Principality Of Wales,2 Leaders One Country.

The Principality of Wales was created in 1216 at the Council of Aberdyfi when it was agreed between Llywelyn the Great and the other sovereign princes among the Welsh that he was the paramount ruler amongst them and they would pay homage to him. Later he obtained recognition, at least in part, of this agreement from the King of England who agreed that Llywelyn's heirs and successors would enjoy the title "Prince of Wales" but with certain limitations to his realm and other conditions including homage to the King of England as vassal and adherence to rules regarding a legitimate succession. Llywelyn has been at pains to ensure that his heirs and successors would follow the "approved" (by the Pope at least) system of inheritance which excluded illegitimate sons. In so doing he excluded his elder bastard son Gruffydd ap Llywelyn from the inheritance, a decision which would have later ramifications. In 1240 Llywelyn died and Henry III of England (who succeeded John) promptly invaded large areas of his former realm usurping them from him. However, the two sides came to peace and Henry honoured at least part of the agreement and bestowed upon Dafydd ap Llywelyn the title of Prince of Wales. This title would be granted to his successor Llywelyn in 1267 (after a campaign by him to achieve it) and was later claimed by his brother Dafydd and other members of the princely House of Aberffraw. In 1400 it was claimed for a final time by Owain Glyndŵr who led a vigorous but ultimately doomed campaign to secure independence for Wales.

The title "Prince of Wales" is interesting because it pertains to a broad yet divided geographical area rather than a nation of people. Previous Welsh rulers had styled themselves in a variety of ways, usually in relation to a certain patrimony like "Lord of Ceredigion" or "King of Builth". The most powerful of which were often referred to (by others at least) as "King of the Britons". As Wales was a defined geographical area with agreed borders yet outside the bounds of England anyone bestowed with the title Prince of Wales would have suzerainty over any local Welsh ruler but without the territorial ambitions on England of a King of the Britons - which implied "liberating" the Britons who still resided in places long considered a part of England such as Devon, Cornwall, Cumberland and other places, all be it in fewer and fewer numbers.The Principality of Wales (Welsh: Tywysogaeth Cymru) covered the lands ruled by the Prince of Wales directly, and was formally founded in 1216 at the Council of Aberdyfi, and later recognised by the 1218 Treaty of Worcester between Llywelyn the Great and the English Crown.[1][2][3] The treaty gave substance to the political reality of 13th century Wales and England, both part of the Angevin Empire.