13th Century in Wales - Events

Events

1200

• Giles de Braose becomes Bishop of Hereford.

1201

• Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd, takes Eifionydd and Llŷn from Maredudd ap Cynan on a charge of treachery.
• July - Llywelyn makes a treaty with King John of England.

1202

• August - Llywelyn the Great attacks Gwenwynwyn ab Owain of Powys.

1203

• December 7 - Geoffrey de Henlaw is consecrated as Bishop of St David's.

1204

• King John of England suspects Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, of colluding with the Welsh and has his estates temporarily confiscated.

1205

• probable - Llywelyn the Great marries Joan, illegitimate daughter of King John of England.

1206

• King John gives Skenfrith Castle, Grosmont Castle and White Castle to William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber.
• Gerald of Wales makes his fourth visit to Rome.

1208

• March - For failing to intervene in the rebellion of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, Walter II de Clifford is deprived of his Marcher barony of Clifford by King John of England.
• Gwenwynwyn ab Owain is arrested by King John. Llywelyn the Great annexes Gwenwynwyn's territory of southern Powys.

1209

• Llywelyn the Great accompanies his father-in-law, King John of England, on campaign against King William I of Scotland.

1210

• Maud de Braose and her son William are captured and imprisoned by King John, first at Windsor Castle and then at Corfe Castle, where they are starved to death.
• Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, and Peter des Roches lead an army into Gwynedd. To impede their progress, Llywelyn destroys his own castle at Deganwy.

1211

• August - King John of England invades Gwynedd with assistance from other Welsh princes and, at his second attempt, penetrates the heart of Llywelyn the Great's territory, When Robert of Shrewsbury, Bishop of Bangor, refuses to meet John, Bangor is burned and the bishop is taken prisoner.

1212

• Pope Innocent III releases Llywelyn the Great and other Welsh princes from their oaths of loyalty to King John; Llywelyn re-takes most of Gwynedd.

1213

• Llywelyn the Great takes the castles of Deganwy and Rhuddlan.

1215

• Llywelyn the Great captures Shrewsbury without resistance.
• June 21 - Cadwgan of Llandyfai is consecrated as Bishop of Bangor.
• December - Llywelyn captures the south Wales castles of Carmarthen, Kidwelly, Llanstephan, Cardigan and Cilgerran.
• Reginald de Braose, marries Gwladus Ddu.

1216

• October 19 - The death of King John of England and the accession of his son as Henry III relieve political tensions between England and Wales.
• Llywelyn the Great holds a council at Aberdyfi to adjudicate on the territorial claims of the lesser princes of Wales.

1217

• October 9 - Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Gloucester, marries Isabel Marshal (on her 17th birthday).
• Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster, completes the rebuilding of the church at Llanthony Priory.
• Reginald de Braose, son-in-law of Llywelyn the Great, goes over to the English; Llywelyn responds by attacking de Braose's lands. De Braose surrenders Swansea to Llywelyn.

1218

• Treaty of Worcester: Llywelyn the Great makes peace with King Henry III of England, his brother-in-law.

1219

• John de Braose, grandson of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, marries Marared, daughter of Llywelyn the Great.

1220

• King Henry III of England recognises Dafydd ap Llywelyn as the heir of Llywelyn the Great.
• Hostilities break out between Llywelyn and William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke.

1221

• Approximate date of the building of Castell y Bere by Llywelyn the Great.

1222

• Llywelyn the Great petitions Pope Honorius II to confirm the succession of his legitimate son, Dafydd ap Llywelyn.
• Elen ferch Llywelyn marries John the Scot, Earl of Chester.

1223

• William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, retaliates against Llywelyn the Great, recovering Pembroke.

1226

• Pope Honorius III legitimizes Joan, Lady of Wales, at the request of her husband, Llywelyn the Great.
• Regents of King Henry III of England order William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, to surrender the castles of Cardigan and Carmarthen.

1228

• Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Gloucester, leads an army against the Welsh, capturing Morgan Gam.

1229

• King Henry III of England accepts the homage of Dafydd ap Llywelyn for the lands he will inherit from his father, Llywelyn the Great.

1230

• Easter - William de Braose, during a visit to Llywelyn the Great, is found in the bedchamber of Llywelyn's wife Joan. De Braose is hanged and Joan is placed under house arrest.
• probable - Dafydd ap Llywelyn marries Isabella de Braose, daughter of William de Braose.
• probable - The widowed Gwladus Ddu marries Ralph de Mortimer of Wigmore.
• Hay-on-Wye Castle passes into the hands of the de Bohun family.

1231

• February 9 - Anselm le Gras is consecrated as Bishop of St David's.

1232

• Walter III de Clifford marries Margaret, a daughter of Llywelyn the Great.

1233

• Walter III de Clifford, with a force of 200 men, defends Bronllys Castle against his father-in-law, Llywelyn the Great.

1234

• January - Llywelyn the Great, in alliance with Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, takes Shrewsbury.
• June 21 - Peace of Middle ends hostilities between Llywelyn the Great and the English Crown.
• Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke, was begins enlarging and further strengthening Pembroke Castle.

1238

• At Strata Florida Abbey, Welsh princes swear fealty to Dafydd ap Llywelyn as heir to Llywelyn the Great.

1240

• April 11 - Dafydd ap Llywelyn succeeds his father, Llywelyn the Great, as Prince of Gwynedd and Wales.
• May 15 - the Treaty of Gloucester is signed by Dafydd ap Llywelyn and Henry III.

1241

• March 17 - Dafydd sends representatives to Shrewsbury to discuss the ownership of disputed lands as required by the Treaty of Gloucester, though he absents himself. The meeting, and several others, prove fruitless.
• August - King Henry III of England invades Gwynedd.
• August 29 - the Treaty of Gwerneigron is signed by Dafydd ap Llywelyn and Henry III. In it, Dafydd agrees to cede most of modern-day Flintshire to Henry. Shortly thereafter, Dafydd hands over his half-brother, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr, to Henry for imprisonment in the Tower of London.

1244

• March 1 - after several years of imprisonment, Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Fawr dies in an escape attempt. Dafydd ap Llywelyn wages war in the Marches against Henry III.

1245

• March - Dafydd ap Llywelyn recovers much of Flintshire, including Mold Castle.
• August - Henry III of England invades Gwynedd. After being defeated in battle by Dafydd ap Llywelyn, he proceeds to Deganwy and refortifies the castle there.
• Autumn - Henry III withdraws to England.
• Following representations from Henry, the Vatican reverses its decision to recognise Dafydd as rightful ruler of Wales.

1246

• February 25 - Dafydd ap Llywelyn dies at Abergwyngregyn; he is succeeded by his nephews, Llywelyn the Last and Owain ap Gruffudd.

1247

• February 20 - An earthquake damages St David's Cathedral.
• April - Llywelyn the Last and his brother Owain Goch ap Gruffydd come to terms with King Henry III of England at Woodstock.
• December - Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester, keeps a lavish Christmas court at his castle on the Welsh borders.

1252

• July - the earliest known document issued by Dafydd ap Gruffydd is drawn up; in it, he is referred to as 'lord of Cymydmaen'. From this point on Dafydd plays an increasingly important role in Welsh politics.

1255

• June - Llywelyn the Last defeats his brothers Dafydd ap Gruffydd and Owain Goch ap Gruffydd at the Battle of Bryn Derwin.

1256

• November - Llywelyn the Last crosses the River Conwy to take control of Gwynedd Is Conwy. With him is his brother Dafydd ap Gruffydd, who has been released from captivity.

1257

• June - A Norman army, sent to reclaim the lands taken from Rhys Fychan by his brother, Maredudd ap Rhys Grug, is defeated by Llywelyn the Last at the Battle of Cymerau.

1258

• Llywelyn the Last begins using the title "Prince of Wales"; a short-lived Cambro-Scottish treaty is concluded.

1260

• Approximate date of the building of the chapel at Manorbier Castle.

1262

• July - Following his father's death, Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester, becomes the ward of Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford.

1263

• Dafydd ap Gruffydd enters an alliance with King Edward I of England.

1265

• June 22 - Treaty of Pipton establishes an alliance between Llywelyn the Last and Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester.

1267

• Under the terms of the Treaty of Montgomery, King Henry III of England recognises Llywelyn the Last as Prince of Wales.

1268

• Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, refuses to obey the King's summons to parliament, alleging that, his Welsh estates needed his presence for their defence against Llewelyn the Last.
• Work begins on Caerphilly Castle.

1272

• English bishops Godfrey Giffard and Roger de Meyland negotiate with Llywelyn the Last.

1274

• Dafydd ap Gruffydd allies himself with King Edward I of England, and conspires with Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn to assassinate Dafydd's brother Llywelyn.

1275

• Following her mother's death, Eleanor de Montfort begins her journey to Wales by sea for her marriage with Llywelyn the Last. She is captured by "pirates" and taken prisoner by King Edward I of England.

1276

• King Edward I of England declares Llewelyn the Last a rebel and marches on Wales.
• Llewelyn seizes Llanrwst, declaring it a "free borough" independent of the diocese of Llanelwy.

1277

• June 24 - Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford, convenes an army of Marcher lords at Worcester.
• Treaty of Aberconwy is signed by Edward I of England and Llywelyn the Last.
• Llywelyn the Last releases his elder brother, Owain Goch ap Gruffydd, from captivity.
• Construction of the new Aberystwyth Castle begins.

1278

• October - Llywelyn the Last is formally married to Eleanor de Montfort at the door of Worcester Cathedral. King Edward I of England attends the ceremony and pays for the celebrations.

1280

• October 6 - Thomas Bek is consecrated as Bishop of St David's.

1282

• Palm Sunday - Dafydd ap Gruffudd attacks Hawarden Castle.
• June - an English army is routed at the battle of Llandeilo.
• Autumn - Archbishop John Peckham unsuccessfully attempts to intercede between King Edward I of England and Llywelyn the Last.
• November 6 - An English army attempting to cross the Menai Strait from Anglesey is routed by Welsh forces in the battle of Moel-y-Don. In spite of the setback, English forces continue to make inroads into Gwynedd.
• December 11 - Death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd at the Battle of Orewin Bridge in Cilmeri while making his way south to gather support. Dafydd ap Gruffudd succeeds him as prince.

1283

• January 18 - Surrender of Dolwyddelan Castle.
• April 25 - Cynfrig ap Madog surrenders Castell y Bere to the English.
• June 22 - Dafydd ap Gruffudd is captured by King Edward I of England.
• October 3 (2?) - Dafydd ap Gruffudd is executed at Shrewsbury.

1284

• August - King Edward I of England holds court at Abergwyngregyn.

1285

• May - The Cross of Neith, an important religious relic acquired from Wales, is carried through London at the head of a royal procession.

1287

• June 8 - Rhys ap Maredudd revolts in south-west Wales.

1288

• January 20 - Rhys ap Maredudd's revolt is finally suppressed as his final stronghold, the castle at Newcastle Emlyn, surrenders. Rhys goes to ground.

1294

• September 30 - Madog ap Llywelyn begins a revolt against King Edward I of England, claiming the title "Prince of Wales".
• December 19 - Madog issues the so-called Penmachno Document, the only surviving document drawn up by him in which he refers to himself as prince.
• November 11 - Madog ap Llywelyn defeats the forces of the earl of Lincoln in a pitched battle near Denbigh.

1295

• March 5 - Madog is defeated at the Battle of Maes Moydog.
• July - Madog surrenders.