This series began when I heard a report on the Welsh News that a government report had found that Welsh children are not taught enough of their own history. So I have been blogging some highlights. The main source material has been Phil Carradice’s booklet Highlights of Welsh History, which I can highly recommend.
The back of the book has a time chart, which I am reproducing here with links to most of my articles, so you can see the whole sweep of the history.
1000 The first Celts begin to arrive in Britain and Wales
55 Julius Caesar’s first landing
54 Caesar returns to try again
A.D.
43 The invasion of Emperor Augustus begins the Roman conquest
47 The first Roman assaults on Wales
61 The destruction of the Druids and their sacred groves on Anglesey
410 The Roman legions leave Britain
c.520 Birth of St David
588 Death of St David
c.784 King Offa of Mercia builds Offa’s Dyke
900 Hywel Dda becomes King
1066 The Battle of Hastings and the coming of the Normans
1090 Norman incursions into Wales begin
1176 Rhys ap Gruffydd, the Lord Rhys, hosts the first Eisteddfod
1204 King John recognises Llywelyn Fawr (Llewelyn the Great) as Lord of Gwynedd
1216 The Council of Welsh rulers at Aberdyfi
1238 Llywelyn calls Council of Welsh rulers at Strata Florida Abbey
1240 Death of Llywelyn Fawr
1258 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd adopts the title Prince of Wales
1277 Treaty of Aberconwy – Edward I takes most of Llywelyn’s lands
1282 Death of Llywelyn, the last true Prince of Wales, in battle
1284 The Statute of Rhuddlan – Edward I takes control
1400 The rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr begins
1404 Glyndŵr calls his Parliament at Machynlleth
c.1410 End of the Glyndŵr rebellion
1485 Henry Tudor, a Welsh squire, lands in Wales and becomes Henry VII
1536+1542 Acts of Union
1567 William Salesbury’s Bible and Book of Common Prayer published
1588 Publication of Bishop Morgan’s Bible in Welsh
1642 Civil war begins in England
1649 King Charles I executed
1695 Humphrey Mackworth uses coal for the smelting of iron near Neath
c.1737 The circulating schools of Griffiths Jones begin their work
1756 Beginnings of the Welsh iron industry in Merthyr Tydfil
1797 The last invasion of Britain – 1400 Frenchmen land at Fishguard
1815 The Battle of Waterloo brings the end of the Napoleonic wars
1831 The Merthyr Riots. Dic Penderyn is convicted and executed
1839 The Rebecca Riots begin
1839 The Chartist attack on Newport
1843 End of the Rebecca riots
1847 The Treason of the Blue Books
1870 Forster’s Education Act
1913 The peak year for coal production in Wales
1914 The First World War breaks out
1916 Lloyd George becomes Prime Minister
1918 End of the First World War
1925 Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Nationalist party, formed
1939 Second World War breaks out
1939 Thousands of children are evacuated to Wales
1940 German planes destroy oil tanks at Pembroke Dock
1941 The Three Day Blitz on Swansea
1945 End of the Second World War
1964 Welsh Office and the post of Secretary of State for Wales created
1966 Gwynfor Evans elected as the first Plaid Cymru MP
1979 The first referendum on the Welsh Assembly – failure
1997 The second assembly referendum – success
2006 Senedd building in Cardiff opened by Queen Elizabeth II