Wales and its History

Wales was mostly united under Hywel Dda, but when he died it was split again, Maredudd ap Owain, the same , Gruffudd ap Llywelyn who united all of Wales and others but because of Welsh laws, when they died the kingdoms would be split again . Meanwhile in England and Scotland, much bigger countries with less in common with each other united and stayed that way . In Wales, they shared the language, culture, traditions and laws, the Welsh had more to unite them than Scotland and England, Welsh law said Cymry  – the modern Welsh for all of the Welsh people – apparently only applied to the free classes and not to serfs or slaves. However, none of them counted as a "foreigner" and, even if they moved from one Welsh "kingdom" ( gwlad ) to another, they did not suffer that status but were considered fully native. Those from outside Wales were considered between serfs and slaves, forbidden to offer testimony, and obliged to pledge themselves to a native Welshman (even a serf...

Wales has more castles per square mile than anywhere else, More medieval religious buildings, more early medieval stones/crosses/inscriptions, more Iron Age Hillforts, it has some of the oldest literature in Europe and a literary tradition that is the oldest in Europe that's still being used today, It is the Welsh who are the keepers of the ancient British traditions and language. Wales or its history isn't better or worse than any other, but it is ignored more than any other, there are no big tv shows, no movies so people outside of Wales are completely ignorant of Welsh history, what they do know is often wrong. There has never been a film about anything of medieval Wales, but there are hundreds about England and Scotland. The BBC also ignores Welsh history but makes countless shows about everywhere else. To be proud of your history isn't nationalism, to state facts isn't nationalism. Wales has history, lots and lots of it. WARS TIMELINE HERE

Viking attacks on Wales increase dramaticly around this time, you will find a timeline of viking attacks in this link  Timeline of Viking Raids on the Welsh 822   Coelwulf of Mercia invaded north Wales and captures  Deganwy  from Gwynedd and occupies the whole of Powys. Ceolwulf of Mercia conquers Powys  Annales Cambriae  "The fortress of Deganwy was destroyed by the Saxons and they took into their power the regio of Powys". 828  The lands of Powys are liberated from Mercian occupation by  Cyngen ap Cadell .  The  Pillar of Eliseg  was probably commissioned at this time. 830  Egbert of Wessex invades Powys and forces Cyngen ap Cadell to submit. Egbert then withdraws his forces.  831 A.D. 831 The Saxons of Mercia came unawares by night, and burnt the monastery of Senghenydd, which stood in the place the castle now does. From thence they went to the Castle of Treoda, and burnt it, and escaped from thence over the Severn Sea ...

  682    [ASC 16] This year also, Centwine chased the Britons into the sea. 720    In or about 722, the Welsh won a victory against the Mercians in south Wales, at a Pencon or Pencoed, a place not yet identified. Source: J.E.Lloyd, A History of Wales, 1954, vol.1, p.197. 721: The Britons prevailed in the battle of Pen-coed in Deheubarth [Carmarthenshire]. Source: Thomas Jones, The Chronicle of the Princes, 1955, p.5. "Castell Pen-y-coed hillfort near Llanddowror in Carmarthenshire] has been suggested as the possible scene of the battle of Pencon or Pencoed, said (Annales Cambriae and Brut y Tywysogion) to have been fought in the sixth century."  Source: RCAHMW Carmarthenshire Inventory, 1917, p.38, no.130. B.A.Malaws, RCAHMW, 05 July 2006. brut  'And then, a year after that, Beli, son of Elfin, died. And the battle of Heilin, with Rhodri Molwynog, took place in Cornwall; and the action of Garthmaelog, and the fight of Pencoed in South Wales. And in tho...

1136 was an eventful year for the Welsh, they won the Battle of Llwchwr near Swansea, they ambushed and killed a powerful Norman Lord in Gwent, they did however lose the brave Gwenllian when she led an army against the Normans while her husband was on his way to her dads, (Gruffudd ap Cynan of Gwynedd) to ask for support against the invaders, they also had the battle of Crug Mawr The battle of Craig Mawr was a major victory for the Welsh against the Normans, The Norman army led by Robert fitz Martin consisted of around 1,000 professional Flemish infantry and another 7,000 infantry . In addition, it had around 2,000 cavalry, most of which was heavy cavalry. The Welsh army under Owain Gwynedd was slightly smaller at around 6,000 infantry and 2,000 longbowmen. Cavalry was around 1,000 horse. The Normans marched northeast of Cardigan and fortified their position on Crug Mawr hill to meet the Welsh army coming from the north. Flemish troops were placed at the front and the Norman levies...

  Owain ap Cadwgan (died 1116) He is best known for his abduction of Nest, wife of Gerald of Windsor. Owain was the eldest son of Cadwgan ap Bleddyn Killed kings sons He is first recorded in 1106, when he killed Meurig and Griffri, the sons of Trahaearn ap Caradog (part of this list) who was the king of Gwynedd feast In 1109 Owain's father Cadwgan gave a feast at his court, and at this feast Owain was told of the beauty of his second cousin Nest, whose husband Gerald of windsor held the castle of Cenarth Bychan.   Visits to see nest He decided to visit Cenarth Bychan to see for himself, and having done so fell in love with Nest and determined to have her.  It was also enticing that Nest was the daughter of the last King of Deheubarth rhys ap tewdwr.  Abduction of nest One night at Christmas 1109 Owain and fifteen companions burrowed underneath the gate to get into the castle then rushed in to abduct Nest and her children and set fire to the castle.  Her hus...