is a tradition that he was born at Dolwyddelan, though he could not have been born in the present Dolwyddelan castle since the earliest building on the present site dates to the period when it was held by Llywelyn himself. He may have been born in the old castle which occupied a rocky knoll on the valley floor.Lynch p. 156. According to one genealogy Llywelyn had a brother named Adda, but there is no other historical record of him. Little is known about his father, Iorwerth Drwyndwn, who may have died when Llywelyn was an infant. There is no record of Iorwerth having taken part in the power struggle between some of Owain Gwynedd's other sons following Owain's death, although he was the eldest surviving son. There is a later tradition that he was disabled or disfigured in some way that excluded him from power.Maund p. 185 Giraldus Cambrensis refers to Iorwerth Drwyndwn as the only legitimate son of Owain Gwynedd.Giraldus Cambrensis p. 126. Maelgwn ab Owain Gwynedd was Iorwerth's full brother, but presumably he was dead by the time Giraldus wrote.

By 1175 Gwynedd had been divided between two of Llywelyn's uncles, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd who held the area east of the River Conwy and Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd who held the west. Dafydd and Rhodri were the sons of Owain by his second marriage to Cristin ferch Goronwy. This marriage was not considered valid by the church, as Cristin was Owain's first cousin, a degree of relationship which according to Canon law prohibited marriage. Following Iorwerth's death, Llywelyn was, at least in the eyes of the church, the sole legitimate claimant to the throne of Gwynedd.Giraldus Cambrensis p. 126

Llywelyn's mother was Marared, sometimes anglicized to Margaret, daughter of Madog ap Maredudd, prince of Powys. There is some evidence that after Iorwerth's death Marared married into the Corbet family of Caux in Shropshire, and it has been suggested that Llywelyn may have spent part of his boyhood here. Maund p. 186

Rise to power 1188 - 1199

By 1188 Giraldus Cambrensis records that the young Llywelyn was already in arms against his uncles Dafydd and Rhodri.Giraldus Cambrensis p. 126. Giraldus says that Llywelyn was only twelve years of age at this time, which would mean that he was born about 1176. However most historians consider that he was born about 1173. In 1194, with the aid of his cousins Gruffudd ap CynanThis Gruffudd ap Cynan should not be confused with Gruffydd ap Cynan the late 11th and early 12th century king of Gwynedd, Llywelyn's great-grandfather and Maredydd ap Cynan, he defeated Dafydd in a battle at the mouth of the river Conwy. Rhodri died in 1195 and his lands west of the Conwy seem to have been taken over by Gruffudd and Maredudd while Llywelyn ruled the territories taken from Dafydd east of the Conwy.Maund p. 187 In 1197 Llywelyn captured Dafydd and imprisoned him. A year later Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury, persuaded Llywelyn to release him, and Dafydd retired to England, where he died in May 1203.

Wales at this time was divided into Pura Wallia, the areas ruled by the Welsh princes and Marchia Wallia ruled by the Anglo-Norman barons. Since the death of Owain Gwynedd in 1170, Rhys ap Gruffydd had made Deheubarth the strongest of the Welsh kingdoms and had established himself as the leader of Pura Wallia. After Rhys died in 1197, fighting between his sons led to the splitting of Deheubarth between warring factions. Gwenwynwyn ab Owain, prince of Powys Wenwynwyn, tried to take over the role of leader of the Welsh princes, and in 1198 raised a great army to besiege Painscastle which was held by William de Braose. Llywelyn sent troops to help Gwenwynwyn, but in August Gwenwynwyn's force was attacked by an army led by the Justiciar, Geoffrey Fitz Peter, and heavily defeated.Lloyd pp. 585-6 Gwenwynwyn's defeat gave Llywelyn the opportunity to establish himself as the leader of the Welsh. In 1199 he captured the important castle of Mold and was apparently using the title "prince of the whole of north Wales" (Latin: tocius norwallie princeps).Davies p. 239 Llywelyn was probably not in fact master of all Gwynedd at this time, since it was his cousin Gruffydd ap Cynan who promised homage to King John for Gwynedd in 1199.Moore p, 109

Early reign

Consolidation 1200-1209

Gruffudd ap Cynan died in 1200 and left Llywelyn undisputed ruler of Gwynedd. In 1201 he took Eifionydd and Llŷn from Maredudd ap Cynan on a charge of treachery.Moore p, 109 In July the same year Llywelyn concluded a treaty with King John of England. This is the earliest surviving written agreement between an English king and a Welsh ruler, and under its terms Llywelyn was to swear fealty and do homage to the king. In return, it confirmed Llywelyn's possession of his conquests and allowed cases relating to lands claimed by Llywelyn to be heard under Welsh law.Davies p.294

Llywelyn made his first move beyond the borders of Gwynedd in August 1202 when he raised a force to attack Gwenwynwyn ab Owain of Powys who was now his main rival in Wales. The clergy intervened to make peace between Llywelyn and Gwenwynwyn and the invasion was called off. Llywelyn punished Elise ap Madog, lord of Penllyn, who had refused to respond to Llywelyn's summons to arms, by depriving him of almost all his lands.Lloyd pp. 613-4

He consolidated his conquest in 1205 by marrying Joan, the illegitimate daughter of King John. He had previously been negotiating with Pope Innocent III for leave to marry his uncle Rhodri's widow, daughter of Ragnald, king of the Isle of Man. However this proposal was dropped when the more advantageous marriage to Joan was offered.Lloyd pp. 616-7. One letter from the Pope suggests that Llywelyn may have been married previously, to an unnamed sister of Earl Ranulf of Chester in about 1192, but there appears to be no confirmation of this.

In 1208 Gwenwynwyn of Powys fell out with King John, who summoned him to Shrewsbury in October and once there arrested him and stripped him of his lands. Llywelyn took advantage of the situation to annex southern Powys and northern Ceredigion and rebuild Aberystwyth castle.Davies p.229, 241 In the summer of 1209 he accompanied John on an expedition against King William I of Scotland.Lloyd pp. 622-3

Setback and recovery 1210-1217

In 1210 relations between Llywelyn and King John deteriorated. J.E. Lloyd suggests that the rupture may have been due to Llywelyn forming an alliance with William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber who had fallen out with the king and had been deprived of his lands.Lloyd p.631 During John's absence in Ireland, an army led by Ranulph, Earl of Chester and Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester, invaded Gwynedd. Llywelyn retreated west of the River Conwy having first destroyed Deganwy castle. The Earl of Chester rebuilt Deganwy and Llywelyn retaliated by ravaging the earl's lands.Lloyd p. 632, Maund p. 192 John sent troops to help restore Gwenwynwyn to the rule of southern Powys. In 1211 John invaded Gwynedd with the aid of almost all the other Welsh princes, planning according to the Brut y Tywysogion "to dispossess Llywelyn and destroy him utterly".Brut y Tywysogion p.154 The first invasion was forced to retreat, but in August that year John invaded again with a larger army, crossed the River Conwy and penetrated Snowdonia.Maund p. 193 Bangor was burnt by a detachment of the royal army and the Bishop of Bangor captured. Llywelyn was forced to come to terms, and by the advice of his council sent his wife Joan to negotiate with the king, her father.Brut y Tywysogion pp. 155-6 Joan was able to persuade her father not to dispossess her husband completely, but Llywelyn lost all his lands east of the River Conwy. Llywelyn also had to pay a large tribute in cattle and horses and to hand over hostages, including his illegitimate son Gruffydd, and was forced to agree that if he died without a legitimate heir by Joan all his lands would revert to the king.Davies p. 295

This was the low point of Llywelyn's reign, but he quickly recovered his position. Most of the other Welsh princes, who had supported King John against Llywelyn, soon became disillusioned with John's policies and changed sides. Llywelyn formed an alliance with Gwenwynwyn of Powys and the two main rulers of Deheubarth, Maelgwn ap Rhys and Rhys Gryg, and rose against John. They also had the support of Pope Innocent III, who had been engaged in a dispute with John for several years and had placed his kingdom under an interdict. Innocent released Llywelyn, Gwenwynwyn and Maelgwn from all oaths of loyalty to John and lifted the interdict in the territories which they controlled. Llywelyn was able to recover all Gwynedd apart from the castles of Deganwy and Rhuddlan in the course of two months in 1212.Brut y Tywysogion pp. 158-9

John planned another invasion of Gwynedd in August 1212, but according to one account having begun by hanging some of the Welsh hostages given the previous year, he received two letters. One was from his daughter Joan, Llywelyn's wife, the other from William I of Scotland, and both warned him in similar terms that if he invaded Wales his magnates would seize the opportunity to kill him or hand him over to his enemies.Pryce p.445 The projected invasion was abandoned and in 1213 Llywelyn took the castles of Deganwy and Rhuddlan.Brut y Tywysogion p. 162 Llywelyn made an alliance with Philip II Augustus of France,Moore p, 112-3 then allied himself with the barons who forced John to sign Magna Carta, marching on Shrewsbury and capturing it without resistance in 1215.Brut y Tywysogion p. 165 He was rewarded with several favourable provisions relating to Wales in Magna Carta, including the release of Llywelyn's son Gruffydd who had been a hostage since 1211.Lloyd p.646 The same year Ednyfed Fychan was appointed sensechal of Gwynedd and was to work closely with Llywelyn for the remainder of his reign.

Llywelyn had now established himself as the leader of the independent princes of Wales and in December 1215 led an army which included all the lesser princes to capture the castles of Carmarthen, Kidwelly, Llanstephan, Cardigan and Cilgerran among others. Another indication of his growing power was that he was able to insist on the consecration of two Welshmen to the vacant sees of St. David's and Bangor that year, Iorwerth as Bishop of St. David's and Cadwgan as Bishop of Bangor.Brut y Tywysogion p. 167

Early the following year, 1216, Llywelyn held what could be regarded as a Welsh parliament at Aberdyfi to adjudicate on the territorial claims of the lesser princes, who affirmed their homage and allegiance to Llywelyn. Beverley Smith commented "Henceforth, the leader would be lord, and the allies would be subjects".Quoted in John Davies (1994) History of Wales p. 138 Gwenwynwyn of Powys changed sides again that year and allied himself with King John. Llywelyn called up the other princes for a campaign against him and drove him out of southern Powys once more. Gwenwynwyn died in England later that same year, leaving an underage heir. King John also died that year, and he also left an underage heir in King Henry III with a minority government set up in England.Lloyd pp. 649-51

In 1217 Reginald de Braose of Brecon and Abergavenny, who had been allied to Llywelyn and had married his daughter Gwladus Ddu, was induced by the English crown to change sides. Llywelyn responded by invading his lands, first threatening Brecon, where the burgesses offered hostages for the payment of 100 marks, then heading for Swansea where Reginald de Braose met him to offer submission and to surrender the town. He then continued eastwards to threaten Haverfordwest, where the burgesses offered hostages for their submission to his rule or the payment of a fine of 1,000 marks.Davies p. 242; Lloyd pp. 652-3

Later reign

Treaty of Worcester and border campaigns 1218-1229

Following King John's death Llywelyn concluded the Treaty of Worcester with his successor Henry III in 1218 whereby he was confirmed in possession of all his recent conquests. From then until his death Llywelyn was the dominant force in Wales, though there were further outbreaks of hostilities with marcher lords such as the Marshall family and Hubert de Burgh and sometimes with the king. Llywelyn built up marriage alliances with several of the Marcher families. One daughter, Gwladus Ddu was already married to Reginald de Braose of Brecon and Abergavenny, but with Reginald an unreliable ally Llywelyn married another daughter, Marared, to John de Braose of Gower, Reginald's nephew. He found a loyal ally in Ranulph, Earl of Chester, whose nephew and heir John the Scot married Llywelyn's daughter Elen in about 1222. Following Reginald de Braose's death, Llywelyn also made an alliance with the powerful Mortimer family of Wigmore when Gwladus Ddu married Ralph de Mortimer.Lloyd pp.645, 657-8

Llywelyn was careful not to provoke unneccessary hostilities with the crown or the Marcher lords, for example in 1220 he compelled Rhys Gryg to return four commotes in South Wales to their previous Anglo-Norman owners.Davies p.298 He built a number of castles to help defend his borders, most thought to have been built between 1220 and 1230. These were the first sophisticated stone castles in Wales; his castles at Criccieth, Deganwy, Dolbadarn, Dolwyddelan and Castell y Bere being among the best examples.Lynch p. 135 Llywelyn also appears to have fostered the development of quasi-urban settlements in Gwynedd to act as centres of trade.John Davies (1994) History of Wales p.142

Hostilities broke out with William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke in 1220, and Llywelyn destroyed the castles of Narberth and Wiston, burnt the town of Haverfordwest and threatened Pembroke castle, but agreed to abandon the attack on payment of £100. In early 1223 Llywelyn crossed the border into Shropshire and captured Kinnerley and Whittington castles. The Marshalls took advantage of Llywelyn's involvement here to land near St David's in April with an army raised in Ireland, recapturing Cardigan and Carmarthen without opposition. The Marshalls' campaign was also supported by a royal army which took possession of Montgomery. Llywelyn came to a peace agreement with the king at Montgomery in October that year. Llywelyn's allies in south Wales were given back lands taken from them by the Marshalls and Llywelyn himself gave up his conquests in Shropshire.Lloyd p.661-3

In 1228 Llywelyn was engaged in a campaign against Hubert de Burgh who was Justiciar of England and Ireland and one of the most powerful men in the kingdom. Hubert had been given the lordship and castle of Montgomery by the king and began to threaten Llywelyn's lands nearby. The king raised an army to help Hubert, who began to build another castle in the commote of Ceri. However in October the royal army was obliged to retreat and Henry agreed to destroy the half-built castle in exchange for the payment of £2,000 by Llywelyn. Llywelyn raised the money by demanding the same sum as the ransom of William de Braose, Lord of Abergavenny, whom he had captured in the fighting.Lloyd p.667-70

Marital problems 1230

Following his capture, William de Braose decided to ally himself to Llywelyn and a marriage was arranged between his daughter Isabella and Llywelyn's heir, Dafydd ap Llywelyn. At Easter 1230 William visited Llywelyn's court at Abergwyngregyn to discuss the arrangements for the marriage. During this visit he was found in Joan's chamber, possibly continuing a relationship started when he was a prisoner at Llywelyn's court in 1228. An enraged Llywelyn had him publicly hanged on 2 May, a deliberately humiliating execution for a nobleman, and Joan imprisoned. The Brut y Tywysogion chronicler comments

that year William de Breos the Younger, lord of Brycheiniog, was hanged by the lord Llywelyn in Gwynedd, after he had been caught in Llywelyn's chamber with the king of England's daughter, Llywelyn's wife.Brut y Tywysogion pp. 190-1

A letter from Llywelyn to William's wife, Eva de Braose, written shortly after the execution enquires whether she still wishes the marriage between Dafydd and Isabella to take place.Pryce pp.428-9 The marriage did go ahead, and the following year Joan was forgiven and restored to her position as princess.

Until 1230 Llywelyn had used the title princeps Norwalliæ or Prince of Gwynedd, but from that year he changed his title to "Prince of Aberffraw and Lord of Snowdonia", possibly to underline his supremacy over the other Welsh princes.The version of the Welsh laws preserved in Llyfr Iorwerth, compiled in Gwynedd during Llywelyn's reign, claims precedence for the ruler of Aberffraw over the rulers of the other Welsh kingdoms. See Aled Rhys Wiliam (1960) Llyfr Iorwerth: a critical text of the Venedotian code of mediaeval Welsh law He did not formally style himself "Prince of Wales" although as J.E. Lloyd comments "he had much of the power which such a title might imply".Lloyd pp. 682-3

Final campaigns and the Peace of Middle 1231-1240

In 1231 there was further fighting. Llywelyn was becoming concerned about the growing power of Hubert de Burgh. Some of his men had been taken prisoner by the garrison of Montgomery and beheaded, and Llywelyn responded by burning Montgomery, Radnor, Hay and Brecon before turning west to capture the castles of Neath and Kidwelly. He completed the campaign by recapturing Cardigan castle. Lloyd pp. 673-5 Henry responded by launching an invasion and built a new castle at Painscastle, but did not penetrate far into Wales. Lloyd pp. 675-6

Negotiations continued into 1232, when Hubert was removed from office and later imprisoned. Much of his power passed to Peter de Rivaux, including control of several castles in south Wales. William Marshall had died in 1231 and his brother Richard Marshall had succeeded him as Earl of Pembroke. In 1233 hostilities broke out between Richard Marshall and Peter de Rivaux, and Llywelyn made an alliance with Richard. In January 1234 the earl and Llywelyn seized Shrewsbury, and although Richard was killed in Ireland in April, the king agreed to make peace with the insurgents.Maurice Powicke (1953) The thirteenth century 1216-1307 (Oxford History of England) pp.51-55 The Peace of Middle agreed on 21 June that year established a truce of two years with Llywelyn, who was allowed to retain Cardigan and Builth. This truce was renewed year by year for the remainder of Llywelyn's reign.Lloyd p.681

Death and aftermath

Arrangements for the succession

In his later years Llywelyn devoted much effort to ensuring that his only legitimate son Dafydd would follow him as ruler of Gwynedd. Dafydd's older but illegitimate brother, Gruffydd was excluded from the succession. This was a departure from Welsh custom, not as is often stated because the kingdom was not divided between Dafydd and Gruffydd but because Gruffydd was excluded from any consideration in the selection of an heir owing to his illegitimacy. This was contrary to Welsh law which stipulated that illegitimate sons had equal rights with legitimate sons, provided they had been acknowledged by the father.There was provision in Welsh law for the selection of a single edling or heir by the ruler. For a discussion of this see Stephenson pp. 138-141

In 1220 Llywelyn induced the minority government of king Henry to acknowledge Dafydd as his heir.Davies p. 249 In 1222 he petitioned Pope Honorius III to have Dafydd's succession confirmed. The original petition has not been preserved but the Pope's reply refers to the "destestable custom ... in his land whereby the son of the handmaiden was equally heir with the son of the free woman and illegitimate sons obtained an inheritance as if they were legitimate". The Pope welcomed the fact that Llywelyn was abolishing this custom.Pryce pp. 414-5 In 1226 Llywelyn induced the Pope to declare his wife Joan, Dafydd's mother, to be a legitimate daughter of King John, again in order to strengthen Dafydd's position, and in 1229 the English crown accepted Dafydd's homage for the lands he would inherit from his father.Davies p. 249 In 1238 Llywelyn held a council at Strata Florida Abbey where the other Welsh princes were induced to swear fealty to Dafydd.Davies p. 249 Llywelyn's original intention had been that they should do homage to Dafydd, but the king wrote to the other rulers forbidding them to do homage.Carr, A.D. (1995) Medieval Wales p.60

Gruffydd was given an appanage in Meirionnydd and Ardudwy but his rule was said to be oppressive and in 1221 Llywelyn stripped him of these territories.Brut y Tywysogion pp. 182-3 In 1228 Llywelyn imprisoned him, and he was not released until 1234. On his release he was given part of Llŷn to rule. His performance this time was apparently more satisfactory and by 1238 he had been given the remainder of Llŷn and a substantial part of Powys.Lloyd p. 692

Death and the transfer of power

Joan died in 1237 and Llywelyn appears to have suffered a paralytic stroke the same year.Stephenson p. xxii From this time on his heir Dafydd took an increasing part in the rule of the principality. Dafydd deprived his brother Gruffydd of the lands given him by Llywelyn and later seized him and his eldest son Owain and held them in Criccieth Castle. In 1240 the chronicler of Brut y Tywysogion records:

... the lord Llywelyn ap Iorwerth son of Owain Gwynedd , Prince of Wales, a second Achilles, died having taken on the habit of religion at Aberconwy, and was buried honourably.Brut y Tywysogion p. 198

Llywelyn died at the Cistercian abbey of Aberconwy which he had founded, and was buried there. This abbey was later moved to Maenan near Llanrwst, and Llywelyn's stone coffin can now be seen in Llanrwst parish church. Among the poets who lamented his passing was Einion Wan:

''True lord of the land - how strange that today

''He rules not o'er Gwynedd;

''Lord of nought but the piled up stones of his tomb,

''Of the seven-foot grave in which he lies. Translated in Lloyd p. 693

Dafydd succeeded Llywelyn as prince of Gwynedd, but king Henry was not prepared to allow him to inherit his father's position in the remainder of Wales. Dafydd was forced to agree to a treaty greatly restricting his power and was also obliged to hand his brother Gruffydd over to the king, who now had the option of using him against Dafydd. Gruffydd was killed attempting to escape from the Tower of London in 1244, leaving the field clear for Dafydd, but Dafydd himself died without heirs in 1246, and was eventually succeeded by his nephew, Gruffydd's son, Llywelyn the Last.

Historical assessment

Llywelyn had dominated Wales for over forty years, and was one of only two Welsh rulers to be called "the Great", the other being his ancestor Rhodri the Great. The title "the Great" seems to have first been given to Llywelyn by a near-contemporary, the English chronicler Matthew Paris.Matthew Paris Chronica Majora edited by H.R. Luard (1880) Volume 5, London Rolls Series, p. 718, quoted in Carr, A.D. (1995) Medieval Wales

John Edward Lloyd, doyen of Welsh historians, gave the following assessment of Llywelyn:

Among the chieftains who battled against the Anglo-Norman power his place will always be high, if not indeed the highest of all, for no man ever made better or more judicious use of the native force of the Welsh people for adequate national ends; his patriotic statemanship will always entitle him to wear the proud style of Llywelyn the Great.Lloyd p.693

Issue

The identity of the mother of some of Llywelyn's children is uncertain. Two, possibly three, were by his wife, Joan (c.1191-1237).Some sources claim that Gwladus Ddu was born before 1198 and therefore a daughter of Tangwystl. Other sources claim she was born in 1206 and therefore Joan's daughter, as Tangwystl was dead by 1206 and died before Joan and Llywelyn were married. Some sources claim that when Joan died she gave her lands to Gwladus, which would probably not have happened had Gwladus not been her oldest daughter.

Legitimate children

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
Elen ferch Llywelyn	c.1207	1253	Married (1) John de Scotia, Earl of Chester (2) Sir Robert de Quincy. Had Issue.
Dafydd ap Llywelyn	c.1208	1246	Married Isabella de Braose, daughter of William de Braose, Lord of Abergavenny (a son of Reginald de Braose below); Helen of Wales (1246-1295) may have been their only child together.
Gwladus Ddu	c.1206	1251	Adam of Usk claims that she was a legitimate daughter by Joan, but other sources state that her mother was Tangwystl. She married (1) Reginald de Braose of Brecon and Abergavenny (2) Ralph de Mortimer of Wigmore. Had Issue.

Illegitimate children

The mother of most of the children listed below is known or assumed to have been Llywelyn's mistress, Tangwystl Goch (c.1168-1198).

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn	c.1196	1244	Known to be the son of Tangwystl Goch. He married Senena daughter of Caradoc ap Thomas of Anglesey.
Marared ferch Llywelyn	1198	after 1263	Married (1) John de Braose of Gower (2) Walter Clifford of Bronllys and Clifford. (John de Braose of Gower was a nephew of Reginald de Braose.)
Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn	1195	unknown	Married William de Lacey.
Angharad ferch Llywelyn	unknown	unknown	Married Maelgwn Fychan.
Susanna ferch Llywelyn	unknown	unknown	Sent to England as a hostage in 1228.
Tegwared ap Llywelyn	unknown	unknown	A son by an unknown mistress.

Llywelyn in literature

A number of Welsh poems addressed to Llywelyn by contemporary poets such as Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr, Dafydd Benfras and Prydydd y Moch have survived.

The Welsh play Siwan (1956, English translation 1960) by Saunders Lewis deals with the finding of William de Braose in Joan's chamber and his execution by Llywelyn. Another well-known Welsh play about Llywelyn is Llywelyn Fawr by Thomas Parry.

Llywelyn is the main character or one of the main characters in several novels:

Raymond Foxall (1959) Song for a prince: the story of Llywelyn the Great.
Sharon Penman (1985) Here be dragons is centred on the marriage of Llywelyn and Joan. Dragon's lair (2004) by the same author features the young Llywelyn before he gained power in Gwynedd.
Gaius Demetrius (2006) Ascent of an eagle tells the story of the early part of Llywelyn's reign.

The story of the faithful hound Gelert owned by Llywelyn and mistakenly killed by him is also considered to be fiction. "Gelert's grave" is a popular tourist attraction in Beddgelert but is thought to have been created by an 18th century innkeeper to boost the tourist trade. The tale itself is a variation on a common folktale motif.

Llywelyn is one of the commanders in the computer strategy game Total War.

Notes

References

Primary sources

Thomas Jones (ed) (1941) Brut y Tywysogion: Peniarth MS. 20 (University of Wales Press)
Giraldus Cambrensis The Itinerary through Wales; Description of Wales Translated by R.C. Hoare (Everyman's Library)
Huw Pryce (ed) (2005) The Acts of Welsh rulers 1120-1283 (University of Wales Press) ISBN 0-7083-1897-5

Secondary sources

R.R. Davies (1987) Conquest, coexistemce and change: Wales 1063-1415 (Clarendon Press, University of Wales Press) ISBN 0-19-821732-3
John Edward Lloyd (1911) A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest (Longmans, Green & Co.)
Frances Lynch (1995) Gwynedd (A guide to ancient and historic Wales series) (HMSO) ISBN 0-11-701574-1
Kari Maund (2006) The Welsh kings: warriors, warlords and princes (Tempus) ISBN 0-7524-2973-6
David Moore (2005) The Welsh wars of independence: c.410-c.1415 (Tempus) ISBN 0-7524-3321-0
David Stephenson (1984) The governance of Gwynedd (University of Wales Press) ISBN 0-7083-0850-3
Gwyn A. Williams "The succession to Gwynedd, 1238-1247" Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies XX (1962-64) pp.393-413

External links

1173 births | 1240 deaths | History of Wales | Welsh monarchs

Llywelyn Fawr | Llywelyn ap Iorwerth | Llywelyn le Grand | Llywelyn Fawr ap Iorwerth

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