CASTLE

PROGRAMME 3: EDWARD I AND HIS WELSH CASTLES

This programme focuses on Edward I's conquest of Wales in the 13th century and the central importance of his great Welsh castles. The presenter Marc Morris gives a fascinating insight into Edward's determination to assert his authority in Wales and we learn how this led him to employ new castle-building techniques that were like nothing ever seen before in England or Wales.

Caernarfon Castle in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, is one of the castles featured in this programme. A vast fortress-palace that overlooks the sea, this was an amazing architectural achievement at the time, and even with today's technology it would be a huge undertaking in terms of cost, planning and materials. A string of similar castles were constructed around the coast of North Wales and they were defensively brilliant from a construction and location point of view.

Until 50 years ago the identity of the architect of these castles was a mystery, but Marc takes us across Europe to reveal who he was and why his designs were so ground-breaking. These castles were not only defensive strongholds but also luxurious homes, needing a whole infrastructure of staff, transport links and produce to sustain them.

PROGRAMME AIMS

The programme should enable students to:

• Understand Edward I's campaign in Wales in the 13th century and the part played by Llewellyn ap Gruffudd
• Realise how significant castles were to Edward's success in North Wales
• Explain the defensive features of concentric-wall castles such as Conwy Castle
• Begin to understand how castle-building developed over time
• Appreciate how evidence is used to learn more about the building of Norman castles in North Wales
• Use the experiences and opinions of modern-day experts to come to conclusions about this period.