The Economy of Medieval Wales, 1067-1536

by Matthew Frank Stevens

Overview

This book surveys the economy of Wales from the first Norman intrusions of 1067 to the Act of Union of England and Wales in 1536. Key themes include the evolution of the agrarian economy; the foundation and growth of towns; the adoption of a money economy; English colonisation and economic exploitation; the collapse of Welsh social structures and rise of economic individualism; the disastrous effect of the Glyndŵr rebellion; and, ultimately, the alignment of the Welsh economy to the English economy. Comprising four chapters, a narrative history is presented of the economic history of Wales, 1067–1536, and the final chapter tests the applicability in a Welsh context of the main theoretical frameworks that have been developed to explain long-term economic and social change in medieval Britain and Europe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786834867
Publisher:	University of Wales Press
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

This book will be of interest to academics, students and the informed public.

Table of Contents

Preface Abbreviations Maps Introduction 1 Early History, Conquest and Colonisation, 1067–1315 2 The Medieval Economy at its Apex, 1282–1348 3 Crises and Restructuring, 1315–1536 4 Modelling the Economy of Medieval Wales Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

"Matthew Stevens has produced the first book-length survey of the economic development of medieval Wales. His comprehensive coverage, supported by many local examples, together with his challenging and sometimes controversial analyses of the evidence and the views of previous historians, will appeal to a wide readership."--David Stephenson, Bangor

"Matthew Stevens's new book is a succinct, fresh and at times challenging review of economic life in Wales between the eleventh and the sixteenth century. It provides a valuable guide to the historiography of the past century, places the study of Wales's economies in an international frame, and enables Stevens to bring his own research and judgments to bear."--Ralph Griffiths, Swansea University

"Students and scholars alike will learn much from this valuable study of Welsh medieval social and economic history. In particular, the author emphasizes the multiplicity of causes that brought about economic change in medieval Wales, and shows how such change was affected by factors including conquest, ethnicity and geography, which do not fit easily into the over-arching models by which historians have often made sense of medieval economic development."--Stephen H. Rigby, University of Manchester

From the Publisher

"Students and scholars alike will learn much from this valuable study of Welsh medieval social and economic history. In particular, the author emphasizes the multiplicity of causes that brought about economic change in medieval Wales, and shows how such change was affected by factors including conquest, ethnicity and geography, which do not fit easily into the over-arching models by which historians have often made sense of medieval economic development."

Stephen H. Rigby

"Matthew Stevens’s new book is a succinct, fresh and at times challenging review of economic life in Wales between the eleventh and the sixteenth century.  It provides a valuable guide to the historiography of the past century, places the study of Wales’s economies in an international frame, and enables Stevens to bring his own research and judgments to bear."

Ralph Griffiths

"Matthew Stevens has produced the first book-length survey of the economic development of medieval Wales. His comprehensive coverage, supported by many local examples, together with his challenging and sometimes controversial analyses of the evidence and the views of previous historians, will appeal to a wide readership."

David Stephenson