Welsh castles, from the princes to the World Heritage Site
Who held Wales, why the princes built castles, how Edward I conquered them, and what happened next.
Jump to: A land of castles | The princes | Edward I | After the conquest | Glyndŵr | Later | For teachers
A land of castles
With the remains of up to 500 earthwork and stone castles, Cadw calls Wales truly “a land of castles”. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF) The large number reflects how power and land were split up in medieval Wales, when castles asserted authority and defended land. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF)
Most castles in Wales were built by the kings of England or the Anglo-Norman lords of the March, the borderland between England and Wales. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF) Welsh-held lands were divided between Gwynedd (north-west), Deheubarth (south-west), Powys (east) and several smaller realms. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF)
But the Welsh were castle builders too, defending their land from each other and from invasion, and protecting important routes. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF) Fewer than 30 surviving castles in Wales are formally recorded as Welsh foundations, though the original number must have been much higher. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF)
All the known castles of the Welsh lords and princes are now protected as scheduled monuments. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF)
The Welsh princes
Rhys ap Gruffudd, the Lord Rhys, prince of Deheubarth (died 1197), was one of the greatest Welsh leaders of the 12th century. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF)
Early Welsh princes preferred moving between undefended courts (llysoedd) spread across their lands. Cadw: More about Castell Dolwyddelan Not until the 13th century did Welsh princes build stone castles as mighty as those of the Marcher lords. Cadw: More about Castell Dolwyddelan
In the 13th century the princes of Gwynedd were the first Welsh princes to claim rule over all of Wales. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF) They were led above all by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (died 1240) and his grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (died 1282). Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF)
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Llywelyn the Great, was the undisputed ruler of Gwynedd from 1201 to his death in 1240. Cadw: Castell Dolwyddelan Cadw calls Llywelyn ap Iorwerth the most active castle builder among the Welsh princes. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF)
Llys Rhosyr on Anglesey was one of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth’s royal courts; a sandstorm buried it in 1300, and it was rediscovered in 1992. Cadw: Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales
In 1267 Henry III formally recognised Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as prince of Wales in the Treaty of Montgomery. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF)
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd began Dolforwyn in 1273, to rival the royal castle at Montgomery 4 miles away. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF) Gilbert de Clare began Caerphilly in 1268, fearing Llywelyn ap Gruffudd; it is the biggest castle in Wales. Cadw: Caerphilly Castle
Caergwrle, built 1278–83 by Dafydd ap Gruffudd, was the last castle built by a native Welsh prince. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF)
Edward I and the conquest
Edward I reigned from 1272 to 1307. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd Edward I was called Longshanks because of his great height. Cadw: More about Beaumaris Castle
Edward I led two campaigns in Wales, in 1276–77 and 1282–83, to defeat the Welsh princes and bring Wales under English rule. Cadw: The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward A granite monolith at Cilmeri marks where Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native prince of Wales, is believed to have been killed in 1282. Cadw: Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales
Tradition says that on his last night, in December 1282, he hid in a cave near Aberedw and had his horse’s shoes put on backwards so he could not be tracked in the snow. Cadw: Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales His death marked the end of independent, native rule in Wales. Cadw: Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales
Between 1276 and 1295 many castles were built or repaired. Cadw: The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward Cadw calls Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech the finest castles Edward I built in Wales. Cadw: The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward
James of St George (about 1230–1309) was Edward I’s chief architect; UNESCO calls him the greatest military architect of the age. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd The building of these royal castles is fully documented: the accounts name where the workmen came from, from all over England. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd
At Caernarfon and Conwy, new towns were built inside massive walls at the same time as the castles. Cadw: The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward Edward did not just build castles: he created English towns to go with them. Cadw: More about Beaumaris Castle
Work was at times held up by the Welsh uprising of Madog ap Llewelyn in 1294. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd Edward I spent £15,000 on Conwy but stayed only once: trapped by the rising of 1294, he spent Christmas there with one barrel of wine. Cadw: More about Castell Conwy
UNESCO says building went on until 1330 at Caernarfon and 1331 at Beaumaris. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd Cadw says all four were begun and substantially completed between 1283 and 1330. Cadw: The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward
After the conquest
After Llywelyn the Last’s death, Edward I laid down the law in Wales with the Statute of Rhuddlan, creating the shires of Flint, Caernarfon, Anglesey, Merioneth, Cardigan and Carmarthen. Cadw: More about Castell Rhuddlan That system of government lasted until Henry VIII’s Act of Union in 1536. Cadw: More about Castell Rhuddlan
Edward of Caernarfon, born at Caernarfon on 25 April 1284, was the very first English Prince of Wales. Cadw: More about Castell Caernarfon He was named Prince of Wales in 1301. Cadw: More about Castell Rhuddlan
Aberconwy Abbey, where Llywelyn the Great was buried, was forced to move 12km down the Conwy Valley to Maenan after Edward built Conwy castle and town. Cadw: Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales
Edward’s troops began pulling down the Welsh town of Llanfaes in 1295, and many people were moved to Newborough. Cadw: More about Beaumaris Castle
Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndŵr raised his standard at Glyndyfrdwy in 1400, signalling his great uprising. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF)
Owain Glyndŵr took Harlech in 1404 and made it his main residence and court. Cadw: More about Castell Harlech By 1409 Harlech was besieged by Harry of Monmouth, later Henry V. Cadw: More about Castell Harlech
In 1404 Owain Glyndŵr’s forces burnt the towers red. Cadw: Castell Cricieth
Later
Harlech was the last royalist stronghold to fall in the Civil War, surrendering in 1647. Cadw: More about Castell Harlech
The fourth Marquess of Bute restored the castle from 1928; half of what you see today is down to him. Cadw: More about Caerphilly Castle
Caernarfon hosted the investiture of Prince Edward in 1911 and of Prince Charles in 1969. Cadw: More about Castell Caernarfon
The four castles and two sets of town walls became a World Heritage Site in 1986. Cadw: The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward UNESCO calls them the finest examples of late 13th- and early 14th-century military architecture in Europe. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd
For teachers: where this fits
In England’s national curriculum, a KS2 local history study can be of a site from a period beyond 1066 that is significant in the area. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study KS2 pupils also study an aspect or theme in British history that extends their knowledge beyond 1066. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study
At KS3, pupils study Church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066–1509. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study KS3 examples include English campaigns to conquer Wales and Scotland up to 1314. GOV.UK (DfE): National curriculum in England, history programmes of study
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