Almost everyone wants power and control, no matter what decade or even century you live in, the people who run our governments, whether it s acts of a prince or a prime minister. Ministers are power hungry, even now we have governments invading other countries, like Russia's Vladimir Putin, trying to "take back" territories they believe belong to them, like Ukraine. This idea of ​​territory as power has also not emerged recently, in fact King Edward I is no exception to these ideas of greed and power. He built castles as control centers throughout his territory. He also saw his expansion of English territory as a necessary step, building castles in strategic locations as centers of power, control and protection throughout Wales for military and cultural purposes. The "Iron Ring" included many castles of great cultural significance, whether because of the city it protected and how it was conquered, or the location where the castle was built in the landscape, the money it cost or the story behind it. . King Edward I built castles throughout Wales to control the portions of land he had already conquered during his conquest, following the end of his first military campaign and the signing of the Treaty of Aberconwy. Edward designed these castles in what is now known as the "Iron Ring", a ring of castles built to control the uprisings of the Welsh rebellions. The first of these later built castles was Flint Castle, soon followed by Rhuddlan, Aberystwyth and Builth Wells, as well as the requisition, rebuilding and modernization of other Welsh castles in the area. After the Treaty of Rhuddlan was signed in 1284, forcefully crushing the resistance of ordinary Welsh people, three more castles were built, including Conwy which effectively replaced his father's stronghold at Deganwy, which was then in disrepair, and that of Caernarfon. was previously a center of power for the Welsh prince Llywelyn and linked the Welsh people to their Roman origins as it was the site of an important Roman fort called Segontium. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe conquest required two military campaigns spanning approximately nineteen years, but is one of the greatest achievements of the King Edward during his tenure as King of England. "The princely dynasty of Gwynedd has been destroyed, and the most remarkable chain of castles ever built stands as a permanent reminder of the power Edward wielded over the Welsh." 1The war and the subsequent conquest of Wales were partly due to the stubbornness of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, then Prince of Wales. He flatly refused repeatedly to pay homage to King Edward I, which was considered a great insult, especially after he did so to Edward's father, Henry III. The problem first arose after Henry's death when the Welsh prince failed to respond to a summons from the new king and did not even attend King Edward's coronation, after which several other summons were rebuffed by Prince Llywelyn. “Llywelyn steadfastly refused to attend, and the monies owed under the terms of the Treaty of Montgomery remained unpaid. »2 Edward considered this unacceptable, as he considered the question of Llywelyn's loyalty non-negotiable and that it was his duty to appear before him, and if he continued to refuse to adhere to these conditions,then “he would be treated like a rebel. »3 The formal decision to declare war on Wales was taken on 12 November 1276. Troops were mustered in the summer of 1277, as it was imperative to make arrangements for any defense of English territory once war was declared. Formal feudal summons were sent out on December 12, 1276, asking all those who owed their service to the king to converge at Worcester on July 1.4 The army advanced quickly and easily from Chester to Flint at the end of its first war.month . “Edward himself then returned to Cheshire, to oversee the collection of supplies and equipment needed to establish a strong base. »5 King Edward then returned to Flint and began work on the military fortress that would become Flint Castle, building a new castle. road and a giant ditch around the city. King Edward's army advanced from Flint to Rhuddlan and finally to Deganwy and then to Anglesey. On Anglesey a large group of three hundred and sixty farmers were taken and the English put pressure on the Welsh, intimidating them with the prospect of possible famine.6 By September, King Edward and his army had retreated to Rhuddlan, and by September at the end of November a treaty had been signed, further humiliating Llywelyn, but allowing him to keep his territory uncaptured by the English if he renounced his claims to lands the English had already taken, other than Anglesey .7 He had to swear fealty to Edward at Rhuddlan, then went to London to pay tribute, paid a fine of 50,000 pounds and released ten hostages to ensure that the treaty would be upheld.8 After the signing of the Treaty of Aberconwy, the Construction of a series of Welsh castles began. , “Aberystwyth and Builth from the south, Flint and Rhuddlan from the north-east”9, along the border of English territory designed specifically to corner the Welsh. Flint was the site of the first of the castles to be built in what is now known as the "Iron Ring". Flint was the first to hold a castle as it was the first territory Edward captured in Wales during his first military campaign against Llywelyn, and due to its strategic location as it was only a day's journey away from Chester and right next to the river. Dee. Silex is unique because it is not the only one to be built, but also the entire town which makes it a Bastide, a sort of fortified town with a wall.10 Edward was introduced to the idea of ​​the Bastide during his expeditions in Gascony, he later applied this idea to several of his castles in Wales. Walled towns like this were used as powerful administrative centers by King Edward, as he received money and was assured control over the citizens.11 Bastides were often towns built in open countryside for economic purposes , for example to divert people from one city to another on road trips, to set up new churches or to establish new markets. The creation of bastides was almost always beneficial for all stakeholders: the king, the land owner and even the villagers. There were bastide towns at Flint, Conwy and Caernarfon, all of which served as administrative centers in King Edward's English scheme of control and settlement.12 In fortified lanes such as these, access to Flint Castle n was granted only by a drawbridge due to the flooding of the river. almost to the base on the north and east sides, and moats dug around its south wall and its largest tower, located in its southeast corner.13 Flint Castle is believed to be modeled after several Possible French castles that King Edward I might have passed on his way toparticipating in the Eighth Crusade in 1270. The rooms were small with walls twenty-three feet thick at the base, sixteen feet above, and the ground floor was vaulted all around the interior of the keep. Flint has a smaller square design, with round corner towers on all corners except the southeast, which was a much larger tower serving as both a corner tower and a keep. This tower or keep was separate from the castle and had its own stone wall and trench. “...it consists of a series of gallery levels extending around a central open space. Situated at levels above the basement (which probably stored military supplies), each gallery contained several rooms, side by side around the open cylinder, including living quarters, latrines, the kitchen (probably adjacent to the well) and a chapel. It is likely that these rooms were used either by the constable of the castle or by high-ranking individuals...”14 The sumptuousness of Flint Castle, and in particular this tower, made it an attractive place to stay for high-ranking people. officials and visiting dignitaries, elevating Flint Castle and subsequently the city of Flint to a much higher status. Having figures such as the Justice of Chester or any of the other well-known English officials who remained there for a period of time would have been very important to the citizens of the city, as it made them culturally important to the others. surrounding towns. All of these things make Flint unique among North Wales castles. This grand castle and bastide town of Flint is located in a location that hides its true strength, due to its unique ability to disappear into its swampy surroundings. The next new castle to be built in the north-east at this time was Rhuddlan. Rhuddlan was concentric in design, meaning that it consisted of two different rings of walls, or quarters, one inside the other.15 It was designed to be a sort of castle in interior of another castle, this way when attacked there would be two different obstacles in the way of the army trying to take the castle. The inner hall was diamond or trapezoid shaped, very thick and very strongly defended, the outer hall, thinner and more distant, surrounding the entire complex, and a curtain wall going around the outer wall, with small towers and turrets around. he. The twin towers at the two corners form the gatehouses of the castle. The outer quarter overlooked the moat on all but the west side, where it overlooked the River Clwyd, with only a small part of the south-west section of the castle most likely used as a dock area with an overlooking tower and a short northern section -West on earth as a door. The entrance to the castle could also be obtained from the river to the west.16 The inner wall or quarter has a single tower on each of the more acute angles to the north and south, and a gatehouse with a double tower on each of the sharpest angles. to the east and west. Various buildings were constructed in the inner hall such as a chapel, a great hall, kitchens and apartments, while the outer hall housed the granary, a blacksmith, a goldsmith, the treasury and the stables. Edward built the new town accompanying this castle to the north, away from the Norman settlement. Its defenses consisted of a pair of banks with a ditch between them and a new bridge. A stone wall was never erected and was probably not planned.17 Rhuddlan Castle was historically a defensive site for the Welsh which was taken by the king in the first century. military campaign, and he established his main base there in August 1277in the remains of the old castle. Rhuddlan hosted the important event that ended this first campaign when Edward forced Llywelyn to swear fealty to him. Rhuddlan was a historically important place for this reason, as well as for the Statute of Rhuddlan which was enacted there, giving the English power to govern the Welsh.18 War broke out again in 1282, over Llywelyn's brother Dafydd, who launched attacks against many countries. English colonies with help from other Welsh rulers across the country. Edward took this as another chance to seize Welsh territory for himself.19 Dafydd first attacked Hawarden Castle and other sites such as Flint, and Edward then retaliated with a large army. moving rapidly towards North Wales. Early in the war the Welsh achieved many victories, defeating both the Earl of Gloucester and Roger Mortimer. However, things changed for them during the Battle of Orewin Bridge. The Welsh en route to Blith in mid Wales where trapped, Llywelyn was caught in battle and killed. Edward, buoyed by this great victory, raised a new army and entered Snowdonia in January 1283. The army quickly advanced into the territory taking Dolwyddelan Castle, the center of the Welsh rebellion, from the north and advancing towards Meirionnydd from the south. The completion of the rebellions came in the summer of 1283, with the capture of Dafydd. Dafydd was then taken to Shrewsbury and stripped of his head, as all traitors must by law. The Statute of Rhuddlan was enacted in 1284, giving the Crown a means of governing the new territories of Wales.20 Conwy Castle was one of the castles built in these new territories. It is one of the largest and most sumptuous castles built in the aftermath of the second military campaign, that of Conwy and its Bastide. Conwy Castle stands out from the rest in its size and design. Construction began in 1283 with the digging of a massive moat around the entire base of what would become the castle. The castle was built on a rectangular plan with interior and exterior quarters clearly divided by a transverse wall, with four large towers on each quarter. The entrances are protected by barbicans, with no real gatehouse of any kind.21 Conwy Castle is surrounded by a bastide town and the coastline, making it a formidable site. “At Conway, Edward built one of the finest medieval walled towns in conjunction with the castle. the superior power and strength of the English. Conwy Castle was important to the culture of the surrounding areas due to its strength and vast size, suppressing rebellions by the Welsh people and thereby protecting its inhabitants within the walled fortress. The town's fortress and castle even resisted the Welsh army during the rebellions of 1294 when Edward was besieged there for two months, from December to February, when forces came to relieve him.23The most important castle on the cultural plan built by Edward was in Caernarfon. The town of Caernarfon began long before the castle's foundations were laid, as a small Roman settlement called Segontium. Segontium changed hands several times over the next hundreds of years, eventually falling to the Normans for a short time during the 11th century, but remaining broadly an independent Welsh territory until the fall of the Welsh prince in 1284 and the creation of the Borough of Caernarfonshire and became the royal seat of English power in Wales.25 Edward chose to locate his center of power in Caernarfon for many reasons, but I think the main..