Homage and dissidence

On 16 June 1237 Henry III wrote to Llywelyn the Great, confirming a truce to last until 25 July 1238. The king also expressed his thanks that Llywelyn thought fit to send his second son, Dafydd, to continue peace talks at Worcester. This meeting was postponed and in the end never happened, possibly due to the refusal of the men of Powys Fadog to agree to any deal proposed by Llywelyn and Dafydd.

The Powysian dissidents were led by their lord, Gruffydd ap Madog, and Llywelyn’s eldest son Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. Together the two Gruffydds, probably supported by other Welsh lords and Marchers, formed an opposition party to the disabled Llywelyn and his son Dafydd. To add to Llywelyn’s woes, 1237 also witnessed the death of his wife, Princess Joan Plantagenet, and his son-in-law Earl John of Chester.

It appears King Henry trusted no-one. On 4 July he issued an order for the archbishop of Canterbury to escort Dafydd to him at Westminster; the very next day it was agreed that Dafydd would prolong the truce with ‘our faithful Prince Llywelyn and his adherents’, described as the king’s ‘open enemies’.

In early 1238 Dafydd launched a campaign against his elder brother. Over the next few months he took from Gruffydd the lands of Arwystli, Ceri, Cyfeiliog, Mochnant, Caereinon and Mawddy. All of Gruffydd’s territorial gains over the past three years were reversed, leaving him with just Llyn.

With Dafydd in the ascendant, the ageing Llywelyn permitted his second son to take the homage of some of the magnates of Wales. When Henry heard of this, he wrote to Morgan of Caerleon, Rhys ap Gruffudd, Rhys Mechyll, Hywel ap Maredudd, Maredudd ap Rhys, Cynan ap Hywel, Maelgwn ap Maelgwn, Gruffydd ab Owain, Richard ap Hywel, Rhys ap Trahaearn, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (the future prince of Wales), Maredudd ap Maelgwn, Owain ap Hywel and his brother, Owain ap Maredudd and all the tenants of honour of Brecon and Buellt and all the tenants of Richard Clare and all the tenants of the English earls and barons in Wales. This mighty assembly was warned not to pay homage to Dafydd, since:

"the aforesaid magnates hold their lands from us and they owe homage to us and because the aforesaid Dafydd should pay homage to us and has not yet done homage to us.”

Henry III

Henry’s complaint was not that Dafydd had taken the homage of the lords of Wales; rather, he had done so before swearing homage to the king. Further letters went back and forth, in which Henry protested at attacks and trespasses committed in the lands of Powys by Dafydd’s men. Thus, the king intervened on behalf of his step-nephew Gruffydd against his blood-nephew Dafydd.