Welsh Royalty

Book Categories: Royalty, Prince Madog, Owen Glendower, History, Fiction, Windsors

Welsh Royalty

The Kings & Queens of Wales by Timothy Venning. Discusses the kings and queens of what we now know as Wales, as well as the short-lived Welsh states in the rest of Britain.

Royal Wales by Deborah Fisher. A comprehensive history of the royalty of Wales, from Welsh rulers of the early Middle Ages to the predominantly English royal families that have ruled ever since.

The Welsh Princes: The Native Rulers of Wales, 1063-1283 by Roger Turvey. Written for the general reader, this survey of the various aspects of princely life, power, and influence draws out the human qualities of these flesh and blood characters.

The Welsh Kings: The Medieval Rulers of Wales by Kari Maund. In the early middle ages Wales was composed of independent kingdoms. Powerful leaders, like Rhodri Mawr, Gruffudd ap Llywleyn, and Llywelyn ap Gruffundd sought to extend their rule over the entire country.

Female Royals

Princesses of Wales by Deborah Fisher. Explores common themes in the reign of nine Welsh Princesses, from their evolving position in society to their role in the increasing importance of Wales within Britain.

Joan, Lady of Wales: Power and Politics of King John's Daughter by Danna R. Messer. The little known story of Joan of England (d. 1237), wife of Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd, who helped thwart an English invasion of Wales.

Specific Princes

The First Prince of Wales? Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, 1063-75 by Sean Davies. Bleddyn ap Cynfyn ruled Gwynedd and Powys, and tried to recreate the kingdom of Wales.

Owain Gwynedd: Prince of the Welsh by Roger Turvey. A study of the life and career of Owain Gwynedd (c. 1100-70), who was king of Gwynedd from 1137 until his death.

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd: Prince of Wales by J. Beverley Smith. Llywelyn ap Gruffydd (c. 1223-82) was the last prince of Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England. This book offers an assessment of Llywelyn and his times.

Llywelyn the Great by Roger Turvey. Biography of the penniless exile who became Wales's greatest prince.

The Lord Rhys: Prince of Deheubarth by Roger Turvey. Rhys ap Gruffydd was an astute politician, a patron of the arts, and the architect of peaceful coexistence.

Books About Boadicea (Boudica)

Prince Madog

Brave His Soul: The Story of Prince Madog of Wales and His Discovery of America in 1170 by Ellen Pugh. Discusses the validity of the claims that a Welsh prince established a settlement in American in the 12th century. Published in 1970.

Owen Glendower

Owain Glyndwr: The Story of the Last Prince of Wales by Terry Breverton. This biography explains how Glyndwr came to stir Wales into war against England's King Henry IV, and why he is still considered one of the world's greatest warriors.

National Redeemer: Owain Glyndwr in Welsh Tradition by Elissa R. Henken. A descendant of the princes of the Welsh kingdom of Powys, Glyndwr (also called Owain Ap Gruffudd or Owen Glendower) led a revolution against English rule in the 15th century.

The Rise and Fall of Owain Glyn Dwr by Gideon Brough. England, France and the Welsh rebellion in the late Middle Ages.

The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dwr by R. R. Davies. A scholarly book that presents Owain and his revolt to a general audience.

Courts and Power

The Welsh King and His Court edited by T. M. Charles Edwards and Morfydd M. Owen. Examines the rules governing royal households in early medieval Wales before the Edwardian conquest.

Political Power in Medieval Gwynedd: Governance and the Welsh Princes by David Stephenson. How the princes of Gwynedd, particularly Llywelyn the Great and Llywelyn the Last, extended their power over much of Wales.

History of Wales

A History of Wales by John Davies. Traces Welsh history from earliest times to the late 20th century.

Medieval Wales by David Walker. Traces the growth of Welsh princely power and its later erosion.

The Mabinogion edited and translated by Jeffrey Gantz. Medieval Welsh legends.

Welsh Castles: A Guide by Counties by Adrian Pettifer.

The Impact of the Edwardian Castles in Wales edited by John Kenyon and Diane Williams. Papers from a 2007 conference on castles built in north Wales in the 13th century by King Edward I. Topics include royal accommodation, how households worked, and the castles' impact on Welsh princes.

Books About Modern British Royalty
Books About Princes of Wales (British heir title)
Books About English Royal History
Books About British Royal History

Novels About Welsh History

The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick. An 11th century Welsh princess becomes the unwilling concubine of an English prince.

Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman. A gripping and emotional novel about a 13th century Welsh prince who married the daughter of his enemy, England's King John. I have read this novel, and I highly recommend it. It's the first book in a trilogy; the other two books are Falls the Shadow, about England's Henry III, and The Reckoning, about Edward I's conquest of Wales.

The Mabinogion Tetralogy by Evangeline Walton. Four novels retelling Welsh myths: The Prince of Annwn, The Children of Llyr, The Song of Rhiannon, and The Island of the Mighty.

The Fool's Tale: A Novel by Nicole Galland. Novel about a love triangle between a 12th century Welsh king, his queen, and his court jester.

The Brothers of Gwynedd: The Legend of the First True Prince of Wales by Edith Pargeter. Llewelyn, prince of Gwynedd, dreams of a united Wales. Originally published as four individual novels (Sunrise in the West, The Dragon at Noonday, The Hounds of Sunset, and Afterglow and Nightfall.)

A Land Divided by K. M. Ashman. In 1081, Gruffydd ap Cynan, exiled heir to the Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd, unites with Tewdwr, a monarch deposed by traitors.

Glendower: The Last Prince of Wales by Morgan Llywelyn. Tells the epic tale of Owen Glendower's 15th century rebellion against the English crown.