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Gwenllian (the Welsh equivalent of the English name, "Gwendoline") was the name of several princesses who lived in medieval Wales. The two best known have, for different reasons, become symbols of Welsh patriotism and/or independence.Gwenllian (died 1136) was the wife of Gruffydd ap Rhys , Prince of Deheubarth, and the sister of Owain Gwynedd. During a revolt which spread through south Wales in 1136, and in the absence of her husband, she led out an army against the Norman English, was defeated and killed. This has led some, rather exaggerating her historical significance, to christen her "the Welsh Boadicea". The field where the battle is believed to have taken place, close to Kidwelly Castle , is known as "Maes Gwenllian". Gwenllian's youngest son went on to become a notable leader, The Lord Rhys.
Gwenllian ( June 12, 1282- June 7, 1337) was the only known child of Llywelyn the Last, her mother being Eleanor de MontfortEleanor de Montfort ( 1252 June 19, 1282) was the only daughter of Simon de Montfort the younger, and became the last princess of Wales before the English Conquest in 1283. Eleanor's father was killed when she was still a child, but he had already made an, who died in childbirth. When her father was killed a few months later, Gwenllian came under the guardianship of her uncle, Dafydd ap Gruffydd, until his own capture and execution by King Edward I of EnglandYork Minster King Edward I of England ( June 17, 1239 July 7, 1307), popularly known as Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots , achieved fame as the monarch who conquered Wales and who kept Scotland under English domination. He reigned from 1272 to 1307,. King Edward, in a display of clemency, allowed the children of Llywelyn and Dafydd to live, the boys in captivity and the girls in convents. Gwenllian was sent to the GilbertineThe Gilbertine Order was founded by the English-born Gilbert of Sempringham in the middle of the 12th century. In addition to being the only natively English monastic order, the Gilbertines were unique in their double foundations housing monks and nuns. convent at Sempringham in LincolnshireThis article is about the English administrative county. For the Illinois village, see Lincolnshire, Illinois; for the Kentucky city, see Lincolnshire, Kentucky. Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs is a county in the East Midlands of England, traditionally th, where her death is recorded by the chronicler, Piers LangtoftPiers Langtoft (died ~1307) was a chronicler who originated from Langtoft in Yorkshire. He was an Augustinian monk at Bridlington Priory, and wrote his own history of England in Anglo-Norman verse. The history narrates from the legendary founding of Brita.
The Princess Gwenllian Society has been formed in honour of the latter princess, and a memorial to her has been erected on the site of the former convent at Sempringham.
