Principality of Wales
Principality of Wales Tywysogaeth Cymru ( Welsh rule (native)1283–1542: English crown rule | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Status | Edward of Caernarvon and subsequent heirs to the English throne | ||||||||||
Historical era | Glyndŵr Rising | 1400-1415 | |||||||||
1535–1542 | |||||||||||
Currency | GB-WLS | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Today part of |
The Principality of Wales (
The Principality was formally founded in 1216 by native Welshman and King of Gwynedd,
The period of de facto independence ended with
Since the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, which formally incorporated all of Wales within the Kingdom of England, there has been no geographical or constitutional basis for describing any of the territory of Wales as a principality, although the term has occasionally been used in an informal sense to describe the country, and in relation to the honorary title of Prince of Wales.
The Pre-Conquest Principality
The Principality of Wales was created in 1216 at the Council of Aberdyfi when it was agreed between
Aberffraw Princes
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth 1195–1240
By 1200 Llywelyn Fawr (the Great) ap Iorwerth ruled over all of Gwynedd, with England endorsing all of Llywelyn's holdings that year.[6] England's endorsement was part of a larger strategy of reducing the influence of Powys Wenwynwyn, as King John had given William de Breos licence in 1200 to "seize as much as he could" from the native Welsh.[7] However, de Breos was in disgrace by 1208, and Llywelyn seized both Powys Wenwynwyn and northern Ceredigion.[citation needed]
In his expansion, the Prince was careful not to antagonise King John, his father-in-law.[6] Llywelyn had married Joan, King John's illegitimate daughter, in 1204.[8] In 1209 Prince Llywelyn joined King John on his campaign in Scotland. However, by 1211 King John recognised the growing influence of Prince Llywelyn as a threat to English authority in Wales.[7] King John invaded Gwynedd and reached the banks of the Menai, and Llywelyn was forced to cede the Perfeddwlad, and recognize John as his heir presumptive if Llywelyn's marriage to Joan did not produce any legitimate successors.[7] Succession was a complicated matter given that Welsh law recognized children born out of wedlock as equal to those in born in wedlock and sometimes accepted claims through the female line.[6] By then, Llywelyn had several illegitimate children. Many of Llywelyn's Welsh allies had abandoned him during England's invasion of Gwynedd, preferring an overlord far away rather than one nearby.[9] Welsh lords expected an unobtrusive English crown, but King John had a castle built at Aberystwyth, and his direct interference in Powys and the Perfeddwlad caused many of these Welsh lords to rethink their position.[9] Llywelyn capitalised on Welsh resentment against King John, and led a church-sanctioned revolt against him.[9] As King John was an enemy of the church, Pope Innocent III gave his blessing to Llywelyn's revolt.[citation needed]
Early in 1212 Llywelyn had regained the Perfeddwlad and burned the castle at Aberystwyth. Llywelyn's revolt caused John to postpone his invasion of France, and
Dafydd ap Llywelyn 1240–46
On succeeding his father, Dafydd immediately had to contend with the claims of his half-brother, Gruffudd, to the throne. Having imprisoned Gruffudd, his ambitions were curbed by an invasion of Wales led by Henry III in league with a number of the captive Gruffudd's supporters. In August 1241, Dafydd capitulated and signed the Treaty of Gwerneigron, further restricting his powers. By 1244, however, Gruffudd was dead, and Dafydd seems to have benefited from the backing of many of his brother's erstwhile supporters. He was acknowledged by the Pope as Prince of Wales for a time and defeated Henry III in battle in 1245 during the English king's second invasion of Wales. A truce was agreed in the autumn, and Henry withdrew, but Dafydd died unexpectedly in 1246 without issue. His wife, Isabella de Braose, returned to England; she was dead by 1248.[citation needed]
Dafydd married Isabella de Braose in 1231. Their marriage produced no children, and there is no contemporary evidence that Dafydd sired any heirs. According to late genealogical sources collected by Bartrum (1973), Dafydd had two children by an unknown woman (or women), a daughter, Annes, and a son, Llywelyn ap Dafydd, who apparently later became Constable of Rhuddlan and was succeeded in that post by his son Cynwrig ap Llywelyn.[citation needed]
Owain Goch ap Gruffydd 1246–53 (d. 1282)
Following Dafydd's death, Gwynedd was divided between Owain Goch and his younger brother Llywelyn. This situation lasted until 1252 when their younger brother
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd 1246–82
After achieving victory over his brothers, Llywelyn went on to reconquer the areas of Gwynedd occupied by England (the Perfeddwlad and others). His alliance with
Dafydd ap Gruffudd 1282–83
Dafydd assumed his elder brother's title in 1282 and led a brief period of continued resistance against England. He was captured and executed in 1283.[citation needed]
Government, administration and law
The political maturation of the principality's government fostered a more defined relationship between the prince and the people. Emphasis was placed on the territorial integrity of the principality, with the prince as lord of all the land, and other Welsh lords swearing fealty to the prince directly, a distinction with which the Prince of Wales paid yearly tribute to the King of England. By treaty, the principality was obliged to pay the kingdom large annual sums. Between 1267 and 1272 Wales made a total payment of £11,500, "proof of a growing money economy... and testimony of the effectiveness of the principality's financial administration," wrote historian Dr. John Davies.
The princely court
At the end of the twelfth century, and beginning of the thirteenth century,
Population, culture and society
The 13th-century Principality of Wales encompassed three-quarters of the surface area of modern Wales; "from
A more stable social and political environment provided by the Aberffraw administration allowed for the natural development of Welsh culture, particularly in literature, law, and religion.[17][18] Tradition originating from The History of Gruffydd ap Cynan attributes Gruffydd I as reforming the orders of bards and musicians; Welsh literature demonstrated "vigor and a sense of commitment" as new ideas reached Wales, even in "the wake of the invaders", according to historian John Davies. Contacts with continental Europe "sharpened Welsh pride", wrote Davies in his History of Wales.[8]
Economy and trade
The increase in the Welsh population, especially in the lands of the principality, allowed for a greater diversification of the economy. The Meirionnydd tax rolls give evidence to the thirty-seven various professions present in Meirionnydd directly before the conquest. Of these professions, there were eight
With the average temperature of Wales a degree or two higher than it is today, more Welsh lands were arable for agriculture, "a crucial bonus for a country like Wales," wrote the historian John Davies.[19] Of significant importance for the principality included more developed trade routes, which allowed for the introduction of new energy sources such as the windmill, the fulling mill and the horse collar (which doubled the efficiency of horse-power).[citation needed]
The principality traded cattle, skins, cheese, timber, horses, wax, dogs, hawks, and fleeces, but also flannel (with the growth of fulling mills). Flannel was second only to cattle among the principality's exports. In exchange, the principality imported salt, wine, wheat, and other luxuries from London and Paris. But most importantly for the defence of the principality, iron and specialised weaponry were also imported. Welsh dependence on foreign imports was a tool that England used to wear down the principality during times of conflict between the two countries.[citation needed]
1284 to 1543: annexed to the English crown
Establishment and governance
Between 1277 and 1283, Edward I of England conquered the territories of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and the other last remaining native Welsh princes.[20] The governance and constitutional position of the principality after its conquest was set out in the Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284. In the words of the Statute, the principality was "annexed and united" to the English crown.[21][22][23]
The Principality's administration was overseen by the Prince of Wales's Council comprising between 8 and 15 councillors sitting in London or, later, Ludlow in Shropshire. The Council acted as the Principality's final Court of Appeal.[24] By 1476, the Council, which became known as the Council of Wales and the Marches, began taking responsibility not only for the Principality itself but its authority was extended over the whole of Wales.[25]
The territory of the principality fell into two distinct areas: the lands under direct royal control and lands that Edward I had distributed by feudal grants.[26]
For lands under royal control, the administration, under the Statute of Rhuddlan, was divided into two territories: North Wales based at Caernarfon and West Wales based at Carmarthen.
The remainder of the principality comprised lands that Edward I had granted to supporters shortly after the completion of the conquest in 1284, and which, in practice, became
Law
The Statute of Rhuddlan also introduced
There were few attempts by the English parliament to legislate in Wales and the lands of the Principality remained subject to laws enacted by the king and his council. However, the king was prepared to allow Parliament to legislate in emergencies such as treason or rebellion.
Castles, towns and colonisation
Edward's main concern following the conquest was to ensure the military security of his new territories and the stone castle was to be the primary means for achieving this.[38] Under the supervision of James of Saint George, Edward's master-builder, a series of imposing castles was built, using a distinctive design and the most advanced defensive features of the day, to form a "ring of stone" around the northern part of the principality.[39] Among the major buildings were the castles of Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech.[40] Aside from their practical military role, the castles made a clear symbolic statement to the Welsh that the principality was subject to English rule on a permanent basis.[41][42]
Outside of urban areas, the principality retained its Welsh character. Unlike in some of the newly created Marcher lordships, such as Denbigh, there was little evidence of the successful colonisation of rural areas by English settlers.[43] For the royal shires, Edward established a series of new towns, usually attached to one of his stone castles, which would be the focus of English settlement. These “plantation boroughs”, often with the castle constable as town mayor, were populated by English burgesses and acted as a support for the royal military establishment as well as being an anglicizing influence. Examples include Flint, Aberystwyth, Beaumaris, Conwy, and Caernarfon.[44]
The boroughs were given economic rights over the surrounding Welsh rural areas and prospered as a result. For example, the burgesses of Caernarfon had a monopoly over trade within eight miles of the town.
Nevertheless, there is ample evidence of the gradual assimilation of the two groups, not least through intermarriage.[49] A town such as Aberystwyth had become entirely Welsh in character by the end of the medieval period.[50] At the time of the union with England in the 16th century, English migrant ethnic origin ceased to have the same significance, although upward mobility was linked to anglicisation and use of the English language.[51] Nevertheless, as late as 1532, a group of burgesses from Caernarfon bitterly complained that some of their number had let properties in the town to “foreigners”, all of whom had Welsh names.[50]
Plantagenet and Tudor Princes
From 1301, the
The first "English" Prince of Wales was Edward I's son,
The following received the title while the Principality was in existence:[52]
- Edward of Caernarfon, later Edward II (Prince from 1301 until he became King in 1307)
- Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince (Prince from 1343 to his death in 1376)
- Richard of Bordeaux, later Richard II (Prince from 1376 until he became King in 1377)
- Henry of Monmouth, later Henry V (Prince from 1399 until he became King in 1413)
- Edward of Westminster(Prince from 1454 until his death in 1471)
- Edward of the Sanctuary, later Edward V (Prince from 1471 until he became King in 1483)
- Edward of Middleham(Prince from 1483 to his death in 1484)
- Arthur Tudor(Prince from 1489 to his death in 1502)
- Henry Tudor, later Henry VIII (Prince from 1504 until he became King in 1509)
- Edward Tudor, later Edward VI (Prince from 1537 until he became King in 1547, the last Prince of Wales created prior to 1542)[55]
Welsh revolts
Owain Lawgoch, a great-nephew of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Dafydd ap Gruffudd, claimed the title in exile in France and supporters revolted in his name across Wales between 1372 and 1378. He was assassinated before being able to return to Wales to lead them.[58]
Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542
The Principality ceased to exist as a legal entity with the passing by English parliament of the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542, without any representation from Wales. The act stated that Wales was already 'incorporated, annexed, united, and subjecte to and under the imperialle Crown of this Realme as a very member…of the same’.[e][61][60] The law of England was applied as the only law in Wales, Justice of the peace administered the newly created counties and the act also made English the only language of the courts in Wales, and Wales gained a representation in English parliament. However, those using the Welsh language would not be able to take up office in the territories of the king of England.[61][62] There were four Court of Great Sessions in Wales based on the three of the counties, e.g. north, east, south, west.[61] The implementation of the act was delayed until a more detailed act was used in 1543.[63][64]
After 1543: union with England
Later administration
The
From 1689 to 1948 there was no differentiation between England's government and Wales's government.[citation needed] All laws relating to England included Wales and Wales was considered by the British Government as an indivisible part of England within the United Kingdom. The first piece of legislation to relate specifically to Wales was the Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881.[66] A further exception was the Welsh Church Act 1914, which disestablished the Church in Wales (which had formerly been part of the Church of England) in 1920.[67][68]
In 1948 the practice was established that all laws passed in the
Other uses of the term
Although no principality has ever been created that covers Wales as a whole, the term "Principality" has been occasionally used since the sixteenth century as a synonym for Wales. For instance, the first atlas of Wales, by Thomas Taylor in 1718, was titled The Principality of Wales exactly described ...,[70] and the term is still used by such publications as Burke's Landed Gentry.[71][page needed] Publications such as Lewis's A Topographical Dictionary of Wales,[72] and Welsh newspapers in the 19th century commonly used the term.[73]
In modern times, however,
The use of the term to refer to the territory of Wales should be distinguished from its use to refer to the title of
References
- ^ Davies 1994, p. 138.
- ^ Lloyd 1994, p. 199.
- ^ BBC Wales. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^ a b (Davies 1994, p. 148)
- ^ Bowen 1908, pp. xxv–xxvi.
- ^ a b c d (Davies 1994, p. 136)
- ^ a b c d (Davies 1994, pp. 136–137)
- ^ a b (Davies 1994, pp. 116, 117, 128, 135)
- ^ a b c (Davies 1994, pp. 135–136)
- ISBN 978-1-84527-269-2.
- ^ a b "Peniarth 28 manuscript". delwedd.llgc.org.uk.
- ^ (Davies 1994, pp. 129, 153)
- ^ "Peniarth 28: illustrations from a Welsh Lawbook". library.wales.
- ^ "Pen-y-Bryn House: the home of Llewellyn the Last?". bbc.co.uk. 5 March 2012.
- ^ "Princes of Gwynedd's lost palace restored". dailypost.co.uk. 19 April 2013.
- ^ a b c (Davies 1994, p. 151)
- ^ a b (Lloyd 1994, pp. 219–220)
- ^ Lloyd 1994, pp. 21–22, 36, 39, 50, 76–77.
- ^ Davies 1994, p. 150.
- ^ Prestwich 2010, pp. 1–4.
- ^ Davies 2000, p. 461.
- ^ Bowen 1908, pp. xxx–xl.
- ^ "Wales - Wales from the 16th to the 21st century | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-900768-20-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-955037-1. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7083-1076-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7083-1076-2. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-07-005701-2. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ^ Davies 2000, pp. 364–365.
- ^ Davies 2000, p. 364.
- ISBN 978-1-85941-927-4. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-19-821733-6.
- ^ Davies 2000, p. 368.
- ^ Bowen 1908, pp. xliv–xlix.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-349-24731-8.
- ^ "Penal laws applied to the Welsh in 1402". nationalarchives.gov.uk.
- ISBN 978-0-19-165646-0.
- ^ Davies 2000, p. 338.
- ISBN 978-0-9545575-2-2
- ^ Prestwich 1997, p. 160
- ^ Prestwich 2010, p. 6.
- ^ Lepage 2011, p. 213.
- ^ Davies 2000, pp. 370–371.
- ^ Davies 2000, pp. 371–373.
- ^ a b Davies 2000, p. 373.
- ^ Stephenson 2019, p. 127.
- ^ Rigby & Ewan 2000, pp. 302–303.
- ^ Davies 2000, p. 421.
- ^ Davies 2000, p. 421-422.
- ^ a b Carter 2010, p. 71.
- ^ Carter 2010, p. 72.
- ^ a b "Previous Princes of Wales". The Prince of Wales' website. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7.
- ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7.
- ^ McIntosh, J. L. (2008). "From Heads of Household to Heads of State: APPENDIX C: Creating and Investing a Prince of Wales". Gutenberg-e Home (Columbia University Press). Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ "MADOG ap LLYWELYN, rebel of 1294 | Dictionary of Welsh Biography". biography.wales. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ @danmoorhousehistory (9 April 2018). "Madog ap Llywelyn's uprising against Edward Longshanks | Schoolshistory.org.uk". Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri (' Owain Lawgoch '; died 1378), a soldier of fortune and pretender to the principality of Wales". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales.
- ^ "Owain Glyndŵr (c. 1354 - 1416), 'Prince of Wales'". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales.
- ^ a b "BBC - History - Wales under the Tudors". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d (Williams 2016, p. 64)
- ^ "BBC Wales - History - Themes - The 1536 Act of Union". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Wales - Wales from the 16th to the 21st century | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-521-89361-9.
- ^ Bowen 1908, pp. l–xcii.
- ^ Bowen 1908, pp. xciv–cxxii.
- ^ "Wales Church Act 1914". legislation.gov.uk.
- S2CID 213980589.
- ^ "History of devolution". senedd.wales. 7 October 2021.
- ^ "The National Library of Wales: Thomas Taylor fl.1670–1730". Archived from the original on 7 May 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-9711966-6-7.
- ^ "GENUKI: Wales". Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ "Papurau Newydd Cymru Arlein - Chwilio - '" [Wales Newspaper search online]. papuraunewydd.llyfrgell.cymru.
- ^ Guardian Staff (23 December 2015). "Guardian and Observer style guide: W". The Guardian.
- ^ "International body grants Wales country status after principality error", WalesOnline, 1 August 2011, retrieved 5 February 2016
- ISBN 978-0-521-82367-8.
- ^ "Plaid Cymru objections to Prince of Wales". Western Mail. 8 August 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
- ^ "Honours of the Principality of Wales". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
Notes
- ^ The court judge in his chair, a lawbook in his hand.
- ^ The hebogydd, falconer, a hawk or falcon on one hand and a perch in the other
- ^ Examples of the restrictions are: Englishman shall not be convict[ed] by Welshman in Wales (this included Welsh through marriage); Against wasters minstrels etc. in Wales ("Item, to eschew many diseases and mischiefs, which have happened before this time in the land of Wales…: it is ordained and stablished that no waster, rhymer, minstrel nor vagabond be in any wise sustained in the land of Wales…"); Against congregations in Wales (public meetings were banned); Welshmen shall not be armed ("no Welshman be armed nor bear defensible armour"); No victual or armour shall be carried into Wales (it was banned for an Englishman to carry armour to Wales or a Welshman to possess such items of battle); Welshmen shall not have castles etc (only the castle's from the time of Edward I were allowed to be used); No Welshman shall bear office ("Justice, Chamberlain, Chancellor, Treasurer, Sheriff, Steward, Constable of Castle, Receiver, Escheator, Coroner, nor Chief Forester nor any other Officer, nor Keeper of the Records, nor Lieutenant in any of the said Offices in no part of Wales, nor of the Council of any English lord…").[36]
- ^ A European Armourial; Historic Heraldry of Britain; Heraldry, Sources, Symbols and Meanings; Military Modelling; Knights in Armour.[further explanation needed]
- ^ The 1536 act, according to Dr John Davies unified the principality of Wales and the March of Wales.[60]
Sources
- Bowen, Ivor (1908). "The Statutes of Wales (1908)/Introduction". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- Carter, Harold (2010). Against the Odds: The Survival of Welsh Identity. Institute of Welsh Affairs. ISBN 978-1-904773-50-4.
- ISBN 978-0-14-014581-6.
- ISBN 978-1-84188-188-1.
- Davies, R. R. (2000), The Age of Conquest: Wales 1063–1415, Oxford: ISBN 978-0-19-820878-5
- ISBN 978-0-86243-265-2.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Lepage, Jean-Denis (2011). British Fortifications Through the Reign of Richard III. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-6254-4.
- ISBN 978-0-7607-5241-8.
- ISBN 978-0-938289-67-8.
- Rigby, S. H.; Ewan, Elizabeth (2000). "Government, Power and Authority 1300-1540". In Daunton, Martin J. (ed.). The Cambridge Urban History of Britain. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-44461-3.
- ISBN 978-0-300-07209-9.
- Prestwich, Michael (2010), "Edward I and Wales", in Williams, Diane; Kenyon, John (eds.), The Impact of Edwardian Castles in Wales, Oxford, UK: Oxbow Books, pp. 1–8, ISBN 978-1-84217-380-0
- ISBN 978-0-7083-0850-9.
- Stephenson, David (2019). Medieval Wales C.1050-1332: Centuries of Ambiguity. ISBN 978-1-78683-387-7.
- ISBN 978-0-7607-0466-0.
- Williams, Philip Nanney (2016). Nannau - A Rich Tapestry of Welsh History. Llwyn Estates Publications. ISBN 978-0-9955337-0-7.