Owain Glyndŵr

Edited by Michael Livingston and John K. Bollard, this casebook assembles medieval and later evidence for Owain Glyndŵr and the rebellion that began under his banner in 1400. Its translated documents, poems, letters, laws and chronicles show how Glyndŵr could appear as prince, patriot, rebel, outlaw and prophetic figure depending on the interests of the writer. The collection follows the uprising’s military, political, religious and diplomatic ambitions against the government of Henry IV.

Eleven contextual essays explain the sources and their afterlives, including the development of Glyndŵr’s reputation in Welsh memory, English chronicles and literature. By placing hostile records beside praise poetry and administrative evidence, the volume allows readers to compare contemporary voices rather than relying on a single retrospective narrative. It is both a documentary history of the Glyndŵr Rising and a study of how a historical leader became a national legend.