History of Wales

The name Wales is not Celtic, but a Germanic word meaning foreigners. The Welsh name for their country is Cymru, meaning ‘friends’ or ‘countrymen’.

Wales was officially part of England since 1536 although in 1999 a Welsh Assembly was introduced, giving Wales limited self-government.

Aberystwyth University, Wales

On year after their victory at Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror’s knights and barons had launched their first raids across the Welsh border.

The last independent Welsh prince, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, died in 1283, after which Wales was administered directly by England and in 1536 was joined to England by the Act of Union.

Wales was divided into historic counties and given a national capitol, Cardiff in 1955. Cardiff grew into a large city based on exports of coal in the 19th century as did Wales’s two other large cities, Swansea and Newport.
History of Wales