The Execution of The Last Welsh Prince
Today in History: The Execution of Dafydd ap Gruffydd in Shrewsbury on 3rd October 1283
On a chilly morning in Shrewsbury, 3rd October 1283, crowds gathered to witness a spectacle both unprecedented and gruesome. Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the last native Prince of Wales, was about to die. His execution would not simply end the life of one man; it would close the chapter on centuries of Welsh independence.
Born around 1238, Dafydd was the youngest son of the ruling family of Gwynedd, a turbulent figure in a turbulent age. His elder brother, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, often known as “Llywelyn the Last”, had fought long and hard to be recognised as Prince of Wales, striking treaties with England yet resisting its creeping dominance.
Dafydd himself was less consistent. He sometimes fought beside Llywelyn, sometimes against him, at one stage even accepting lands from King Edward I in exchange for loyalty. But in 1282, in a dramatic twist, it was Dafydd who struck the first blow of the final Welsh revolt, launching a surprise attack on the English at Hawarden Castle. The rebellion spread quickly but its success was short-lived. By the end of that year, Llywelyn was dead, and Dafydd was left to lead a resistance that was rapidly collapsing.
Hunted relentlessly through the mountains of Snowdonia, Dafydd was finally betrayed by local Welshmen. Folklore points to men who were loyal to the English crown who revealed his hiding place in a bog near Bera Mawr in the uplands above Garth Celyn (modern Aber). He was captured in June 1283 along with son. Unlike his brother, he was not killed in battle but was seriously wounded in the struggle. Edward I, the ruthless “Hammer of the Scots”, had him brought alive to Shrewsbury.
Here, a parliament was convened specifically to try him for treason, rebellion, and murder. No Welsh prince had ever faced such a trial before an English court. His fate was sealed not only by his rebellion but by the need for Edward to make an example of him.
On 3rd October, Dafydd was led out for his punishment. He would be the first nobleman in Britain to suffer the full sentence of being hanged, drawn, and quartered. The manner of his death was carefully chosen: theatrical, agonising, and symbolic.
Dragged through the streets, Dafydd was hanged until near death, then cut down, disembowelled before the crowd, and finally his body hacked into quarters. These grisly remains were sent to different corners of the realm, a warning against further defiance.
For the English crown, it was a triumph of justice. For the Welsh, it was a moment of devastating loss.
With Dafydd’s death, the native princely line of Wales was extinguished. Edward I wasted no time consolidating his conquest, building “An Iron Ring” of mighty castles, at Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech and Beaumaris to stamp his authority on the land. He also rebuilt or fortified existing castles at Aberystwyth, Flint, Rhuddlan, Builth, Criccieth and Dolforwyn.
Yet Dafydd ap Gruffydd’s execution did not erase his memory. Instead, it became a dark milestone in Welsh history: the brutal end of sovereignty, and the beginning of centuries of struggle for recognition and autonomy.
If you were standing in Shrewsbury today, it would be difficult to imagine the spectacle that unfolded there over seven hundred years ago. But on that October day in 1283, the last Prince of Wales met his end not as a forgotten rebel, but as the final symbol of a free and independent Wales.
CLICK HERE to read more History and Happenings articles.
If you love history, then you’ll love The Chronicles of St Mary’s series by Jodi Taylor.
