‘They slew Llywelyn, never will we forget’: 742 years after the death of the Prince of Wales
By Erin Davies-Thomas, 3rd Year Ancient History
Title quote from Gerallt Lloyd Owen’s poem Cilmeri.
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, known in Wales as Ein Llyw Olaf (‘Our Last Lord’), was a native and independent Prince of Wales, who reigned from 1246 until his death in 1282. On this day, 742 years ago, Llywelyn was killed by English forces at the Battle of Orewin Bridge, effectively ending Welsh rule in Wales.
Llywelyn was born around 1223, into the noble house of Aberffraw in Gwynedd, North Wales. As Prince of Gwynedd, he was able to successfully expand his lands southwards, well beyond that of his family seat. His rule reached its peak in 1267 with the signing of the Treaty of Montgomery by King Henry III of England, which formally acknowledged Llywelyn’s right to rule over Wales.
However, the death of Henry III in 1272 meant Llywelyn was now face-to-face with a new ruler, who had different ambitions to that of his predecessor. The new king, Edward I, intended to unite the kingdoms of Britain under his own one rule. Relations between the two soon soured and, by 1276, Edward had declared war on Llywelyn and began to impose forceful and humiliating restrictions on his lands. Edward built castles on Llywelyn’s borders and appointed sheriffs to enforce strict Anglicisation and trade restrictions on Welsh goods.
These crippling measures led to the Welsh rising in revolt, with Llywelyn leading their cause. At first the Welsh forces saw success - first besieging Edward’s castle at Rhuddlan and then crushing the English king’s men at the Battle of Moel-y-don in November 1282.
In December, Llywelyn led his men south in an attempt to form a second front against the English and rally support to his cause. On 11 December 1282, near Cilmeri in mid-Wales, Llywelyn’s forces were surprised by the armies of Edward’s vassals and the Prince was separated from his men and killed. Upon his death, Llywelyn was branded a traitor, his seat of Gwynedd stripped of its royal insignia, his family scattered and imprisoned and his decapitated head paraded through the streets of London.
Llywelyn’s memorial in Cilmeri, Powys
Today, Llywelyn is remembered as a symbol of strength and identity. In 1956, a monument was erected to commemorate his life, and each year the group Cofia Llywelyn (‘Remember Llywelyn’) organise and hold a service in his memory. He is also adulated in literature, most notably in the poem Cilmeri by Gerallt Lloyd Owen. This poem is distinguished for its emotional framing of the Prince’s death as a loss that Wales is still grieving to this day. Many people in Wales consider Llywelyn to be a hero and a symbol of the country’s enduring struggle for national recognition and survival.
The final stanza of the poem, which encapsulates why the events of 11 December 1282 are so significant to us today, reads: “Fan hyn yw ein cof ni, Fan hyn sy’n anadl inni, Fan hyn gynnau fu’n geni” / ‘Here is our memory. Here gives us breath, Here, just now, our birth.’
All Welsh translations courtesy of Erin Davies-Thomas
Edited by Scarlett Bantin