Welsh independence

One obstacle to Edward's ambition was the fact that, when he was crowned in 1274, Wales was ruled by an independent prince called Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. In 1277, Edward led a huge army into north Wales and forced the prince into a humiliating surrender, hemming him in with four new English castles at Rhuddlan, Flint, Aberystwyth and Builth. When Llywelyn and the Welsh rose up in rebellion against these new English castles in 1282, Edward's reaction was swift and decisive. He drove enormous armies into Wales and conquered it completely. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was killed in the fighting, leaving the way clear for the king to confiscate North Wales for himself. To secure his hold on his new province, he began to build three mighty new castles – Conwy, Harlech and Caernarfon.

Edwardian strategy

Edward chose the sites for these castles with care, selecting positions by the sea so he could keep them supplied during siege, and deliberately (and callously) building on top of centres of Llywelyn's power, to erase the memory of the Welsh prince and his ancestors. The new castles rose at astonishing speed. Drawing manpower and materials from all over his empire, Edward ensured that within a decade of the conquest, Conwy and Harlech were completely finished and Caernarfon was already half-built. The specifics of the design, however, the king left to a brilliant master mason, Master James of St George. Master James had built spectacular castles for Edward's uncle, the count of Savoy, which the king had seen when he dropped in on the count on his way back from his Crusade.

De luxe fittings

For Edward's new castles, Master James spared no expense, producing designs which combined formidable military strength and the greatest possible degree of luxury. At Conwy, Harlech and Caernarfon we see not only massive gatehouses, mighty towers and countless crossbow loops (slits in the walls), but also evidence of piped water, glazed windows and en-suite toilets. At Caernarfon, Master James really pulled out all the stops, creating not just a fortress and royal residence, but a statement of Edward's imperial dream. With its polygon-shaped towers and banded masonry, the castle deliberately evokes the walls of Constantinople, the capital of the eastern Roman empire, and therefore proclaims Edward as a conquering Caesar. Other artistic touches, such as the stone eagles on top of the Eagle Tower, continue this imperial theme.

Symbol of conquest

If these artistic subtleties were lost on the Welsh, the overall message of Caernarfon was clear – you are conquered. It was a message which the Welsh resisted furiously, storming the castle in 1294 and throwing down its half-finished walls. Although Edward put down the rebellion and building work was resumed, Caernarfon was never finished. When the king died in 1307, his imperial dreams died with him. Within a generation of Edward's death, building work at Caernarfon ground to a halt forever, and the greatest chapter of English castle-building was closed.

The castle today

The accession to the English throne in 1485 of a king of Welsh lineage, Henry VII, softened the old hostilities between England and Wales. From the 16th century onwards, Caernarfon was increasingly neglected. During the 19th century a programme of repairs was undertaken at government expense. Caernarfon Castle is now managed by CADW: Welsh Historic Monuments, and is open to the public. Much of the original castle survives and today it houses a number of historical displays and museums.

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