Llywelyn the Last

Llywelyn ap Gruffydd (1228 - December 11th 1282), sometimes spelled Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was the last Welsh king independent before the conquest of the Wales by Edouard I {{er}} of England (although it was the last but one king of its kingdom). It received the nicknames Welsh of Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf ( Llywelyn, Our Last Chief) and English of " The Last " ( Llywelyn the Last ).

Genealogy and first weapons

It was one of four wire of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr, the illegitimate son of Llywelyn Large the. There exists a polemic as for knowing if Llywelyn were the second or the third wire, but it is certain that it was not the elder one. After having fought his uncles and his brothers, he managed to sit his claims with the throne of Gwynedd in 1258 and was made proclaim Prince de Galles, which was then a rather recent concept (Wales was hitherto perceived like several kingdoms very seldom directed by only one chief and not like only one territory), although his/her uncle Dafydd also was it before him. This title was recognized to him by Henri III of England in the Traité of Montgomery of 1267. Unfortunately, the expansionist ambitions of Llywelyn quickly made it unpopular among the other Welsh kings, particularly the princes of the south (then under the cut of the English who had conquered them, but had granted a figurative role to them).

Political errors

Although able military leader, it missed in Llywelyn the political perspicacity of his/her grandfather and it was made Edouard I {{er}} of England a dangerous enemy of which he could have occurred while being combined to the family from Simon de Montfort in spite of a precarious peace signed with the English. Edouard took offense of the marriage concluded between Llywelyn and Eleanor, the girl of Simon and seizes the boat which transported it France towards Wales. He kept it captive with Windsor until Llywelyn is ready to make him certain concessions. Llywelyn ends up marrying Eleanor with Worcester in 1278.

Curiously, like his/her uncle Dafydd before him, Llywelyn never conceived of male heir, although the illegitimate sons, in comparison with the Welsh law, could inherit the throne. In 1282 Eleanor died by giving him a girl, Gwenllian and this event seemed to have a rather violent psychological impact on Llywelyn.

About this time, his/her younger brother Dafydd launched a new revolt by an attack surprised on the castle of Hawarden, at the Eastern border of the zone of Welsh settlement. Undoubtedly feeling obliged to support it not to lose the face, Llywelyn took the head of the rebellion. It did not have time to make profitable its talents of tacticians: whereas it left to rejoin with him the Welsh princes of the south, it fell into a ambush to the Irfon bridge, Cilmeri (close to Builth Wells), and was made kill. It was only later that an English knight recognized the body. Its head was sent to London where one made it ravel in the streets.

In the Brut Tywysogion is there an enigmatic reference: “… then Llywelyn was made betray in the belfry of Bangor by its own men. ” No later explanation appears in annals.

Triumph of Edouard Ier and end of Gwynedd

With the death of Llywelyn, the moral one of the Welsh and the spirit of resistance decreased and Dafydd, which had proclaimed successor of Llywelyn, had to flee in the mountains where it finally was captured and carried out by Edouard Ist.

After the defeat of 1283, the kingdom of Gwynedd was stripped of any badge, relic and atours of its sovereignty. Edouard Ier, who had given up his forwardings in France to subdue Wales, took a pleasure very particular to monopolize the residences of the royal dynasty of Gwynedd. In August 1284, it establishes its court in two of the preferred residences of Llywelyn, with Abergwynregyn and Caernarfon. In a way so deliberated, it withdrew in very distinguished Gwynedd of majesty:

the crown of Llywelyn was offered solemnly to the mausoleum of St Edouard to Westminster with the jewel “Couronne of Arthur” which decorated it
the seals of Llywelyn, of his wife and of his/her brother were molten to make a chalice
the most invaluable relic of Gwynedd, the Y Groes Naid (fragment of the True Cross) was exhibé through London in May 1285 at the time of a solemn procession to foot carried out by the king, the queen, the archbishop of Canterbury and fourteen bishops as well as the tycoons of the kingdom.

By thus exhibant its triumph and by humiliating voluntarily its enemies by adapting all the royal or religious badges of Gwynedd, it marked the extinction of this last and its final annexation in England.

To become royal dynasty of Gwynedd

Almost all the family of Llywelyn finishes in captivity, except for Madoc ap Llywelyn which proclaimed Prince de Galles in 1294 and carried out a revolt. The girl of Llywelyn, Gwenllian, was sent to the convent of Sempringham to the Lincolnshire, where she died in 1337. The only brother surviving of Llywelyn, Rhodri ap Gruffydd, exiled of Wales since 1272, lived in the darkness while directing a farm with Surrey and died towards 1300. Its grandson, Owain Lawgoch was made proclaim Prince de Galles.

It is thought perhaps that the male line of Cunedda survived Wales via the family of Sir John Wynn of Gwydir until the XVIIIe century and exists still today.

Zh-min-nan: Siōng-bóe-E Llywelyn

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