1197 Imprisonment of Dafydd ab Owain
Dafydd ab Owain was captured and imprisoned in 1197, before being released a year later; he died in exile in England in 1203.
1198 Battle of Castell-paen
Gwenwynwyn ab Owain Cyfeiliog of Powys led a force of Cymry that besieged Castell-paen [Painscastle]. They had already attacked the castles of the Marcher lords in the area but were defeated at Castell-paen by a Norman army assembled by Geoffrey Fitzpeter. The siege had lasted for three weeks but the ensuing battle claimed the lives of around 3000 foot-soldiers as well as a number of prominent Cymry.
1199 Llywelyn ap Iorwerth
By 1199, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (or Llywelyn Fawr) as he was later called) was the sole ruler of Gwynedd.
1201 Treaty with John of England
In July 1201, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth entered into a treaty with John of England - the first of its kind between a ruler of Cymru and English throne.
1205 Siwan
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth married John of England’s illegitimate daughter, Joan (or Siwan).
1208 Powys and Ceredigion
By 1208, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth had added southern Powys and Ceredigion to lands under his control.
1210 Battle of Cilcennin
In Deheubarth, Rhys and Owain ap Gruffudd defeated their uncle, Maelgwn ap Rhys, at Cilcennnin. Maelgwn had made an agreement with John of England, and then gathered a mighty host of French and Cymry to attack the cantref of Penweddig in Ceredigion. Rhys and Owain with their war-band of about three hundred men then attacked Maelgwn’s camp, although he managed to escape on foot.
1211 Invasion of Gwynedd
In August 1211, John of England invaded Gwynedd as he was suspicious of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth’s expansion into neighbouring territories. John, assisted by a number of the princes of Cymru, confronted his son-in-law, Llywelyn, forcing him to seek terms and accept that he had been abandoned by his allies. As part of the settlement, Llywelyn’s eldest son, Gruffudd, was taken hostage.
1212 Recapture of Gwynedd
In the agreement of 1211, John also took possession of the four cantrefs of Rhos, Rhufoniog, Tegeingl and Dyffryn Clwyd (the “Perfeddwlad) and thus restricted Llywelyn ap Iorwerth to the lands to the west of the Conwy. This intrusive overlordship of Cymru by John led to the other leaders of Cymru rallying to Llywelyn, who then recaptured the whole of Gwynedd in 1212.
1213 Battle of Llandeilo
An English army led by Falkes de Bréauté defeated Rhys Gryg ap Rhys of Deheubarth at Llandeilo. His lands were then given to his nephews, Rhys and Owain ap Gruffudd, and Rhys Gryg was forced to flee to Ceredigion and seek the protection of his brother Maelgwn. Later in the year he was captured by the English and imprisoned at Caerfyrddin.
1215 Magna Carta
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth seized Shrewsbury in his war with John of England; he supported the English barons against the English king, and John was forced to sign the Magna Carta. Llywelyn was rewarded with several favourable provisions relating to Cymru, in particular the rights to its own laws, and also the release of his son, Gruffudd.
1216 Aberdyfi
A year later, Llywelyn summoned the princes of Cymru to Aberdyfi to pay him homage, but Gwenwynwyn ab Owain Cyfeiliog of Powys allied himself with John of England and was then driven out of Powys by Llywelyn and the other princes. Both Gwenwynwyn and John would die in England later in 1216.
1217 Reginald de Braose
Reginald de Braose, a son-in-law of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, changed sides, forcing Llywelyn to attack his lands in Aberhonddu (Brecon), Abertawe (Swansea) and Hwlffordd (Haverfordwest).
1218 Treaty of Worcester
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth concluded the Treaty of Worcester with the new king of England, Henry III, and it confirmed him as the pre-eminent ruler in Cymru. Llywelyn consolidated his position by building a number of castles, particularly to protect his borders in Gwynedd.
1228 Battle of Ceri
Henry III of England sent a number of royal expeditions into Cymru in the 1220’s. In September 1228, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth and his army confronted Henry’s army at Ceri in Rhwng Gwy a Hafren. The English suffered heavy losses and, after they had concluded that the conquest of Ceri was impossible, a peace was agreed between Henry and Llywelyn. Another battle took place at Abermiwl three years later, however.
1230 William de Braose and Siwan
William de Braose, who had been captured at the battle in Ceri, decided to become an ally of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, and a marriage was arranged between his daughter and Llywelyn’s son, Dafydd. During a visit to Llywelyn’s llys (court) at Abergwyngregyn, however, he was found in a bedchamber with Llywelyn’s wife, Siwan. De Braose was hanged shortly afterwards and Siwan was placed under house arrest.
1234 The Peace of Middle
There were further incidents of fighting between the Cymry and the English through the 1230’s, with Llywelyn ap Iorwerth capturing castles and burning towns in the Marcher lands. In 1234, Henry III agreed to a truce with Llywelyn - the Peace of Middle - and this was renewed annually until Llywelyn’s death.
1237 Death of Siwan
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth’s wife, Siwan, died in 1237 and, in her honour, he founded Llanfaes Friary on Ynys Môn, opposite Abergwyngregyn. Llywelyn suffered a stroke shortly afterwards, however, and his son, Dafydd, took over many of his duties.
1240 Death of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth eventually died in April 1240, and was succeeded by his appointed heir, Dafydd. Henry III of England did not support this, however, probably in an attempt to undermine unity in Gwynedd.
1241 The Treaty of Gwerneigron
The treaty of Gwerneigron was signed in August 1241 after Henry III of England had attacked Dafydd ap Llywelyn in Gwynedd Is-Conwy. The treaty was then ratified at Twtil in Rhuddlan a few days later, and was the first part of Henry’s plans to dismantle the Cymru that had been united under Dafydd’s father. Henry then gave the Marcher lords the power to re-conquer land from the Cymry.
1244 Death of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn
As part of the treaty of Gwerneigron, Dafydd ap Llywelyn was also obliged to hand over his brother, Gruffudd, to Henry III as a hostage. Gruffudd was taken to the Tower of London where he died in March 1244 whilst trying to escape.
1244 Battle of Buallt
In June 1244, the lords of Ceri defeated the English forces of Ralph Mortimer and the earl of Hereford at Buallt (Builth). At around the same time, Dafydd ap Llywelyn’s troops had fought through the Perfeddwlad in the north, almost to the gates of Chester.
1245 Battle of Brombil
The lords of Afan were victorious against the army of Herbert Fitzmathew at a battle at Brombil near Margam in February 1245. The English force was ambushed as it travelled through the area and Fitzmathew was killed, along with most of his men. Siward of Afan was implicated in the ambush and his lands seized by Richard de Clare.
1246 Battle of Maesteg
Richard de Clare defeated the lords of Afan at the battle of Maesteg at Llangynwyd and renamed Dyffryn Llynfi as Tir Iarll (the earl’s land). He then invaded and conquered other settlements in Glamorgan, such as Cynffig (Kenfig) and Margam.
1246 Death of Dafydd ap Llywelyn
Dafydd ap Llywelyn died suddenly in February 1246, and was succeeded by his nephew, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. There was little defence against Henry III’s policy of conquest in the immediate period after his death, however.
