Kingdom of Gwynedd

The Welsh kingdom that came closest to making Wales a single state, and whose defeat produced the title borne by English heirs ever since. Gwynedd occupied the northwest, and its strength was geographic: the mountains of Snowdonia were nearly impossible to invade and the island of Anglesey grew enough grain to feed a resistance through a long campaign, which is why English strategy against it always aimed at cutting Anglesey off. The kingdom traced itself to the fifth century and its rulers claimed descent from Roman-era leaders. Llywelyn the Great made himself the dominant power in Wales in the early thirteenth century by force and by marriage to King John's daughter. His grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was recognised as Prince of Wales by the English crown in 1267, the only time a native ruler held that status by treaty - the nearest thing to a Welsh state. Refusing homage to Edward I brought invasion. Llywelyn was killed in 1282 and his brother executed the following year. Edward then built the ring of castles at Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech and Beaumaris, among the most expensive works of the medieval English state and now a World Heritage site. The title Prince of Wales was given to the king's son. Welsh law was replaced in criminal matters. The Welsh language survived and is spoken by around 850 thousand people today. The kingdom covered northwest Wales including Anglesey and Snowdonia. Aberffraw and later Abergwyngregyn were its principal seats. Snowdon reaches 1,085 metres. Welsh law was codified under Hywel Dda in the tenth century.

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