Gruffudd Ap Cynan

Gruffudd Ap Cynan

Author: K. L. Maund

Publisher: Boydell & Brewer

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 9780851153896

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The reign of the North Welsh king Gruffudd ap Cynan (1075-1135) marked the culmination of a century of rapid social and political change. A product of three cultures (Welsh, Irish and Scandinavian), Gruffudd faced a Wales divided by Norman incursion and dynastic rivalry; his re-creation of his kingdom saw him acting on the wider (and often deadly) stage of Anglo-Norman politics, and surviving where more `traditional' Welsh rulers failed. His reign encouraged a new growth in Welsh literature and creativity, and is often looked upon as a literary `golden age'. This collaborative biography analyses key aspects of the career and context of this remarkable king. Dr K.L. MAUND teaches in the School of History and Archaeology, University of Wales, Cardiff. Other contributors: DAVID MOORE, C.P. LEWIS, DAVID E. THORNTON, K.L. MAUND, JUDITH JESCH, NERYS ANN JONES, CERI DAVIES, J.E. CAERWYN WILLIAMS This inter-disciplinary volume analyses various aspects of the career and context of this remarkable king. Themes discussed include the role of Gruffudd and of Gwynedd in twelfth-century politics; the importance of the genealogical material associated with him, and of his mediaeval biography, 'Historia Grufud vab Kenan', the first extant biography of any Welsh king; his relations with the Normans and the Irish; and the wider question of Welsh relations with Ireland and the Norwegians in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. Dr K.L. MAUND teaches in the Department of History at Leicester University. Contributors: DAVID MOORE, C.P. LEWIS, DAVID E. THORNTON, K.L. MAUND, JUDITH JESCH, NERYS ANN JONES, CERI DAVIES, J.E. CAERWYN WILLIAMS


Vita Griffini Filii Conani

Vita Griffini Filii Conani

Author: Paul Russell

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13:

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The long lost, original Latin text for Vita Griffini Filii Conani is shown with an English translation in this critical edition. The main focus of this volume is on the Welsh and Latin version of Peniarth MS, 434E, which has been heavily annotated and corrected to show that what had been thought to be the only dependable source had not in fact been an accurate translation. This discovery not only impacts medieval Welsh historians but also those involved in the translation of medieval works.


The Last King of Wales

The Last King of Wales

Author: Michael Davies

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2011-11-30

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 0752479237

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Gruffudd ap Llywelyn was Wales' greatest king. Ambitious and battle-sure, he succeeded in doing what no Welsh king before him was capable of: he ruled all Wales as a united and independent state. He went further by turning the Viking threat to his realm into a powerful weapon and conquering border land that had been in English hands for centuries. Having emerged as a war leader, Gruffudd also proved to be much more: a patron of the arts and church, with the trappings of a king who was respected and feared on the European stage. His eventual murder at the hands of his own men narrowed the country's political ambitions and left Wales in chaos on the eve of the arrival of the Normans. Those who betrayed Gruffudd were the forebears of the famous princes who would dominate Wales until the Edwardian Conquest, meaning that the former king left no one to tell of his glory. As a result, 1,000 years after his birth, the would-be nation builder is all but forgotten. Here, Sean and Michael Davies reveal the king in all his glory, telling for the first time the story of one of Wales' greatest figures and exploring the full implications of Gruffudd's rule. For, without Gruffudd, the fate of King Harold and the outcome of the Battle of Hastings would have been very different...


The First Prince of Wales?

The First Prince of Wales?

Author: Sean Davies

Publisher: University of Wales Press

Published: 2016-10-20

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 1783169370

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This is the first book on one of Wales’s greatest leaders, arguably ‘first prince of Wales’, Bleddyn ap Cynfyn. Bleddyn was at the heart of the tumultuous events that forged Britain in the cauldron of Norman aggression, and his reign offers an important new perspective on the events of 1066 and beyond. He was a leader who used alliances on the wider British scale as he strove to recreate the fledgling kingdom of Wales that had been built and ruled by his brother, though outside pressures and internal intrigues meant his successors would compete ultimately for a principality.


The Spoken Word

The Spoken Word

Author: Adam Fox

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 9780719057472

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Previous studies on oral culture have traditionally emphasized the contradictions between oral and literate culture, and focussed on individual countries or regions. The essays in this fascinating collection depart from these approaches in several ways. By examining not only English, but also Scottish and Welsh oral culture, they provide the first pan-British study of the subject. The authors also emphasize the ways in which oral and literate culture continued to compliment and inform each other, rather than focusing exclusively on their incompatibility, or on the 'inevitable' triumph of the written word.


The Welsh Kings

The Welsh Kings

Author: K. L. Maund

Publisher: Tempus Publishing, Limited

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13:

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The author produces revealing pictures of the leading Welsh kings & princes of the day & explores their contribution to Welsh history & their impaction the wider world:


The Age of Conquest

The Age of Conquest

Author: R. R. Davies

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 548

ISBN-13: 9780198208785

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This classic study examines the period when Wales struggled to retain its independence and identity in the face of Anglo-Norman conquest and subsequent English rule. Professor Davies explores the nature of power and conflict within native Welsh society as well as the transformation of Wales under the English crown. An account of the last major revolt under Owain Glyn Dwr forms the culmination of this excellent work.


Ireland, Wales, and England in the Eleventh Century

Ireland, Wales, and England in the Eleventh Century

Author: K. L. Maund

Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9780851155333

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The eleventh century was a time of political change throughout the British Isles, and especially so in Wales. Dr Maund examines the relationship of Wales to England and Ireland, and the ways in which Wales was affected by the political activities of these neighbours, setting this in the context of Welsh internal events and policies. She shows the rule of Gruffud ap Llywelyn to have been a turning point for Wales and also for English and Hiberno-Scandinavian politics, and demonstrates that the apparent political chaos was in fact a fascinating network of political activity and growth.