Sean Davies – författare

Edward I s conquest of Wales was a key formative event in the history of Britain, but it has not been the subject of a scholarly book for over 100 years. Research has advanced since then, changing our perception of the medieval military mind and shining fresh light on the key characters involved in the conquest. That is why Sean Davies s absorbing new study is so timely and important. He takes a balanced approach, giving both the Welsh and English perspectives on the war and on the brutal, mistrustful and ruthless personal motives that drove events. His account is set in the context of Welsh warfare and society from the end of Rome to the time of Edward s opening campaign in the late thirteenth century. The narrative describes in vivid detail the military history of the conflict, the sequence of campaigns, Welsh resistance, Edward s castle building and English colonization and the cost of the struggle to the Welsh and the English and the uneasy peace that followed.

Wales’s development as a post-Roman successor state is established in this groundbreaking study of medieval warfare and society. Dominant perceptions of the country in this formative period come from Gerald of Wales, who portrayed a race of noble savages, but a more sophisticated approach can now be taken which views the story within the context of Europe. The organisation of a king’s forces is examined along with their actions in the field; raiding, ravaging, sieges, battles and conduct are discussed, with analysis of infantry, cavalry, archers, equipment and fortifications. This book questions assumptions regarding the relationship of ‘fringe’ cultures to dominant civilisations and the image of the ‘barbarian’, from the Norman invasion of Wales to the Edwardian conquest of 1283.

Wales’s development as a post-Roman successor state is established in this groundbreaking study of medieval warfare and society. Dominant perceptions of the country in this formative period come from Gerald of Wales, who portrayed a race of noble savages, but a more sophisticated approach can now be taken which views the story within the context of Europe. The organisation of a king’s forces is examined along with their actions in the field; raiding, ravaging, sieges, battles and conduct are discussed, with analysis of infantry, cavalry, archers, equipment and fortifications. This book questions assumptions regarding the relationship of ‘fringe’ cultures to dominant civilisations and the image of the ‘barbarian’, from the Norman invasion of Wales to the Edwardian conquest of 1283.

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.

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.

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.

This text offers an examination of Welsh military organization, strategy, tactics and conduct in war which goes beyond the military sphere and touches on all aspects of Welsh society in this period.