Mediæval Wales / Chiefly in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries: Six Popular Lectures

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

24947

Title

Mediæval Wales / Chiefly in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries: Six Popular Lectures

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Professor A. G. Little delivers six popular lectures on medieval Wales, focusing on the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. This volume explores the nation's political fragmentation, the influence of geography and feudalism, and the rise of Welsh archery. Rich with historical anecdotes, Gerald of Wales's observations, and detailed maps, it offers a compelling social and archaeological history rather than a standard political narrative.

Summary up to 500 words

In his six popular lectures, A. G. Little examines the political failure of medieval Wales, contrasting its inability to form a unified state with England's development of representative government. Little argues that Wales's mountainous geography and the custom of dividing landed property among all sons prevented the emergence of a centralized power, fostering local rivalries and petty patriotism instead of national unity. Unlike England, which was conquered by a distinct alien race that imposed uniform administration, Wales was never conquered at once by an external force; its conquerors were often of the same race and language, leading to immediate assimilation with local jealousies rather than the creation of a unified nation-state. Furthermore, the Welsh practice of sharing inheritance among sons meant that political power was fragmented whenever a lord died, as seen when Lord Rhys's death left four sons and four separate states. The lectures utilize the works of Geoffrey of Monmouth and Giraldus Cambrensis to illustrate Welsh life and customs. Little highlights a unique Welsh contribution to English history: the joint drafting of the Great Charter and the decisive role of Welsh archers from South Wales in battles like Crécy and Agincourt, noting that the famous English longbow likely originated there. The narrative details the proliferation of castles built by individuals to protect their independence rather than by a central government, evolving from wooden palisades to sophisticated shell keeps at Cardiff and Caerphilly. A significant portion of the text addresses the complex political maneuvering of the Lords Marchers during the Barons' War. Little explains how the defection of key Marcher lords to the royalist party under Prince Edward fractured the baronial opposition, a shift driven by the lords' diverse landholdings elsewhere in England. The final section focuses on Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, the Prince of Gwynedd. Little portrays him as a charismatic but ultimately flawed leader whose ambition was inflated by flattery and bards. Despite his military successes and the Treaty of Montgomery, which recognized him as Prince of Wales, Llywelyn's refusal to abide by treaty terms and his continued intrigues with English barons led to his defeat by Edward I. The book concludes with the tragic irony that Llywelyn's struggle for independence resulted in the loss of Welsh sovereignty, leaving the nation to live under English public law for centuries.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Biography
• History