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Caernarfon
Caernarfon Castle in Gwynedd is the mightiest and most impressive of a string
of majestic castles which Edward
I built after his conquest
of North Wales in 1283. An enormous fortress-palace by the sea, it has good claim
to be one of the most important castles in the UK. It is the product not only
of Edward's military genius, but also of the king's ambition to be like the legendary
King Arthur
the mythical ruler of a united island of Britain.
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.
Graphic version
Includes layout and images.
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