Author: Michael Senior.

Series: Compact Wales.

The Welsh Leaders who Forged a Nation 800-1282. The historian John Davies described 800-1282 as 'the youth of the Welsh nation'. Roman Wales survived attacks by Irish and Viking raiders from the west and Saxon and other Germanic tribes from the east to lay down the foundations of a medieval country. Full colour illustrations throughout.

By the early 5th century, the Welsh language evolved from Brythonic and the land was united by the voyages of the Celtic saints who penetrated further inland along the old Roman roads. Small kingdoms united to form four or five main provinces.
By the middle of the 9th century, almost all of Wales was established as an entity under one ruler, Rhodri Mawr and one law system, Cyfraith Hywel. The following centuries saw the slow but sure birth of a nation state with its independent patrons of churches, abbeys and literature.

All this, of course, was under the constant threat of Marcher Norman lords and London kings...