Cold Open

It’s just after midnight on March 21st, 1282, at Hawarden Castle in north Wales.

In the courtyard, 43-year-old Dafydd ap Gruffydd raises his heavy sword. All around him, steel clashes with armor. A battle is raging. Dafydd and his men have launched a surprise attack on this castle, and they’re determined to take it.

After five years of peace, tensions between England and Wales have reached a boiling point. The English have broken the terms of a treaty and encroached on Welsh land. Dafydd is hell-bent on kicking them out, starting with Hawarden Castle.

Dafydd’s men have already breached the outer wall and are now fighting their way through the courtyard toward the inner gatehouse, the final obstacle to the castle’s fortified core.

Dafydd and his men quickly surround the entrance. Calling out, he orders the English soldiers inside to surrender.

There’s a long silence. Then suddenly, an English spearman charges out of the doorway.

Dafydd narrowly sidesteps the advancing soldier and parries his spear.

Then, he turns and plunges his sword into the Englishman’s back.

The spearman crumples to the ground, and seeing their dead comrade, the remaining English guards hastily vacate the gatehouse with their hands in the air.

As word of Dafydd ap Gruffydd’s victory spreads, other Welsh noblemen take up arms against the English. But King Edward I of England is furious. Known as “Longshanks” because of his imposing height, King Edward gathers his barons and launches an invasion of Wales. And he will not rest until he defeats the Welsh and executes Dafydd for high treason on October 3rd, 1283.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham, and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is October 3rd, 1283: The Execution of the Last Prince of Wales.

Act One: The Bridge of Boats

It’s noon on November 6th, 1282, in north Wales, six months after Dafydd ap Gruffydd’s surprise attack on Hawarden Castle.

On a rocky hilltop, 59-year-old Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd of Wales peers down at the sea. Below him, the English have built a line of floating platforms, a bridge of boats, connecting the island of Anglesey to the mainland. With their naval superiority, the English have established a secure base on the island and are now using it to launch a strike on Wales.

As English boots stamp across the wet, rickety platforms, Llywelyn grips the hilt of his sword.

This is not the first time he's faced an invasion of his kingdom. Since the Norman conquest of England in 1066, much of Wales has been subjugated by the English crown and ruled by vassal lordships. But Llywelyn’s Kingdom of Gwynedd in north Wales has remained fiercely independent. And for as long as he can remember, Llywelyn has battled the English crown for greater freedom and autonomy.

But eight years ago, in 1274, Llywelyn’s hot-headed younger brother Dafydd defected to the English, hoping to gain lands his elder brother had refused to grant him. Soon after, King Edward I of England invaded Gwynedd and forced Llywelyn to surrender the eastern part of his kingdom to his younger brother.

In so doing, King Edward hoped he had created another loyal vassal lord in the most troublesome region of Wales. But Dafydd was soon unhappy with the deal. He felt Edward hadn’t given him sufficient reward. And after English lords then began encroaching onto his land, Dafydd switched sides once again and launched a surprise attack on the English-held Hawarden Castle.

But even after hearing about Dafydd’s victory, Prince Llywelyn was still unsure if he could trust his brother. But when other Welsh lords also began rising up against the English King Edward, he decided he couldn’t let the chance pass. Prince Llywelyn put his doubts aside and joined his brother Dafydd in the fight against the English crown.

Now, Dafydd stands proudly at Llewelyn's side. Together, they watch as over 2,000 English soldiers pour off their makeshift bridge from Anglesey onto the Welsh mainland. They seem unopposed. But the brothers have a plan.

To advance any further into Wales, the English must march along a narrow coastal road. And that leaves them vulnerable to an ambush. Prince Llywelyn has hidden his troops all along the mountainside lining the road. They’re just waiting for the right moment to strike.

It soon comes, and Llywelyn raises his sword and gives the order. Welsh battlecries sound across the mountain, and the English army halts. They raise their shields and form a defensive line, but the cries echoing among the mountains make them unsure of where their enemy is.

Suddenly, rocks tumble down the mountainside, smashing into English shields and helmets. And before they can recover, the Welsh footmen are upon them, leaping from their hiding places and hurling themselves at the bewildered English army. Some of the English invaders hold their ground and fight back. But others break ranks and try to flee to the bridge they came from.

But it’s too late. The tide has risen and carried the bridge far off from shore. So desperate, the English soldiers plunge into the icy waters, trying to swim for safety. Some knights manage to escape on the backs of their horses, but most are dragged down by their heavy armor, and soon, the shallow waters of the Welsh coast are littered with English bodies.

It’s another famous victory for Llywelyn and Dafydd. And word of their success quickly spreads. This “Battle of the Bridge of Boats” convinces some undecided Welsh lords to join the rebel cause, too.

But Prince Llywelyn knows the odds are still stacked in King Edward’s favor. If they are to defeat the English, Llywelyn and Dafydd will need the support of even more Welsh nobles, especially those in the highly contested border regions.

And it's in late November 1282 that Llywelyn learns that in one of these regions, the elderly Lord Roger Mortimer has died. There are rumors that his heir is sympathetic to the Welsh rebels. So Llywelyn and his army set out for the middle marches of Wales, trying to convince its new lord to join his Welsh countrymen in their fight against the English. But an act of treachery will soon take Llywelyn by surprise and turn the tide of the entire war.

Act Two: Mortimer’s Betrayal

It’s the afternoon of December 11th, 1282, in central Wales, a month after the Battle of the Bridge of Boats.

Accompanied by an escort of eighteen of his best men, Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd rides his horse down a hillside into a valley. Mist lurks in the air, and his cloak lies damp against his armor.

Waiting below is a small force of soldiers, their blue and gold banners hanging limply in the fog.

Over the past month, Llywelyn has traveled all across the Welsh Marches, the border region with England. He’s been trying to gather more support for his rebellion. But the Mortimers, one of the most powerful families in the area, appear to have remained loyal to the English crown. Until now.

Only a short time ago, Llywelyn was on the verge of engaging in battle with the English when he received an urgent message. It was from the Mortimers, and it proposed an alliance. So now Llywelyn has left his own 7,000-strong army on the high ground behind him to ride out and meet the Mortimers.

Llywelyn knows it could be a trap. But he has heard rumors for weeks that the Mortimers want to defect. And he will need their soldiers just to win today’s battle, let alone the war.

So despite the risk, he’s taken the chance and left his army. But as he approaches, something feels wrong. The Mortimers don’t come out to meet him. And in the distance, he catches a glimpse of other soldiers on the move. He quickly realizes that it’s the Englishmen marching northwards. They’re trying to outflank the Welsh. Llywelyn realizes he’s been deceived. So, he yanks his reins and calls for his men to stop. But it’s too late. Beyond the Mortimers, a group of English cavalry appears out of the mist, charging fast toward them.

There’s no time to flee back up the hillside. And the way to the north is cut off. Suddenly, Llywelyn’s only option is to ride south and try to escape across the River Irfon. Llywelyn and his guardsmen quickly break away, galloping hard. But they’re pursued by the English riders.

Llywelyn can hear the pounding of their hooves. But he doesn’t look back. Instead, he pushes on his panting horse harder than ever. But as he reaches the riverbank, the English riders catch up. They cut down Llywelyn’s outnumbered guards and surround him. Llywelyn whirls around, his sword flashing. But there are too many of the English. One of their blade finds a gap in his armor, and Llywelyn slides off his horse, crashing into the mud below.

The English riders shout at him to surrender. But Llywelyn refuses to give up. Bruised and bleeding, he spits soil from his mouth and plunges his sword into the ground, using it to heave his body up from the mud. He shrugs off his wet cloak, allowing his armor to glint in the fading light of dusk. He then roars that he is the Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd. And he will never be taken alive. The English close in and make good on his promise.

A week later, inside a packed church in north Wales, Dafydd ap Gruffydd stares at the floor and makes the sign of the cross. He’s just been told of the death of his brother Llywelyn and the mutilation of his body thereafter. Llywelyn’s head was cut off, then paraded through England on its way to the Tower of London, where it’s now displayed on an iron spike.

Dafydd raises his head, and the uneasy congregation in the church falls silent. He proclaims himself the Prince of Wales. It’s a day he’s long imagined. He didn’t want to inherit the crown like this, but now it falls to him to keep the dream of Welsh independence alive.

But Dafydd is fast running out of options. An enormous English army has already surrounded his stronghold in north Wales, and in the early months of 1283, it begins to push into Dafydd’s land. He moves from castle to castle, hunted by English troops every step of the way. But eventually, he runs out of fortresses and must flee into the mountains. For a few weeks, he lives off the land and the goodwill of the Welsh people, until, in June 1283, he is betrayed by his own men and captured by English soldiers.

With Dafydd’s defeat, the war for Welsh independence will come to an end. And at last, King Edward of England will have his chance for revenge.

Act Three: A Noble Treason

It’s the morning of October 3rd, 1283, in Shrewsbury, England, four months after Dafydd ap Gruffydd was captured by English soldiers.

Pushing past other townsfolk, a shopkeeper fights for a better view of the procession through the streets. English soldiers march past, the steel of their weapons glinting in the sun, but the shopkeeper’s eyes are drawn to the condemned man behind them. Bound at his hands and feet, Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the last Prince of Wales, is being dragged along the road by a horse.

Last month, he was found guilty of high treason by a court of English lords. It was the first time a noble of such a high rank had ever stood trial for the crime, but King Edward of England was determined to make an example of Dafydd.

So in the town square, the shopkeeper now watches as the procession comes to a halt beside a scaffold. Two soldiers haul Dafydd to his feet and march him to the noose. He holds his head high, but the shopkeeper can see the horror in his eyes.

Dafydd’s execution is long and painful. First, he is hanged until almost dead. But then, he is cut down and disemboweled while still alive. Finally, he is beheaded, and his body cut into quarters, one for each corner of the kingdom, so all of England can see what happens to traitors. Dafydd’s head then goes to the Tower of London and is put on display next to his brother Llywelyn’s.

The execution of Dafydd ap Gruffydd marks the end of the war for Welsh independence. To complete his conquest of the country, King Edward imposes English law on Wales and builds a ring of imposing castles to quell any future rebellions. And as a final symbol of his victory, Edward takes Llywelyn and Dafydd’s title of “The Prince of Wales” and grants it to his own heir, a tradition that will continue for centuries.

Edward will then turn his attention north to England’s other neighbor, Scotland. His campaign against William Wallace and Robert the Bruce will earn him the moniker “The Hammer of the Scots.” But it was in Wales that Edward began his conquests, with the tragic fall of Llywelyn and his brother Dafydd, the last native Prince of Wales, who was executed for high treason on October 3rd, 1283.

Outro

Next on History Daily. October 6th, 1889. The now famous Moulin Rouge cabaret club opens its doors in Paris for the first time.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Mollie Baack.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Angus Gavan McHarg.

Edited by William Simpson.

Managing producer Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.