Editing Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (section)

=== Setback and recovery 1210–1217 ===
[[File:LlywelynFawr.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Statue of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, [[Conwy]]]]
[[Image:CymruLlywelyn.PNG|thumb|250px|[[Wales]] c. 1217. Yellow: areas directly ruled by Llywelyn; Grey: areas ruled by Llywelyn's client princes; Green: Anglo-Norman lordships.]]

In 1210, relations between Llywelyn and King John deteriorated. [[John Edward Lloyd]] suggests that the rupture may have been due to Llywelyn forming an alliance with [[William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber]], who had fallen out with the king and had been deprived of his lands.{{sfn|Lloyd|1911|p=631}} While John led a campaign against de Braose and his allies in [[Ireland]], an army led by [[Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester]], and [[Peter des Roches]], [[Bishop of Winchester]], invaded Gwynedd. Llywelyn destroyed his own castle at [[Deganwy]] and retreated west of the River Conwy. The Earl of Chester rebuilt Deganwy, and Llywelyn retaliated by ravaging the Earl's lands.{{sfn|Lloyd|1911|p=632}}{{sfn|Maund|2006|p=192}} John sent troops to help restore Gwenwynwyn to the rule of southern Powys. In 1211, John invaded Gwynedd with the aid of almost all the other Welsh princes, planning according to ''[[Brut y Tywysogion]]'' "to dispossess Llywelyn and destroy him utterly".{{sfn|Williams|1860|p=154}} The first invasion was forced to retreat, but in August that year John invaded again with a larger army, crossed the River Conwy and penetrated [[Snowdonia]].{{sfn|Maund|2006|p=193}} [[Bangor, Wales|Bangor]] was burnt by a detachment of the royal army and the [[Bishop of Bangor]] captured. Llywelyn was forced to come to terms, and by the advice of his council sent his wife Joan to negotiate with the king, her father.{{sfn|Williams|1860|pp=155–156}} Joan was able to persuade her father not to dispossess her husband completely, but Llywelyn lost all his lands east of the River Conwy.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Battles of Wales |last=Gater |first=Dilys |publisher=Gwasg Carreg Gwalch |location=Llanrwst |edition=1st |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-86381-178-4 |page=62}}</ref> He also had to pay a large tribute in cattle and horses and to hand over hostages, including his illegitimate son Gruffudd and was forced to agree that if he died without a legitimate heir by Joan, all his lands would revert to the king.{{sfn|Davies|1992|p=295}}

This was the low point of Llywelyn's reign, but he quickly recovered his position. The other Welsh princes, who had supported King John against Llywelyn, soon became disillusioned with John's rule and changed sides. Llywelyn formed an alliance with Gwenwynwyn of Powys and the two main rulers of Deheubarth, [[Maelgwn ap Rhys]] and [[Rhys Gryg]], and rose against John. They had the support of [[Pope Innocent III]], who had been engaged in a dispute with John for several years and had placed his kingdom under an [[interdict]]. Innocent III released Llywelyn, Gwenwynwyn and Maelgwn from all oaths of loyalty to John and lifted the interdict in the territories which they controlled. Llywelyn was able to recover all Gwynedd apart from the castles of Deganwy and [[Rhuddlan Castle|Rhuddlan]] within two months in 1212.{{sfn|Williams|1860|pp=158–159}}

John planned another invasion of Gwynedd in August 1212. According to one account, he had just commenced by hanging some of the Welsh hostages given the previous year when he received two letters. One was from his daughter Joan, Llywelyn's wife, the other from William I of Scotland ([[William the Lion]]), 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.{{sfn|Pryce|2005|p=445}} The invasion was abandoned, and in 1213, Llywelyn took the castles of Deganwy and Rhuddlan.{{sfn|Williams|1860|p=162}} Llywelyn made an alliance with [[Philip II of France|Philip II Augustus]] of [[France]],{{sfn|Moore|2005|pp=112–113}} then allied himself with the barons who were in rebellion against John, marching on [[Shrewsbury]] and capturing it without resistance in 1215.{{sfn|Williams|1860|p=165}} When John was forced to sign [[Magna Carta]],<ref name=DWB/> Llywelyn was rewarded with several favourable provisions relating to Wales, including the release of his son, Gruffudd, who had been a hostage since 1211.{{sfn|Lloyd|1911|p=646}} The same year, [[Ednyfed Fychan]] was appointed [[seneschal|seneschal of Gwynedd]] and was to work closely with Llywelyn for the remainder of his reign.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/heraldicvisitati_01dwnn/page/n23/mode/2up |title=The Heraldic Visitation of Wales, Vol. I, |page=xiv|author-last=Dwnn |author-first=Lewys |author-link=Lewys Dwnn|editor=[[Samuel Rush Meyrick]] |date=1846}}</ref>

Llywelyn had now established himself as the leader of the independent princes of Wales, and in December 1215, led an army which included all the lesser princes to capture the castles of [[Carmarthen]], [[Kidwelly Castle|Kidwelly]], [[Llansteffan Castle|Llanstephan]], [[Cardigan Castle|Cardigan]] and [[Cilgerran Castle|Cilgerran]]. Another indication of his growing power was that he was able to insist on the consecration of Welshmen to two vacant sees that year, Iorwerth, as [[Bishop of St Davids]], and [[Cadwgan of Llandyfai]], as [[Bishop of Bangor]].{{sfn|Williams|1860|p=167}}

In 1216, Llywelyn held a council at [[Aberdyfi]] to adjudicate on the territorial claims of the lesser princes, who affirmed their homage and allegiance to Llywelyn. [[J. Beverley Smith]] comments: "The leader in military alliance assumed the role of lord, his erstwhile allies were now his vassals."<ref>{{cite book |first=J. Beverley |last=Smith |year=1998 |author-link=J. Beverley Smith |title=Llywelyn ap Gruffudd: Prince of Wales |publisher=University of Wales Press |location=Cardiff |isbn=978-0-7083-1474-6 |page=19}}</ref> Gwenwynwyn of Powys changed sides again that year and allied himself with King John. Llywelyn called up the other princes for a campaign against him and drove him out of southern Powys once more.<ref name=DWB/> Gwenwynwyn died in England later that year, leaving an underage heir. King John also died that year, and he also left an underage heir in King [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] with a minority government set up in England.{{sfn|Lloyd|1911|pp=649–651}}

In 1217, [[Reginald de Braose]] of [[Brecon]] and [[Abergavenny]], who had been allied to Llywelyn and married his daughter, [[Gwladus Ddu]], was induced by the English crown to change sides. Llywelyn responded by invading his lands, first threatening [[Brecon]], where the burgesses offered hostages for the payment of 100 marks, then heading for [[Swansea]] where Reginald de Braose met him to offer submission and to surrender the town. He then continued westwards to threaten [[Haverfordwest]] where the burgesses offered hostages for their submission to his rule or the payment of a fine of 1,000 marks.{{sfn|Davies|1992|p=242}}{{sfn|Lloyd|1911|pp=652–653}}