[August 5] Gruffydd, king of the Britons

The united kingdom of Wales, c. 1058 CE

Parents: Llywelyn, king of Gwynedd & Powys

Date of Birth: circa 1007

House: Aberffraw

Spouse(s): Ealdgyth, daughter of Ælfgar, earl of Mercia, and Ælfgifu of Northumbria

Predecessor: Iago (in Gwynedd & Powys), Meurig (in Gwent), Gruffydd (in Mogannwg & Deheubarth)
Reign: 1055 – 1063

Summary: The only person since the Anglo-Saxon conquest to be the undisputed king of the Britons and ruler of all of modern-day Wales, Gruffydd was born into an optimistic time in Welsh history when Wales' fortunes seemed to be on the rise. A close relative, Iago, inherited Gwynedd and Powys when his father died since he was still a young teenager at the time. Iago died in 1039, killed by his own men and Gruffydd was able to gain the throne there. In Powys, he was already recognized as king under Iago. Within a few months of gaining power, Gruffydd surprised his Anglo neighbor, Mercia, by suddenly attacking a band of soldiers and annihilating them, including killing its leader, Edwin, the brother of the earl of Mercia. With his eastern neighbors confused, he attacked the southern kingdom of Debeubarth and defeated the king, Hywel, in open battle at Pencader. Gruffydd claimed the Debeubarth throne at this time though Hywel still was alive and attacked the kingdom in 1044 with a fleet of Danish mercenaries. In 1047, Gruffydd was expelled from Deheubarth by the king of Gwent, who then took the throne for himself. Gruffydd continued to harass England and southern Wales for the next eight years, though he made little progress in conquering lands in either. In 1055, he finally defeated his rival in Gwent and recaptured Deheubarth, gaining the throne of that kingdom and Gwent in the process. Gruffydd was now the uncontested king of the Britons of Wales.

As a powerful lord in the west, he allied himself with the earl of Mercia, the brother of the man he killed almost twenty years earlier. The earl, Ælfgar, had lost an earldom to Harold Godwinsson, the future king Harold II. Ahead of an army, the king and the earl sacked Hareford in 1055 and destroyed its castle. Peace was concluded soon after an Ælfgar was once again earl in East Anglia. As a necessity, Gruffydd completed his conquest of Wales by conquering Morgannwg, which had already been ruled as a vassal state. The English finally recognized him as the king of a united Wales in 1056, a feat accomplished by only a single native king. For six years, Wales had peace as Gruffydd made peace with King Edward the Confessor. But the death of his ally Ælfgar in 1062 caused the English to become more brave, and Harold was given permission to attack Gruffydd at his court in Rhuddlan. The Welsh king escaped just in time out to sea. The next year, Harold's brother Tostig marched on Wales a second time while Harold led a fleet to harry the shores. Gruffydd was overrun and forced to hide in the mountains of Snowdonia. Lost and abandoned by his people, Gruffydd was killed by his own men, possibly due to resentment against their force unification under one king. Gruffydd's head was sent to Harold as tribute and Harold married Gruffydd's widow, Ealdgyth. Wales was never united again and the Norman Conquest three years later was aided in Wales by the fact that Gruffydd's unified kingdom had broken apart three years prior.

Date of Death: 5 August 1063
Successor: Bleddyn (in Gwynedd & Powys), Cadwgan (in Gwent & Morgannwg), Maredudd (in Deheubarth) 

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Louis III, king of France (882)
• Kogon, emperor of Japan (1364)

[February 25] Dafydd, prince of Wales

Date of Birth: c. 1215

Parents: Llywelyn II, prince of Wales, and Joan of England

House: Aberffraw

Spouse: Isabella, daughter of William de Braose, lord of Abergavenny, and Eva Marshal

Reign: 1240 – 1246

Predecessor: Llywelyn II

Summary: Dafydd was the only son of Llywelyn the Great and his wife, Joan, daughter of King John of England. Despite disagreements and problems in the line of succession, Llywelyn made certain that Dafydd was to be the only heir of the king. His half-brother, Gruffydd, though, was popular in the family ancestral kingdom of Gwynedd in the north of Wales. Dafydd's strength came from his co-reign with his father from 1237 until he became prince in 1240.


Dafydd was not a lucky prince. When his father died, King Henry III of England forced the prince to return all lands conquered outside of Gwynedd. Dafydd attempted to make an alliance with Louis IX of France but was caught in the act and forced to sign the Treaty of Gwerneigron. One component of this treaty required the prince to hand over Gruffydd to the king of England. This proved convenient despite the initial risk because Gruffydd died while trying to escape the Tower of London in 1244. This made Dafydd's rule uncontested. Still, he had the problem of England to deal with. He allied with the other Welsh rulers and attacked English possessions throughout Wales. But Henry III would not be daunted. He invaded repeatedly, slowly making inroads into the heart of the Welsh countryside. Hoping to curry favor internationally, Dafydd gained recognition of his title from Pope Innocent IV but Henry got the decision reversed the next year. After Henry found his army stranded, he made a truce with Dafydd and returned home. His plans to return the next spring continued even after Dafydd died suddenly at his home in Abergwyngregyn. He left no legitimate heirs behind, so the two sons of Grufydd, Llywelyn III and Owain II, succeeded him with Llywelyn taking the title prince of Wales. The young princes made peace with England the next year by forfeiting much of their ancestral land to England.

Date of Death: 25 February 1246

Successor: Llywelyn III

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Frederick I, king of Prussia (1713)
• Daoguang, emperor of China (1850)
• Guillaume IV, grand duke of Luxembourg (1912)