Edward of Westminster was engaged in the Seventh Crusade in North Africa when news reached him of his father Henry Ill's death. Instantly proclaimed Edward I King of England, he set off on his journey home. However, with the country enjoying relative stability, and still suffering from the after-effects of an assassination attempt, he took a leisurely detour through Italy and France. En route, he had an audience with Pope Gregory X and even suppressed a rebellion in Gascony. The new King was crowned on 19 August 1274, upon which he set about restoring order after the shambolic and unpopular reign of his father. But no sooner had Edward acceded to the throne than trouble began brewing in Wales. A patchwork of principalities and lordships, Wales had been in flux for hundreds of years, with power ebbing and flowing between the Welsh and the English. In 1274, relations between Edward and the then-Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, broke down. Llywelyn's younger brother Dafydd - in league with Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn of Powys - had plotted Llywelyn's demise. Although no assassination attempt took place, their plan was discovered and the pair defected to the English. With Edward harbouring his assailants, Llywelyn refused to pay homage to the King. Then, to make matters worse, Edward discovered that Llywelyn was planning to marry Eleanor, daughter of Simon de Montfort, the French nobleman who had led the rebellion against his father.
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