The Mystery of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd

The Mystery of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd 

Dylan Hussey

MA Welsh History

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd is typically seen as the most powerful of all the medieval Welsh princes. He has been the topic of a number of academic studies, including J. Beverley Smith’s book Llywelyn ap Gruffudd: Prince of Wales. The image portrayed of him is that of a renowned warrior in his earlier years, and a great state builder during the creation of the Principality of Wales. Yet, there remains a number of questions about this somewhat elusive prince.

One of the most baffling, but simultaneously the least discussed, appears to be the fact that Lwelyn failed to marry until very late in his career. Smith notes this as ‘one of the most puzzling questions’ that comes up when looking at the life of the prince.  Not only this, but Llywelyn also did not have any illegitimate children (at least as far as we know) – which, for a Welsh prince, was quite a rarity, if not unheard of. He appears not to have had difficulty in fathering children, as the birth of his daughter in 1282 demonstrates, but this raises more questions than it answers. Contemporary sources are, for the most part, rather limited, at least in comparison to other places in Europe at the same time. As such, there is very little that can be said for certain about why Llywelyn made this decision, which so obviously jeopardised his achievements and his principality. However, speculation may lead to some insight not just as to one of the great mysteries of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s life, but also as to the way that historians perceive and subsequently treat the idea of homosexuality, particularly in the medieval era.

The idea of a medieval ruler being gay, or even bisexual, at first glance often sounds far-fetched, even to an open-minded historian. In many cases, the biggest argument against such a suggestion may be that there simply is not enough proof – which is indeed a valid concern, but a lack of overt evidence does not necessarily mean that everyone at this time, including rulers, were heterosexual. However, especially for nobility, marriage was often a political endeavour rather than a romantic one. Llywelyn, having lived through the turmoil of the succession crisis after his grandfather’s death, would have been acutely aware of the dangers that a troubled succession could bring. This swung both ways – too many heirs, such as the case with Owain Gwynedd, for example, would almost certainly lead to contested succession and bloodshed among those grappling for their father’s power. On the other end of the spectrum, having no male heir at all could lead to the endangerment and even disappearance of an entire political entity or dynasty.

Llywelyn would have experienced these harsh truths throughout his life, and yet he appeared to have been in no real rush to marry or to father children at all; his focus seemingly being on his military and political endeavours. His own letters are littered with reminders of the fact that the prince’s hard-won principality was likely to fall into the hands of the king were he to ‘die[s] without heirs of his body’.  And yet, his decision to marry Eleanor de Montfort only came truly into effect sometime after the discovery of a failed plot in 1274 by the prince’s own brother, Dafydd, and Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn of Powys to murder Llywelyn and install Dafydd as prince in his place. Historians acknowledge that this event likely brought into perspective the fragility of Llywelyn’s power without an ‘heir of his body’, but this does not explain why it took him until well past middle age to marry in the first place.

Was Llywelyn ap Gruffudd gay, or even bisexual, and did this contribute to his apparent apathy around finding a wife until the issue of succession became more crucial? Was this why he put off committing to marriage until the final few years of his life? It cannot be proven or said confidently, but it is one theory amongst a relatively small group of others. Despite this, the key may be determining whether such a lack of evidence stems from the impossibility of such a thing, the difficulties surrounding evidence for medieval Wales in general, or the secrecy that would likely surround that fact were it to be true. Indeed, running themes of secrecy and elusiveness are to be found when attempting to analyse any aspect of Llywelyn’s personal life and inner world. The fact that the mere suggestion that Llywelyn could have been gay or bisexual is unlikely to be taken seriously, however, is perhaps more of a reflection of the subtle bias that remains amongst academics against seriously exploring sexuality in the pre-modern age.

Speculation and assumption is always a dangerous game in any field, not just history, but in this case it can provide an interesting take on the way that historians could disregard the role that sexuality may have played in the lives of people in the medieval period.

Bibliography

Pryce, H. (ed.) with Insley, C., The Acts of Welsh Rulers, 1120-1283 (Cardiff, 2005), no. 407

Smith, J. B., Llywelyn ap Gruffudd: Prince of Wales (Cardiff, 2014, new edn.)

Drug F***ed

Chemsex in the LGBT Community in Wales

Tadgh Crozier  

BA Health/Social Care and Criminology/Criminal Justice
 tdc18qbb@bangor.ac.uk 

On average, one person dies every 12 days from the use of GHB (gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid). Chemsex is the use of three drugs to facilitate sexual activity between gay men: GHB, Crystal Meth (Methamphetamine) and M-cat (Mephedrone), and it is facilitated within the gay community across the United Kingdom. Not only are people dying from the use of the drugs involved in Chemsex, but this process has also been attributed to the increase in rates of infection of HIV and sexually transmitted infections in gay men.

Drugs and sex have been intertwined in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community throughout modern history, and this is especially true within the community of gay men. Studies have highlighted that the community is at three times greater risk of substance abuse than those who identify as heterosexual. A substantial proportion of this drug use is associated with sexual activity. So why is Chemsex / sexualised drug use a much more significant problem in the LGBT community than in the heterosexual community? Also, what is being done about it? Although there are many reasons given for the increased use and risks, this article will focus on two of the main reasons.

1. Internalised Homophobia

Growing up a gay man in a straight man’s world takes its toll and being told that the sex you are having is wrong will have an impact. The messages that are created by a 'hetero-normative' society can lead to a range of internalised feelings such as hurt, guilt and inadequacy, to name but a few.

 

Messages in the media, such as those emblazoned in the headlines in Figures 2 and 3, teach the LGBT community that they are different from the rest of society. This may result in gay men feeling disconnected from both the rest of society and each other. These negative messages are perpetuated across society, creating little cohesion and acceptability of difference. Messages such as: ‘It’s not Adam and Steve, it's Adam and Eve’ have also been used as an argument to justify that homosexuality is abnormal, which can result in gay men feeling excluded from society.

The use of Chemsex within the Gay community has been seen as a way of connecting with other gay men in times where there were very few places to meet in a safe environment. It also allows a level of intimacy while taking back control of the sex that gay men have been told for so long that they shouldn’t have. If Chemsex is used safely then why shouldn’t its use continue? Isn’t this a form of empowerment to an already disenfranchised community?

Systems and institutions have perpetuated an inferiority message throughout the years, for example in healthcare settings, regarding donating blood. Gay and bisexual men who practise safe sex with other men have to wait three months before giving blood, while heterosexual men do not. These messages bring feelings of shame and trauma, which are then internalised and manifest in damaging ways, such as in higher rates of suicide and a higher risk of substance misuse, including through Chemsex.

2. The lack of specific or LGBT-competent services 

Evidence has shown that there is a need for more LGBT-competent and specialist services so that this community can access support to address their substance misuse issues, including via Chemsex. There is a fear of having to disclose sexuality and being judged because of it, which then becomes a barrier to accessing support.

However, this is only part of the issue. Since the introduction of the 2010 Equality Act and the 2013 Marriage Bill, societal attitudes towards homosexuality have begun to change, but there is still a need to challenge inequality. LGBT people accessing health care services continue to report that due to lack of knowledge about their specific needs, and the assumption of heterosexuality, they are still experiencing dissatisfaction in healthcare, especially compared to the heterosexual community.

Is chemsex / sexualised drug use a public health issue in Wales?

The rise in sexually transmitted infections and late-diagnosed HIV has prompted Public Health Wales to look into the impact of sexualised drug use, including Chemsex, in men who have sex with men (MSM). However, the current drugs strategy for Wales has no mention of gay men and, therefore, a clear pathway for service users is yet to be set. Wales appears to be stumbling in its handling of the Chemsex issue.

 

It is difficult to know how many people are engaging in Chemsex, and without this data it is challenging to commission appropriate services.  However, at present, no services are providing specific Chemsex support in Wales. The nearest Chemsex services are in London or Manchester, which are the only two LGBT-specific services in the United Kingdom. This means that people in Wales needing support may not be able to access it.

Closing thoughts

Having to continually prove the right to exist can take its toll on the LGBT community, and this is evident with continual reports that LGBT people are at a higher risk of suffering from mental health issues.

At a time when gay liberation and freedom was taking place, another reason for ‘acceptable’ homophobia came along in the 1980s: HIV and AIDS.  This was initially called the GRID: gay related immune deficiency. This period in time seemed to give a green light for society to blame and stigmatise an already weakened community. The only way to support LGBT people to lower the risk of poor mental health, and save lives, is for individuals and institutions in society to be more accepting of differences. 

Has Chemsex and other sexualised drug use been an accumulation of years of homophobia? Is the minute support for people using Chemsex in Wales evidence of a lack of insight, or a sign that institutionalised homophobia continues well into the 21st century?

Fig: 1. https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/vdxny9/an-illustrated-a-to-z-of-chemsex-903

Fig: 2. https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/02/16/daily-mail-columnist-richard-littlejohn-attacks-gay-parents-pass-the-sick-bag/

Fig: 3. https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/11/30/world-aids-day-1980s-headlines-tabloids/

Fig: 4.http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/888/Quarterly%20Report_Apr2019_v0a.pdf

History Through Fiction

How Useful are the Realist Novels of T. Rowland Hughes as a historical Source?

James Churchill

PhD History

jmc18jpk@bangor.ac.uk

Little known of today outside Welsh language literary circles, Thomas Rowland Hughes was one of the shortest lived but most fascinating British writers of the 1940s. Writing in Welsh, his works were translated into English by Colonel Richard Ruck in the years following his death, however, in both languages his works are now difficult to trace except in certain specialist libraries. Rowland Hughes was far from prolific, producing a limited amount of poetry and only five novels before his death from Multiple Sclerosis at the age of forty six.[1] Although, it should be noted his present obscurity cannot merely be pinned down to a limited output, as this has not been a problem for other un-prolific writers, for example Jane Austen.

The Greatest Welsh Writer of the Twentieth Century...

(and the chances are you have never heard of him…)

Stuart Stanton

MPhil History

hip81b@bangor.ac.uk

The Newport-published South Wales Argus, a daily newspaper whose catchment area is essentially the county of Monmouthshire, has claim to have been the most radical Welsh journal of its type. Founded in 1892 and initially edited by Sir Garrod Thomas - a Welsh- speaking native of Cardigan who achieved membership of the Royal College of Physicians before settling in the town - the Argus became fully established during the Great War, strongly supporting the war effort and speaking out against undemocratic actions by Newport Town Council. Born in the town in 1882, Fred Hando qualified as a schoolteacher and also saw service in the War. A chat with the Argus’ editor, W.J.T. Collins in 1922 led to the first of what was intended to be an occasional series of notes from various locations, entitled ‘Rambles in Gwent’. The series continued up to an astronomical total of 795, concluding on February 13, 1970, just a few days before Fred’s death.

Marwnad Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch i Lywelyn ap Gruffudd

Cai Davies

BA Cymraeg a Hanes

cpd18jyc@bangor.ac.uk

Dyma draethawd a baratowyd gan yr awdur ar gyfer modiwl CXC–1019 ‘Llenyddiaeth yr Oesoedd Canol’ yn Ysgol y Gymraeg.

This is a critical evaluation of Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch’s elegy to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (Llywelyn the Last). Llywelyn is considered to be the last ‘Welsh’ prince of Wales, and died in battle at Cilmeri in 1282, in the course of conquest of Wales by Edward I. This is an essay prepared by the author for a module in the School of Welsh on the Literature of the Middle Ages.