Dafydd ap Llywelyn

Dafydd ap Llewelyn
Prince of Wales Prince of Aberffraw and Lord of Snowdon
Dafydd with his father Llywelyn and half-brother Gruffudd
Prince of Wales
Reign	1240-1246
Predecessor	Llewelyn the Great as Prince of Gwynedd
Successor	Llewelyn the Last
Born	April 1212 Castell Hen Blas, Coleshill, Bagillt, Wales
Died	25 February 1246 Abergwyngregyn, Wales
Burial	Aberconwy Abbey, Wales
Spouse	Isabella de Braose
Issue	Dafydd ap Dafydd ap Llywelyn
House	House of Aberffraw
Father	Llewelyn the Great
Mother	Joan, Lady of Wales

Dafydd ap Llywelyn (c. March 1212 – 25 February 1246) was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. He was the first ruler to claim the title Prince of Wales.

Though birth years of 1208, 1206, and 1215 have been put forward for Dafydd, it has recently been persuasively argued that he was born shortly after Easter 1212. Born at Castell Hen Blas, Coleshill, Bagillt in Flintshire, he was the only son of Llywelyn the Great by his wife, Joan (daughter of King John of England). His grandfather was facing trouble in England against his Barons when he was born. In his final years, Llywelyn went to great lengths to have Dafydd accepted as his sole heir. By Welsh law, Dafydd's older half-brother Gruffydd had a claim to be Llywelyn's successor. Llywelyn had Dafydd recognised as his named heir by his uncle King Henry III of England in 1220, and also had Dafydd's mother Joan declared legitimate by the Pope to strengthen Dafydd's claim.

There was considerable support for Gruffydd in Gwynedd. Although Dafydd lost one of his most important supporters when his mother died in 1237, he retained the support of Ednyfed Fychan, the Seneschal of Gwynedd who wielded great political influence. Llywelyn suffered a paralytic stroke in 1237, and Dafydd took an increasing role in government. Dafydd ruled Gwynedd following his father's death in 1240.

Although King Henry III of England had accepted his claim to rule Gwynedd, he was not disposed to allow him to retain his father's conquests outside Gwynedd. As the diplomatic situation deteriorated, Dafydd began to explore alliances with others against Henry, and is known to have sent ambassadors to the court of Louis IX of France. In August 1241, however, the King invaded Gwynedd, and after a short campaign, Dafydd was forced to submit. Under the terms of the Treaty of Gwerneigron, he had to give up all his lands outside Gwynedd, and also to hand over to the King his half-brother Gruffydd. whom he had imprisoned. Henry thereby gained what could have been a useful weapon against Dafydd, with the possibility of setting Gruffydd up as a rival to Dafydd in Gwynedd, but in March 1244 Gruffydd fell to his death while trying to escape from the Tower of London by climbing down a knotted sheet.