The conquest of Wales by the medieval English throne produced a fiercely
contested territory, both militarily and culturally. Wales was left
fissured by frontiers of language, jurisdiction and loyalty - a
reluctant meeting place of literary traditions and political cultures.
But the profound consequences of this first colonial adventure on the
development of medieval English culture have been disregarded. In
setting English figurations of Wales against the contrasted
representations of the Welsh language tradition, this volume seeks to
reverse this neglect, insisting on the crucial importance of the English
experience in Wales for any understanding of the literary cultures of
medieval England and medieval Britain.