Brenhinoedd y Saeson facts for kids
Brenhinoedd y Saeson (English: The Kings of the English) is the name of some very old history books from Wales. These books were written a long, long time ago, in the Middle Ages. They are called "annals" or "chronicles" because they record events year by year, like a diary of history.
These special books tell us about things that happened from the year 682 all the way up to 1282. That's when England took control of Wales. Some parts of these books were even continued later, telling stories up to 1461!
You might also hear these books called Brut y Tywysogion. But the name Brenhinoedd y Saeson is the older, more original title found in the manuscripts. The name Brut y Tywysogion only started being used much later, in the 1500s.
These old Welsh history books are very similar to other Latin history books from Wales, known as Annales Cambriae. It's thought that Brenhinoedd y Saeson might even be translations of those Latin texts. They all help us understand what life was like and what big events happened in Wales many centuries ago.
When Were These History Books Written?
Historians have studied the old handwritten copies, called manuscripts, to figure out when they were made. There are three main copies of Brenhinoedd y Saeson, which we call P, R, and S.
- Manuscript P: This copy was likely written between 1286 and about 1330.
- Manuscript R: This one was probably made between 1307 and 1350.
- Manuscript S: This copy is thought to be from around 1282 or 1286, up to 1300.
It's still a bit of a mystery which of these copies was written first. But all of them give us amazing glimpses into the past of Wales.
