Llywelyn ap Dafydd (c.1267–1287), potential claimant to the title Prince of Gwynedd, was the eldest son of

Dafydd ap Gruffydd Dafydd ap Gruffydd (11 July 1238 – 3 October 1283) was Prince of Wales from 11 December 1282 until his execution on 3 October 1283 on the orders of King Edward I of England. He was the last native Prince of Wales before the conquest of Wa ...

, the last free ruler of

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County B ...

, and his wife Elizabeth Ferrers. Nothing is known of his early life, though it is thought he was probably born some time around 1267. It is likely he accompanied his father during periods of exile in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

in the 1270s. Following the death of

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282), sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last ( cy, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, lit=Llywelyn, Our Last Leader), was the native Prince of Wales ( la, Princeps Wall ...

on 11 December 1282 the governance of Gwynedd was placed in the hands of Llywelyn's successor, his brother, Dafydd ap Gruffudd. Dafydd and his son Owain were captured together at Nanhysglain near to

Bera Mawr Bera Mawr is a summit in the Carneddau mountains in Wales, height 794 metres. It and Bera Bach are together known as the Berau, or northern Carneddau. The summit is a large rock tor, characteristic of the western Carneddau. There are views o ...

in the uplands above

Abergwyngregyn Abergwyngregyn () is a village and community of historical note in Gwynedd, a county and principal area in Wales. Under its historic name of Aber Garth Celyn it was the seat of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. It lies in the historic county of Caerna ...

on 21 June 1283. King Edward I of England then issued orders for the apprehension of the primogeniture of Dafydd ap Gruffudd. On 29 June, Llywelyn ap Dafydd was arrested and taken to

Rhuddlan Rhuddlan () is a town, community, and electoral ward in the county of Denbighshire, Wales, in the historic county of Flintshire. Its associated urban zone is mainly on the right bank of the Clwyd; it is directly south of seafront town Rhyl. ...

to be imprisoned alongside his brother. A force of cavalry and infantry were deployed to escort Llywelyn and Owain out of Gwynedd via

Acton Burnell Acton Burnell is a village and parish in the English county of Shropshire. Home to Concord College, it is also famous for an early meeting of Parliament where the Statute merchant was passed in 1283. The population at the 2011 census was 544 ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

before the end of July 1283. After his father was executed for

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

in October 1283, he became the ''de jure'' Prince of Gwynedd. The only senior members of the Welsh royal family who retained their liberty were Llywelyn ap Dafydd's uncle Rhodri ap Gruffudd and cousin

Thomas ap Rhodri Tomas ap Rhodri or Thomas Rothery () was the only known son of Rhodri ap Gruffudd, the youngest son of Prince Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr and younger brother to both Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Dafydd ap Gruffydd. After the deaths of Llywelyn, Daf ...

, who had formally renounced their rights to the Principality. Llywelyn ap Dafydd died at

Bristol Castle Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port. Built during the reign of William the Conqueror, and later owned by R ...

in 1287 and was buried in the nearby Dominican church (now known as Quakers Friars). His burial was paid for by King Edward I. His brother Owain would "succeed" him but would remain a prisoner until the end of his life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dafydd, Llywelyn Ap 1260 births 1287 deaths

Llywelyn Llywelyn, Llewelyn or Llewellyn is a name of Welsh language origins. See Llywelyn (name) for the name's etymology, history and other details. As a surname Arts * Carmen Llywelyn, American actress and photographer *Chris Llewellyn (poet), American ...

Welsh people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in England and Wales detention

Further reading

References