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The Romans meanwhile set up forts across the area that is now Southern Wales, mined gold in Carmarthenshire and constructed a legionary fortress at Caerleon. The Romans withdrew in 410 AD and were replaced in the lowland areas by Germanic tribes (Saxons), however several areas including Gwent, Dyfed and Gwynedd remained independent, continuing to play host to Romano-Briton occupants. It was these areas that provided the foundation for Wales to develop into a country in its own right. In 927, the Welsh kings admitted defeat at the hands of the English and formally submitted, recognising the English king at the time as their sovereign ruler. Welsh kings continued to remain in control for over a century however, with Gruffydd ap Llywelynm being the last of the line. He assumed the throne in 1039 and ruled for a little over two decades, managing to bring unity to the country during that period. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was later killed by the English in 1063. In 1066, the famous Battle of Hastings was fought and the England fell to the Normans. William of Normandy didn’t share the English desire to conquer Wales and so he established border control between the two countries to ensure that trouble was kept to a minimum. A trend towards the restoration of unity to Wales followed, and the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 only served to assist by returning many lost lands to the Welsh and reinstating a number of lost laws. In the early 19th century, the end of the Napoleonic Wars saw Wales’ agricultural system at a point of collapse. This, combined with a rising population, saw major discontent in the country, resulting in the Merthyr uprising in 1831, where local workers raided shops and storage houses for food and essential items, necessitating the introduction of soldiers to keep the peace. In 1839, the Rebecca Riots were seen as a response to high toll taxes, leading to the smashing of turnpikes in rural areas. Into the 20th century Wales suffered significantly from the effects of two World Wars, the first conflict seeing more than 280,000 Welshmen march into battle, many losing their lives. Support from the country was equally enthusiastic in WWII with Wales lending large number of troops to the Allied campaign as well as offering the benefits of its industrial resources. | |
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