Comprising the three
commotes of
Rhuddlan,
Prestatyn and
Coleshill (Cwnsyllt), the territory originally formed part of the
Kingdom of Gwynedd until, in the late 8th century, it was conquered by the
Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of
Mercia. It remained under Mercian (or English) control for over three centuries until
Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd recovered it in the 12th century. The family remained powerful in North Wales until Owain's sons were killed in 1125 by a son of
Gruffudd ap Cynan, Prince of Gwynedd. It then changed hands several times between England and Gwynedd, but was eventually seized by
Edward I as part of his conquest of the
Principality of Wales between 1277 and 1283. It was then incorporated into the county of
Flintshire by the
Statute of Rhuddlan. ==References==