Dolbadarn Castle was built at the behest of the Welsh ruler Llywelyn the Great between 1220 and 1230, at the base of the Llanberis Pass in North Wales. The castle became important both from a military point of view and as a symbol of the power of the Welsh ruler. In 1284 it was conquered by Edward I of England, who drew some beams to be used for the construction of the New Caernarfon Castle. Abandoned since the 18th century, in the 19th century it was used as a source of inspiration for painters who were interested in the Sublime and the picturesque. It is currently owned by Cadw and is open to the public.
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| Dolbadarn Castle Wales |
The castle was built at the behest of Llywelyn the Great. Llywleyn had begun his reign controlling only Gwynedd, but his power soon grew and the king extended his influence over much of Wales in the early 13th century. The sovereign had to face the threat posed by the King of England and the need to maintain control over the Welsh: as part of this strategy, built at the beginning of the year 1220, Castell y Bere, with an innovative stone structure, and immediately afterwards the construction of the Dolbadarn castle began, with two great stone towers. It is possible that the castle was built on the remains of an ancient fortification sought by Maelgwn ap Cadwallon, a former ruler of Gwynedd, although no such remains have ever been found. The castle was built at the foot of Llanberis Pass to overlook Loch Llyn Padarn in North Wales. The castles of the Marcher lords were of stone, and included circular studs built into a system of walls: as a result of his son's marriage, Llywelyn seems to have begun a new phase of construction of Dolbadarn castle around 1240, by adding these elements, the additions were probably caused by the desire both to apply new military technologies in the field of architecture, equal to the prestige of their new allies in the South The chosen position allowed control of an important mountain pass and proclaim his authority as Lord over the Welsh mountains and coasts. Llywelyn had his son Dafydd ap Llywelyn marry Elizabeth of Braose (circa 1222-circa 1248).
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| Dolbadarn Castle Wales |
With Llywelyn's death on 11 April 1240 the power of Gwynedd began to decline rapidly and many of its easternmost lands were taken by Henry III of England in 1247. Llywelyn's nephew, Llywelyn ein Llyw Olaf ap Gruffydd, took the power in 1255 and imprisoned his brother Owain Goch ap Gruffydd before embarking on a campaign that saw him recapture parts of the country that had been lost. Owain was not released until 1277. The Welsh poet Hywel Foel AP Griffi ap Pwyll Wyddel wrote that the prince had been imprisoned in a round tower and historians believe he was the man from Dolbadarn. In the continuation of the Welsh-English conflict, Llywelyn died on December 11, 1282, at Builth; he was succeeded by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, but in 1283 he was driven south towards Snowdonia and from May his government made Base at Dolbadarn Castle. Edward, in order to prevent future rebellions in the country, had more castles and walled cities built, replacing the old Welsh system of government with a new one belonging to the city of Caernarfon. Dolbadarn lost its importance and in a few years some of its beams were taken and used for the construction of the New Castle of Caernarfon, an action both practical and symbolic because the British had shown themselves capable of destroying one of the oldest symbols of power Welsh. replacing the old Welsh system of government with a new one that belonged to the city of Caernarfon. Dolbadarn lost its importance and in a few years some of its beams were taken and used for the construction of the New Castle of Caernarfon, an action both practical and symbolic because the British had shown themselves capable of destroying one of the oldest symbols of power Welsh. replacing the old Welsh system of government with a new one that belonged to the city of Caernarfon. Dolbadarn lost its importance and in a few years some of its beams were taken and used for the construction of the New Castle of Caernarfon, an action both practical and symbolic because the British had shown themselves capable of destroying one of the oldest symbols of power Welsh.
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| Dolbadarn Castle Wales |
In the following centuries the castle was used as a manor throughout the fourteenth century. From the 18th century it remained uninhabited and fell into disrepair. From 1760 it became a point of attraction for painters in the Sublime and Picturesque style: The Castle offered the contrast between the profile of its ruins against the background of the lake and the mountains. Among the painters who represented him are William Turner, Richard Wilson (painter)Richard Wilson and Paul Sandby. In 1943 the last owner, Sir Michael Duff (1907-1980), donated the ruins to cadw, who still owns the property today.
Dolbadarn Castle includes a courtyard surrounded by numerous towers and a male. It was built of green and purple slate, dry, mostly without mortar, except for the male. The courtyard follows the natural shape of the hill and is protected by a curtain wall that was originally about 5m high and today retains the height of about 1m). Of the original construction, only the male has preserved a remarkable height, about 14m. it was originally equipped with a battlemented parapet. According to the South Wales style of construction in the 13th century, the entrance is placed on the first floor and originally must have been protected by a porch. The male was also equipped with a gate that could be raised through the window placed on the second floor of the building. The interior rooms of the male have lost their floors, but the internal stairs that led to the upper floors are preserved. The second floor consisted of a large room, equipped with a hearth and latrine. The rectangular tower to the west was a relatively small defensive structure, designed to protect the western slope of the ridge, a similar tower had been placed to guard the entrance to the castle to the south.