(d. 1170) who as the son of Prince Owain Gwynedd, was not a professional poet. Poets of the Nobility, or Cywyddwyr (c. 1300 – c. 1600) The poetic tradition thrived in Wales as long as there were patrons available to welcome its practitioners. Until 1282, Wales consisted of a number of 'kingdoms', each with its own independent ruler; this ensured that there was no shortage of courts available to the travelling professional poet or "bard". After 1282 the poetic tradition survived by turning to the land-owning nobility to act as patrons, and these included some Norman lords who had successfully integrated themselves with the Welsh. Much of the poetry of this period is praise poetry, in praise of the patron and his family, his ancestors, his house and his generosity; and the cywydd is the most popular poetic metre used. Because of the popularity of the cywydd, this period is also known as the period of the Cywyddwyr (poets who wrote using the cywydd metre). The poetry was very often sung to the accompaniment of the harp. Though praise was the main matter of poetry, satire (Welsh: dychan) also thrived. The poets organised themselves into a Guild to protect their professional status, and from time to time their rules were revised and updated. Perhaps the most important such revisions were those concerning patronage and poetic rank made at the Caerwys eisteddfod of 1523. The work of numerous poets of this period survives; some are anonymous, but very many are identified. Here are a few of the most prominent and influential of these: Dafydd ap Gwilym (c. 1315/20 – c. 1350/1370) Wales's greatest poet worked during the period of the Poets of the Nobility. He is known for such poems as "The Girls of Llanbadarn", "Trouble at a Tavern", "The Wind" and "The Seagull". For more information about his life and work, see Dafydd ap Gwilym. Iolo Goch (c. 1325 – c. 1398) From the Vale of Clwyd, Iolo Goch (English: "Red Iolo") bridged between the periods of the Poets of the Princes and Poets of the Nobility. Early in his career he composed in the former tradition, but he was among the first to sing the praises of the nobles and others using the cywydd. One of his main patrons was Ithel ap Robert, archdeacon of St Asaph. Perhaps his most famous work is a cywydd in praise of Owain