English History: People, places and events that built a country. Robert Peal

called the first English Parliament. It gave institutional form to the promise in the Magna Carta that the monarch’s government should seek the consent of its people before passing new laws and taxes. Parliament still represents this principle today.

1283 | The Conquest of Wales

      Since 1066, the Norman monarchs repeatedly tried to conquer Wales, but with little success. By the 1260s, most of Wales was under the control of Llywelyn ap Gruffyd. As the Prince of Wales, Llywelyn was expected to pay homage to the English king, but when the young Edward I was crowned king of England in 1174, Llywelyn refused to do so. Edward I was a brutal and warlike king, and saw this provocation as an opportunity to bring England’s troublesome neighbour under his control. In 1277, Edward invaded Wales with an enormous army. Five years later, Llywelyn was killed in battle, and his head was taken back to England to be displayed on a spike at the Tower of London. Llwyelyn’s brother, Dafydd, carried on the fight until 1283, when Edward captured Davydd and had him hung, drawn and quartered.

      Having conquered Wales, Edward set about building a series of enormous castles to secure his power. For this reason, Wales has the highest concentration of castles of any country in Europe. Edward did not get rid of the title ‘Prince of Wales’, but gave it to his eldest son, thus beginning the practice of giving this title to the heir to the English throne.

1337 | The Hundred Years War

      Ever since the Duke of Normandy conquered England in 1066, English monarchs had held territories in France. This led to ongoing tension between the French and English Kings, which frequently spilled over into war. In 1328, King Charles IV of France died without a male heir, and his throne passed to the French Count of Valois, who became Philip VI of France. However, the English King Edward III, whose mother was a French princess, believed he had a stronger claim to the throne. In 1337, Edward III declared himself the rightful King of France, marking the start of the Hundred Years War.