Many of Llywelyn's Welsh allies had abandoned him during England's invasion of Gwynedd, preferring an overlord far away rather than one nearby.

The second, at the south end, was built in 1268 and survived Llywelyn's death, but was sacked by Cynan ap Maredudd during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294-5.

However, Llywelyn's claims in Wales conflicted with Edward I of England, and war followed in 1277.

One was from his daughter Joan, Llywelyn's wife, the other from William I of Scotland, and both warned him in similar terms that if he invaded Wales his magnates would seize the opportunity to kill him or hand him over to his enemies.

However on a later visit to Llywelyn during Easter 1230 William de Braose was found in Llywelyn's private bedchamber with Llywelyn's wife, Joan, Lady of Wales.

However, it was an attack on Brycheiniog by the Marcher Lords Humphrey de Bohun and Roger Mortimer in 1276 which led to the final breakdown of the peace between England and Wales after which Llywelyn's domain was reduced to just his lands in Gwynedd.

Dafydd ap Gruffydd, Llywelyn's younger brother, attacked the English forces at Hawarden in 1282, setting off a widespread rebellion throughout Wales ; Edward responded with a further invasion of Gwynedd, during which Llywelyn was killed on the battlefield at Cilmeri.

Later he obtained recognition, at least in part, of this agreement from the King of England, who agreed that Llywelyn's heirs and successors would enjoy the title " Prince of Wales " but with certain limitations to his realm and other conditions, including homage to the King of England as vassal, and adherence to rules regarding a legitimate succession.

Yellow: areas directly ruled by Llywelyn ; Grey: areas ruled by Llywelyn's vassels ; Green: Anglo-Norman marcher lordships in Wales.

Early in 1212 Llywelyn had regained the Perfeddwlad and burned the castle at Ystwyth. Llywelyn's revolt caused John to postpone his invasion of France, and Philip Augustus, the King of France, was so moved as to contact Prince Llywelyn I and proposed they ally against the English king King John ordered the execution by hanging of his Welsh hostages, the sons of many of Llywelyn's supporters Llywelyn I was the first prince to receive the fealty of other Welsh lords with the 1216 Council of Aberdyfi, thus becoming the de facto Prince of Wales and giving substance to the Aberffraw claims.

In 1219 he married Margaret Ferch Llywelyn, ( born about 1202 in Gwynedd ), daughter of the leader of Wales Llywelyn Fawr and his English wife Joan Plantagenet also known as Joan, Lady of Wales, and he received the Lordship of Gower as her dowry with Llywelyn's blessing.

In June 1283 Dafydd ap Gruffudd, Llywelyn's brother, who assumed the title of Prince of Wales after Llywelyn's murder in December 1282, was captured at Bera Mountain above the present village.

Prior to the outbreak of Llywelyn's revolt in 1316, there had been a recent outbreak of violence in Anglo-Norman south-east Wales.

The origin of its name, which translates as Dafydd's ( or David's ) cairn, like that of its neighbouring peak, Carnedd Llewelyn ( Llywelyn's cairn ), are named after Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last independent prince of Wales, and his younger brother, Dafydd ap Gruffudd.

Hitherto Llywelyn had ruled over Gwynedd only ; however, the Aberdyfi assembly is seen as a crucial point in his reign, marking the moment at which the minor rulers of Wales submitted to Llywelyn's overlordship.

Upon being released, Owain retired to his estate in north-west Wales and never again mounted a serious challenge to his brother Llywelyn's rule.

Llywelyn's grandson, Llywelyn the Last, took power in 1255 and imprisoned his brother Owain ap Gruffudd before extending his power across Wales.

Following Llywelyn's death the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 introduced English criminal law into Wales: " in thefts, larcenies, burnings, murders, manslaughters and manifest and notorious robberies — we will that they shall use the laws of England ".

Llywelyn's wife Angharad was the daughter of Maredydd ab Owain, who ruled much of both northern and southern Wales for a period.

Llywelyn's successor was his brother, Dafydd, who claimed Llywelyn's title of Tywysog as Tywysog Cymru or Prince of Wales.

Problems were exacerbated when Llywelyn's younger brother Dafydd and Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn of Powys, after failing in an assassination attempt against Llywelyn, defected to the English in 1274.

The Coat of arms | arms of the royal house of Gwynedd were traditionally first used by Llywelyn's father, Iorwerth Drwyndwn.

Following Llywelyn's death in 1240, Gwynedd's power declined and many of its eastern lands were taken by Henry III of England in 1247.

Llywelyn's daughter Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn was committed to a nunnery at Sempringham, while the sons of Dafydd were kept in Bristol Castle until their deaths.

Hubert had been given the lordship and castle of Montgomery by the king and was encroaching on Llywelyn's lands nearby.

On Llywelyn's death it fell back into Norman hands, and in 1244 Earl Gilbert of Pembroke rebuilt it with town walls for added protection.

In return, it confirmed Llywelyn's possession of his conquests and allowed cases relating to lands claimed by Llywelyn to be heard under Welsh law.

Elise ap Madog, lord of Penllyn, had refused to respond to Llywelyn's summons to arms and was stripped of almost all his lands by Llywelyn as punishment.

He seized Llywelyn's lands and granted them to the Mortimers.

It is widely thought that Llywelyn's Coronet was destroyed alongside most of the original English crown jewels in 1649 by order of Oliver Cromwell ; however, an inventory taken by the new republican administration prior to the destruction of the crown jewels makes no mention of this coronet.

The House of Stuart was descended from Walter fitz Alan, the first High Steward of Scotland, and he was believed to have been the grandson of Fleance and Gruffydd ap Llywelyn's daughter, Nesta verch Gruffydd.

For Edward, a further provocation came from Llywelyn's planned marriage to Eleanor, daughter of Simon de Montfort.

* Impression from Llywelyn's Great Seal

* A stone corbel from Llywelyn's castle at Deganwy, thought to be a likeness of Llywelyn Fawr, ab Iorwerth

It also shows a blacksmith-Red Madoc-who reversed the horseshoe on Llywelyn's horse so that the prints in the snow would look as if he was travelling in the opposite direction when fleeing from his ambushers.

During Llywelyn's boyhood, Gwynedd was ruled by two of his uncles, who split the kingdom between them, following the death of Llywelyn's grandfather, Owain Gwynedd, in 1170.

Llywelyn's original intention had been that they should do homage to Dafydd, but the king wrote to the other rulers forbidding them to do homage.

Another possibility is that Llywelyn's crown, which had been stolen in 1303 alongside the English Crown Jewels, had not been returned with the rest of them, and thus escaped destruction by Cromwell.

The Peace of Middle in 1234 marked the end of Llywelyn's military career, as the agreed truce of two years was extended year by year for the remainder of his reign.

Yellow: areas directly ruled by Llywelyn ; Grey: areas ruled by Llywelyn's client princes ; Green: Anglo-Norman lordships.

The Brut y Tywysogion chronicler commented: " that year William de Breos the Younger, lord of Brycheiniog, was hanged by the lord Llywelyn in Gwynedd, after he had been caught in Llywelyn's chamber with the king of England's daughter, Llywelyn's wife ".

This truce was renewed year by year for the remainder of Llywelyn's reign.

After Llywelyn's death on 11 December 1282, Gwenllian was captured by King Edward I and spent the rest of her life in a convent.

:" In this year William de Breos the Younger, lord of Brycheiniog, was hanged by the Lord Llywelyn in Gwynedd, after he had been caught in Llywelyn's chamber with the king of England's daughter, Llywelyn's wife.

The Peace of Middle in 1234 marked the end of Llywelyn's military career as the agreed truce of two years was extended year by year for the remainder of his reign.

After the death of Llywelyn in 1282, every further attempt by the bishop of Llanelwy failed, the Cistercian monks of Aberconwy Abbey ( where Llywelyn the Great, Llywelyn's grandfather, had died in 1240 ) insisted that it be allowed to keep the independence which had belonged to it for 29 years, and ripped down any banners related to the Bishopric or to Edward I.