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Wales

Wales

Timeline

76   Wales is annexed by Rome.

78   Romans conquer the Ordovices, located in present-day northern Wales, as well as the Silures.

465   According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Hengist and Esc slay twelve Welsh leaders near Wippedfleet.

613   Aethelfrith of Northumbria defeats the Welsh and their allies at Chester.

658   Cadwaladr launches the last Welsh offensive against the Saxons in Britain.=

768   The date, according to the ''Annales Cambriae'', when Wales began to celebrate Easter on the Roman date, at the teaching of Elbodugus.

850   First recorded Viking attack on the Welsh coast.

854   First known pilgrimage to Rome of a Welsh ruler (Cyngen of Powys).

871   Rhodri ''Mawr'' ('the Great') of Gwynedd inherits Seisyllwig, thus uniting most of Wales under his rule

878   Rhodri, the first King of Wales to be known as "the Great", is killed in battle.

890   First ceremonial visit by a Welsh king (Anarawd, King of Gwynedd to an English court (that of Alfred the Great).

916   Mercian warrior queen Aethelflaed conquers Wales

920   The Welsh ruler Hywel Dda ("Hywel the Good") merged Dyfed and Seisyllwg and established a new kingdom known as Deheubarth.

942   Hywel Dda, king of Deheubarth annexes Gwynedd to become ruler of most of Wales

945   Howell the Good convenes a conference at Whitland, which reforms the laws of Wales

1095   Pembroke Castle is built in Wales.

1120   Construction begins on Llandaff Cathedral in Wales

1136   Owain Gwynedd of Wales defeats the Normans at Crug Mawr.

1163   Owain Gwynedd is recognized as ruler of Wales.

1165   Henry II of England invades Wales but is forced to retreat.

1170   According to folklore, the Welsh prince Madoc sailed to North America and founded a colony.

1188   Giraldus Cambrensis and Baldwin of Exeter travel through Wales attempting to recruit men for the Third Crusade.

1197   Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury, negotiates a peace with Wales.

1231   Llywelyn the Great launches a campaign against the Norman lordships in Wales.

1258   Llywelyn the Last declares himself Prince of Wales. He is the final ruler of an independent Wales, before its conquest by the English.

1265   The Book of Aneirin, a Welsh manuscript of poetry, is penned.

1271   The construction of Caerphilly Castle, the largest in Wales, is completed.

1275   Eleanor de Montfort is captured by pirates in the employ of Edward I of England to prevent her marriage to Llywelyn the Last, prince of Wales; she is used as a bargaining chip over the coming years in Edward's attempts to subjugate Llywelyn and Wales.

1282   Dafydd ap Gruffydd, brother to Prince of Wales Llywelyn the Last, attacks an English castle; his brother feels compelled to support him despite poor preparation for war, quickly leading to the final English conquest of Wales by King Edward I of England.

1283   Construction of Caernarfon castle, Conwy Castle, and Harlech Castle is begun in Wales by King Edward I of England as a system of defenses against possible future Welsh uprisings.

1283   Death by drawing and quartering is first used as a form of capital punishment (for the newly created crime of high treason) by King Edward I of England in his execution of Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the last ruler of an independent Wales.

1284   The Statute of Rhuddlan is created, formally incorporating Wales into England in the entity England and Wales.

1289   Construction of Conwy Castle, ordered by King Edward I of England, is completed in Wales.

1290   Construction of Llandaff Cathedral is completed in Cardiff, Wales, 170 years after it was begun.

1404   Owain Glyndwr of Wales allies with the French against the English and Henry Bolingbroke. Later he gains control of his country, declares himself Prince of Wales, and holds a parliament.

1409   The Welsh surrender Harlech Castle to the English.

1536   Wales and England are legally united by the Laws in Wales Act 1535

1690   Hearth Tax abolished in Scotland, one year after abolition in England and Wales.

1702   William III died; Princess Anne Stuart becomes Queen Anne of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The States doesn't appoint a new stadtholder, so the United Provinces become a true republic again.

1797   The Last invasion of Britain begins. French forces under the command of American Colonel William Tate land near Fishguard in Wales.

1804   The first self-propelling steam engine or steam locomotive makes its outing at the Pen-y-Darren ironworks in Wales. Designed by Richard Trevithick, a Cornishman.

1850   The Catholic hierarchy is re-established in England and Wales by Pope Pius IX.

1856   British Country and Borough Police Act extends London police model to all of England and Wales

1859   The steamship ''Royal Charter'' is wrecked on the coast of Anglesey, Wales with 454 dead.

1865   Welsh settlers arrive in Argentina at Chubut Valley.

1934   A gas explosion took place at Gresford Colliery in Wrexham, north-east Wales which led to the death of 266 miners and rescuers. This was one of the worst tragedies in Welsh mining history.

1941   World War II: The start of the "three nights' Blitz" over Swansea, South Wales. Over these three nights of intensive bombing, which lasted a total of 13 hours and 48 minutes, Swansea town centre was almost completely obliterated by the 896 High Explosive bombs employed by the Luftwaffe. A total of 397 casualties and 230 deaths were reported. The Three nights Blitz ended in the early hours of February 22.

1951   First volunteer-run passenger trains on Talyllyn Railway, Wales.

1970   A fire occurs in the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Straits in north Wales, contributing to its partial destruction and amounting to approximately

1979   Scotland votes narrowly for home rule, which is not implemented, and Wales votes against it.

1982   The Welsh language station, S4C, launches in Wales.

1996   The first EuroHowl is held in Aberystwyth, Wales.

1997   Wales votes in favour of devolution and the formation of a National Assembly.

1999   Elections are held in Scotland and Wales for the new Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales.

2000   Widespread flooding throughout England and Wales after days of heavy rain

2001   John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, assaults Craig Evans at an election rally in Rhyll, North Wales.