The Conquest of Wales
When Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn and Dafydd ap Gruffydd switched their allegiance to England in 1274, the relationship between Wales and England took a sharp downward turn. Over the course of the next three years, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, who held the title of Prince of Wales at that time, engaged in a series of political decisions that provoked the ire of Edward I. Among the most provocative was his marriage proposal to Eleanor de Montfort — an English noblewoman whose father, Simon de Montfort, had once spearheaded a revolt against the Crown during the reign of Edward's father. This was the final straw: a year later, Edward launched a military campaign against Llywelyn, determined to bring the rebellious vassal and its leader to heel.
Troops crossed into Wales in 1277, and they encountered remarkably little opposition. Many Welsh rulers, weary of life under Llywelyn's authority, chose to lay down their arms and join the English forces rather than resist them. In the months that followed, the army pushed through the regions of Northern Wales still under Llywelyn's control, inflicting damage on towns and strategic positions as punishment for the vassal's defiance. The conflict concluded in November of that year when the Treaty of Aberconwy was signed. Under its terms, a large portion of Welsh territory was handed over to the English Crown, while what remained was divided between Llywelyn and Dafydd. But this fragile peace would prove short-lived — by 1282, Dafydd had launched a new rebellion.
The Rebellion and Its Aftermath
Unhappy with the meager territory the treaty had granted him, Dafydd rallied other Welsh leaders to his cause and rose up with the goal of reclaiming lands that had been surrendered to the Crown. Shortly after hostilities commenced, his brother Llywelyn threw his weight behind the uprising, and their combined front attracted widespread backing from the Welsh populace. Early on, the rebellion met with genuine success on the battlefield. Yet fortune reversed dramatically when Llywelyn and his forces were wiped out at the Battle of Orewin Bridge. With the opposition shattered, English soldiers pushed deep into the Welsh heartland and seized Dolwyddelan Castle, a key stronghold of the resistance. Now the last remaining Prince of Wales, Daffyd went on the run and managed to evade capture until June of 1283.
The Capture and Execution of Daffyd
Together with his son Owain, Daffyd took refuge at Nanhysglain, concealing themselves in a bog closest to Bera Mountain. English troops eventually tracked them down, seized them, and transported them to Shrewsbury. A parliament was convened upon their arrival, and it handed down a death sentence for Dafydd on the charge of high treason against the king. The punishment decreed was among the most brutal imaginable: hanging, drawing, and quartering. He was dragged through the streets behind a horse's tail, hanged while still alive, and then disemboweled. Following his death, his body was severed into four quarters. For carrying out this grim task, the executioner received a payment of 20 shillings.