Editing History of Wales (section)

==Roman era==
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{{Main|Wales in the Roman era}}{{See also|King of the Britons}}
[[File:Caradog (5227657).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|left|[[Caratacus|Caradog]] by Thomas Prydderch. Caradog was leader of the north Walian Celtic tribe, the [[Ordovices]], and led multiple Celtic tribes against the Romans.]]

The Roman conquest of Wales began in AD 48 and took 30 years to complete; the occupation lasted over 300 years.{{sfn|Jones|Mattingly|1990|p=151}} The most famous resistance was led by [[Caratacus]] of the Catuvellauni tribe (modern day Essex), who were defeated by the Romans. Caratacus then fled to the [[Silures]] (of present day Monmouthshire) and the [[Ordovices]] (of North Wales) and led them in a war against the Romans. His forces were eventually [[Caratacus' last battle|defeated]] and Caratacus was handed over to the Romans. He was taken to Rome and gave a speech, impressing the Roman emperor to the extent that he was pardoned and allowed to live peacefully in Rome.{{sfn|Webster|2019|pp=37-39}}

The Roman conquest was completed in 78, with Roman rule lasting until 383. Roman rule in Wales was a military occupation, save for the southern coastal region of [[South Wales]] east of the [[Gower Peninsula]], where there is a legacy of Romanisation.{{sfn|Jones|Mattingly|1990|p=151}} The only town in Wales founded by the Romans, [[Caerwent]], is located in South Wales. Both Caerwent and [[Carmarthen]], also in southern Wales, would become Roman ''[[civitas|civitates]]''.{{sfn|Jones|Mattingly|1990|pp=154}}

[[File:Wales.Roman.Conquest.jpg|Map of the Roman invasion of Wales|thumb]]
By AD 47, Rome had invaded and conquered all of southernmost and southeastern Britain under the first [[Roman governor]] of Britain. As part of the [[Roman conquest of Britain]], a series of campaigns to conquer Wales was launched by his successor in 48 and would continue intermittently under successive [[Roman governors of Britain|governors]] until the conquest was completed in 78. It is these campaigns of conquest that are the most widely known feature of Wales during the [[Roman Empire|Roman era]] due to the spirited but unsuccessful defence of their homelands by two native tribes, the [[Silures]] and the [[Ordovices]].

The [[Demetae]] of southwestern Wales seem to have quickly made their peace with the Romans, as there is no indication of war with Rome, and their homeland was not heavily planted with forts nor overlaid with roads. The Demetae would be the only Welsh tribe to emerge from Roman rule with their homeland and tribal name intact.{{efn|Gildas, writing c. 540, condemns the "tyrant of the Demetians".{{sfn|Giles|1841|pp=27}}}}

Wales was a rich source of mineral wealth, and the Romans used their [[Roman engineering|engineering]] [[Roman technology|technology]] to extract large amounts of gold, copper, and lead, as well as modest amounts of some other metals such as [[zinc]] and silver.{{sfn|Jones|Mattingly|1990|pp=179–196}} When the mines were no longer practical or profitable, they were abandoned. Roman economic development was concentrated in southeastern Britain, with no significant industries located in Wales.{{sfn|Jones|Mattingly|1990|pp=179–196}} This was largely a matter of circumstance, as Wales had none of the needed materials in suitable combination, and the forested, mountainous countryside was not amenable to development. Latin became the official language of Wales, though the people continued to speak in Brythonic. While Romanisation was far from complete, the upper classes came to consider themselves Roman, particularly after the [[Constitutio Antoniniana|ruling of 212]] that granted [[Roman citizenship]] to all free men throughout the Empire.<ref name="Davies915">{{harvnb|Davies|2008|p=915}}</ref> Further Roman influence came through the spread of Christianity, which gained many followers when Christians were allowed to worship freely; state persecution ceased in the 4th&nbsp;century, as a result of [[Constantine the Great]] issuing an [[Edict of Milan|edict of toleration]] in 313.<ref name="Davies915"/>

Early historians, including the 6th-century cleric [[Gildas]], have noted 383 as a significant point in Welsh history.<ref name="Davies531">{{harvnb|Davies|2008|p=531}}</ref> In that year, the Roman general [[Magnus Maximus]] stripped Britain of troops to launch a successful bid for imperial power, continuing to rule Britain from [[Gaul]] as emperor from 383 to 388, and transferring power to local leaders.{{sfn|Frere|1987|p=354}}{{sfn|Giles|1841|p=13}} Subsequent medieval Welsh lore developed a series of legends around Macsen Wledig, a literary and mythical figure derived from [[Magnus Maximus]].{{sfn|Davies|2000|p=78}}{{sfn|Koch|2006|pp=1231–1233}} Several medieval Welsh dynasties claimed that they were descended from Macsen, thereby linking their origins to the legitimacy and prestige of a [[end of Roman rule in Britain|Roman past]].{{sfn|Davies|2000|p=78}}{{sfn|Koch|2006|pp=1231–1233}} Thus, the earliest Welsh genealogies cite Maximus as the founder of several royal dynasties,{{sfn|Phillimore|1887|pp=83-92}}{{sfn|Phillimore|1888|pp=148-183}} and as the father of the Welsh nation.<ref name="Davies531" /> He is given as the ancestor of a Welsh king on the [[Pillar of Eliseg]] in the 9th century,{{sfn|Vermaat|n.d.}} erected nearly 500 years after he left Britain, and he appears in lists of the [[Fifteen Tribes of Wales]].{{sfn|Bromwich|2006|pp=441-444}} Later Welsh genealogies, medieval poetry, for example the ''[[Mabinogion]]'', and chronicles such as the ''[[Historia Brittonum]]'' and ''[[Annales Cambriae]]'', used myths and legends to give roles in Welsh history to historical and quasi-historical figures from the Roman and sub-Roman periods. Aside from Macsen Wledig, other such figures include [[Helena, mother of Constantine I|St Helena]], the Emperor [[Constantine the Great|Constantine]] and [[Coel Hen]].{{sfn|Harbus|2002|pp=52-63}}