.The Last War of Welsh Independence 1282 - 83, the final months Ionawr - Mehefin 1283. The war began at Easter 1282 when Dafydd ap Gruffydd from his Castle at Hope (Picture above) made an attack upon Castell Penarleg.
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Later in the year the the brother of Dafydd, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was to be killed at Aberedw (picture above) on 11 Rhagfyr 1282 but this was not to be the end of the war, a further tragic five months were to run their course before the ultimate chapter was written with the capture of Dafydd III 'Tywysog Cymru' on 22 Mehefin 1283 and execution on 3 Hydref 1283.
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.Castell Dolbadarn (picture above), Llanberis. I do not know if it was in this Castle or in the general locale of Llanberis that Dafydd III, Dafydd ap Gruffydd brawd Llywelyn III was betrayed. Having fled from Castell y Bere as three English Armies moved in on the last Independent Principality of Gwynedd, from the South towards Castell y Bere, from Ynys Mon which the English had finnally taken after the failiure of Moel y Don in Tachwedd 1282. A third army had finnally succeeded in moving west having been held in bay on the borders of the Gwynedd Uwch and Is Gwynedd, here Welsh Resistance had been so firece that the English Military Cemetary of Rhuddlan had become full up. However, with Llywelyn III killed in Rhagfyr 1282, Edward borrowing heavy from Italian Bankers to fund his war through the winter of 1282 - 3, knowing if he did not the Welsh may have mounted a succesful counter attack on numerous fronts in the spring of 1283.
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The outcome is known mainly in sense of our dwelling more on accepting that the war concluded with the sad events of 1282, but it did not as Dafydd adopted the title of Prince of Wales, last Prince of Gwynedd and last prince of Wales prior to Owain Glyndwr. No matter how much we might dispise Dafydd III, we do diservive if we do not remember continued Welsh Resistance to the coming Conquest. We do need to recognise and appreciate the final months of WElsh Military struggle against overwealming odds. However, this is a story, not just of miltary demise and disillusionment with Dafydd III, it is also a story of treachery. We might say Dafydd III had it coming but the story is not just one, about betrayal of he and his family for it is also the sad sell out of Gwynedd by many of it's Lords and Chiefs. Chief amongst these traitors are Plant Edyfed Fychan who had been made prominent Landowners and men of Power by Llywelyn Iorwerth and later by Llywelyn III. There were many more, not least amongst the Religious establishment of Gwynedd who betrayed both Llywelyn III and his brother Dafydd III. The names of those who had hand in the conspiracy against Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, 'the Betrayal in the Belfry' may be argued over but we know that one of those who betrayed Dafydd III was a cleric, Iorwerth of Llanfaes.
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. Upon the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, the Welsh so states the Langtoft chronicle held a ''Parliament'' at Christmas possibly at Dolbadarn? At this gathering, Dafydd was affirmed as 'Tywysog Cymru' and all present agreed to continue Military Resistance to the Armies of Edward I. However, things were not looking good, their allies in Cerdigion; Rhys Fychan and Cynan ap Maredudd et al had gone over to the English. By January 1283 Edwards Northern army were based in two major formations, one at at Llanrwst and the other at Bettws. These Armies advanced on Castell Dolwyddelan and toward Aberconwy which became Edward I's base of operations. The Kings army here soon linked up with the English force that had taken Ynys Mon and crossed the Menai to seize Bangor, the combined force moved onward to Caernarfon and Criccieth. Dafydd ap Gruffydd, possibly had hoped to make a stand at Castell y Bere (see Picture abobe of Cofiwn Rally there in 1983) , but the English had advanced from the South West with Gascon Basque Mountaineers leading the way fast forward into Meirionydd. By 25 Ebrill 1283 Castell y Bere was surrendered by it's custodian Cynfrig ap Madog to the English commanders; Valence and Lestrange. It will be of interest to readers that amongst the Welsh Defenders of Castell y Bere was one, Gruffydd ap Madog, who of course was the poet Gruffydd ab yr Ynad Goch, he had fought against Llywelyn III in War of 1277 but he was the Welsh side in 1282 but it is not known if he escaped with Dafydd III and the ''Die Hards'' who were to be the last men standing at the coming conclusion.
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. The end is not a very edifying story as Dafydd, his family and last loyal band of fighters were hunted down, largelly by former Welsh allies, now ''English Freindlies''. Not least now hunting down Dafydd and the ''Die Hards'' were a number of Lords and Chiefs of Gwynedd, amongst them Gruffydd ab Iorwerth and Tudur ap Goronwy. These men would inherit much and with others of Ceredigion Uchelwyr stock become the foundations of Edward i's Welsh 'Vichy State' aka pura Wallia, it is such high lords and lower chiefs who come to terms with Edward I (see Statute of Rhuddlan in previous post, picture of Castell Rhuddlan above). Much about these final weeks of conquest reminds me of the Franco Prussian war of 1870 and the Nazi's speedy advance on Paris in 1940, not just the advance and collapse but also the collaboration that followed. Dafydd, his family and a number of his men were finnally captured on the 22 Mehefin 1283, evidently there had been a fight as the chronicles state that Dafydd had been wounded. Captured at this time and in days that followed were his wife and Sons, as we know Dafydd was later brutally executed at Shrewsbury on the 3 Hydref 1283, his two sons Llywelyn and Owain were to be imprisoned and his two daughters placed in the priory of Sixhills.
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.By 28th June 1283 Edward I would be able to annonce that Dafydd ap Gruffydd was captured by his own men, did those who had retreated with him into Eryri (see picture above) finnaly turn traitor, or was it other Welsh who hunted him down and captured him? The records do not make clear the last act of treachery in great detail but what we do know makes it all rather desperatly depressing to read about, even these many centuries later. No matter how history now judges Dafydd, a man full of confusions and contradictions one cannot but recoil from the dark deed done to him on 22 Mehefin 1283, even worse for us to take aboard is the abounding treachery as the last Independent native Welsh Principality collapsed. This brought to an end it's prominent position as the Bastion of Welsh Resistance against Anglo - Norman conquest and Colonisation for over 200 years, there was to be no epic last stand. In fact at the end Gwynedd collapsed like an house of cards or if you wish as a Castle built of sand, so why? that I will look into at another time, suffice to now ask the question of patriots: Is any of this worth remembering? well I think so but how many of you are aware, or are bothered to know what occurred post 11 Rhagfyr 1282? From the point of view of a study of Welsh Military History of this medieval period I find it fascinating, and even though in these final months of this War of Welsh Independence I consider the Miltary campaign carried out by the English significant. Unfortunatly, there is not much record regards how the Welsh continued and sustained their War effort but records show that the English were concerned about continuing Welsh Resistance months later, records also indicate that 'Macywiaid', young lords (squires) that is youths under age of 14 were being called up into the ranks of the depleted Welsh armies post 1282. I shall be continuing my investigation of this Welsh Military Resistance during 1283, in time over in my I'r Gad Welsh Battlefield Campaign blog http://brwydr.blogspot.com/ (at moment I have a post there in development re Battle of Bryn Derwin 1255) . If you have any ideas or info in connection with content of this post, or wish to be involved in further research and study, not least local in depth field work, do get in touch.
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.So is that it? No! not quite, as it's not all about treachery, outstanding in above story are two patriot heroes; Hywel ap Rhys Gryg and Goronwy ap Heilin. Other Patriots to the last were Rhys Wyndod and his brother Hywel ap Rhys who were captured and later taken to imprisonment in the Tower of London, Rhys died in the Tower in 1302. There were others, as Llywelyn ap Rhys, Llywelyn ap Goronwy and Trahaern ap Hywel who were also captured and imprisioned for many years, some suffering death in prison as the Sons of Dafydd. I consider we should remember these men and their sacrifice, as well I think it is important we remember the events in which they were involved. Not least I think each and all needs to me otherwise memorialised and events with which they were associated with commemorated, maybe at Castell Dolbadarn annually on 22 Mehefin. What do you think, any ideas & suggestions in this direction? The excellent Welsh Historian J. Beverly Smith, whose book LLYWELYN ap GRUFFYDD (UWP 1998) I have borrowed much from this excellent, must buy book, in writting above, JBS refers to these final days of Dafydd III and Welsh Resistance as the ''Last Spring of a Welsh Principality'', quite poignant!
.Postscript
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.In the month of June 1283, a number of Welsh handed the Royal treasures of Gwynedd over to the victorious English, their reward was exemption from Military Service outside Gwynedd. It was a Welsh Cleric, his name Huw ab Ithel, former personal secretary of Dafydd ap Gruffydd who personally delivered to Edward I the Groes Naid, an important Religious relic. His reward was to be, well best described as a grant to study at Oxford, a student grant dipped in the blood of betrayal, hope he failed his exams, dropped out and died painfully. For further information on the Croes Naid, check out the web while you wait for me to do a write up, although you will find references to, in a number of previous posts.
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Gethin.
