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Llywelyn the Great

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: British History 1500 and
before (including Roman Britain); Historical figures


   CAPTION: Llywelyn the Great

                                      Reign       c. 1195 - 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 ɬəwelɨ̞n),
   full name Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, (c. 1173 – April 11, 1240) was a Prince
   of Gwynedd in North Wales and eventually de facto ruler over most of
   Wales. He is sometimes called Llywelyn I 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'. Llywelyn's main home
   and court throughout his reign was at Garth Celyn on the north coast of
   Gwynedd, between Bangor and Conwy, overlooking the port of Llanfaes.
   Throughout the thirteenth century, up to the Edwardian conquest, Garth
   Celyn was in effect the capital of Wales. ( Garth Celyn is now known as
   Pen y Bryn, Bryn Llywelyn, Abergwyngregyn and parts of the medieval
   buildings still remain).

   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 when John arrested Gwenwynwyn ab Owain of
   Powys in 1208 Llywelyn took the opportunity to annex southern Powys. In
   1210 relations deteriorated and John invaded Gwynedd in 1211. Llywelyn
   was forced to seek terms and to give up all his lands east of the River
   Conwy, but was able to recover these lands the following year in
   alliance with the other Welsh princes. He 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. During the next fifteen years
   Llywelyn was frequently involved in fighting with 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

   Dolwyddelan castle was built by Llywelyn; the old castle nearby may
   have been his birthplace.
   Enlarge
   Dolwyddelan castle was built by Llywelyn; the old castle nearby may
   have been his birthplace.

   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 and therefore a member of the princely house of Aberffraw. He was
   probably born at Dolwyddelan though he could not have been born in the
   present Dolwyddelan castle, which was built by Llywelyn himself. He may
   have been born in the old castle which occupied a rocky knoll on the
   valley floor. 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 tradition that he was disabled or
   disfigured in some way that excluded him from power.

   By 1175 Gwynedd had been divided between two of Llywelyn's uncles.
   Dafydd ab Owain held the area east of the River Conwy and Rhodri ab
   Owain 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. Giraldus Cambrensis refers to Iorwerth Drwyndwn as the only
   legitimate son of Owain Gwynedd. Following Iorwerth's death, Llywelyn
   was, at least in the eyes of the church, the legitimate claimant to the
   throne of Gwynedd.

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

Rise to power 1188–1199

   The arms of the royal house of Gwynedd were traditionally first used by
   Llywelyn's father, Iorwerth Drwyndwn
   Enlarge
   The arms of the royal house of Gwynedd were traditionally first used by
   Llywelyn's father, Iorwerth Drwyndwn

   In his account of his journey around Wales in 1188 Giraldus Cambrensis
   mentions that the young Llywelyn was already in arms against his uncles
   Dafydd and Rhodri. In 1194, with the aid of his cousins Gruffudd ap
   Cynan and Maredudd 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 were taken over by Gruffudd and Maredudd while Llywelyn ruled
   the territories taken from Dafydd east of the Conwy. 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 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 the
   southern kingdom of 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 as leader of the Welsh princes, and in
   1198 raised a great army to besiege Painscastle, which was held by
   William de Braose, Lord of Bramber. 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.
   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). Llywelyn was probably not
   in fact master of all Gwynedd at this time since it was his cousin
   Gruffudd ap Cynan who promised homage to King John for Gwynedd in 1199.

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. 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.

   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. Elise
   ap Madog, lord of Penllyn, had refused to respond to Llywelyn's summons
   to arms and was stripped of almost all his lands by Llywelyn as
   punishment.

   Llywelyn consolidated his position 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.

   In 1208 Gwenwynwyn of Powys fell out with King John who summoned him to
   Shrewsbury in October and then arrested him and stripped him of his
   lands. Llywelyn took the opportunity to annex southern Powys and
   northern Ceredigion and rebuild Aberystwyth castle. In the summer of
   1209 he accompanied John on a campaign against King William I of
   Scotland.

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. While John led a
   campaign against de Braose and his allies in Ireland, an army led by
   Earl Ranulph of Chester and Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester,
   invaded Gwynedd. Llywelyn destroyed his own castle at Deganwy and
   retreated west of the River Conwy. The Earl of Chester rebuilt Deganwy,
   and Llywelyn retaliated by ravaging the earl's lands. 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 Brut y Tywysogion "to dispossess Llywelyn and
   destroy him utterly". 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. 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. Joan was able to persuade
   her father not to dispossess her husband completely, but Llywelyn lost
   all his lands east of the River Conwy. He 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.

   This was the low point of Llywelyn's reign, but he quickly recovered
   his position. The other Welsh princes, who had supported King John
   against Llywelyn, soon became disillusioned with John's rule 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 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 within two
   months in 1212.
   Wales c. 1217. Yellow: areas directly ruled by Llywelyn; Grey: areas
   ruled by Llywelyn's client princes; Green: Anglo-Norman lordships.
   Enlarge
   Wales c. 1217. Yellow: areas directly ruled by Llywelyn; Grey: areas
   ruled by Llywelyn's client princes; Green: Anglo-Norman lordships.

   John planned another invasion of Gwynedd in August 1212. According to
   one account, he had just commenced by hanging some of the Welsh
   hostages given the previous year when 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. The invasion was abandoned, and in 1213 Llywelyn took
   the castles of Deganwy and Rhuddlan. Llywelyn made an alliance with
   Philip II Augustus of France, then allied himself with the barons who
   were in rebellion against John, marching on Shrewsbury and capturing it
   without resistance in 1215. When John was forced to sign Magna Carta,
   Llywelyn was rewarded with several favourable provisions relating to
   Wales, including the release of his son Gruffydd who had been a hostage
   since 1211. 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. Another indication of his growing
   power was that he was able to insist on the consecration of Welshmen to
   two vacant sees that year, Iorwerth as Bishop of St. David's and
   Cadwgan as Bishop of Bangor.

   In 1216, Llywelyn held a council at Aberdyfi to adjudicate on the
   territorial claims of the lesser princes, who affirmed their homage and
   allegiance to Llywelyn. Beverley Smith comments, "Henceforth, the
   leader would be lord, and the allies would be subjects". 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 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.

   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.

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. This treaty confirmed him 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, particularly 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.
   Criccieth Castle is one of a number built by Llywelyn.
   Enlarge
   Criccieth Castle is one of a number built by Llywelyn.

   Llywelyn was careful not to provoke unnecessary 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. He built a number of castles to 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 are among the best
   examples. Llywelyn also appears to have fostered the development of
   quasi-urban settlements in Gwynedd to act as centres of trade.

   Hostilities broke out with William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, in 1220.
   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 and recaptured
   Cardigan and Carmarthen without opposition. The Marshalls' campaign was
   supported by a royal army which took possession of Montgomery. Llywelyn
   came to an 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.

   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 was encroaching on 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.

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 Garth Celyn, Aber Garth Celyn now known as Pen y Bryn,
   Abergwyngregyn. During this visit he was found in Llywelyn's chamber
   together with llywelyn's wife Joan. On 2 May, De Braose was hanged in
   the marshland under Garth Celyn, the place now remembered as Gwern y
   Grog, Hanging Marsh, a deliberately humiliating execution for a
   nobleman, and Joan was placed under house arrest for a year. The Brut y
   Tywysogion chronicler commented:

          ... 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.

   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. 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 'Prince of
   North Wales', but from that year he changed his title to 'Prince of
   Aberffraw and Lord of Snowdon', possibly to underline his supremacy
   over the other Welsh princes. 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".

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. King Henry retaliated by
   launching an invasion and built a new castle at Painscastle, but was
   unable to penetrate far into Wales.

   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 had succeeded him as Earl of
   Pembroke. In 1233 hostilities broke out between Richard Marshall and
   Peter de Rivaux, who was supported by the king. Llywelyn made an
   alliance with Richard, and in January 1234 the earl and Llywelyn seized
   Shrewsbury. Richard was killed in Ireland in April, but the king agreed
   to make peace with the insurgents. The Peace of Middle, agreed on 21
   June, 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.

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 consideration as a potential
   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.
   Strata Florida Abbey was the site of the council of 1238.
   Enlarge
   Strata Florida Abbey was the site of the council of 1238.

   In 1220 Llywelyn induced the minority government of King Henry to
   acknowledge Dafydd as his heir. 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. In 1226 Llywelyn persuaded 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. In 1238 Llywelyn held a council at Strata
   Florida Abbey where the other Welsh princes swore fealty to Dafydd.
   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.

   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. 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.

Death and the transfer of power

   Joan died in 1237 and Llywelyn appears to have suffered a paralytic
   stroke the same year. 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."

   Llywelyn's stone coffin is now in Llanrwst parish church.
   Enlarge
   Llywelyn's stone coffin is now in Llanrwst parish church.

   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."

   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. This left
   the field clear for Dafydd, but Dafydd himself died without an heir in
   1246 and was eventually succeeded by his nephew, Gruffydd's son,
   Llywelyn the Last.

Historical assessment

   Llywelyn 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 first person to give Llywelyn the title 'the
   Great' seems to have been his near-contemporary, the English chronicler
   Matthew Paris.

   John Edward Lloyd 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."

   David Moore gives a different view:

          "When Llywelyn died in 1240 his principatus of Wales rested on
          shaky foundations. Although he had dominated Wales, exacted
          unprecedented submissions and raised the status of the prince of
          Gwynedd to new heights, his three major ambitions - a permanent
          hegemony, its recognition by the king, and its inheritance in
          its entirety by his heir - remained unfulfilled. His supremacy,
          like that of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, had been merely personal in
          nature, and there was no institutional framework to maintain it
          either during his lifetime or after his death."

Children

   The identity of the mother of some of Llywelyn's children is uncertain.
   He was survived by nine children, two legitimate, one probably
   legitimate and six illegimate. Elen ferch Llywelyn (c.1207–1253), his
   only certainly legitimate daughter, first married John de Scotia, Earl
   of Chester. This marriage was childless, and after John's death Elen
   married Sir Robert de Quincy, the brother of Roger de Quincy, Earl of
   Winchester. Llywelyn's only legitimate son, Dafydd ap Llywelyn
   (c.1208–1246), married Isabella de Braose, daughter of William de
   Braose, Lord of Abergavenny. William was the son of Reginald de Braose,
   who married another of Llywelyn's daughters. Dafydd and Isabella may
   have had one child together, Helen of Wales (1246–1295), but the
   marriage failed to produce a male heir.

   Another daughter, Gwladus Ddu (c.1206–1251), was probably legitimate.
   Adam of Usk states that she was a legitimate daughter by Joan, although
   some sources claim that her mother was Llywelyn's mistress, Tangwystl
   Goch. She first married Reginald de Braose of Brecon and Abergavenny,
   but had no children by him. After Reginald's death she married Ralph de
   Mortimer of Wigmore and had several sons.

   Through Gwladus, Elen, and Gruffydd, Llywelyn is an ancestor of Queen
   Elizabeth II.

   The mother of most of Llywelyn's illegitimate children is known or
   assumed to have been Llywelyn's mistress, Tangwystl Goch (c.1168-1198).
   Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (c.1196–1244) was Llywelyn's eldest son and is
   known to be the son of Tangwystl. He married Senena, daughter of
   Caradoc ap Thomas of Anglesey. Their four sons included Llywelyn ap
   Gruffydd, who for a period occupied a position in Wales comparable to
   that of his grandfather, and Dafydd ap Gruffydd who ruled Gwynedd
   briefly after his brother's death. Llywelyn had another son, Tegwared
   ap Llywelyn, by a woman known only as Crysten.

   Marared ferch Llywelyn (c.1198–after 1263) married John de Braose of
   Gower, a nephew of Reginald de Braose, and after his death married
   Walter Clifford of Bronllys and Clifford. Other illegitimate daughters
   were Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn, who married William de Lacey, and
   Angharad ferch Llywelyn, who married Maelgwn Fychan. Susanna ferch
   Llywelyn was sent to England as a hostage in 1228, but no further
   details are known.

Cultural allusions

   A number of Welsh poems addressed to Llywelyn by contemporary poets
   such as Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr, Dafydd Benfras and Llywarch ap Llywelyn
   (better known under the nickname Prydydd y Moch) have survived. Very
   little of this poetry has been published in English translation.

   Llywelyn has continued to figure in modern Welsh literature. The 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
   English-language novels:
     * Raymond Foxall (1959) Song for a prince: the story of Llywelyn the
       Great covers the period from King John's invasion in 1211 to the
       execution of William de Braose.
     * Sharon Kay 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. More
   recently, Llywelyn is one of the commanders in the computer strategy
   game Medieval: Total War.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llywelyn_the_Great"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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