Was Wales to become the jewel in Edward’s crown?

‘King Edward asks the Archbishop of Canterbury to mediate in this deadly dispute!

The man of God finds the Welsh badly behaved, lazy and the country, a place of general  ill-repute!’

Edward had asked the Archbishop of Canterbury, Franciscan friar and a truly remarkable man, John Peckham to mediate in the conflict. Peckham’s task was almost certainly doomed from the start, given the fact that neither Edward or Llewelyn were prepared to compromise on any issues of substance. King Edward did offer Llewelyn a great estate in England if he would cooperate in turning Wales into a province of the English crown. This, Llewelyn refused, declaring in a letter to Peckham that he could do no other than act in accordance of what he considered to be the best interests of his people. A fine and fitting epitaph for a leader who would become known as ‘Llewelyn the Last’.

The Red Dragon of Wales.

However Peckham’s mission was also undermined by his low opinion of the Welsh. The Archbishop castigated the population as being bone idle, and criticised them for engaging in pastoral farming as opposed to the arable kind. He did not mince his words regarding the clergy either, Peckham described them as unchaste and given to drunkenness.

The effigy of John Peckham, Archbishop of Canterbury.

With the feast of Christmas 1282 fast approaching, Edward’s mood was hardly one of bonhomie and good cheer. The invasion had not gone to plan, but resilient as always,  Edward was certainly not in defeatist mode and would have been preparing for the next stage of hostilities. The king was determined that Wales would soon become the jewel in his crown.

The year had also brought sorrow to the House of Llewelyn ap Gruffydd. His wife Eleanor, daughter of Simon de Montfort had died giving birth to a baby girl, Gwenllian in June.

Eleanor de Montfort.

King Edward too, probably felt some sadness at the news as Eleanor had been a cousin of his. True, she was the daughter of the reviled Monty but then blood is always thicker than water. Indeed, Edward had been a guest at their lavish wedding, and when the war in Wales was over he made provision for the baby Gwenllian.

‘Family ties then had to be put aside!

Tis to the sound of the battlefield that all must now ride!’

Llewelyn decided to take advantage of the setbacks suffered by the English. In euphoric mood, he now came off the mountain and declared his undying loyalty to the Welsh people, it was if his words were written in stone. Observers remarked that it reminded them of the biblical account describing Moses coming down from the mountain, in his hands, the word of God. Llewelyn’s very presence radiated unbounded Celtic heroism.

A later depiction of Llewelyn ap-Gruffydd.

This day in late 1282 constituted the highwater mark of medieval Welsh nationalism. However, it must be remembered that it was his brother Daffyd who had actually ignited the rebellion. One can forgive Daff for perhaps feeling a little peeved at this, and the conversation may have gone thus:

‘You know Lew, if it not been for me setting off the whole show by attacking Hawarden, you would still be kicking your heels on the rocks of the west coast!’

‘I know Daff, it was your bravery, resourcefulness and skill which started this. And when the credit is awarded, Daff, it will be you who gets the most!’

This was a statement with which their arch enemy, the king of England, certainly concurred. At the close of the conflict, Edward most certainly gave Daffyd what he considered an appropriate reward for his part in the rebellion.

Llewelyn travelled to mid-Wales in order to organise the potential support that he had heard was growing there. Indeed, possible allies included some of the Marcher lords, if Llewelyn could persuade these men to ride with him then a significant coup against Edward will have been realised.

But who was to win, game, set and match?