Please help educate me people of Wales

[Theblackdogagain]

I was bought up in England so my Welsh history is sketchy (which is a crying shame) and I don't know enough about the beautiful country despite being there many times.
I do know about how the language was banned and the persecution and I've seen a transcript of something Michael Sheen has said recently.
Now I see a lot of hate about the title Prince of Wales.
Please can someone educate me from a historical and current context so I understand. My husbands Welsh relatives used to call me the English girl and one of my sons has a Welsh middle name to remember that part of the family so I would like to know more so I can teach them.

Long story short English King invaded Wales, killed off Prince of Wales Llywelyn who was the ruler of Wales at the time. King then called his son the Prince of Wales as a way of showing English dominance of Welsh/in attempt to appease the Welsh (depending which side you're on). Title has been given to eldest son of English monarch since.

Come and visit the North Wales coast sometime.

Thank you, I have indeed been to North Wales, South Wales, the Middle bit (the valleys?) and all the way to Abergavenny. Its such an amazing country.
So I can see why the Prince of Wales title is controversial, is there another way Welsh people would like the British King to represent them instead of it being the heir apparent?

Are you Kate?

Nope, just someone who didn't realise how ignorant they are about somewhere 150 miles from me and is somewhat embarrassed about it.

My parents were Welsh and although I lived in wales for a while I’m no expert. But I suppose you could use a modern day Russia invading Ukraine analogy. If Russia is successful and occupies Ukraine and declares it Russian how do you think the Ukrainians will feel, even in a couple of hundred years time? Some will have accepted it more, some will be more nationalist and be unhappy about it.

That’s very specific question for somebody just trying to broaden their knowledge of Welsh history.

Have a look at the Sharon Penman Welsh Princes Trilogy. Its fiction but they are so good at explaining the history.

Here be Dragon
Falls the Shadow
When Christ and his Saints slept.

Thank you for the book recommendations

I guess it is specific but I hate having gaps in my knowledge and always want to learn more. Mainly so I can be more thoughtful and considerate going forward.

From distant memory, the Welsh had lots of independent leaders. They United against the English under a single leader, Llewelyn ap Gryffid (?), who became the first 'Prince of Wales'.
He was executed by Edward, who crowned his own son instead. So Llewelyn was the first and last Welsh PoW.

It's littered with castles attempting to control the locals.

It was 700 years ago. Seven hundred years. And it wasn’t the English it was the same Norman French who were subjugating the whole country. But it is easier to blame the English.

I love Micheal Sheen but he is stoking up bigoted nationalistic tendencies. It won’t end well.

I love Micheal Sheen but he is stoking up bigoted nationalistic tendencies. It won’t end well.

I thought that that was the whole point of this thread.

It's Welsh people ridiculously holding a grudge for something which happened many many years ago.

It's a bit like some English people continuing to dislike the Germans, which is horrible.

Not quite, vibes.

Irritation about things that happened reasonably recently.
"In the early 20th century, Welsh politicians such as David Lloyd George (prime minister from 1916 to 1922), and later Aneurin Bevan (architect of the NHS) rose to UK-wide prominence.
The powerlessness of Welsh politicians in influencing their own affairs, due to the English numerical superiority in Parliament, was highlighted in the mid-20th century. Liverpool City Council had decided to expand the industry of Liverpool and The Wirral. Believing that they would need access to an increased water supply, they chose the Tryweryn Valley, near Bala, even though the development would require flooding the village of Capel Celyn. In 1956, a private bill sponsored by Liverpool City Council was brought before Parliament to create Llyn Celyn reservoir, thus circumventing planning consent from the relevant Welsh local authorities, by obtaining authority via a parliamentary Act.
Despite 35 of the 36 Welsh Members of Parliament (MPs) voting against the bill, with the other abstaining, Parliament – with 630 MPs, the majority of members represented constituencies in England – still passed the bill. Years of democratic, non-violent Welsh protest were in vain, Capel Celyn was drowned, and a new wave of Welsh nationalism, including the Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymruu^ (English: Welsh Defence Movement) and the Free Wales Army, were born.

The Welsh Not was not 700 years ago and for many the forced eradication of our own language and culture ties in closely to current events.

I’m glad someone else has said that about Michael Sheen. Very bigoted and unpleasant man.

even my late dh agreed and he was a staunch and proud Welshman

sheen is a fantastic narrator on audible though, only thing I like about him

The first "English" Prince of Wales was created in 1301.... England and Wales have been effectively United since then, over 700 years ago! If we start opening up injustices from ancient and medieval times, there's no end to the madness... As a resident of Suffolk should I get angry that my ancient kingdom of East Anglia was absorbed into Mercia and then England in the 8th and 9th century?

I'm still fuming at the Spanish for daring to launch an armada against us in 1588!

The welsh not wasn’t 700 years ago and like a pp said, significantly impacted the welsh language.

Why the beef about it right now? We've had an English POW for hundreds of years. Why no threads on it when KC3 held the name?

Fantastic books. Recommended.

I think having a new Prince is a reasonable time to discuss it.

😂

Except it’s not like that though is it, because England is not, and indeed never was, under German rule!

The Welsh, Scottish and Irish lost battles. The British were another one of those boring invaders for a while and gradually the empire shrank back down. There were other invaders - The Romans, The Vikings, The Portuguese and Spanish for lots of South America, the Greeks, etc etc but they seem to get away with it on the most part and perfectly acceptable to blame anything and everything on the English.

I blame 1066 personally but I don't keep harping on about it all the time and wanting apologies and freedom back from the invaders. I've grown and moved on.