biography
| name: |
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth
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| |
known as Llywelyn Fawr (‘Llywelyn the Great’)
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pronunciation:
[hluhwelin ap yaw(r)
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (?–1240)
|
| biography:
| Prince of Gwynedd in North Wales, the grandson of Owain Gwynedd. He seized power in 1194 from his uncle, Dafydd I, and soon had most of N Wales under his control. In 1205 he married Joan, the illegitimate daughter of King John of England. Though doing homage to John's; successor, Henry III in 1218, he gained recognition of Welsh rights in the Magna Carta (1215) and extended his rule over most of Wales, but by 1223 he had to withdraw to the north. Llywelyn's generous patronage of the bardic tradition brought a flowering of Welsh literature and letters. He was a generous supporter of the church and a zealous fighter for national unity. He was succeeded by his son, Dafydd II. |
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