Discover the history of Britain through its monarchs.

A series of talks that looks at the history of Britain through its rulers, from its abandonment by the Roman administration early in the fifth century to the union of the crowns of England and Scotland in 1603. Each talk can be standalone as well as part of the series, you do not have to see all the talks to appreciate these particular royals.

Uneasy peace: 1400-1600

Owain Glyndŵr established a Welsh parliament and diplomatic links with France; the ‘tripartite indenture’ of 1405 aimed to split Wales and England into three separate kingdoms ruled by Glyndŵr, Edmund Mortimer and Henry Percy. The revolt failed but inspired Welsh national identity. 

A financial crisis and the unpopularity of the monarchy plunged England into the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), a civil war between the Houses of Lancaster and York, which ended with the victory of Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. With the rise of the Tudors, Wales moved towards greater integration with England. 

The Stewart dynasty had come to power in Scotland in the late fourteenth century and strengthened royal control over the country, which acquired the Orkney and Shetland Islands in 1468-1469. Scotland’s ‘Auld Alliance’ with France against England continued. As Elizabeth I, the last of the Anglo-Welsh Tudor dynasty entered her dotage, a union of the English and Scottish crowns was mooted.

Doors open 15 minutes before the event starts.