black-william-hanged-after-caught-with-princes-wife

On May 2, 1230, William de Braose, 10th Baron Abergavenny, was hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great. From the article:

"Black William Hanged After Caught With Prince's Wife 2 May 1230

On this day in 1230, William de Braose, Lord of Abergavenny, was hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great in Wales for a highly personal indiscretion.

The son of Reginald de Braose by his first wife Grecia Briwere, William De Braose was a member of the powerful dynasty of Marcher Lords. He attained various lordships throughout his life, including Abergavenny and Builth. The Welsh hated de Braose and his family and nicknamed him “Gwilym Ddu,” or Black William.

Meanwhile, in Wales, Llywelyn ab lorwerth, or Llywelyn the Great, was a Prince of Gwynedd in north Wales and de facto ruler over most of Wales, a position he held for some 40 years. Following the death of his ally, King John of England, Llywelyn concluded the Treaty of Worcester and engaged in border campaigns, often clashing and allying with Marcher families.

In 1228, the lives of these two men crossed during one such border clash. Llywelyn was engaged in a campaign against Hubert de Burgh, Justicar of England and Ireland, who was encroaching on Llywelyn’s lands and building a castle in the territory of Ceri. In the course of the fighting, Llywelyn’s forces had captured de Braose. In negotiations, de Burgh agreed to retreat and destroy the half-built castle in exchange for a payment of £2000. Llywelyn, in turn, demanded that exact sum as ransom for de Braose. But as prisoner, de Braose had determined to ally himself to Llywelyn and offered his daughter Isabella in marriage to Llywelyn’s heir, Dafydd ap Llywelyn.

On Easter Sunday 1230, de Braose visited Llywelyn’s court to discuss the union. But de Braose, Llywelyn discovered, had other business to attend to. During the diplomatic visit, Llywelyn’s staff found de Braose in the prince’s bedchamber with Llywelyn’s wife, Joan, Lady of Wales. On 2 May 1230, de Braose was publicly hanged for his indiscretion. The Chronicle of Ystrad Fflur’s entry for 1230 reads: “In this year William de Breos the Younger, lord of Brycheiniog, was hanged by the Lord Llywelyn in Gwynedd, after he had been caught in Llywelyn’s chamber with the king of England’s daughter, Llywelyn’s wife.”

Joan was placed under house arrest for one year, and as for the marriage between Dafydd and Isabella, it went ahead as planned."