'Y gr a gyll y goron': poetry and politics in fifteenth-century Wales

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The testimony of 'the poets of the nobility' (beirdd yr uchelwyr) has long been recognised as aninvaluable source for the social, cultural, and political history of post-conquest Wales. This projectaims to provide a comprehensive study of the interrelationship of Welsh politics and professionalpoetry in the decades between the collapse of the Glyn Dwr rebellion and the accession of HenryTudor to the English throne. It will address the following research questions: how credible is thebardic poetry as an historical source? What can this material tell us about the political culture of latemedieval Wales? How did the poets engage rhetorically and discursively with the major historicalevents of the day? To what extent did Welsh leaders make use of poetic performance as a site ofpolitical theatre and as a vehicle for political communication? While some excellent work has beendone on each of these topics, published criticism has tended to take the form either of general surveysor of more detailed studies of a single oeuvre or sample of texts, and a monograph-length reappraisalis by now long overdue.