The Welsh princes : the native rulers of Wales, 1063-1283

The Welsh princes were one of the most important ruling elite in medieval Western Europe and this text examines their behavior, influence and power. From the mid-eleventh century to the end of the thirteenth, conquest and foreign 'colonial' settlement profoundly transformed Wales. Massive changes took place in the political, economic, social and religious spheres, and Welsh culture was significantly affected. Roger Turvey looks at this transformation, its impact on the Welsh princes and the part they themselves played in it. Drawing out the human qualities of flesh and blood characters, Turvey paints a vivid and compelling picture of a fascinating elite. For those interested in Medieval or British history. The Welsh princes were one of the most important ruling elites in medieval western Europe. This volume examines their behaviour, influence and power in a period when the Welsh were struggling to maintain their independence and identity in the face of Anglo-Norman settlement. From the mid-eleventh century to the end of the thirteenth, Wales was profoundly transformed by conquest and foreign 'colonial' settlement. Massive changes took place in the political, economic, social and religious spheres and Welsh culture was significantly affected. Roger Turvey looks at this transformation, its impact on the Welsh princes and the part they themselves played in it. Turvey's survey of the various aspects of princely life, power and influence draws out the human qualities of these flesh and blood characters, and is written very much with the general reader in mind. "Starting in the mid eleventh century and running to the end of the thirteenth century, The Welsh Princes portrays a violent and dynamic time when the Welsh struggled to maintain their independence and identity in the face of Anglo-Norman conquest and settlement. During these two centuries the politics, society, economy and church within Wales were profoundly transformed and its culture significantly affected. That transformation and the part played in it by the princes, plus the extent to which they were affected by it, are at the heart of this book."--BOOK JACKET