A Concise History of Wales

This volume presents an accessible and challenging account of Wales from Neanderthal times to the present.

Geraint H. Jenkins (Author)

9780521530712, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 18 January 2007

360 pages, 51 b/w illus. 12 maps
21.6 x 14 x 1.9 cm, 0.42 kg

'A Concise History of Wales has the potential to reach a readership well beyond the academic community.' H-Albion

Based on historical research and debates about Wales and Welshness, this volume offers an authoritative and accessible account of the period from Neanderthal times to the opening of the Senedd, the home of the National Assembly for Wales, in 2006. Within a remarkably brief and stimulating compass, Geraint H. Jenkins explores the emergence of Wales as a nation, its changing identities and values, and the transformations its people experienced and survived throughout the centuries. In the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, the Welsh never reconciled themselves to political, social and cultural subordination, and developed ingenious ways of maintaining a distinctive sense of their otherness. The book ends with the coming of political devolution and the emergence of a greater measure of cultural pluralism. Professor Jenkins's lavishly illustrated volume provides enthralling material for scholars, students, general readers, and travellers to Wales.

Preface
1. The earliest inhabitants
2. The heroic age 383–1063
3. The Anglo-Norman conquerors c.1063–1282
4. Pestilence, rebellion and renewal c.1283–1536
5. Early modern Wales, 1536–1776
6. A crucible of the modern world 1776–1900
7. Wales awakening? 1901–2006
8. Whither Wales?
Sources of quotations
Guide to further reading
Index.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], Cultural studies [JFC], Social & cultural history [HBTB], British & Irish history [HBJD1]