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.
See also:
Biography of Llewelyn ap Iorwerth
Maureen Jenner leads tours for ESL (English as a Second Language) students in
southern Wales. More here.
History
of Wales - main index
Text ©
David Ross and Britain Express
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