__NOTOC__ This is a timeline of Welsh history, comprising important legal and territorial changes, and political events in Wales.
Prehistory: Mesolithic/Neolithic periodsBronze/Iron AgesCenturies: 1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21stReferencesSources
Mesolithic and Neolithic periods
Year Date Event c. 31,000 BC Earliest reliably-dated "modern human" burial with artefacts, first discovered in the 1820s on the Gower in Swansea. After the Red Lady of Paviland bones were recalibrated in 2009, : see Red Lady of Paviland the (male) Homo sapiens bones were determined to be from 33,000 years ago. Following the end of glaciation and sea level stabilisation, Wales becomes roughly the shape it is today and is inhabited by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. c. 4000 BC The earliest farming communities become established in Wales, marking the beginning of the Neolithic period. Megalithic tombs still survive from this period, such as the Pentre Ifan Dolmen in Pembrokeshire.
Bronze and Iron Ages
Year Date Event c. 2500–2100 BC Metal tools first appear, as copper ores are extracted from deep open cast mines in central and northern Wales. Implements are initially made from copper, followed by bronze (made by adding tin and lead to copper). c. 2500–700 BC Wales is part of Bronze Age Britain, a maritime trading culture, selling tin, lead, iron, silver, gold, pearls, corn, cattle, hides, skins, fleeces, trained hunting dogs and slaves, and buying ivory, amber, glass vessels and other luxuries; bronze axeheads from this area have been found on the coasts of Brittany and Germany. Implements start to be produced from iron, the earliest examples are believed to come from Llyn Fawr in South Wales. c. 400 BC Iron Age settlements emerge in Wales, two of the earliest being Castell Odo, a small hillfort near the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula and Lodge Wood Camp, above the later Roman fort at Caerleon. c. 150 BC Gold coins are being minted at least as early as this date, imitating Macedonian designs. 54 BC Tacitus later (1st century AD) records that Cymry (Welsh people) assisted in repelling Julius Caesar's second invasion.
1st century
Year Date Event Celtic chariot burial in southern Britain discovered in Llanstadwell, Pembrokeshire, in 2018 48 The Roman conquest of Wales begins as the Deceangli tribe in the northeast submits to Publius Ostorius Scapula 51 Caratacus, a defeated chieftain from east England, encourages the Silures and Ordovices to attack Roman territories, ultimately unsuccessfully;Tacitus, Annals 12:33–38 he is betrayed by the Brigantes and taken to Rome as a prisoner 52 A Roman legion, probably Legio XX Valeria Victrix, is defeated by the Silures c. 75 The Silures have been defeated; Romans establish Venta Silurum, a market town in the Roman province of Britannia; the modern village of Caerwent in Monmouthshire is built around the Roman ruins; Roman fortress at Caerleon is established for the Legio II Augusta 77 Roman general Gnaeus Julius Agricola subjugates the Ordovices with "much slaughter" 78 Gaius Suetonius Paulinus completes the Roman conquest of Wales, ending with his campaign to capture Anglesey; the conquest has involved at least thirteen campaigns, up to 30,000 soldiers and, due to Wales's particular terrain, the development of new tactics which were subsequently adopted in other parts of the empire
2nd century
Year Date Event Roman rule over Britannia is less evident in Wales than in other parts of Britain; there are few Roman settlements, but a number of roads, camps and forts; the Romans exploit resources such as metal ores, and to a lesser extent coal c. 150 According to Ptolemy, Wales was populated by five indistinct peoples, mostly of Celtic origin: Ordovices, Silures, Demetae, Deceangli and Gangani c. 162 Llandaff was probably the site of the first Christian church built in Wales
3rd century
Year Date Event — Evidence of Christianity in Gwent — Hoard of more than 3,000 Roman coins buried in a ceramic pot in Powys, discovered in 2011 c. 280 Vines introduced into Britain, including Glamorganshire; also first established around this time, fruit tree, vegetable and game species not previously indigenous
4th century
Year Date Event 311–313 The edicts of Serdica and Milan allow Christians throughout the Empire to worship without restriction; there had been periods of persecution in Wales, including two martyrdoms: Julius and Aaron 350–369 Influx of settlers from Ireland take advantage of soft Roman rule in Wales 383 Effective end of Roman rule in Wales; de facto Roman ruler Magnus Maximus leaves Wales defenceless when he embarks on a military campaign with considerable forces, and remains on the continent with his troops c. 389 Irish, Scots and Saxon invaders begin to fill the vacuum left by Magnus Maximus and his garrison
5th century
Year Date Event 410 Roman garrison withdrawn from Britain, followed by the emergence of Welsh kingdoms, principally Gwynedd (north), Demetia (south, subsequently Dyfed) and Powys (east) c. 430 Germanus of Auxerre promotes Christianity more widely in Wales and, as a former general, puts himself at the forefront of a British force in a confrontation with raiders near Mold c. 450 Cunedda Wledig (possibly the grandson of a Roman or Romano-Briton with military rank on the border with Scotland) comes "from the north" and founds Gwynedd by driving out the Irish settlers c. 480 Tydfil, later Saint Tydfil—a daughter of Brychan, king of Brycheiniog (later Brecknockshire)—is murdered at Merthyr c. 490 Dubricius is appointed archbishop of Caerleon and Llandaff; he founds several colleges, including asylums for the aged and schools for the young
6th century
Year Date Event –542 The supposed time of the legendary King Arthur, of Welsh parentage and crowned at Caerleon, referred to by early writers such as Nennius, Geoffrey of Monmouth and many others, but considered by more modern historians as a combination of "monkish legends and chivalrous fiction" c. 500–589 The time of Dewi ap Sanctus (grandson of Ceredig, founder of Ceredigion), who later became Saint David, patron saint of Wales 519 Bishop Dubricius presides over the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi, during which he resigns and recommends that Bishop Dewi succeed him; this is approved c. 522 Dewi moves the seat of the primacy to Mynyw, where the see became known as St David's, but the settlement was called Menevia at least until the 13th century, and later became the city of St David's 547 Death of Maelgwn Gwynedd, king of Gwynedd, known for funding the foundation of Christian churches throughout Wales; Maelgwn may have died of the bubonic plague, a pandemic that spread across Europe and beyond in the early 540s, mostly via trade routes c.560 Death of Bishop Dewi. His episcopal see at Menevia is renamed Ty Ddewi (The House of David) in his honour
7th century
Year Date Event c. 600 The terms Cymry (Welsh people) and Cymru (Wales), as opposed to other Celtic peoples and regions, already in use as self-identifiers 615/616 Battle of Chester between Anglo-Saxons and native Britons (Note: translator gives incorrect date of 603, which was subsequently corrected by later scholars) 630 Welsh/Mercian alliance between King Cadwallon of Gwynedd and Penda of Mercia defeats army of King Edwin of Northumbria at the Battle of Cefn Digoll (or "Battle of the Long Mynd") at Long Mountain near Welshpool 633/4 Cadwallon ap Cadfan, king of Gwynedd, dies in battle in the north of England c. 655–682 Reign of Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon, king of Gwynedd.
8th century
Year Date Event 700–750 At the height of its powers, Mercia expands westwards to the Dee, Wye, and Severn rivers, at the expense of the Welsh kingdom of Powys; forced back into the upland regions, the Welsh launch a series of raids throughout the late 7th and early 8th centuries, in a bid to regain the rich farming territory of the lowlands. c. 753 An invading army from Wessex is beaten back by the Welsh at Hereford c. 754 Death of king Rhodri Molwynog, whose lineage is unclear, and whose predecessor and date of succession are not known; the reign of king Rhodri's successor, Cynan (probably Rhodri's son), was one of incessant warfare; Rhodri may have been succeeded by Caradog ap Meirion, or Caradog may have been a district ruler –794 Offa of Mercia and Cynewulf of Wessex campaign vigorously along the length of the border with the Welsh kingdoms, causing the Welsh to lose lands they would never recover and largely establishing the eastern borders of Wales that exist today; internal Welsh strife continues –796 Offa's Dyke is built along the Wales–England border to mark the boundary between Anglian Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys; however, radiocarbon dating of samples taken from excavations in 2014 reveal that it may have been constructed much earlier than this, and over an extended time period 768 The Welsh church adopts the Catholic method of calculating Easter through the efforts of bishop Elfodd 795/6 Battle at Rhuddlan Marsh, between the Saxons and Welsh; there is confusion between possible battles at Rhuddlan Marsh (Denbighshire) in 795 and Rhuddlan (Flintshire) in 796 c. 798 When Caradog of Gwynedd and Meredydd of Dyfed die at the hands of the Mercians, Cynan ap Rhodri becomes the next king of Gwynedd
9th century Year Date Event 825 Egbert of Wessex defeats the Mercians and demands sovereignty over Wales Nennius, a 9th-century Welsh monk, is thought to have written Historia Brittonum, a history of the Celtic Britons, although some experts argue that the work was written anonymously (Source: Six Old English Chronicles. ed. J. A. Giles. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1848) 844 Rhodri ap Merfyn (later known as Rhodri the Great) becomes king of Gwynedd, Powys and Deheubarth by right of succession, uniting the three kingdoms under one rule c. 878 When Rhodri the Great dies fighting the Saxons on Anglesey, his three eldest sons become regional rulers: Cadell in Seisyllwg (mainly Ceredigion), Anarawd in Gwynedd and Merfyn in Powys. c. 885 Several Welsh kings submit to Alfred the Great's lordship; Asser, a Welsh cleric, is invited to join Alfred in Wessex; in 893, Asser writes a biography of Alfred 893 (spring) The Battle of Buttington ends in victory for a combined Anglo-Saxon and Welsh force against the Danish Vikings; the Buttington Oak, believed to have been planted around this time to commemorate the battle, survives until February 2018 (autumn) Danish Vikings occupy the town of Chester, but when Alfred the Great cuts off their food supplies, they move west and carry out raids in north Wales before returning to Essex
10th century