Files
Abstract
The early fifteenth century was a time of profound conflict in Britain. In Wales, a historic conflict that would come to be known as the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr raged from 1400 to 1415. Throughout the revolt, we can see myths known as the Matters of Britain being treated as history with political capital by Glyndŵr and many others. Stories about a Trojan founder of Britain, Brutus, and the legendary King Arthur were wielded as historical memories by both the English and Welsh during this conflict. Poets and bards sang of these legends, connecting them to the lineages of current princes and the trials of their own age. Chronicles used them as a framework for historical thinking, inextricably linking the mythic past with the fraught present. Tapestries, illuminations, and heraldry served as potent visual reminders of them. The Matters were not just idle fancy during this period of history; they held immense power over their readers and listeners, power that was actively reaffirmed by those who supported and created the material that transmitted them. Through careful examination of primary sources like John Lydgate’s Troy Book, Welsh panegyrics for Glyndŵr, and the Wigmore manuscript at the University of Chicago, this thesis demonstrates how mythic content was manipulated into politically volatile history as conflict consumed England and Wales.