Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr

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The death of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in a 13th century depiction

Gruffydd (also: Gruffudd ) ap Llywelyn Fawr (* around 1200; † March 1, 1244 in London ) was a prince of the Welsh principality of Gwynedd .

Origin and youth

He was the eldest, but illegitimate son of Llywelyn from Iorwerth ( Welsh : Llywelyn Fawr ) and his lover Tangwystl , a daughter of Llywarch Goch of Rhos. He was born in 1206 before his father's wedding to the English king's daughter Johanna of Wales . After his father's defeat by the English King John Ohneland in 1211, Gruffydd was held hostage and remained in English hostage until 1215.

Conflict with father over succession

After his release, his father gave him control of Merionydd and Ardudwy, but these were taken from him again in 1221 due to mismanagement. In 1223 he served as captain of his father's house troops during the war against William Marshal , who had captured Cardigan and Carmarthen Castle . At Carmarthen he led a fruitless battle, and due to lack of supplies, Gruffydd withdrew to Gwynedd immediately afterwards. A little later he led his troops to Carnwyllion, where they stopped Marshal's advance.

From 1220 onwards, his father planned to pass him on to inheritance, contrary to traditional Welsh law. One of the reasons for this was Gruffydd's proven irresponsibility and stubbornness, but most of all his father hoped that his legitimate son Dafydd would have better relations with King Henry III of England . could entertain, since this was his uncle. Although his father did not want to completely exclude Gruffydd from the inheritance, this violently opposed this regulation, so that his father finally arrested him in 1228 and imprisoned in Deganwy Castle . It was not until 1234 that his father released him and gave him control of Lleyn and the income from occupied Powys Wenwynwyn .

Prisoner of his brother and the king of England

After his father's stroke, however, he was turned off by his brother from 1237 onwards. First, Dafydd took away his Powys Wenwynwyn income. After their father died in April 1240, Dafydd succeeded him as Prince of Gwynedd. In August 1240, possibly even as early as 1239, Dafydd had Gruffydd and his eldest son arrested and imprisoned at Criccieth Castle . During the campaign of Henry III. against Gwynedd, Gruffydd's wife Senena concluded an agreement with the king on August 12, 1241, according to which she wanted to pay the king 600 marks for the release and installation as prince of part of Gwynedd. When Dafydd had to submit to the king two weeks later after his defeat, the king demanded the extradition of Gruffydd as well. But he did not release him, but wanted to use him as leverage against Dafydd and had him imprisoned in the Tower of London . Gruffydd lived there in mild prison, at times with his wife Senena and some of his children. On the night of March 1, 1244, he died trying to escape when he tried to abseil from the White Tower with a self-made rope. The rope broke, however, and Gruffydd broke his neck in the fall. The abbots of Strata Florida and Aberconwy Abbey achieved in 1248 that his remains were reburied and buried in Aberconwy Abbey.

Family and offspring

With his wife Senena he had four sons and a daughter:

Since his brother Dafydd died in 1246 without male heirs, Gruffydd's sons Owain and Llywelyn became lords of Gwynedd.

Web links

Commons : Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Fawr  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • TF Tout, AD Carr: Gruffudd ap Llywelyn (d. 1244) , Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Oxford University Press, 2004; Online edition, January 2008 [1] , accessed July 5, 2014
  • Thomas Jones Pierce: Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (d. 1244) , Welsh Biography Online, National Library of Wales [2] , accessed July 3, 2014

Individual evidence

  1. ^ David Walker: Medieval Wales . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1990. ISBN 978-0-521-31153-3 , p. 103
  2. ^ Welsh Biography Online: Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. Retrieved July 5, 2014 .
  3. ↑ Oxford DNB: Gruffudd ap Llywelyn. Retrieved July 5, 2014 .
  4. ↑ Monastic Wales: Event detail for site: Aberconwy 1. Retrieved July 4, 2014 .
personal data
SURNAME Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Fawr (Welsh)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Welsh prince son
DATE OF BIRTH around 1200
DATE OF DEATH March 1, 1244
Place of death London