Closure of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and the House of Aberffraw

Closure of the Welsh Kingdoms reigned by Kings, the end of the Kingdom of Gwynedd (401-1283), the final ruling Kingdom in Wales, and the ending of the Royal House of Aberffraw (Wikipedia articles linked).

"It took until 1283, when Edward I conquered Gwynedd, for the last part of Roman Britain to fall. Indeed, a strong case can be made for Gwynedd as the very last part of the entire Roman Empire, east and west, to fall to the barbarians." Professor Bryan Ward-Perkins.

The Kingdom of Gwynedd started as a post-Roman defensive border to protect the British Celts from invading Irish and Picts in the 5th century. The Kings of Gwynedd would go on to thrive in society for nearly a millennium. They expanded their borders far from the original kingdom of the northwest of Wales to conquer all of Wales as a territory today, from their family seat of Aberffraw on Anglesey, an island to the northwest of mainland Wales. To date, the descendants of the Kings of Gwynedd are scattered around the world and probably to the moon. Firstly, from Gwynedd, the gene pool spread throughout Wales during the Middle Ages via marriage alliances between kingdoms. Then as was documented from the 15th century, the descendants of Penmynydd, Anglesey started The House of Tudor, they influenced the society structure of the British Isles, then their successor, The Stuarts, and eventual Jacobite succession spread throughout Europe by the 18th century, and by that time, the British Commonwealth emerged throughout the world. From the breakup of the empire came many former British independent nations around the world. Today, the remnants of the former British empire have been rebranded to the Commonwealth of Nations, which is still represented by the monarchy of England, and the Prince of Wales' family, a political association of 2.4 billion people as of 2024.

The geographical position of Gwynedd is located in a harsh terrain further north than it is south, it is a colder climate on average in the world. The county today includes the Snowdonia mountain range, a rugged countryside that was used tactically by the Kings of Gwynedd to their advantage for centuries in wars between invading forces and the Welsh. From the emergence of the Royal House of Aberffraw in 873, the Kingdom's significance grew and was recognised as the preferred location of royalty in Wales. Although Powys to the east and Deheubarth in the south were also powerful, the Kingdoms were taken over by the invading French Anglo-Normans, and it was Gwynedd who stayed independent and solely ruled in Wales. The descendants of the King of Gwynedd, Gruffudd ap Cynan continuously took the title of Prince of Wales during the 12th to 13th centuries, that is until the English revived the title in 1301. During the age of the Kingdom in medieval times, the Saxons failed to conquer the lands, the Vikings failed, and the Normans failed, only for the English (Anglo-Normans) to reach an agreement with Gwynedd and Wales. Unfortunately, other parts of the British Isles were not as fortunate as Wales and Gwynedd in particular in staying independent over the past 2 millennia. The East of England succumbed to the invading north Germanic Saxons by the 6th century. Then the Viking invasions changed the seat of power in Dublin in Ireland by the 10th century, and York, amongst other places. Then, the Normans took the Anglo-Saxon crown of England, and then from the 12th century conquered Ireland too. Then finally by the 14th century, Wales had succumbed to the Anglo-Normans from England. These invading forces focused around the English Sea from outside Britain individually dismantled and rebelled against British rule in an already divided post-Roman Britain. For over 2,000 years the shores of Britain have been attacked sporadically by an invading force, most recently during World War II in the 20th century. But yet despite the provocations and foreign rule, the Celtic identity of Britain and surrounding lands is to dwindle.

From Cunedda arriving in Gwynedd in 401, through to Rhodri Mawr establishing a permanent base at Aberffraw in the 870s, then Owain Gwynedd's family becoming the sole ruling dynasty in Wales by the 1100s, the Kings of Gwynedd were indefinitely renowned in their own right. The succession is still intact today, as the heirs of Aberffraw continued the male succession in Wales, some of which have very few male line interruptions in over 1500 years (if any?). However, Wales is a country within the United Kingdom, a very unique case in the world of a nation seeking independence. The Welsh people use UK passports and rely on the laws and taxonomy of the UK to continue to thrive, despite 'Brexit' and the UK leaving the European Union. Therefore, the concept of an independent Welsh kingdom was intact for a while during the medieval ages. However, for now, it is unsuccessful. But, the spirit is very much alive, and Welsh independence is surely not too far away. Perhaps some of these medieval titles will return in the foreseeable future, such as De Jure Prince of Gwynedd, and the reintroduction of monarchs titled as the King of Britain, after over a millennium. However, those titles are most likely in the making for future generations. And for now, the history of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and the Welsh people is still incomplete.... TBC!

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, attributed to Fry1989, four lions passant guardant, the flag of Gwynedd.