Dynastic marriage and client rule in Gwynedd

After the Berwyn failure, Henry II pursued authority through Gwynedd's internal succession contest. Dafydd attacked his half-brother Maelgwn on the king's behalf and received permission to marry Henry's sister Emma as a reward. Dafydd styled himself king of North Wales, making his royal alignment a means for Henry to claim indirect hegemony. Another brother, Rhodri, soon expelled him from much of Gwynedd, leaving Dafydd with the Perfeddwlad and castles at Rhuddlan, Denbigh, and Ellesmere. The episode shows both the reach and fragility of client rule: marriage and inheritance could extend royal influence quickly, but only while the favored prince could hold his position.