Medieval Wales c.1050-1332

Centuries of Ambiguity

David Stephenson

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English

University of Wales Press
15 August 2019

History; British & Irish history; Medieval history

Series: Rethinking the History of Wales

Drawing on the latest research on Wales during the eleventh to fourteenth centuries, this book re-examines the commonly held view that the Edwardian conquest brought hardship and nothing else to the people of Wales. David Stephenson studies the achievements of well-known Welsh rulers, such as Llywelyn the Great and Llywelyn the Last, and he also probes the factors that led to the ultimate failure of the Llywelyns and the conquest of their principality by Edward I. In addition, this book includes detailed studies of many of the lesser-known figures responsible for the changing nature of Welsh politics in this period. Stephenson engages with the work of a variety of scholars, such as Emma Cavell on the role of aristocratic women and Matthew F. Stevens on ethnic assimilation in medieval Welsh towns, and he offers his own insight on the strength of regional feeling and autonomy, as well as on the Welsh chronicles. Stephenson includes men and women not normally studied in survey volumes, emphasizing that historical change is not always determined by the big names but also by lesser known people. In highlighting a wide range of scholars, historians, and sources, this book ultimately challenges the simplistic view that Welsh princes of this time period were always heroic figures who had the whole-hearted support of almost all Welsh people.

By: David Stephenson
Imprint: University of Wales Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781786833860
ISBN 10: 1786833867
Series: Rethinking the History of Wales
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 15 August 2019
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgements Abbreviations Maps Genealogical tables Introduction CHAPTER 1- An outline survey of Welsh political history, c.1050-1332 CHAPTER 2 - The Age of the Princes: shifting political cultures and structures CHAPTER 3 - The other Wales: the March CHAPTER 4 - The limits to princely power CHAPTER 5 - New ascendancies Envoi Notes Select bibliography Index

David Stephenson is Honorary Research Fellow in the School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences, Bangor University. His many contributions to Welsh history include Political Power in Medieval Gwynedd, and Medieval Powys 1132-1293.

Reviews for Medieval Wales c.1050-1332: Centuries of Ambiguity

`David Stephenson's latest book is a bold commentary on historians' writings about the political and socio-political history of medieval Wales over the past fifty years. A deliberate challenge to traditional interpretations, it is supported, as befits an accomplished historian of Gwynedd and Powys, by a depth of scholarship reflected in annotations and bibliographies that amount to a quarter of the book.' - Emeritus Professor Ralph A. Griffiths, Swansea University ; `This is an invaluable contribution to the historiography of medieval Wales. Stephenson successfully challenges the enduring paradigm of the Gwynedd-led evolution of one Wales, and paints a more complex, multi-dimensional picture. An essential read for scholars and students of medieval Welsh history!' Dr Emma Cavell, Swansea University