Principality of Wales

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The Principality of Wales (Welsh: Twysogaeth Cymru) was the lands ruled by the Prince of Wales directly, and was formally recognized by the 1267 Treaty of Montgomery between the Prince of Wales and the King of England. The treaty gave substance to the political reality of 13th century Wales and England, both part of the Angevin Empire.

Encompassing two-thirds of modern Wales, the principality retained a great degree of home rule, characterized by a separate legal jurisprudence based on the well established laws of Cyfraith Hywel, and by the increasingly sophisticated court of the Aberffraw dynasty.

Though part of the Angevin empire, and thus owing fealty to the king of England, the principality’s existence was proof that all the elements necessary for the growth of Welsh statehood were in place, and was independent de facto, wrote historian Dr. John Davies. The principality was as much a part of the Angevin empire as was Scotland, wrote Davies.

Foundations and History

The Principality of Wales was based on the historic lands ruled by the Aberffraw family, lands traditionally including Ynys Môn, Gwynedd-Uwch-Conwy'' (Gwynedd above the Conwy), and the Perfeddwlad (the Middle Country). Additional lands were acquired through vassalage or conquest, and by regaining lands lost to Marcher lords, particularly that of the Perfeddwlad

The Aberffraw family had long claimed suzenreignty over all other Welsh lords, including of Powys and of Deheubarth. In The History of Gruffydd ap Cynan, written in the late 12th century, the family asserted its rights as the senior line of descendants from Rhodri the Great who had conquered most of Wales during his lifetime. Gruffydd ap Cynan's biography was first written in Latin and clearly intended for a wider audience outside of Wales

The significance of this claim was that the Aberffraw family owed nothing to the English king for its position in Wales, and that they held authority in Wales "by absolute right through decent," wrote Davies

In the 11th and 12th centuries, Gwynedd had been ruled by a series of successful rulers, uncluding Gruffydd ap Cynan (c. 1055 – 1137) and his grandson Owain Gwynedd (c. 1100 - 1170). Owain Gwynedd claimed the title Princeps Wallensium (Prince of the Welsh), and had his son Dafydd ab Owain (d. 1203) married to King Henry II's sister, Emma d'Anjou. According to Davies, the marriage between the Aberffraw and Plantagenet families suggests that the relationship between the chief Welsh ruler and the English crown was a similar relationship as shared between the king of Scots, Alexander I, and the English Crown. Alexander I of Scotland had married the illegitimate daughter of Henry I of England.

Owain Gwynedd was succeeded by his son Dafydd, and as Prince of Gwynedd Dafydd swore fealty to Henry II in 1177. However, Dafydd's position was inheritly weaker then his father's had been, and conflict with his kinsmin undermined his authority.

By 1200 Owain Gwynedd's grandson Llywelyn I Fawr (the Great) ruled over all of Gwynedd, with England endorsing all of Llywellyn I's holdings that year . England's endorsement was part of a larger stratigy of reducing the influence of Powys Wenwynwyn, as King John had given William de Breos license in 1200 to "seize as much as he could" from the native Welsh . However, de Breos was in disgrace by 1208, and Llywelyn seized both Powys Wenwynwyn and northern Ceredigon.

In his expansion, the Prince was careful not to antagonize King John, his father-in-law . Llywelyn had married Joan, King John's illegitimate daughter, in 1204. In 1209 Prince Llywelyn joined King John on his campaign in Scotland.

However, by 1211 King John recognized the growing influence of Prince Llywellyn as a threat to English authority in Wales. King John invaded Gwynedd and reached the banks of the Menai, and Llywelyn was forced to cede the Perfeddwlad, and recognize John as his heir if Llywelyn I's marriage with Joan did not produce any legitimate successors. Succession was a complicated matter given that Welsh law recognized children born out of wedlock as equal to those in born in wedlock . Llywelyn had several children by then with a mistress.

Many of Llywelyn I's Welsh allies had abandoned him during England's invasion of Gwynedd, preferring an overlord far away rather than one nearby . These Welsh lords expected an unobtrusive English crown, however King John had castles built in Ystryth, and John's direct interference in Powys and the Perfeddwlad caused many of these Welsh lords to rethink their position.

Llywelyn capitalized on Welsh resentment against King John, and led a church sanctioned revolt against him. As King John was an enemy of the church, Innocent III gave his blessing to Llywelyn's revolt. 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.

However, King John was fustrated by the Welsh revolt, but was unable to lead a campaign against Llywelyn because of growing baronial discontent in England. In his frustration, 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 treaty of Aberdyfi, thus becoming the de facto Prince of Wales and giving substance to the Aberffraw claims. This was a circumstance later accepted by Henry III of England with the 1267 treaty of Montgomery.

Government and Law

The political maturation of the principality’s government fostered a more defined relationship between prince and the people. Emphasis was placed on the territorial integrity of the principality, with the prince as lord of all the land, and other Welsh lords swearing fealty to the prince directly, a distinction with which the Prince of Wales paid yearly tribute to the King of England.. By treaty the principality was obliged to pay the kingdom large annual sums. Between 1267 and 1272 Wales made a total payment of $11,500, "proof of a growing money economy... and testimony of the effectiveness of the principality’s financial administration," wrote Dr. Davies (A History of Wales by John Davies, page 153). Additionally, modifications and amendments to the Law Codes of Hywl Dda encouraged the declined of the galanas (blood-fine) and the use of the jury system.

Additionally, the Aberffraw dynasty maintained vigorous diplomatic and domestic policies; and patronized the Church in Wales, particularly that of the Cistercian Order.

Population and Society

The Principality of Wales encompassed three quarters of the surface area of Wales; "from Anglesea to Machen, from the outskirts of Chester to the outskirts of Cydweli," wrote Davies. By 1271, Prince Llywelyn II could claim a growing population of about 200,000 people, or a little less than three fourths of the total Welsh population .

The population increase was common throughout Europe in the 13th century, but in Wales it was more pronounced . According to Dr. Davies, the growth in population is attributed to a more stable social and political environment and warmer climate.

By Llywelyn II's reign as much as 10 per cent of the population were town-dwellers. Additionally, "unfree slaves... had long disappeared" from within the territory of the principality, wrote Davies . The increase in men allowed the prince to call on and field a far more substantial army.

Economy and Trade

The increase in the Welsh population, especially in the lands of the principality, allowed for a greater diversification of the economy. The Meirionnydd tax rolls give evidence to the thirty-seven various professions present in Meirionnydd directly before the conquest.

Of these professions, there were eight gold-smiths, four bards (poets) by trade, twenty-six shoemakers, a doctor in Cynwyd and a hotel keeper in Maentwrog, and twenty-eight priests; two of which were university graduates. Also present were a significant number of fishermen, administrators, professional men and craftsmen. With the average temperature of Wales a degree or two higher then it is today, more Welsh lands were arable for agriculture, "a crucial bonus for a country like Wales," wrote Davies.

Of significant importance for the principality included more developed trade routes, which allowed for the introduction of new energy sources such as the windmill, the fulling-mill, and the horse collar (the horse collar doubled the efficiency of horse-power).

The principality traded cattle, skins, cheese, timber, horses, wax, dogs, hawks, and fleeces, but also flannel (with the growth of fulling mills). Flannel was second only to cattle among the principality’s exports. In exchange, the principality imported salt, wine, wheat, and other luxuries from London and Paris. But most importantly for the defense of the principality, iron and specialized weaponry were also imported.

Welsh dependence on foreign imports was a tool that England used to wear down the principality during times of conflict between the two countries.

The Church in Wales

Wars of Welsh Independence

From Conquest to the 19th century

Principality today

The term principality is sometimes used in a modern sense to denote all of Wales and Cornwall (territorial duchy) as a tightly related state. This state did not use the modern flag of Wales (which was officialised in 1959) however historians usually agree that a flag with a dragon variant was in wide usage in Wales (and England before the Anglo-Saxon conquest) since post-Roman times. The House of Tudor added the green and white field some time before or after the annexation of this state as it was their own personal livery colours.

References

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Last updated on Wednesday March 12, 2008 at 09:20:36 PDT (GMT -0700)
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