The quoted passage places Edward I against an older benchmark: Harold Godwinson's destructive 1063 campaign against Gruffudd ap Llywelyn. Gruffudd's death at Welsh hands and the dispatch of his head to Harold underline the mixture of outside invasion and internal rivalry that recurs throughout the review. Gerald of Wales then depicts nobles, farmers, and other ordinary people as participants in a society trained for war. The comparison turns Edward's later success into a rare answer to a long-standing military problem.
Notable Point · 2:12-3:29
Harold Godwinson and Welsh martial culture
A book excerpt uses Harold Godwinson's 1063 campaign to show how hard Wales was to conquer before Edward I.