Dafydd ap Gruffydd
Encyclopedia
Dafydd ap Gruffydd (11 July (?) 1238 – 3 October 1283) was Prince of Wales
from 11 December 1282 until his execution on 3 October 1283 by King
Edward I of England
. He was the last independent ruler of Wales
.
, a younger son of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn
and his wife, Senena, and thus grandson of Llywelyn Fawr
. In 1241, he is recorded as having been handed over to Henry III of England
as a hostage with his younger brother, Rhodri
, as part of an agreement. He may have come of age under Welsh law on 11 July 1252, on which date he issued, in front of his mother, Senena, and the Bishop of Bangor
, a charter as lord of the commote of Cymydmaen, at the outer reaches of the Llŷn Peninsula
. In 1253, he was called upon to pay homage to King Henry III of England
.
In 1255, he joined his brother, Owain, in a challenge to their brother, Llywelyn, but Llywelyn defeated them at the Battle of Bryn Derwin
. Dafydd was imprisoned, but Llywelyn released him the following year and restored him to favour. In 1263, he joined King Henry in an attack on his brother. After Llywelyn was acknowledged by King Henry as Prince of Wales in 1267, Dafydd was again restored to Llywelyn's favour, but in 1274, he joined King Edward I of England
to challenge Llywelyn once again. In 1277, following the Treaty of Aberconwy
, he was reconciled, finally, with his brother.
Brothers:
Sisters:
Thomas Pennant states that the boys were "drowned in the River Dee" at Holt
by their guardians John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, and Roger Mortimer the younger. D. Powel mentions the "destruction" of the two princes, whose guardians, Warenne and Mortimer, "so garded their wardes wit so small regard, that they never returned to their possessions. And shortlie after the said guardians did obtaine the same lands to themselves by charters of the king."
On 7 October 1282, John de Warenne was granted the land of Maelor (Bromfield) that had previously held by the two sons of Madoc ap Gruffudd at the beginning of the war.
Dafydd ap Gruffudd married (sometime after 1265) Lady Elizabeth Ferrers, daughter of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby
, and the widow of William Marshal, 2nd Baron.
Children:
After Dafydd's capture his sons were imprisoned for the rest of their lives at Bristol Castle
; his daughter was sent to a convent.
In addition, Dafydd is recorded in late genealogical sources as having sired an illegitimate child, Dafydd Goch
, though there is no contemporary evidence to support this.
England, in the course of which Welsh independence was lost. In December Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, had been lured into what was probably a trap and killed on 11 December 1282 (see corr. of Archbishop
John Peckham
, Lambeth Palace Archives) . Dafydd was his brother's successor and became the last Tywysog
of Gwynedd
and Prince of Wales. Dafydd was leader of his nation only for a few months after his brother's death.
By January 1283, Edward I of England had the heartland of independent Wales ringed with a massive army. Dafydd initially operated from Dolwyddelan
and was supported by various royal refugees from Powys Fadog and Deheubarth; including Rhys Wyndod, Rhys Ieuanc and the sons of Maredudd ab Owain
. With limited resources of manpower and equipment available the passes leading to Dolwyddelan became indefensible and Dafydd moved down to Castell y Bere
. In April, Castell y Bere was besieged by over 3,000 men and the small Welsh garrison, commanded by Cynfrig ap Madog
, surrendered on 25 April. Dafydd escaped the siege and moved north to Dolbadarn Castle
, a guardpost in the Peris Valley at the foot of Snowdon
. In May 1283, he was forced to move again, this time to the mountains above the Welsh royal home Garth Celyn.
On 22 June, Dafydd and his younger son Owain ap Dafydd
were captured at Nanhysglain, a secret hiding place in a bog by Bera Mountain to the south of Garth Celyn. Dafydd, seriously wounded (graviter vulneratus) in the struggle, was brought to King Edward's camp at Rhuddlan
that same night (Cotton Vesp. B xi, f30). Dafydd was taken from here to Chester
and then on to Shrewsbury
. Dafydd's wife Elizabeth de Ferrers, their seven daughters, and their infant niece, Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn, were also taken prisoner at the same time. Whether they were with Dafydd and Owain at Bera is not recorded, but it is likely.
On 28 June, Llywelyn ap Dafydd
was captured. Edward triumphantly proclaimed that the last of the "treacherous lineage", princes of the "turbulent nation", was now in his grasp, captured by men of his own nation (per homines linguae suae).
Welsh resistance to the invasion temporarily came to an end. On 28 June, Edward issued writs to summon a parliament to meet at Shrewsbury, to discuss Dafydd's fate.
On 30 September, Dafydd ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, was condemned to death, the first person known to have been tried and executed for what from that time onwards would be described as high treason
against the King. Edward ensured that Dafydd's death was to be slow and agonising, and also historic; he became the first prominent person in recorded history to have been hanged, drawn and quartered
, preceded by a number of minor knights earlier in the thirteenth century.
Dafydd was dragged through the streets of Shrewsbury
attached to a horse's tail then hanged alive, revived, then disembowelled and his entrails burned before him for "his sacrilege in committing his crimes in the week of Christ's passion", and then his body cut into four quarters "for plotting the king's death". Geoffrey of Shrewsbury was paid 20 shilling
s for carrying out the gruesome task on 3 October 1283 (though some sources give the date as 2 October).
Dafydd's daughter Gwladys
, like her cousin Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn
, was sent to a convent in Lincolnshire
– Gwenllian to Sempringham
and Gwladys to Sixhills
, where she died in 1336. Their sons were both imprisoned at Bristol Castle
; Llywelyn ap Dafydd
died at Bristol Castle in mysterious circumstances in 1287 or 1288, while Owain ap Dafydd
is last found living in August 1325. Dafydd may have had another (illegitimate) son, Dafydd Goch
, who survived.
One cadet member of the ruling House of Cunedda also survived, Madog ap Llywelyn
, who led a nationwide revolt in 1294-95.
|- style="text-align: center;"
|-
|-
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
from 11 December 1282 until his execution on 3 October 1283 by King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
. He was the last independent ruler of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Early life
He was a prince of GwyneddKingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
, a younger son of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was the first born son of Llywelyn the Great . His mother Tangwystl probably died in childbirth.-Hostage:...
and his wife, Senena, and thus grandson of Llywelyn Fawr
Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great , full name Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, was a Prince of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually de facto ruler over most of Wales...
. In 1241, he is recorded as having been handed over to Henry III of England
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
as a hostage with his younger brother, Rhodri
Rhodri ap Gruffudd
Rhodri ap Gruffudd was the third or fourth son of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr. He was the younger brother of both Llywelyn the Last of Gwynedd, Prince of Wales) and of Owain Goch ap Gruffydd...
, as part of an agreement. He may have come of age under Welsh law on 11 July 1252, on which date he issued, in front of his mother, Senena, and the Bishop of Bangor
Bishop of Bangor
The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...
, a charter as lord of the commote of Cymydmaen, at the outer reaches of the Llŷn Peninsula
Llŷn Peninsula
The Llŷn Peninsula extends into the Irish Sea from north west Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the modern county and historic region of Gwynedd. The name is thought to be of Irish origin, and to have the same root Laigin in Irish as the word Leinster...
. In 1253, he was called upon to pay homage to King Henry III of England
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
.
In 1255, he joined his brother, Owain, in a challenge to their brother, Llywelyn, but Llywelyn defeated them at the Battle of Bryn Derwin
Battle of Bryn Derwin
The Battle of Bryn Derwin was fought in Eifionydd in Gwynedd in June 1255, between Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and his brothers, Dafydd ap Gruffudd and Owain Goch ap Gruffydd....
. Dafydd was imprisoned, but Llywelyn released him the following year and restored him to favour. In 1263, he joined King Henry in an attack on his brother. After Llywelyn was acknowledged by King Henry as Prince of Wales in 1267, Dafydd was again restored to Llywelyn's favour, but in 1274, he joined King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
to challenge Llywelyn once again. In 1277, following the Treaty of Aberconwy
Treaty of Aberconwy
The Treaty of Aberconwy was signed in 1277 by King Edward I of England and Llewelyn the Last of modern-day Wales, who had fought each other on and off for years over control of the Welsh countryside...
, he was reconciled, finally, with his brother.
Family
Parents: Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (died 1244) and his wife Senana.Brothers:
- Owain Goch ap GruffyddOwain Goch ap GruffyddOwain ap Gruffudd, , , was brother to Llywelyn the Last and Dafydd ap Gruffudd and, for a brief period in the late 1240s and early 1250s, ruler of part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd .- Lineage :Owain was the eldest son of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn and the grandson of Llywelyn the Great...
(died c. 1282) - Llywelyn ap GruffuddLlywelyn the LastLlywelyn ap Gruffydd or Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf , sometimes rendered as Llywelyn II, was the last prince of an independent Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England....
, Prince of Wales (lured into a trap and put to death, 11 December 1282) married Eleanor de MontfortEleanor de MontfortEleanor de Montfort, Princess of Wales and Lady of Snowdon was a daughter of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester and Eleanor of England. She was also the first woman who can be shown to have used the title Princess of Wales....
, daughter of Simon de MontfortSimon de Montfort, 6th Earl of LeicesterSimon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
, Earl of LeicesterEarl of LeicesterThe title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...
. They had one daughter, Gwenllian. Eleanor died in childbirth at the royal home AbergwyngregynAbergwyngregynAbergwyngregyn is a village of historical note in Gwynedd, a county and principal area in Wales. Under its historic name of Aber Garth Celyn it was the seat of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd....
on 19 June 1282. - Rhodri ap GruffuddRhodri ap GruffuddRhodri ap Gruffudd was the third or fourth son of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr. He was the younger brother of both Llywelyn the Last of Gwynedd, Prince of Wales) and of Owain Goch ap Gruffydd...
(died c. 1315) married 1) Beatrice, daughter of David of Malpas. 2) unknown. He had a son Thomas ap RhodriThomas ap RhodriTomas ap Rhodri or Thomas Rothery as his name is sometimes rendered in English accounts, de jure Prince of Gwynedd was the only known son of Rhodri ap Gruffudd Tomas ap Rhodri (c. 1300 – 1363) or Thomas Rothery as his name is sometimes rendered in English accounts, de jure Prince of Gwynedd...
(died 1363) by his second marriage, who was the father of Owain ap ThomasOwain LawgochOwain Lawgoch, , full name Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri , was a Welsh soldier who served in Spain, France, Alsace and Switzerland. He led a Free Company fighting for the French against the English in the Hundred Years' War...
(died 1378).
Sisters:
- Gwladus ferch Gruffudd (died 1261) married Rhys Fychan (died 1271) of Ystrad TywiYstrad TywiYstrad Tywi is an area of south-west Wales situated on the banks of the Tywi river as it approaches the sea to join the Bristol Channel at Carmarthen...
. - Margaret ferch Gruffudd married Madog II ap Gruffydd, Lord of Dinas BranMadog II ap Gruffydd, Lord of Dinas Bran- Lineage & Inheritance :He inherited the throne on the death of his father Gruffydd Maelor II.- Alliance with Gwynedd :He was in alliance with Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the prince of Gwynedd and all Wales as his effective overlord during the period following the Treaty of Montgomery.- Killed in...
(died 1277) of Powys FadogPowys FadogPowys Fadog or Lower Powys was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys which split in two following the death of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys in 1160...
. They had two sons, Gruffudd ap Madog and Llywelyn ap Madog. The two boys died in mysterious circumstances shortly after the outbreak of war in 1282.
Thomas Pennant states that the boys were "drowned in the River Dee" at Holt
Holt, Wales
Holt is a medieval market town and local government community in the county borough of Wrexham, Wales. It is situated on the border with England. Holt Castle was begun by Edward I shortly after the English invasion of Wales in 1277.-Area:...
by their guardians John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, and Roger Mortimer the younger. D. Powel mentions the "destruction" of the two princes, whose guardians, Warenne and Mortimer, "so garded their wardes wit so small regard, that they never returned to their possessions. And shortlie after the said guardians did obtaine the same lands to themselves by charters of the king."
On 7 October 1282, John de Warenne was granted the land of Maelor (Bromfield) that had previously held by the two sons of Madoc ap Gruffudd at the beginning of the war.
Dafydd ap Gruffudd married (sometime after 1265) Lady Elizabeth Ferrers, daughter of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby
William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby
William III de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby was an English nobleman and head of a family which controlled a large part of Derbyshire including an area known as Duffield Frith....
, and the widow of William Marshal, 2nd Baron.
- Through the marriage Dafydd came into possession of the manor of Folesham, NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. He exchanged Folesham with John Marshal for the manor of Norton, NorthamptonshireNorton, NorthamptonshireNorton is a village in the district of Daventry in the English County of Northamptonshire. The village is about east of Daventry, west of Northampton. Junction 16 of the M1 motorway is about south-east and the nearest railway station is at Long Buckby to the east...
. - September 1278, he accepted a grant for life from Edward l, King of England, of the manor of FrodshamFrodshamFrodsham is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Its population is 8,982. It is approximately south of Runcorn, 16 miles south of Liverpool, and approximately south-west of Manchester...
, near Chester.
Children:
After Dafydd's capture his sons were imprisoned for the rest of their lives at Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port.-History:...
; his daughter was sent to a convent.
- Llywelyn ap DafyddLlywelyn ap DafyddLlywelyn ap Dafydd , de jure Prince of Gwynedd , was the eldest son of Dafydd ap Gruffydd the last free ruler of Gwynedd and his wife Elizabeth Ferrers. Nothing is known of his early life, though it is thought he was probably born some time around 1267...
(died 1287) - Owain ap DafyddOwain ap DafyddOwain ap Dafydd , de jure Prince of Gwynedd , was the younger son of Dafydd ap Gruffydd the last free ruler of Gwynedd and self-proclaimed Prince of Wales...
(died c.1325) - Gwladys ferch DafyddGwladys ferch DafyddGwladys ferch Dafydd was the daughter of Dafydd ap Gruffudd, the last free Prince of Wales, and Elizabeth Ferrers. She probably spent most her life in the company of her father in England and Gwynedd....
(died 1336)
In addition, Dafydd is recorded in late genealogical sources as having sired an illegitimate child, Dafydd Goch
Dafydd Goch
Dafydd Penmachno Goch or Dafydd ap Dafydd ap Gruffudd is said in some genealogical sources to be the illegitimate and only surviving son of Dafydd III the last free Welsh Prince of Wales ....
, though there is no contemporary evidence to support this.
Prince of Wales
At Easter 1282, Dafydd ap Gruffudd attacked Hawarden Castle, thereby starting the final conflict with Plantagenet-ruledHouse of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet , a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais and gained the...
England, in the course of which Welsh independence was lost. In December Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, had been lured into what was probably a trap and killed on 11 December 1282 (see corr. of Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
John Peckham
John Peckham
John Peckham was Archbishop of Canterbury in the years 1279–1292. He was a native of Sussex who was educated at Lewes Priory and became a Franciscan friar about 1250. He studied at Paris under Bonaventure, where he later taught theology. From his teaching, he came into conflict with Thomas...
, Lambeth Palace Archives) . Dafydd was his brother's successor and became the last Tywysog
Tywysog
Tywysog , in modern Welsh, means "Prince", although historically it referred to a broader category of rulers. The feminine form is Tywysoges. The work Brut y Tywysogion is the Annals of the Princes of Wales and is a historical narrative of the deeds of the various rulers of the kingdoms, large and...
of Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
and Prince of Wales. Dafydd was leader of his nation only for a few months after his brother's death.
By January 1283, Edward I of England had the heartland of independent Wales ringed with a massive army. Dafydd initially operated from Dolwyddelan
Dolwyddelan
Dolwyddelan, Welsh language : 'the meadow of Gwyddelan', is a village and community in Conwy county borough, north Wales, on the main A470 road between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Betws-y-Coed...
and was supported by various royal refugees from Powys Fadog and Deheubarth; including Rhys Wyndod, Rhys Ieuanc and the sons of Maredudd ab Owain
Maredudd ab Owain
Maredudd ab Owain was a King of Deheubarth, and through conquest also of Gwynedd and Powys, kingdoms in medieval Wales.Maredudd was the son of Owain ap Hywel and the grandson of Hywel Dda. His father was king of Deheubarth before him. As Owain grew too old to lead in battle his son Maredudd took...
. With limited resources of manpower and equipment available the passes leading to Dolwyddelan became indefensible and Dafydd moved down to Castell y Bere
Castell y Bere
Castell y Bere is a native Welsh castle near Llanfihangel-y-pennant in Gwynedd, Wales. Constructed by Llywelyn the Great in the 1220s, the stone castle was intended to maintain his authority over the local people and to defend the south-west part of the princedom of Gwynedd...
. In April, Castell y Bere was besieged by over 3,000 men and the small Welsh garrison, commanded by Cynfrig ap Madog
Cynfrig ap Madog
Cynfrig ap Madog was constable of Castell-y-Bere in the kingdom of Gwynedd, Wales, during the Anglo-Welsh war of 1282-3 that culminated in the loss of Welsh independence. The castle was besieged by an English force under the command of William de Valance on 15 April; on 21 April his men were...
, surrendered on 25 April. Dafydd escaped the siege and moved north to Dolbadarn Castle
Dolbadarn Castle
Dolbadarn Castle is a fortification built by the Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great during the early 13th century, at the base of the Llanberis Pass, in North Wales. The castle was important both militarily and as a symbol of Llywelyn's power and authority. The castle features a large stone keep,...
, a guardpost in the Peris Valley at the foot of Snowdon
Snowdon
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain"...
. In May 1283, he was forced to move again, this time to the mountains above the Welsh royal home Garth Celyn.
"Those who survived fled for refuge to the inaccessible rocks of Snowdonia and David with a few followers hid himself for some months at different places and suffered hunger and cold. At last he retreated to a bog (Nanhysglain), near Bera Mountain about four miles above Aber with his wife two sons and seven daughters. His place of retreat was known to Einion Bishop of Bangor and Gronw ab Dafydd, who basely betrayed him."
On 22 June, Dafydd and his younger son Owain ap Dafydd
Owain ap Dafydd
Owain ap Dafydd , de jure Prince of Gwynedd , was the younger son of Dafydd ap Gruffydd the last free ruler of Gwynedd and self-proclaimed Prince of Wales...
were captured at Nanhysglain, a secret hiding place in a bog by Bera Mountain to the south of Garth Celyn. Dafydd, seriously wounded (graviter vulneratus) in the struggle, was brought to King Edward's camp at Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire , in north Wales. It is situated to the south of the coastal town of Rhyl and overlooks the River Clwyd. The town gave its name to the Welsh district of Rhuddlan from 1974 to 1996...
that same night (Cotton Vesp. B xi, f30). Dafydd was taken from here to Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
and then on to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
. Dafydd's wife Elizabeth de Ferrers, their seven daughters, and their infant niece, Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn, were also taken prisoner at the same time. Whether they were with Dafydd and Owain at Bera is not recorded, but it is likely.
On 28 June, Llywelyn ap Dafydd
Llywelyn ap Dafydd
Llywelyn ap Dafydd , de jure Prince of Gwynedd , was the eldest son of Dafydd ap Gruffydd the last free ruler of Gwynedd and his wife Elizabeth Ferrers. Nothing is known of his early life, though it is thought he was probably born some time around 1267...
was captured. Edward triumphantly proclaimed that the last of the "treacherous lineage", princes of the "turbulent nation", was now in his grasp, captured by men of his own nation (per homines linguae suae).
Welsh resistance to the invasion temporarily came to an end. On 28 June, Edward issued writs to summon a parliament to meet at Shrewsbury, to discuss Dafydd's fate.
On 30 September, Dafydd ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, was condemned to death, the first person known to have been tried and executed for what from that time onwards would be described as high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
against the King. Edward ensured that Dafydd's death was to be slow and agonising, and also historic; he became the first prominent person in recorded history to have been hanged, drawn and quartered
Hanged, drawn and quartered
To be hanged, drawn and quartered was from 1351 a penalty in England for men convicted of high treason, although the ritual was first recorded during the reigns of King Henry III and his successor, Edward I...
, preceded by a number of minor knights earlier in the thirteenth century.
Dafydd was dragged through the streets of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
attached to a horse's tail then hanged alive, revived, then disembowelled and his entrails burned before him for "his sacrilege in committing his crimes in the week of Christ's passion", and then his body cut into four quarters "for plotting the king's death". Geoffrey of Shrewsbury was paid 20 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s for carrying out the gruesome task on 3 October 1283 (though some sources give the date as 2 October).
Dafydd's daughter Gwladys
Gwladys ferch Dafydd
Gwladys ferch Dafydd was the daughter of Dafydd ap Gruffudd, the last free Prince of Wales, and Elizabeth Ferrers. She probably spent most her life in the company of her father in England and Gwynedd....
, like her cousin Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn
Gwenllian of Wales
Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn was the only child of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Tywysog Cymru . She is sometimes confused with Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd, who lived two centuries earlier.- Lineage :...
, was sent to a convent in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
– Gwenllian to Sempringham
Sempringham
Sempringham is a hamlet in Lincolnshire, England that is located north of Bourne, on the Lincolnshire fen edge. Sempringham is now a very small hamlet consisting of a church, a house and a well, giving little clue to the history embodied within its parish boundary. Most of its houses are a...
and Gwladys to Sixhills
Sixhills
Sixhills is a village in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, about south-east from Market Rasen. It lies just south of the A631 between Market Rasen and Ludford....
, where she died in 1336. Their sons were both imprisoned at Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port.-History:...
; Llywelyn ap Dafydd
Llywelyn ap Dafydd
Llywelyn ap Dafydd , de jure Prince of Gwynedd , was the eldest son of Dafydd ap Gruffydd the last free ruler of Gwynedd and his wife Elizabeth Ferrers. Nothing is known of his early life, though it is thought he was probably born some time around 1267...
died at Bristol Castle in mysterious circumstances in 1287 or 1288, while Owain ap Dafydd
Owain ap Dafydd
Owain ap Dafydd , de jure Prince of Gwynedd , was the younger son of Dafydd ap Gruffydd the last free ruler of Gwynedd and self-proclaimed Prince of Wales...
is last found living in August 1325. Dafydd may have had another (illegitimate) son, Dafydd Goch
Dafydd Goch
Dafydd Penmachno Goch or Dafydd ap Dafydd ap Gruffudd is said in some genealogical sources to be the illegitimate and only surviving son of Dafydd III the last free Welsh Prince of Wales ....
, who survived.
One cadet member of the ruling House of Cunedda also survived, Madog ap Llywelyn
Madog ap Llywelyn
Madog ap Llywelyn, or Prince Madoc, was from a junior branch of the House of Aberffraw and a distant relation of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last recognised native Prince of Wales.-Lineage:...
, who led a nationwide revolt in 1294-95.
External links
|- style="text-align: center;"
|-
|-