230,000 years Cymru was inhabited by neanderthals but by 31,000BC it was inhabited by Homo sapiens; many speculate what happened to the neanderthals. Many believe it was due to war, interbreeding or even that their bodies were so large and required so much energy that they just died out gradually. Cymru would be inhabited through the Mesolithic, neolithic and bronzes ages by the beaker people but were conquered by Celtic groups and by the Iron age the whole of Britain would be Celtic.[9] They were warriors, traders and are known for their mystical druids. In 55 and 54BC Julius Caeser would invade Britain but would not gain a foothold and would only return with plunder from tribute.The romans would return in 43AD and finish the conquest of Brittania in 87AD.[10]
The Romans departed Brittania in the 5th century as the empire was becoming overextended as steppe nomads where frequently invading the northern borders in Europe and previously Rome would have constant infighting about who would be Emperor. This would cause many tribes such as the Angles and Saxons from northern Germania to begin conquest in southeast and east of modern-day England. Additionally, England gets their name from the tribe, the angles. The Celtic tribes over the years would be pushed more westerly until the borders we now know today were created of Cornwall, Scotland and Cymru. Many celts also immigrated to the northwest of France and created the nation of Brittany which shares many similarities with the Cymraeg language.
After the borders had been made and all had settled many Duchies formed within Cymru such as Gwynedd, Dyfed, and Gwent. Only once would Cymru be united and that was in 1055 by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn but was a short reign as Gruffydd would die in 1064 and the Kingdom would splinter into many duchies again. In the 1282 the last Prince of Wales Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was killed leading to the annexation by Edward I of England.[11] There was a famous rebellion in 1400 by Owain Glyn Dŵr, in the early days the campaign was very succesful but in 1405 Owain would be defeated by Henry IV's son would later be crounded Henry V. Owain would continue using Guerrilla tatics until 1412 where Owain is never heard of again. This would be the last attempt of Welsh Independence. [12]
The modern-day Cymraeg flag can find it’s link to Henry VII in 1485 where he landed at Milford Haven on the 7th of August with an army of 2000 and flew the red dragon. He would raise an army as he marched to have battle with Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth field where he would be victorious and become King of England. He also carried the red dragon standard to his coronation in St Paul’s Cathedral.[13][1] The son of King Henry VII, Henry VIII would incorporate Cymru into England by the Laws in Wales act in 1535 and 1542. This caused the main language of Cymru to become English but for many commoners nothing would change, and they would continue to speak Cymraeg.[14]
In 1707 the acts of union would pass joining Scotland and England to become Great Britain. The Scottish and English flags would be joined but Cymru would not be included. In 1801 Ireland would be included to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Cymru again would not be included on to the flag. In the 18th century Wales was going through rapid growth due to the industrial revolution. Coal, iron, copper, and many other resources would be extracted to build infrastructure and export to the rest of the world. This would continue into the 19th century and in the early 20th century the first world war would begin in 1914. [10]
Wales fully participated in the war and lost 35,000. The had a total of 275,000 which is a 12.72% loss. The first world war would end on the 11th of November 1918, this left many dead and wounded soldiers leaving a scar on Cymru. During the 1920s and 1930s, 430,000 emigrated from Wales to find work in England as the Great depression was happening. In 1925 the political party Plaid Cymru was formed and was created primarily to make the Cymraeg language the only official language. In 1966 Plaid Cymru won their first seat in Sir Gaerfyrddin. In 1939 Cymru would be brought into war with Nazi Germany after they had invaded Poland on the 3rd of September 1939. Cymru would be bombed in Caerdydd, Abertawe, and other regions around Cymru, 300,000 soldiers would be deployed from Cymru and around 15,000 would die. It would end after the USSR occupying Berlin and the Americans dropping a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. [10]
