Wales (Cymru) has sometimes been described as the rocky, craggy protuberance on England’s west flank. Welsh (Cymraeg) is a Celtic language only distantly related to English by virtue of being an Indo-European language. Celtic-speaking people have occupied Wales since at least the fifth century BCE.
The Roman conquest of Wales began in 48 CE and took 30 years to complete. Roman rule was essentially a military occupation. In 410 CE, the Romans left Britain, and the kingdoms of Gwynedd, Powys, Dyfed and Seisyllwg, and Morgannwg and Gwent emerged as independent Welsh states. In 1057, Wales became unified under Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and for seven years Wales was under a single ruler.
In 1216, Llywelyn Fawr, after receiving the fealty of the other Welsh lords, became the first Prince of Wales (Tywysog Cymru). In 1267, Llywelyn ap Gruffud, the grandson of Llywelyn Fawr, received recognition as the second Prince of Wales.
The rule of the Welsh princes did not last long. Edward I had a vision of uniting all of Britain—England, Wales, Scotland—and even Ireland under a single monarchy. From Edward I’s perspective, an independent Wales was a threat to his one-kingdom dreams. Besides, the Welsh were often a bit of a nuisance, often stealing sheep in England and the fleeing into Wales where they could hide in the hills and crags. So Edward I did what any self-respecting, imperial monarch would do: he invaded. By 1301, the Welsh had surrendered.
To obtain Welsh loyalty, Edward I promised the Welsh that they would have their own ruler. This ruler would be someone who had been born in Wales and spoke no English (or, according to some accounts, “no other language’). The Welsh agreed and Edward I soon made good on his promise: his newborn son (who would become Edward II) was anointed at birth as Prince of Wales. This is a title that still survives for the oldest son of the reigning British monarch.
Edward I kept his promise to the Welsh. His son was born in Caernafon (Caernavon) Castle, which is in Wales. When he was only a few days old, he was given the title Prince of Wales. At that time, the infant didn’t speak English, or any language for that matter. But true to his promise, the Prince of Wales was born in Wales and spoke no English.
This is, of course, an interesting story, but is it true? In reality, Edward II was born in Wales, but in 1284, not 1301. He did not become Prince of Wales as an infant, but was a teenager at the time. It should be noted, however, that English royalty at this time spoke Norman French rather than English, and so it is possible that the new Prince of Wales spoke no English. The story of a Welsh-born, non-English-speaking prince was not recorded until 1584, after the Act of Union in 1536 in which Wales became known as the Principality of Wales.
Between 1301 and the Act of Union in 1536, there were some Welsh who also claimed the title Prince of Wales. In 1294, Madog ap Llywelyn led a revolt against English rule and called himself Prince of Wales. In the uprising against Henry IV of England led by Owain Glyndwr in 1404, Owain was crowned Prince of Wales by emissaries from Scotland, Spain, and France.
Edward II, the first English Prince of Wales, did not confer the title to his eldest son, Edward III. It was Edward III who began the practice of passing the title to the eldest son, a practice which has been maintained to this day.