Welsh Journals

which the revolt really caught fire, to the crucial role played by the English castles in eventually defeating the rebels' aspirations, to the rather limited role (contrary to what has often been asserted) played in the suppression of the revolt by the future Henry V, and to much else besides. Equally impressive is the variety of source-material employed to build up a picture of Welsh society and the mainsprings of revolt: the poetry of Iolo Goch and his contemporaries, the 'Merlin' prophecies, and the ubiquitous genea- logies, prompting the remark that 'at one level the social history of late medieval Wales seems to dissolve into a tangled forest of family trees' (p.206). It was these kinship ties, this genealogical awareness, which made the revolt a truly national affair: kin-groups defected to Owain en masse. Nor does Professor Davies fall into the trap of trying to write a 'linear' history of the revolt. Historians, as he points out, are inclined to try too hard to present a clear story-line when dealing with such events, but to do so is too often to misrepresent the facts. The Glyn Dwr revolt was an incoherent and often very localized and spasmodic affair. Only for between two and three years from the summer of 1403 to the winter of 1405-6 can it be regarded as a truly national revolt, yet not until 1421 (with the pardon of Owain's last surviving son, Maredudd) could it finally be said to have died. Its results were nevertheless catastrophic, not merely in human and economic terms, but also by 'giving the past and its categories a new and vindictive lease of life', and thereby 'delaying the birth of modern Wales' (p.292). This is but one of the many insights with which this book is crammed. It is an absorbing and delightfully-written account of one of the great events in medieval British history, and will remain the definitive account for many years to come. CHRIS GIVEN-WILSON St Andrews THE WARS OF THE Roses AND THE Yorkist Kings. By John Warren. Hodder and Stoughton, 1995. Pp. 160. Paperback. £ 5.99. Although this volume in Hodder and Stoughton's Access to History series claims to target both students and the general reader, its main market will probably be found among sixth formers and undergraduates. They will not be disappointed. Not only does John Warren present a clear, coherent, well- informed and stimulating introduction to long-running historical debates on Henry VI, the Wars of the Roses and the Yorkist kings; he also provides valuable guidance on how best to study this complex, confusing and controversial period in history.