The Last King of Wales: Gruffudd ap Llywelyn c. 1013-1063

by Michael Davies, Sean Davies

Overview

Gruffudd ap Llywelyn was Wales’ greatest king. Ambitious and battle-sure, he succeeded in doing what no Welsh king before him was capable of: he ruled all Wales as a united and independent state. He went further by turning the Viking threat to his realm into a powerful weapon and conquering border land that had been in English hands for centuries. Having emerged as a war leader, Gruffudd also proved to be much more: a patron of the arts and church, with the trappings of a king who was respected and feared on the European stage. His eventual murder at the hands of his own men narrowed the country’s political ambitions and left Wales in chaos on the eve of the arrival of the Normans. Those who betrayed Gruffudd were the forebears of the famous princes who would dominate Wales until the Edwardian Conquest, meaning that the former king left no one to tell of his glory. As a result, 1,000 years after his birth, the would-be nation builder is all but forgotten. Here, Sean and Michael Davies reveal the king in all his glory, telling for the first time the story of one of Wales’ greatest figures and exploring the full implications of Gruffudd’s rule. For, without Gruffudd, the fate of King Harold and the outcome of the Battle of Hastings would have been very different …

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780752464602
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	07/01/2012
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Michael Davies and Sean Davies each hold a PhD in mediaeval history, and both have published books and articles on Welsh history. Michael runs a company which gives historical tours of Wales and Sean is a writer and editor for the BBC in Cardiff.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations 6

Introduction 9

1 The Early Years 23

2 The Battle for Deheubarth 36

3 The Years of Glory 48

4 King of Wales 73

5 The Killing of a King 105

6 Gruffudd's Legacy 123

Bibliography 137

Index 152