Opposition: Llewellyn the Great of Wales (c 1173-1240)

The Plantagenet dynasty boasted several outstanding rulers, but it was their rivals and enemies, the Welsh, who had the honor of having two of their leaders named "the Great".  One was Llewellyn, Prince of Gwynedd and Powis Wenwynwyn during the reigns of King John (1199-1216) and Henry III (1216-1272).

Llewellyn (c 1173-1240), may have been born in Dolyweddelan Castle in what is now Conwy County Borough, North Wales.  He was born to a princely family, the rulers of Gwynedd.  Although the eldest son of his father, Gwynedd was not necessarily the first choice as ruler.  Gwynedd was held between his two uncles, who had no intention of giving him the throne.  If Llewellyn wanted his father's throne, he would have to take it by force of arms, which he did, in a struggle which lasted several years (1188-1199), which Richard the Lionheart was crusading in the Holy Land, in captivity in Austria and trying to retain his family's possessions in France before his death.  Llewellyn's opponent was his cousin Davydd, who was himself a Plantagenet in-law by means of marriage with a relative of Henry II.  Llewellyn ultimately prevailed over Davydd in 1203.

In those days, Wales was divided into a series of kingdoms.  That is, the part of it that hadn't already been conquered by English barons (the border area known as the Marches).  Even after the death of his uncles and his cousin Dafydd retiring to England, Llewellyn would have to keep consolidating and conquering.  He would also have to work a fair amount of intricate diplomacy with the English.  He reached an agreement with John, swearing fealty to the English King for his lands.  He also married John's out-of-wedlock daughter, Joan in 1205, thus becoming a Plantagenet by extension.  He then set his sights on the larger kingdom of Powys.  In exchange for a promise to assist his father-in-law with a campaign against William I of Scotland, John stripped the ruler of Powys of his authority and gave that kingdom to Llewellyn.  By means of these two kingdoms, influence with the English and his military and diplomatic ability, Llewellyn was ruler of virtually all of Wales.  He is sometimes called the first Prince of Wales, though he only ever claimed to be Prince of North Wales. 

Relations between Llewelly and John soured, as in-laws often will.  John sent an army into Wales and Llewellyn began a scorched-earth running retreat before the superior forces of the English.  He also ravaged the lands of one of the Marcher lords.  Furious, John backed the former ruler of Powys in an attempt to get his lands back, but Llewellyn wasn't through yet.  Enter Joan, Lady of Wales, who approached her father with an offer of compromise.  John's terms were steep, requiring Llewellyn to hand over his own out-of-wedlock son Gruffydd as a hostage and stipulating that if Joan did not produce issue, all of Llewellyn's holdings and virtually most of Wales would revert to English control.  Joan would later save her husband's kingdom by having a son, also named Dafydd.  Meanwhile, Llewellyn had formed alliances with other Welsh leaders who were fed up with John and the English and willing to fight back. 

John planned an invasion of Wales in 1212, but Joan and William I of Scotland saw an opportunity to play a hand and warned John of the obvious.  His barons were in a mutinous mood.  If he lunged at Wales, he might just lose England and his own life.  Llewellyn reached out to an old Plantagenet enemy, Phillip II of France, then seized and held the town of Shrewsbury.  When John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, he also had to make concessions to Llewellyn in Wales.  Llewellyn, now de facto Prince of Wales, continued his campaigns in 1215, seizing Carmarthen, Cardigan and several other Welsh towns.  He also defeated his old rival and took back the Kingdom of Powys.  When Henry III succeeded his father, Llewellyn concluded with him the Treaty of Worcester, which confirmed Llewellyn in possession of the territory he had conquered.  Llewellyn took the opportunity to marry some of his daughters to the leading Marcher lords in a bid for peace and stability.   Llewellyn was careful not to antagonize Henry III, even backing him in 1229, when William Marshal, 2nd Ear of Pembroke, decided to revolt against Henry.

Then family drama erupted.  Joan was found in bed with one of her husband's old enemies, William de Braose, a leading Marcher lord.  Llewellyn ordered de Braose hanged and his wife imprisoned, which led to tensions with her relatives in England.  Despite this, de Braose's daughter married Llewellyn and Joan's son, Dafydd.  By this time, Henry III was choosing to back another Marcher lord, Hubert de Burgh, against Llewellyn and war broke out again.  Once again, Llewellyn would fight his enemies to a standstill and in 1232, another truce was agreed.  His plan was to have his legitimate son Dafydd inherit his lands in Gwynedd but Davydd would have to fight for his rights, just as his father had. 

Joan died in 1237 and Llewellyn suffered a stroke, severely limiting his ability to rule.  Dafydd took more of a hand in running the kingdom and dispossessed his half-brother Gruffyth, of his inheritance.  Llewellyn died at the Abbey of Aberconwy.  His remains were later moved to St. Grwst's Church, where his stone coffin can still be seen.  Dafydd would have to do homage to Henry III of England to keep his lands.  Gruffydd was taken as a hostage to England and later killed attempting to escape from the Tower of London in 1244.  Dafydd died without issue in 1246 and Gruffyth's son succeeded to his famous grandfather's kingdoms.