David II up Llewelyn

David was born at Hen Blas Castle, near Bagillt, in Flintshire . David was the eldest of all legitimate children of Llewelyn, which did not prevent, however, according to Welsh laws, the inheritance of illegitimate children. That was Grifid ap Llewelyn, the elder brother of David. Llywelyn the Great removed from the inheritance the eldest, illegitimate son of Grifid and declared his younger, lawful son of David his heir. In the last years of his life, he did everything possible to strengthen David's position. In 1222, Pope Honorius III approved the election of David as heir, and in 1226 recognized his mother Joanna as the legal daughter of John Landless. In 1229, David was recognized as heir to Henry III , and in 1238 at a congress held at Strath Florida Abbey, the Welsh princes swore allegiance to him. In 1237, after Llewelyn was paralyzed, the power actually passed into the hands of David. He immediately got rid of Grifid, depriving his brother of all possessions, and together with his son Owain imprisoned him in the prison of Cricket Castle.

After the death of his father in 1240, David took the throne of Gwynedd and took the title of Prince of Wales (for us the more familiar name for this title is the Prince of Wales). Henry III, although he recognized David as the heir to Gwynedd, did not allow him to preserve his fatherly possessions outside the principality. In August 1241, the English king invaded Gwynedd, after which David was forced to obey him. Moreover, he had to give Henry Grifid, who could become a formidable weapon in the fight against Gwynedd, but, fortunately for David, Grifid died while trying to escape from the Tower in 1244, the death of his brother untied his hands to David, and he led the rebellion of the Welsh princes against the British . David was in talks with Pope Innocent IV , who recognized David's right to rule in Gwynedd. In 1245, Henry again invaded Wales and rebuilt the castle in Deganui. A fierce war began, in the midst of which David unexpectedly died in the castle of Garth Kelin. He was buried next to his father in the monastery of Aberconui Abbey . His nephews Owain and Llewelyn became his heirs.

• Cussans, Thomas, The Times Kings & Queens of The British Isles ISBN 0-0071-4195-5
• Edwards, JG (ed.), Calendar of Ancient Correspondence concerning Wales (Cardiff, 1935).