Editing Wales (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Wales|Timeline of Welsh history}}{{See also|Archaeology of Wales}}
[[File:Caradog (5227657).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[Caradog ap Bran|Caradog]] (depicted by Thomas Prydderch), leader of the north Wales Celtic tribe the [[Ordovices]].]]
Although the Welsh nation would not arise until the Middle Ages, the territory of Wales was permanently settled from the end of the last ice age onwards.<ref name="CA 2007">{{Cite web |date=6 November 2007 |title=Welsh skeleton re-dated: even older! |url=http://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/welsh-skeleton-re-dated-even-older.htm |access-date=28 September 2010 |website=archaeology.co.uk website |publisher=Current Archaeology}}: ''see'' [[Red Lady of Paviland]]</ref> These first farmers left many impressive funerary monuments, as well as settlement sites that speak to a dispersed culture. With the arrival of the [[Bronze Age]], the [[Great Orme]] in North Wales became Britain's premier producer of copper, one of the key ores for smelting bronze.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theconversation.com/bronze-age-discovery-reveals-surprising-extent-of-britains-trade-with-europe-3-600-years-ago-125973 |title=Bronze Age discovery reveals surprising extent of Britain's trade with Europe 3,600 years ago|date=31 October 2019 }}</ref> It is likely that the wealth of mineral resources in Britain, and especially Wales, attracted the Roman invasion,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Barri |last2=Mattingly |first2=David J. |title=An atlas of Roman Britain |date=2007 |publisher=Oxbow Books |location=Oxford |isbn=978-1-84217-067-0}}</ref> but by this time the island had become distinctively Celtic in culture, and  the [[Neolithic]] population was largely replaced. It was this [[Iron Age]] Celtic culture, and their common language, that were called the Britons by the Romans.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hayes |first1=Andrew |title=Archaeology of the British Isles |date=30 September 2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-138-40793-0 |edition=1st }}</ref>{{rp|90}}

With the departure of the Romans, Britain fractured into various kingdoms. Despite this, there is a sense in which the Roman withdrawal of 383 created a post Roman nation of Britons, with [[Magnus Maximus]] proclaimed Roman emperor in Britannia and Gaul. Although long before the term Cymry (the Welsh term for the Welsh) had been adopted, the concept of a British people, from which the Welsh would emerge, was created here.<ref name="Davies 1994">{{cite book |last1=Davies |first1=John |author-link1=John Davies (historian) |year=1994 |title=A History of Wales |location=London |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=0-14-014581-8}}</ref>{{rp|54}}

Encroachment by Germanic [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain|Anglo-Saxon settlers]] gradually displaced the indigenous culture and language of the Britons, and one group of these Britons became isolated by the geography of the western peninsula, bounded by the sea and English neighbours. It was these English neighbours who named the land Wallia, and the people Welsh.<ref name="Johnes 2019">{{cite book |last1=Johnes |first1=Martin |title=Wales: England's colony?: the conquest, assimilation and re-creation of Wales |date=2019 |publisher=Parthian Books |location=Cardigan |isbn=9781912681419}}</ref>{{rp|15}}

The people of Wallia, medieval Wales, remained divided into separate kingdoms that fought with each other as much as they fought their English neighbours.{{r|Johnes 2019|p=15}} Neither were the communities homogeneously Welsh. Place name, historical records and archaeological evidence point to coastal Viking/Norse settlement in places such as Swansea, Fishguard and Anglesey,<ref name="Redknap 2000">{{cite book |last1=Redknap |first1=Mark |title=Vikings in Wales: An Archaeological Quest |date=2000 |publisher=National Museums & Galleries of Wales |isbn=978-0-7200-0486-1 }}</ref>{{rp|4, 13}} and Saxons settled inland amongst the Welsh in places such as Presteigne.<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Andrew|first=Tina|title=Medieval Small Towns in the Central Welsh Marches - An Analysis of their Development | date=2016 |url=http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12053/1/Tina_Andrew_MAR_MedievalTowns.pdf}}</ref>{{rp|125}}

[[File:Laws of Hywel Dda (f.1.v) King Hywel cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[Hywel Dda]] enthroned]]
In the 10th century, Hywel ap Cadell, later known as [[Hywel Dda]], formed the kingdom of Deheubarth from inheritances in Dyfed and Seisyllwg, and then gained control of the kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys in 942.<ref name="Lloyd 1912">{{cite book |last=Lloyd |first=John Edward |authorlink=John Edward Lloyd |year=1912 |title=A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest |publisher=[[Longman|Longmans, Green & Co.]] |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_NYwNAAAAIAAJ |quote=Lloyd history of Wales |edition=2 |volume=1}}</ref>{{rp|337–338}} With control of nearly all the territory of Wales,{{r|Johnes 2019|p=22}} he codified Welsh law, a law code that survived the later fracture of his kingdom, and that became a significant step in the creation of the nation.{{r|Johnes 2019|p=29}} With a common culture and an external threat, the kingdoms of Wales began to see themselves as one people.{{r|Johnes 2019|p=30}}

A century later the Kingdom of Gwynedd was in ascendency, and Gruffydd ap Llywelyn  subdued all opposition by 1057, becoming the only king to unite all of Wales, and parts of England on the border. "Thus, from about 1057 until his death in 1063, the whole of Wales recognised the kingship of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. For about seven brief years, Wales was one, under one ruler, a feat with neither precedent nor successor."{{r|Davies 1994|p=100}}

The kingdom did not last, and Gruffydd met his death as a result of a surprise attack by Tostig, brother of the English King, Harold.<ref name=DNB1>{{cite DNB | wstitle=Gruffydd ab Llewelyn (d.1063) |volume=23 |pages=305–307}}</ref>{{rp|305–307}} After Gruffydd's death, Harold married his widow, but she would be widowed again by the Norman invasion of England in 1066.<ref name=DNB2>{{cite ODNB|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/52349|title=Eadgifu [Eddeua] the Fair [the Rich] (fl. 1066), magnate|last=Williams |first=Ann|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/52349|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 }}</ref>

The Normans followed their invasion of England with incursions into Wales, forming the semi-independent Norman [[Welsh marches]] (from the French for borderlands), and dividing them from the unconquered Pura Wallia.{{r|Johnes 2019|p=25}} The fortunes of Welsh marcher lords and various Welsh princes ebbed and flowed, until Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great) forced all other Welsh princes to submit to him in 1216.<ref name="Pierce 1959b">{{cite DWB| |last=Pierce |first=Thomas Jones |year=1959b |title=Llywelyn ap Iorwerth ('Llywelyn the Great', often styled 'Llywelyn I', prince of Gwynedd) |id=s-LLYW-API-1173 |fewer-links=yes}}</ref> Yet Wales was divided again after his death, and it was left for his grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffudd to secure the supremacy once more, recognised as Prince of Wales by the English king, Henry III, in the treaty of Montgomery of 1267.<ref name="Pierce 1959a">{{cite DWB|id=s-LLYW-APG-1200|title=Llywelyn ap Gruffydd ("Llywelyn the Last" or Llywelyn II), Prince of Wales (died 1282)|first=Thomas Jones|last=Pierce|year=1959}}</ref>

Relations with Henry's successor, Edward I, broke down and led to a war of conquest, concluding in 1283 with English victory.<ref name="Carpenter 2003">{{cite book|last=Carpenter|first=David|author-link=David Carpenter (historian)|title=The Struggle for Mastery: Britain, 1066–1284|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2003|isbn=978-0-19-522000-1}}</ref>{{rp|510}} The following year the statute of Rhuddlan ended Welsh independence. Wales was divided between principality, ruled by Edward, and the marches and ruled by feudal marcher lords.<ref name="Davies 2000">{{cite book|last=Davies|first=R. R.|author-link=Rees Davies|title=The Age of Conquest: Wales, 1063–1415|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2000|isbn=978-0-19-820878-5}}</ref>{{rp|461}} This persisted, despite the [[Glyndŵr rebellion|Welsh rebellion]] under Owain Glyndŵr of 1400–1415,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davies |first1=R. R. |author1-link=Rees Davies |title=The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dŵr |date=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford, England |isbn=978-0-19-285336-3}}</ref> until the rise of the Tudors, with Welsh support.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Glanmor |url= |title=Renewal and Reformation: Wales C. 1415-1642 |date=1993 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-285277-9  }}</ref>{{rp|274}} With the [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542|Laws in Wales Acts]] of Henry VIII, the Welsh became full citizens in the Kingdom of England, with parliamentary representation.<ref>{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Glanmor |url= |title=Renewal and Reformation: Wales C. 1415–1642 |date=1993 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-285277-9  }}</ref>{{rp|274}} The Welsh border was also formally defined and the territory reunited.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Glanmor |author-link1=Glanmor Williams |year=1987 |title=Recovery, Reorientation, and Reformation: Wales c.1415–1642 |series=History of Wales |volume=3 |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=978-0-19-821733-6 }}</ref>{{rp|268–273}}

[[File:George Childs Dowlais Ironworks 1840.jpg|right|thumbnail|''Dowlais Ironworks'' (1840) by George Childs (1798–1875)]]
In 1707 the act of union created the Kingdom of Great Britain.<ref name="Act of Union 1707">{{Citation |last=Parliament of the Kingdom of England |title=Union with Scotland Act 1706 Article I |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/Ann/6/11 |work=[[legislation.gov.uk]] |quote=That the two Kingdoms of England and Scotland shall upon the First day of May which shall be in the year One thousand seven hundred and seven and forever after be united into one Kingdom by the name of Great Britain..."}}</ref> The industrial revolution and the beginning of empire led to the rapid increase in mining and exploitation of Welsh natural materials – metals, coal and slate.  The population of Wales expanded rapidly<ref name="Williams 1985">{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Gwyn A. |title=When was Wales? : a history of the Welsh |date=1985 |publisher=Black Raven Press |location=London |isbn=0-85159-003-9}}</ref>{{rp|185}} and Wales moved to the centre of the British economy, but the changes bred resentment, this time towards industrialists and not the English state.{{r|Johnes 2019|p=61}} Meanwhile, a series of religious revivals transformed the character of the nation, beginning a tradition of non-conformism.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jenkins |first1=Geraint H. |title=The Foundations of Modern Wales: Wales 1642–1780 |date=1987 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=978-0-19-821734-3 }}</ref>{{rp|345–50}} This carried over into the political sphere too. The rapid industrialisation of parts of Wales gave rise to strong and [[Radicalism (historical)|radical]] Welsh [[working class]] movements which led to the [[Merthyr Rising 1831|Merthyr Rising of 1831]], the widespread support for [[Chartism]], and the [[Newport Rising]] of 1839.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=D. J. V. |editor-last1=Morgan |editor-first1=Kenneth O. |title=The Merthyr Riots of 1831 |journal=Welsh History Review |date=1967 |volume=3|issue=2 |page=173}}</ref> Strong liberal traditions were forged and later replaced by socialism.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ward |first1=Paul |title=Huw T. Edwards: British Labour and Welsh Socialism |date=15 February 2011 |publisher=University of Wales Press |isbn=978-0-7083-2329-8 }}</ref>{{rp|34}} Since 1922 Wales has voted Labour in every general election.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Scully |first1=Roger Awan |title=Wales and the 2019 Election |journal=Political Insight |date=March 2020 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=20–21 |doi=10.1177/2041905820911742 }}</ref>

From the mid 19th century until 1914, Wales experienced a strengthened political culture, religious and cultural revival, renewed interest in Welsh literature, the revival of [[eisteddfodau]]. There was a thriving economy a renewed interest in Welsh language, and music, non-conformist Christianity and the emergence of strong national identity, along with the founding of many national institutions.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Morgan |first1=Kenneth O. |title=Kenneth O. Morgan : My Histories |date=2015 |publisher=University of Wales Press |location=Cardiff |isbn=978-1783163236}}</ref>{{rp|95}} However the period also saw the publication of a report on education that became known as the [[Treachery of the Blue Books]]. The report blamed Welsh language and non conformism for poor educational standards and led to a requirement for bilingual education.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Simon |title=Why Wales Never Was: The Failure of Welsh Nationalism |date=1 June 2017 |publisher=University of Wales Press |isbn=978-1-78683-014-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tb2rDwAAQBAJ&q=Why+Wales+Never+Was:+The+Failure+of+Welsh |access-date=12 December 2024 }}</ref>{{rp|2}} This fed the rise of the Welsh nationalist movement, expressed in the [[Cymru Fydd]] movement, which advocated for greater autonomy and recognition of Welsh identity within the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=J.&nbsp;G. |title=Alfred Thomas's National Institution (Wales) Bills of 1891–92 |journal=Welsh History Review |date=1 January 1990 |volume=15 |issue=1 |page=218 |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/f89689abf1ce5c56184975743e87cddc/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1820145 |access-date=23 June 2020}}</ref> Calls for [[Welsh devolution|devolution]] grew over the course of a century, and in 1998 the Government of Wales Act created a devolved Welsh assembly for the first time, now renamed the Senedd or Welsh Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of devolution |url=https://senedd.wales/how-we-work/history-of-devolution/ |website=senedd.wales |publisher=Senedd Cymru |access-date=12 December 2024}}</ref>