12th century in Wales explained
This article is about the particular significance of the century
1101–1200 to
Wales and
its people.
Events
1102
1103
- Iorwerth ap Bleddyn, prince of Powys, having been insufficiently rewarded for his actions the previous year, again rebels against Henry I[1] and is arraigned before a royal tribunal at Shrewsbury, convicted and imprisoned, leaving his brother Cadwgan ap Bleddyn as sole ruler of the parts of Powys not already in Norman hands.[4]
1109
1110
1111
1112
- William de Braose regains possession of the estates lost two years earlier.
1113
1114
1115
1116
1119
1120
1121
1123
1124
1125
- Bernard, Bishop of St David's, ejects the Benedictines from Carmarthen, replacing them with the Augustinian order.
- David, Bishop of Bangor, visits the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth.
1127
- Bishop Urban of Llandaff unsuccessfully seeks support from the Council of Westminster to extend the boundaries of his diocese from the River Tawe to the River Towy.
- Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth goes into a brief exile in Ireland.
- Caradog ap Iestyn of Glamorgan, and his brothers Gruffydd and Goronwy are involved in a “deed of violence”.
1128
- 19 April - Bishop Urban of Llandaff seeks support from the Pope for the extension of his diocese.[9]
1129
1130
1131
- 9 May - Tintern Abbey is founded.
- Bernard, Bishop of St David's, is present at a second council of Reims. His cathedral at St David's receives a “dedication”, possibly indicating a partial rebuilding.
1132
1133
1135
1136
1137
1138
1139
1140
1141
1143
1144
- Bernard, Bishop of St David's, gives land at Trefgarn to the first Cistercian monks to settle in west Wales.
- Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd ap Cynan brings a Danish fleet to Abermenai from his Irish allies; the Danes are driven out by his brother Owain Gwynedd. Cadwaladr is reconciled with Owain and restored to Ceredigion.
- Hugh de Mortimer recaptures Maelienydd and Elfael from the Welsh.
1145
1146
1147
1148
1149
1150
1151
- Cadell ap Gruffydd is attacked by Normans while hunting in the forest of Coed Rhath. Although he survives the attack, he is unable to continue his military activities.
1152
1153
1154
1155
1157
- King Henry II of England invades Wales, with the support of Madog ap Maredudd, attacking Anglesey by sea. Following a highly successful ambush in Hawarden Woods (led by Owain's sons Dafydd and Cynan) near Ewloe in north-east Wales, Owain Gwynedd repulsed Henry II's army, his forces scattering in disarray and his royal standard was thrown to the ground; a symbol of surrender in those times. The standard bearer was later killed in a judicial duel connected to this humiliating retreat. King Henry escaped with his life but had suffered a humiliating set back. Realising that further confronting the Plantagenet king would be a highly risky affair, the subsequent peace agreement between Henry and Owain saw the latter buy peace with a certain number of cattle and, although he also cedes Tegeingl to Henry; it is recovered into Welsh hands in the late 1160s. Owain is also made to return his brother Cadwaladr to his former position.
1158
- Rhys ap Gruffydd is forced to pay homage to King Henry II of England; Rhys temporarily loses Ceredigion and part of Ystrad Tywi.
- Ifor Bach makes a fatal attack on Morgan ab Owain of Caerleon; Morgan is succeeded by his brother Iorwerth. Later in the year, Ifor captures William, Earl of Gloucester, and his family from Cardiff Castle and holds them hostage pending the restoration of his own former lands.
1159
1160
1162
- 3 June – David FitzGerald, Bishop of St David's, and Nicholas ap Gwrgant, Bishop of Llandaff, assist in the consecration of Thomas Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury.
1163
1164
1165
- King Henry II of England invades Wales via Oswestry; Owain Gwynedd gathers an army composed of the forces of several of the other native rulers of Wales and camps at Corwen. After a few skirmishes, Henry withdraws up Berwyn mountain for security and eventually felly retreats to England without fighting. Although Henry cites bad weather as the reason for his withdrawal, the Welsh troops, under the same skies, remained in the field; from now on, Owain is considered prince of Wales. This was a signal success for Owain and was recorded as such by contemporary English chronicler, John of Salisbury. Similarly, Owain's successes against Henry are mentioned in the diplomatic messages exchanged with the French king, Louis VII.
- Cardigan Castle is captured and Robert Fitz-Stephen is taken prisoner by the Lord Rhys of Deheubarth.
1165
1167
1170
1171
1172
- Philip de Braose is given the “honour” of Limerick, in recognition of his service to the English king in Ireland.
- Gerald of Wales completes his studies at the University of Paris and returns to Britain. He is soon commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury to enforce the payment of tithes on wool and cheese in the diocese of St David's. In the same year David Fitzgerald, the bishop, is granted a royal charter confirming all his possessions.
- Following the death of his son Owain at the hands of the Earl of Gloucester, Iorwerth ab Owain rebels against Norman rule.
1173
- Maelgwn ab Owain Gwynedd, one of the sons of Owain Gwynedd, is driven into exile in Ireland by his brother Dafydd. Dafydd sides with the King of England against the Welsh rebels and seeks the hand of Henry's half-sister Emma of Anjou in return for his assistance.
- Iorwerth ab Owain and his son take Caerleon and other castles in Gwent.
1174
1175
1176
1177
1179
1180
1183
- Gerald of Wales visits Ireland, with his brother Philip.
- A rising in Glamorgan is led by Morgan ap Caradog ap Iestyn.
1184
1185
- Benedictine priory at Llandovery dissolved and town established.
- Gerald of Wales is selected to accompany Prince John to Ireland.
1186
1187
1188
- Gerald of Wales accompanies Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury, on a journey through Wales to recruit volunteers for the Third Crusade. The only Welsh ruler who refuses to support the visit is Owain Cyfeiliog, who is excommunicated for his failure to cooperate.
1189
1190
1192
1194
1195
1196
1199
1200
Books
Births
1132
1146
1173
Deaths
1101
1107
1111
1115
1116
1120
1129
1132
1134
1136
1137
1143
1148
1155
1160
1170
1172
1175
1176
1191
1195
1197
1200
References
Notes and References
- Book: Palmer . Alan . The Chronology of British History . Veronica . Century Ltd . 1992 . 0-7126-5616-2 . London . 58–60.
- Book: Crouch, David . The Normans; The History of a Dynasty . Hambledon Continuum . 2007 . London . 175 . registration.
- Book: A New History of Ireland. 8: A Chronology of Irish History . Oxford University Press . 1989 . 978-0-19-821744-2 . Moody . T. W. . etal.
- Iorwerth ap Bleddyn . s-IORW-APB-1111 . 1959 . 2013-02-15.
- Book: Beeler, John . Warfare in England, 1066-1189 . Cornell University Press . 1966 . 222-226 . registration.
- Book: Glenn, Thomas Allen . Welsh Founders of Pennsylvania . 1913 . 0806304308 . Oxford, England . Genealogical Publishing Company.
- Book: Turner, Sharon . The History of England from the Earliest Period to the Death of Elizabeth: The history of England: middle ages. In five volumes . Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green . 1830 . 286.
- Book: Pryce, Huw . The Acts of Welsh Rulers, 1120-1283 . 15 October 2010 . University of Wales Press . 978-1-78316-429-5 . 473.
- Book: Historical Society of the Church in Wales . Journal . 1947 . 95.
- Book: Morgan, Charles Octavius S. . Notes on Penhow castle, by O. Morgan and T. Wakeman . 1867 . 6.
- Book: Brett, M. . The English Church Under Henry I . Oxford University Press . 1975 . 0-19-821861-3 . Oxford, UK . 105–111 . registration.
- Book: Millward . Roy . The Welsh Marches . Adrian Henry Wardle Robinson . Macmillan . 1971 . 56. 9780333126073 .
- Book: Archaeologia Cambrensis. 1866. W. Pickering. 403.
- Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd (died 1203), king of Gwynedd . s-DAFY-ABO-1203 . Lloyd . John Edward . John Edward Lloyd . 24 September 2019.
- Giraldus Cambrensis . s-GIRA-CAM-1146 . 1959 . 2013-02-15.
- Book: Robert William Eyton. Antiquities of Shropshire. 1856. J. R. Smith. 249.
- Book: Michael Prestwich. R. H. Britnell. Robin Frame. Thirteenth Century England IX: Proceedings of the Durham Conference 2001. 2003. Boydell Press. 978-0-85115-575-3. 165.
- Book: David Crouch. The Image of Aristocracy: In Britain, 1000-1300. 29 November 2005. Routledge. 978-1-134-97794-9. 258.
- Brut y Tywysogion pp. 136–137.
- Web site: A Christian presence since the 12th Century . St Mary's Church, Aberavon . 12 May 2018.
- Book: William of Malmesbury . Gesta Regum Anglorum . Thomson . Rodney M. . Winterbottom . Michael . Clarendon Press . 1998 . 978-0-19-820682-8 . 353.
- Book: Doran . John . Pope Innocent II (1130-43): The World vs the City . Damian J. Smith . 10 June 2016 . Routledge . 978-1-317-07831-9 . 89.
- Book: Davies, Sean . War and Society in Medieval Wales 633-1283: Welsh Military Institutions . 15 November 2014 . University of Wales Press . 978-1-78316-142-3 . 128.
- Book: Glenn, Thomas Allen . Welsh Founders of Pennsylvania . Genealogical Publishing Com . 1970 . 978-0-8063-0430-4 . 58.
- Book: Transactions - Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society . The Society . 1943 . 25.
- Book: Maund, K. L. . Gruffudd Ap Cynan: A Collaborative Biography . Boydell & Brewer . 1996 . 978-0-85115-389-6 . 167.
- Brut y Tywysogion p. 138. "...there was a great pestilence throughout the island of Britain ... and that tempest killed innumerable people and many of the nobility and many princes, and spared none. That year, four days before May Day, died Rhys ap Gruffydd, Prince of Deheubarth and unconquered head of all Wales."