01 · Chapters
Four ages of Wales
Open an age to read its story, or scroll the full timeline below. Each age also has its own page.
Or follow a themed trail · All trails · For teachers
On this day in Welsh history
02 · Timeline
The story in dates
Filled markers are turning points. Every event links to a source so you can read more. Switch to Cymraeg and the dates follow the Welsh convention: CC (Cyn Crist) and OC (Oed Crist).
03 · Map
Where it happened
Choose a pin to see the story behind the place, or switch to Kingdoms to watch the political map of Wales change.
History near you
What’s near you?
04 · People
The people who shaped Wales
Princes, poets, saints, rebels and reformers. Each one has a link you can share.
05 · Language
Cymraeg, the oldest language of Britain
Welsh grew out of Brittonic, spoken across most of Britain before the Romans. Its oldest poetry dates from around 600 AD, and it is still the everyday language of more than half a million people.
Welsh speakers by census
A century of decline, and a fight back
Share of people aged three and over who could speak Welsh. No census was taken in 1941.
The Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 strategy aims for a million speakers by mid-century.
Place-name decoder
What does the name mean?
Most Welsh place names describe the land. Type one and it will be broken into its parts.
Words to know
06 · Quiz
How much do you know?
Ten questions drawn from the timeline and the people. Every round is different.
Game
Timeline challenge
Tap the five events in order, oldest first. Tap again to undo. Three rounds, five points each.
07 · Sources
Further reading
Every event, place and person on this site links to a source. These are the best books and collections for going further.
Books
Online
Links on individual events go to Wikipedia, which in turn lists academic sources. Dates marked c. (circa) are approximate. The map is drawn from local authority boundaries, and the kingdoms map is an approximation.