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Llewelyn the Great
by Maureen Jenner

Llewelyn the Great, so named by the 13th century bards, was born in 1194; Prince of Gwynedd, an ancient Welsh kingdom incorporating the counties of Caernarvonshire; Merionethshire and Anglesey.

Llewelyn's Land. Gwynedd was protected on the North and West by the sea and on the South and East by formidable mountain ranges: a natural fortress that resisted invaders for centuries.

These mountain ranges included Snowdonia - 'Eryri-Land of the Eagles' - with Snowdon itself, soaring to 1086 metres; magnificent viewed from any angle and the highest peak in either England or Wales.

Beyond Snowdonia, the Hebogs tapered down to the hills of Lleyn then to the south-east of these; spilling over into Merioneth, the truncated Moelwyns and the sharp edged Moel Siabod.

Animals were pastured in the deep valleys among the mountain fortresses while the rich grain-bearing island of Anglesey was the granary of Gwynedd.

Llewelyn's Conquests. Llewelyn re-conquered Powys from the Marcher Lords; taking advantage of King John's difficulties by seizing Marcher territory as far as the upper Dee and Severn rivers. The movement to unite all the tribes under Llewelyn brought a fresh surge of bardic poetry and national pride among his countrymen.

In time, he captured Shrewsbury and controlled two thirds of Wales: a prudent diplomatist as well as great warrior, Llewelyn was aware of the inherent separatism (see footnote) of his compatriots and did not flaunt his power but divided his conquests between lesser chieftains; choosing to rule the hearts of Welshmen rather than their lands.

Feudal Diplomacy. Recognising the strength of a re-united England and while calling the Welsh to rally to him as their native prince and acclaimed by the bards, Llewelyn never forgot he was also a great feudal magnate owing allegiance to the Crown of England: as such, he was to play a role in the English faction which benefited his other role as a Welsh patriot.

By judiciously joining the Barons' Party in England Llewelyn secured three clauses for Welsh rights in the Magna Carta of King John in 1215. Upon the death of John, Llewelyn did homage for Gwynedd to young King Henry III and lived in peace until his death at Aberconway abbey in 1240.

The Llewelyn Legend. Probably one of the best known folktales concerning Llewelyn the Great is that of Gelert, his favourite hunting hound. One day, the prince decided to go hunting. Setting off at dawn Llewelyn was disappointed that Gelert, his favourite hound and leader of the pack was not to be found.

Upon returning at dusk, Llewelyn found his faithful hound bounding out to meet his master with jaws covered in blood: fearful that the dog might have savaged his one year-old son, Llewelyn rushed to find the child.

He found an upturned cradle and bloodsoaked linen but no child; thinking the worst, Llewelyn plunged his sword into Gelert. As the dog uttered a dying howl, the child cried out and Llewelyn lifted the overturned cradle to find his child safe beside the dead body of a wolf.

Full of remorse, Llewelyn carried the body of Gelert out for burial and upon the grave caused a mound of stones to be raised to mark the place. To this day, people still visit Beddgelert (meaning in Welsh - the grave of Gelert).

Footnote re:Welsh separatism - Circa 1200A.D., Geraldus the Welshman, wrote of his countrymen that which holds true today: "In their musical concerts they do not sing in unison like the inhabitants of other countries, but in many different parts; so that in a company of singers, which one frequently meets with in Wales, you will hear as many different parts and voices as there are performers.

Maureen Jenner leads tours for ESL (English as a Second Language) students in southern Wales. More here.