- For alternate meanings, see Wales
(disambiguation)
Wales (Welsh: Cymru; pronounced
/"k@mrI/ 'Kumree', ) is one of the nations that forms the United Kingdom. (The term 'Principality of Wales', Welsh: 'Tywysogaeth Cymru', though often used, is
rejected by many in Wales, the Prince of Wales having no role in the
governance of Wales.)
History
Main article: History of Wales
The Romans established a string of forts across the southern part of the
country, as far west as Carmarthen (Maridunum). There is evidence that they
progressed even further west. They also built the legionary fortress at Caerleon (Isca), whose magnificent amphitheatre is the
best preserved in Britain. The Romans were also busy in north Wales, and an old legend claims that Magnus Maximus, one of the last emperors, married Elen or Helen, the daughter of a Welsh chieftain
from Segontium, near present-day Caernarfon.
Wales was never conquered by the Saxons, due to the fierce resistance of its people and its mountainous terrain. A Saxon king,
Offa of Mercia, is credited with having constructed a great earth wall,
or dyke, along the border with his kingdom, to mark off a large part of Powys which he had conquered from the Welsh. Parts of
Offa's Dyke can still be seen today.
Wales remained a Celtic region, and its people kept speaking the Welsh language, even as the Celtic elements of neighbouring
England and Scotland gradually disappeared. The name 'Wales' is evidence of this, as it comes from a Germanic root meaning
"stranger", and as such is related to Wallonia, the Swiss Wallis/Valais, and Wallachia in Romania, also regions where a 'strange' (non-Germanic) language was spoken.
Wales continued to be a Christian country when its neighbour, England, was overrun by German and Scandinavian tribes, though
many older beliefs and customs survived among its people. Thus, Saint David
went on a pilgrimage to Rome during the 6th century, and was serving as a bishop in Wales well before Augustine arrived to
convert the king of Kent and founded the diocese of Canterbury. Although the Druidic religion is alleged to have had its
stronghold in Wales until the Roman invasion, many of the so-called traditions, such as the gorsedd or assembly of bards, were the invention of eighteenth-century "historians". The traditional women's Welsh
costume, incorporating a tall black hat, was devised in the nineteenth century by Lady Llanover, herself a prominent patron of
the Welsh language and culture.
The Norman conquest of Wales did not take place in 1066, when England was conquered, but was gradual, not being complete until
1282, when King Edward I of
England defeated Llywelyn the Last, Wales' last independent
prince, in battle. Edward constructed a series of great stone castles in order to keep the Welsh under control. The best known
are at Caernarfon, Conway and Harlech.
See: The Annales Cambriae
Politics
Main article: Politics of Wales
Wales has been a principality -- since the 13th century, initially under
the Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great, and later under his
grandson, Llywelyn the Last, who took the title Prince of Wales
around 1258, and was recognised by the English Crown in 1277 by the Treaty of Aberconwy. Following his defeat by Edward I,
however, Welsh independence in the 14th century was limited to a number of minor revolts. The greatest such revolt was that of
Owain Glyn Dwr, who gained popular support in 1400, and defeated an
English force at Pumlumon in 1401. In response, the English parliament passed repressive measures denying the Welsh the right of
assembly. Glyn Dwr was proclaimed Prince of Wales, and sought assistance from the French, but by 1409 his forces were scattered
under the attacks of King Henry IV of England and further
measures imposed against the Welsh.
The Act of Union 1536 partitioned Wales into thirteen
counties: Anglesey, Brecon, Caernarfon, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Denbigh, Flint, Glamorgan, Merioneth, Monmouth, Montgomery,
Pembroke and Radnor and applied the Law of England to both England and Wales, making English the language to be used for official
purposes. This excluded most native Welsh from any formal office. Wales continues to share a legal identity with England as the
joint entity of England and Wales. Scotland and Northern
Ireland retain separate legal systems and identities.
Wales was for centuries dwarfed by its larger sister nation, England. Indeed, one well-known British encyclopedia was said -
perhaps apocryphically - to have had an entry reading "WALES. See under ENGLAND". In 1955
steps were taken to re-establish a sense of national identity for Wales when Cardiff was established as its capital. Before this,
legislation passed by the UK parliament had simply referred to England, rather than England and Wales.
The National Assembly for Wales sitting in
Cardiff, first elected in 1999, is elected by
the Welsh people and has its powers defined by the Government of Wales Act, 1998. The title of Prince of Wales is still given by the reigning
British monarch to his or her eldest son, but in modern times the Prince does not live in Wales and does not have anything to do
with its administration or government. The Prince is, however, still symbolically linked to the principality; the investiture of
Charles took place at Caernarfon Castle in north Wales, a place traditionally associated with the creation of the title in the
thirteenth century.
Subdivisions
Main article: Subdivisions of Wales
Wales is divided into 9 counties, 10 county boroughs and 3 cities. These areas are functionally
identical.
The cities are Cardiff, Newport,
Swansea
The county boroughs are Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Conwy, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen,
Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham
The counties are Anglesey, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Monmouthshire, Powys, Pembrokeshire.
These subdivisions were adopted in 1996. Before then, Wales was divided into what are
now known as the eight preserved counties of
Wales. These replaced the traditional
counties of Wales as local government boundaries in 1974.
Economy
Main article: Economy
of Wales
Parts of Wales have been heavily industrialised since the eighteenth century. Coal,
copper, iron, lead, and gold have been mined in Wales, and slate has been quarried. Ironworks
and tinplate works, along with the coal mines, attracted large numbers of immigrants during the nineteenth century, particularly
to the valleys north of Cardiff, which is now the capital city.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Wales
Culture
Main article: Culture of Wales
Related topics
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