Thread by @YesCymru

732 years ago, in a meadow on the banks of the river Irfon, the last Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd fell.
His life ended in battle with King Edward of England's soldiers.

Heddiw, fe gofiwn #Cilmeri.

THREAD ⤵️

#Cilmeri is a sacred place.

The village, on the outskirts of Llanfair ym Muallt (Builth Wells) was the scene of The Battle of Irfon Bridge, in which Llywelyn - finding himself separated from his main army - died at the hands of an English soldier named Stephen de Frankton.

King Edward's ambition was to unite the the island of Britain under his rule.

This meant conquering both Wales and Scotland militarily.

#Cilmeri

Llywelyn had managed to form a unified Wales under his leadership, but faced problems holding together the various factions of his kingdom.

Edward's much larger army overcame the forces of Llywelyn, imposing harsh restrictions upon the Welsh leader.

#Cilmeri

At the Treaty of Aberconwy in 1277, Llywelyn was forced to accept humiliating terms, giving up all but Gwynedd west of the river Conwy.

#Cilmeri

Edward followed up his successes by building strongholds around the perimeter of what remained of Llywelyn’s lands, at Fflint, Rhuddlan, Aberystwyth, and Builth manned by large detachments of soldiers.

#Cilmeri

The people of Wales eventually rose in a massive revolt at the loss their customs and laws, and the restrictive and oppressive English rule.

Llywelyn was galvanised to lead their cause.

#Cilmeri

At first, Llywelyn's revolt was successful - the castle of Rhuddlan was overcome, and a large battalion of Edward's men was utterly decimated at the Battle of Moel-y-don, in
the Menai Straits between the mainland and Môn.

#Cilmeri

Edward was forced to commit his entire resource to deal with Wales' army… yet it was an unfortunate chance encounter in a field at #Cilmeri that ended the Welsh dream.

Branded a traitor, Llywelyn's decapitated head was sent to London, paraded through the streets, and crowned with ivy in mockery of an ancient Welsh prophecy, which said that a Welshman would be crowned king of the island of Britain.

#Cilmeri

In the aftermath, sacred Welsh treasures such as 'Croes Naid' and 'Arthur's Crown' were stolen, smelted, and incorporated into the crown jewels of England.

#Cilmeri

🗓 On 11 December:

• Wear an ivy leaf to remember #Cilmeri
• To remember Wales' independence of yesteryear
• And for independence today and tomorrow

And wear it to remember just how quickly Wales' voice can be crushed by Westminster.

Wales was once an independent nation.
We signed treaties, we made laws, we minted currency…

And we'll do so again.

We *can* still rise – and be the nation again.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 For Wales. Everyone in Wales. Dros Gymru.
Join us 👉 yes.cymru/join

#Cilmeri