Cymru had many Kings, Queens and Princes before the Conquest of Wales by Edward Longshanks in the late 13th century. Arguably the greatest of them all was Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (1173-1240), and he is often known as Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great).

Llywelyn rose to claim the throne from his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, who had been responsible for the death of Llywelyn’s father, Iorwerth. Llywelyn, aligned with his cousins, defeated Dafydd at the Battle of Aberconwy in 1194 and became King in 1195, with Dafydd dying in England a decade later.

Llywelyn married Siwan (Joan, the illegitimate daughter of King John of England) in 1205 and forged a strong relationship with the English King as a result. However, this would last for barely a decade and wars would ensue, with John invading Gwynedd in 1211 and forcing Llywelyn to relinquish lands, which he would gain back with the assistance of the other Welsh princes. He was also aligned with the rebellious barons who forced John’s hand into signing the Magna Carta in 1215.

There would be many wars and battles throughout Llywelyn’s life, but also plenty of peace – the last six years of his reign, from 1234 to 1240, was a relatively peaceful time (the “Peace of the Middle”)within the Kingdom and Llywelyn had retired from battle during this time. Though he did not achieve the same feat as Owain Gwynedd in uniting all of Cymru under one rule, he came close, as many of the other Welsh Princes served Llywelyn as the head.

Between 1237 and 1240, Llywelyn was unable to rule following a paralytic stroke and his son, Dafydd (to be covered tomorrow), took a leadership role within the Kingdom.

Llywelyn died in 1240 as one of the greatest and most revered of the Welsh Princes/Kings.

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Niklas George

Niklas is the founder, owner, manager, editor, writer, video creator, voice over artist, and so forth, of Welsh Histories. He is passionate about the preservation of Welsh culture; the rejuvenation of the Welsh language and the promotion of Welsh history. Niklas currently resides in Pune, Maharashtra, with his beloved wife.