The Early Rulers of Wales

Following the invasion of Britain by the Saxons, the Britons and the Celts were displaced towards the western lands of Cornwall and Wales. Those that settled in Wales divided their loyalties between the regional kingdoms of Gwynedd, Powys and Deheubarth. Wales at this time was feudal and far from unity.

This unity was found under the lord of Gwynedd Merfyn Frych who ruled between 825-844 and whose name in English means Merfyn the Freckled. He married the the patronage and support of Alfred the Great of England. His son, Idwal Foel (916-942), did not share his father's faith in the English and died in rebellion against Edmund I. His son, Iago had to wait 8 years to take his rightful place as King as he had been forced to flee Wales by another grandson of Rhodri, the lord of Reheubarth, Hywel Dda (909-950).

Hywel was a confirmed anglophile and it is said that his idol was Alfred the Great. His son, Owain (954-986), was defeated by Iago and his brother, Ieuaf, who then fought amongst themselves. For 6 years Ieuaf's son Hywel the Bad (979-985) ruled over a once more disparate Wales. On his death his brother, Cadwallon (985-986), became King. His short reign ended in defeat at the hands of Maredudd ap Owain (986-989).

The story of Wales in turmpoil continued under successive leaders, perhaps the more successful of these being Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (1039-1063). He did not only successfully rules all of Wales but also held territory in Mercia - traditionally a Saxon kingdom within England. His reign and his life ended as a result of Harold I's invasion of Wales.

With the Norman Invasion of 1066, Wales was policed by border regions created by William the Conqueror. In 1075 warfare struck Wales again as Gruffydd ap Cynan (1081-1137) was aided by a mixed force of Norse and Irish mercenaries to capture Anglesey. He later took Gwynedd but was then captured himself. The Normans jailed him in the dungeons of Chester from where he eventually escaped to follow a life of piracy. His threat to the stability of the English power over Wales was such that William Rufus himself led military expeditions to crush him, as did Henry I later. He remained undefeated, not through military might but through knowing when to withdraw to avoid disaster.

On the death of Henry I Wales, especially in the south, rose to civil war. This fragmentation ended as Henry II dismissed any further attempt to seize Wales and took the unprecedented step of making Rhys ap Gryffydd the Justiciar or Regent of Wales.

When Rhys died Llywlyn ap IOrweth (1194-1240), also known as Llywelyn the Great gained pre-eminence enough for King John to give him his daughter in marriage. Later, Llywelyn's power was much too threatening for John and the latter invaded Wales. Wales united against the King of England. Following Welsh victory, during which John had had troubles with the English nobles leading to Magna Carta, Llywelyn was named Prince of Aberffraw and Lord of Snowdon.

In 1258 he was so powerful that he pronounced himself Prince of Wales. He became embroiled in the ambitions of his lords and of King Edward I which led to Edward taking Wales from him, with a lot of Welsh support. He was killed in a melee, his head placed on view in London. When Henry Tudor was born, in 1457, a new era began in the history of Great Britain.