Welsh Castle Builders - The Savoyard Style

Welsh Castle Builders - The Savoyard Style written by John Marshall and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 344

The Edwardian castles of north Wales were built by a Savoyard master mason,

but also by many other artisans from Savoy. What is more extraordinary, is that

the constables of Flint, Rhuddlan, Conwy and Harlech were also Savoyards, the

Justiciar and Deputy Justiciar at Caernarfon were Savoyards and the head of the

English army leading the relief of the sieges of Flint and Rhuddlan was a future

Count of Savoy. The explanatory story is fundamentally of two men, the builder of

castles, Master James of St George and Justiciar Sir Othon de Grandson, and the

relationship of these two men with King Edward I. But it is also the story of many

others, a story that begins with the marriage of Alianor de Provence to Edward’s

father, Henry III, and the influx of her kinsmen to England, such as Pierre de Savoie.

It is impossible to understand the development of the castles in north Wales without an understanding of the Savoyards, where they came from and their impact on English and Welsh history. The defining work of Arnold Taylor in exploring the Savoyard history of Welsh castles is now many years past, and mostly out of print, it is time for the story to be revisited and expanded upon, in the light of new evidence.

I have to say that this book for me was a book of two halves, firstly it was a fascinating book and subject, with many interesting features and relationships and I really enjoyed it. The second part of the book was that I think you needed more of a knowledge of the subject to get the full impact of the book and what was happening. With the relationship between France, England and Wales throughout the book, it was a little complicated in parts, which is why a reader with a bit more in-depth knowledge would get more from the book. But I don’t want to deter people from this book but I found parts of the book revealing and it answered a couple of long standing questions. The book seems very well researched and the book contains many notes and sources, and I plan to do some further reading on the subject, it inspired me that much. An excellent book for those in the know, and certainly one I would recommend on this subject. 

Edward I and Wales 1254-1307

Edward I and Wales 1254-1307 written by David Pilling and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 256

The late 13th century witnessed the conquest of Wales after two hundred years of conflict

between Welsh princes and the English crown. In 1282 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the only

native Prince of Wales to be formally acknowledged by a King of England, was slain by

English forces. His brother Dafydd continued the fight, but was eventually captured and

executed. Further revolts followed under Rhys ap Maredudd, a former crown ally, and

Madog ap Llywelyn, a kinsman of the defeated lords of Gwynedd.

The Welsh wars were a massive undertaking for the crown and required the mobilisation

of all resources. Edward’s willingness to direct the combined power of the English state

and church against the Prince of Wales, to an unprecedented degree, resulted in a victory

that had eluded all of his predecessors.

This latest study of the Welsh wars of Edward I will draw upon previously untranslated

archive material, allowing a fresh insight into military and political events. Edward’s personal

relationship with Welsh leaders is also reconsidered. Traditionally, the conquest is dated to

the fall of Llywelyn in December 1282, but this book will argue that Edward was not truly

the master of Wales until 1294. In the years between those two dates he broke the power

of the great Marcher lords and crushed two further large-scale revolts against crown authority.

After 1294 he was able to exploit Welsh manpower on a massive scale. His successors

followed the same policy during the Scottish wars and the Hundred Years War. Edward

enjoyed considerable support among the ‘uchelwyr’ or Welsh gentry class, many of whom

served him as diplomats and spies as well as military captains. This aspect of the king’s

complex relationship with the Welsh will also feature.

This book looks at Edward I and his suppression of the Welsh kingdom in the 13th Century,

not only was he able to crush the will of the Welsh people, he was also able to control the

Welsh lords & leaders. One of the problems with Welsh history is that it can be underplayed

and less understood, which is why there is still animosity between the two still today. But this

book has been written very well in that it’s not stuffy and dry, but actually informative and easy

to read. Having read a couple of other books written by the same author David Pilling, he

seems to be able to sort out the complication and turn it into an easy-to-read passage, which

can help greatly on a subject like this when you have Welsh names and placenames

interspersed throughout. A good read and one I think many interested in this subject would

enjoy.