“ … That [the] said Country or Dominion of Wales shall be, stand and continue for ever from henceforth incorporated, united and annexed to and with this Realm of England … ”
– “Laws in Wales Act of 1535,” an act passed by the Parliament of England
If you've ever looked for “The Story of Wales” on DVD, you've probably discovered that it's somewhat pricey. Fellow Americans would be lucky to get a copy of it for less than $100 of our own currency. But in my opinion, the benefits may be well worth it; if you're into British history as I am, and if you have British ancestors as I do. My ancestors are from all over the place, actually, and my family tree includes some branches from Wales. But I also have ancestry from Scotland, Ireland, and England as well as Wales. Thus, I have ancestors from all over the British Isles. As you may have gathered, I am an American; and this is my only nationality. But I have a great respect for the United Kingdom, and am proud of my heritage from the British Isles – including, and most relevantly, my Welsh heritage. Thus, I have devoured things related to British history; and was glad for the opportunity to watch this series.
This series focuses disproportionately upon the last few centuries or so (which is a weakness)
First of all, this is a good series, and I much recommend it. But I do have at least one criticism to make of it. My main criticism is that this series has a disproportionate emphasis upon the last few centuries or so. The first three episodes go through prior Welsh history with astonishing speed, and the medieval history of Wales receives very little attention here. Nearly half of this series is about the last three centuries or so, in fact, and this narrow focus takes away from the much-needed coverage of other periods. Obviously, the modern stuff is important, too; and I much enjoyed the coverage by Mr. Edwards in this regard. But there is a lot of insight to be gained from the prior interactions between Wales and England (among other things). Although they do cover some of these interactions (and these other things), they also fast-forward through many others. This brevity is almost painful, and it is a major weakness. That being said, the stuff that they do include is quite good; and this series doesn't have a lot of competition from other television histories of Wales in this regard. (If you know of any others besides this one, please leave a comment below, so that I may investigate it.)
Harlech Castle, one of a series built by King Edward I of England, to consolidate his rule in Wales
Unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wales is a part of England (and not just the United Kingdom) …
I began this post by quoting from the “Laws in Wales Act of 1535,” which clarified that the “said Country or Dominion of Wales shall be, stand and continue for ever from henceforth incorporated, united and annexed to and with this Realm of England” (Source: Laws in Wales Act of 1535). This is actually one of the most important sentences in Welsh history. Unlike Scotland and Ireland, Wales is actually considered to be part of England; even though it today enjoys a certain amount of self-rule. When the Parliament of England later passed an act saying that England and Scotland would be “united into one Kingdom by the name of Great Britain” (Source: Union with Scotland Act of 1706), this meant that Wales would now be considered part of “Great Britain,” too. And when the Parliament of Great Britain later passed another act saying that Great Britain and Ireland would be “united into one kingdom, by the name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" (Source: Union with Ireland Act of 1800),” this meant that Wales, too, would be considered part of this “United Kingdom.” This legal language also has the ability to show that Scotland and Ireland were not considered to be part of “England,” but were instead part of larger political entities that would include England. Of course, Wales was not the only part of the British Isles to be dominated by England, since the English dominated Scotland and Ireland as well. But only Wales was considered to be “annexed to and with this Realm of England” (Source: Laws in Wales Act of 1535).
“Union Jack” flag, a potent symbol of the United Kingdom
The special status of Wales in the United Kingdom today
That being said, Wales is still considered to be a part of England today; but it is much more independent today than it was before. In 1998, for example, the “Government of Wales Act” established a National Assembly for Wales, as part of a process called “devolution.” Basically, this just means that Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland enjoy more autonomy than they did before. Control of these regions is considered to be “devolving” to them (hence the word “devolution”). With the emergence of the “Irish Free State” (later the “Republic of Ireland”) in the 1920's, the Parliament of the United Kingdom later changed the name of the country in 1927. Since they now controlled only Northern Ireland (rather than all of Ireland), they styled the country “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” (Source: Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act of 1927). Therefore, this is the state that Wales is a part of today. The United Kingdom also has a jurisdiction called “England and Wales,” but the common usage of the term “England” today can be somewhat confusing for the everyday person. The term “England,” you see, can be used to mean “all of England, including Wales,” or it can be used to mean “all of England, except for Wales.” Some – like Wikipedia – would claim that England is an independent country “border[ed]” by Wales, a claim which implies separation on their part.
The location of Wales on a European map
Is Wales an independent “country”? (How the history provides some insights here)
This leads us to consider another complicated issue surrounding the legal status of Wales: Some would now consider Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland to be independent “countries” in their own right. This may depend somewhat upon your definition of a “country,” and I will leave it to the British people to debate this issue. But for our purposes here, one might well note that Wales is still technically considered a part of England (at least nominally); and that Scotland and Northern Ireland are still technically considered parts of the aforesaid “United Kingdom” (at least nominally). Thus, these political entities may not qualify as “countries” under the stricter definitions of this term. Nonetheless, the problem of which definition is the “correct” definition depends upon your point of view. Some would point out, for example, that the United Kingdom is itself part of international organizations like NATO and the United Nations, but no one questions that it is an “independent country.” Again, I will leave it to the British to decide this.
A Welsh-language Bible from 1620, which was authorized by Queen Elizabeth I of England
This documentary provides insights into both the language issue and the religion issue …
Obviously, the history surrounding these issues provides great insights into these contemporary debates. But the history surrounding other “Welsh issues” is no less enlightening. For example, the language issue is an area of continuing controversy; because of the way that the English marginalized the Welsh language in their language policies of the past. School systems required the use of English at this time, and discouraged the use of the native Welsh. This did incalculable damage to the Welsh language and cultural identity. Unfortunately, special privileges for English speakers have a long history in Wales, as you might imagine, as they do in every other part of the British Isles. However, Welsh is the only living Celtic language that is not considered by UNESCO to be “endangered,” and Queen Elizabeth the First of England actually authorized a Welsh-language edition of the Bible in 1588. This is one area where this series provides some remarkable insights, since it goes into the history of the policies involved here. Another issue is religion, and the way that the official religion of Wales had long been the Anglican Church. Whether or not it is still the official religion in Wales today depends on whether or not it is considered part of “England.” This is because the official religion of England is still Anglicanism. But whatever your answer to this question may be (and answers vary somewhat), it is clear that Wales also has a strong tradition of religious nonconformism, including Methodism. This is another area where this series provides some insight, because it delves into the complicated religious history surrounding these matters. Thus, it helps to make some sense out of the religious diversity of modern Wales.
St. David's Cathedral, in Pembrokeshire, Wales
… as well as the title “Prince of Wales” for the heir to the English throne
One might also note a pertinent fact about the English monarchy, which is that the heir to the English throne has typically been known as the “Prince of Wales” – or “Princess of Wales,” if the heir is a woman. This tradition goes back for a long time, and the past English annexation of Wales provides some insight into the reasons for the emergence of this special title. Wales was considered to be a backwater of England at this time; so some English kings thought of it as “fit to be ruled” by the heir apparent to the throne, to whom they would delegate some of their authority. The English monarchs have not always granted actual power to the Prince (or Princess) of Wales, but the title still exists just the same. Sometimes, the people holding this title did hold actual power in Wales, and were a feared presence there as a result. But the reigning monarch would always retain the final say, and some have been more generous about sharing power with their family members than others.
King Edward I of England, the conqueror of Wales
Conclusion: This is a great television history of Wales, focused on human beings
This documentary definitely covers the history surrounding the legal status of Wales, but it does not quote from the relevant constitutional documents as I have. This is not a problem, though, because the presenter is not really talking about this “constitutional” kind of history. Whether he's talking about the political status of Wales, the religion issue, the language issue, or the title of the heir to the throne; his focus is on the human history of the country. The documents that I have quoted from are obviously relevant to this topic, but would probably not make for great television, since they're not very visual or auditory. Thus, it is better that the presenter focus on the people involved as he does; and limits himself to trying to tell the story of the country (which he does to great effect in this series). I still wish that he could have spent more time on the not-so-modern periods - like the Middle Ages - but what he does cover here is quite good. Kudos to the BBC for financing “The Story of Wales,” and I much recommend it to British history buffs.
“There shall be an Assembly for Wales to be known as the National Assembly for Wales or Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru (but referred to in this Act as the Assembly).”
– “Government of Wales Act of 1998,” an act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom
DVD at Amazon
If you liked this post, you might also like:
A review of Frank Delaney's "The Celts"
A review of David Starkey's "Monarchy"
A review of Simon Schama's "A History of Britain"
A review of Michael Wood's "Story of England"
A review of Neil Oliver's "A History of Scotland"
A review of Fergal Keane's "The Story of Ireland"
A review of Andrew Marr's "Modern Britain"
A review of Melvyn Bragg's "The Adventure of English"
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