ABSTRACT
Political Conditions.—In the eighth century, the westward advance of the conquering Saxon was brought to a standstill by the Welsh mountain barrier. ‘Their land they shall lose,’ predicted the Celtic bard of his countrymen, ‘except wild Wales.’ West of Offa’s Dyke, Celtic tribalism found a refuge, and here it developed for centuries, untouched by alien influences. The mountainous character of the country, which made it easy to defend, proved at the same time a fatal obstacle to political union. Like Ireland and India, Wales only obtained national unity at the hands of a foreign invader. The anarchic condition of the country with its warring tribes invited conquest, and in the eleventh century the English advance was resumed. This time, the subjugation of the Welsh was undertaken by adventurous Norman barons, each fighting for his own hand. The invaders penetrated by the valleys and lowlying lands of the eastand south, and rapidly carved out for themselves a string of marcher lordships along the Welsh border, each with its stone castle to overawe the native population. In the thirteenth century, the English Crown lent its aid, and in 1282, Edward I defeated Llewellyn ap Gruffyd, the Prince of Gwynedd. The territory, which had been under his rule, mostly in north-west Wales, was divided into shires; but the rest of the country—comprising the lord marcherships—was not brought within the English system until 250 years later (1536). Thereafter the Welsh shires and boroughs were given representation in the English Parliament; and English law and methods of administration were introduced throughout the Principality. This, the first of the three great Unions which created the United Kingdom, was the most successful. It left behind it no bitter memories. The Welsh themselves had demanded to be placed under English law. To them, unlike the Irish, union with England signified neither economic degradation nor racial subjection.
