History of Wales

1000 BC
The story of Wales begins with the Celts. The Celts began migrating from their central European homeland around 1000 BC.

48AD
The recorded history of Wales begins with the arrival of the Romans on Welsh borders. At that time people spoke a Celtic language – Brythonic, the language that would eventually evolve into Welsh.

550
The Saxon advance resumes in Wales. A great figure in the fight between the British and the Saxons was King Arthur. There are many legends surrounding Arthur but many believe he was first mentioned in Welsh poetry around 594.

784
Offa, King of Mercia builds a dyke from sea to sea, the first permanent boundary between the Welsh and English people. Offa’s Dyke shaped the territory of Wales.

1066
The Normans invade England. Wales proves resistant to the Normans' power and the Welsh rise in revolt. By 1100 the Normans had been driven out of Gwynedd, Ceredigion and most of Powys.

1176
Lord Rhys holds a grand gathering of poets and musicians from all over Wales at Cardigan Castle. This was known as the very first Eisteddfod, a Welsh festival of music and literature that is still held all across Wales today.

1283
Edward 1 orders the building of castles in Wales. Between 1276 and 1295 he built or repaired 17 castles. Today we have over 600 castles in Wales.

1400
Charismatic national hero Owain Glyndŵr begins his rebellion against King Henry IV to establish an independent Wales.

1404
The castles of Harlech and Aberystwyth fall to Owain Glyndŵr. Soon after he calls his first Cynulliad or Parliament at Machynlleth and crowns himself Prince of Wales.

1415
Owain Glyndŵr disappears. After his defeat he was never captured. No-one knows for sure what became of him but hills, caves and churches across Wales are claimed to be his last resting place.

1485
Henry Tudor defeats Richard III at Bosworth to become King of England. The Tudor dynasty had its origins in Wales and accelerated the integration of Welsh nobility into English public life.

1536
The first Act of Union was passed between England and Wales. Wales becomes united politically with England and is governed by English law.

1768
The copper industry is now using Welsh ore mined at Parys Mountain on the Isle of Anglesey. It's the beginning of an industry that would control half the world's production by the end of the century.

1801
The first official census record, the population of Wales is 587,000. Merthyr Tydfil with 7,705 inhabitants is the largest town in Wales.

1839
Bute Dock is built at Cardiff, supplying vast amounts of coal to the world's new navies, and causing Cardiff’s rapid expansion into the largest and most important city in Wales.

1856
Evan James and James James of Pontypridd compose 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau' (Land of my Fathers) which is now the Welsh national anthem.

1881
The Welsh Rugby Union is established to become guardians of Wales's national sport.

1885
Dan Isaac Davies founds the first Welsh language society to protect one of the oldest languages in Europe and to promote the use of Welsh in education.

1905
Cardiff is elevated to city status. It has experienced a seven-fold population increase in less than 50 years.

1911
Prince Edward, the future King Edward VII is invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon castle.


1916
David Lloyd George becomes the first Welsh Prime Minister of the UK. He was also the only Prime Minister to speak English as a second language, Welsh being his first.

1935
The first radio broadcast in Welsh is made. The BBC begins to broadcast Welsh language programs from their studio at Bangor, Gwynedd.

1946
Welshmen James Griffiths and Aneurin Bevan produce the National Insurance Act of 1946, which sets up the UK's welfare state, known today as the National Health Service (NHS).

1953
Famous Welsh poet Dylan Thomas dies in New York City at the age of 39. His best known works include 'Under Milk Wood' and 'Do not go gentle into that good night'

1955
Cardiff is officially declared capital of Wales. Cardiff is Europe's youngest capital city.

1977
BBC Radio Cymru, Wales's Welsh language radio station, is launched. It was one of the few FM-only radio services in the UK at the time.


1982
Sianel Pedwar Cymru (S4C), the Welsh language television station is opened. S4C now has an animation catalogue that is broadcast all over the world, and has had two Oscar nominations for 'Famous Fred' and 'The Canterbury Tales'

1997
The Welsh public votes yes to the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales, allowing Wales to become a distinct constitutional entity within the UK for the first time in 40 years.

1999
The National Assembly for Wales is officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen.


1999
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff opens. It has the capacity for 74,500 people and is the first stadium in the UK to feature a retractable roof.

2004
Her Majesty the Queen opens the Wales Millennium Centre. It is one of the most unique and lively performing arts centre in Europe attracting over 1.5 million visitors since opening.

2005
Wales beats England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy to win the Six Nations Rugby Grand Slam for the first time in far too many years.

2006
The Senedd building is opened to house the National Assembly for Wales. The Senedd has won an award for its sustainability and green credentials.

2007
The separation between the legislative National Assembly for Wales and the executive Welsh Assembly took effect under the Government of Wales act 2006. The act increased the National Assembly’s law making powers.

2008
Record numbers of Welsh sportsmen and women win Olympic and Paralympic Gold medals in Beijing.

2009
Glamorgan's Sophia Gardens hosts the Ashes Test match between England and Australia cricket teams for the first time.

2010
The Ryder Cup came to Wales for the first time. The prestigious golfing event took place at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.