Menai geography and the 1282-83 war

The map places Caernarfon among the castles of the Ring of Iron, with Beaumaris and Harlech as reference points. Its relatively flat setting provides access toward Snowdonia and the heart of Gwynedd, while its position controls one end of the Menai Strait opposite Anglesey. Easy resupply from the sea helps explain the value of the site. The historical account then returns to the war begun by Dafydd ap Gruffudd's attack on the English in 1282. By 1283, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd had died, Dafydd's resistance was nearing its end, and Edward I had advanced through North Wales. The map connects that conquest with the maritime access needed to maintain a major royal position.