The Welsh flag has the Red Dragon of Cadwaladr
(King of Gwynedd)

The white and green areas are the colours of King LLywelyn The Great.

Cymru (Wales) was a word first used around the sixth century A.D. and means land of fellow countrymen.

MY HISTORY NOTES

500,000BC Cave dwellers and hunter gatherers occupy the island (which at this time is still connected to the mainland of Europe).The loss of the land link to Europe, which was engulfed be the ocean around 6500bc,lead the inhabitants to eventually form a fragmented tribal culture for mutual benefit.

1400BC North Wales tribes export bronze and copper goods to Europe.

1000BC Blue stone blocks from Pembrokeshire are moved to make Stonehenge religious site. The tribal people now have the knowledge of complex astronomy and mathematics, they value life, creating Cromlech burial chambers to celebrate the lifespan of the deceased, usually Chieftains. Celtic culture is in emergence and expands.

550BC Complex hill forts dominate important inhabited areas.

200BC Nomadic Iberian adventurers settle the island of Britain, joining a flood of Celts, who now settled in even larger numbers while seeking refuge from Roman expansion of Gaul, they now become the main dominant culture on the island.

55BC Romans who control the Celtic Gaul area of Europe land on Britain in Kent but meet fierce resistance from tribal Celts. They withdraw.

54BC Romans land and invade Kent area again, in force, starting a full scale invasion and have many successful pitched battles with the Celts. With continuing fierce resistance and a guerrilla campaign waged against them, the Romans withdraw across the channel to Gaul for the winter.

43AD Romans invade again, but with overwhelming and determined force. The superior tactics and weaponry of the Roman army outmatch the resistance from the Celtic Tribes and gradually they are subdued, resorting to a guerrilla campaign so as to avoid, where possible, an open battle. King Caradog (Caractacus) organises the defence, commanding the Ordovices and Silurian Tribes and he enlists the help of various tribes that inhabit the present day Wales area.

51AD Caractacus defeated in a pitched battle with Roman army. He escapes but is betrayed by the Brigantes tribe, captured and sent to Rome. He humbles the Roman Emperor and people with his defiance and dignified honesty, they pardon him for his crime of resisting Roman aggression. A great Roman fortress was built at Caerleon on Usk South Wales, as a base to subdue the tribes who still resisted after the loss of their leader, it was attacked many times causing large losses to the Romans, but the fortress also depleted the Britain's fighting strength allowing them to gain the upper hand.

60AD Queen Boudicca leads a revolt against Roman occupation. Romans attack Druid stronghold of Anglesey island and destroy most of the religious order. Queen Boudicca destroys London while Roman troops are too few to resist and occupied in Anglesey. Romans gather strength and defeat the British in a pitched battle in the midland area. Queen Boudicca commits suicide.

77AD Romans defeat last organised tribal resistance on the island. Also Romans complete the destruction of the Druid faith by again crossing to the island of Anglesey and slaughtering the remaining priests.

383-484AD Roman rule ends on the island of Britain. They withdraw back to Italy to defend their shrinking Empire and leave the islanders to defend themselves. The British have no single organised army or dominant King or Queen, so Chieftains assert their own local control. The Roman Empire itself eventually disintegrates under constant attacks and border changes.
The Celtic Irish Known as Scots start to migrate to Britain, leading to Welsh Duke Cunedda retiring to Wales with his army from the North of the Island and the Irish to declare a new country of Scots land (Scotland). Cunedda prevents the Irish Scots tribe from overrunning the entire Island through diplomacy and battle.

490AD Picts tribe raid from Northern Scotland and Saxons from Germanic areas invade. King Arthur of the Britain's defeat the Saxons in pitched battles, saving Wales from occupation and starting his Legend. North, of Welsh Britain (Lower Scotland) and Welsh Cornwall both separated from Wales become overrun. The present day Welsh language starts to form from Brythonic mixed with Latin.

645AD Cadwaladr a Local Welsh King of Gwynedd fights English Local King Of Northumbria. The Welsh of lower Scotland are finally forced to leave, leaving the Scots to become a totally dominant culture there.

My next notes

English may be popular in the South but it is not the native tongue. Although its neighbour England has lived under both the Danish Language and French Norman Language. Welsh has remained unchanged for a thousand year period.

About Wales.

Usk Castle 1*
Usk Castle 2*
Usk Castle 3*
Usk Castle 4*

Owain Glyn Dwr*

How to be an architect of the future not a victim of history?*

Gwenllian Princess of Wales*