The Governance Of England In Wales(1461-1547)

Most Kings of England had paid little attention to Wales since the conquest of Wales.They dominated Wales negatively that only preferred to focus on Wales when the Welsh rebellions happened.And once the rebellions subsided,the government of England would relax the control of Wales,which not only did it fail to effectively stabilise the situation of Wales,but also complicated the political forces in Wales.In the sixteenth century,there were many rebellions in Wales that made the Crown wary and suspicious.The Welsh people,who had been in chaos for a long time,also hoped that the English government would restore social order through petitions and other ways.In order to establish the authority of the Crown in Wales and get rid of the potential threat of Wales,the English government began to attach importance to the governance in Wales from the reign of Edward IV to the reign of Henry VIII.From the reign of Edward IV onwards,there was a transition of the governance in Wales from the passive suppression to the active governance,taking advantage of the decline of the local nobility during the Wars of the Roses,the growth of the power of the monarchy of England and the increasing integration of Wales and England.To dominate Welsh Marches,Edward IV established the Council in the Marches of Wales that it was responsible for the affairs of Welsh Marches especially and gradually transferred the powers of the Prince’s Council to the Council in the Marches of Wales,which means the Council in the Marches of Wales became a special agency to deal the affairs of Welsh Marches.It was retained by the Tudors and was transformed by Cromwell into the highest Welsh governmental agency and a branch of the Privy Council with functions over all of Wales.And then it played an active role in suppressing rebellions and promoting religious reform.In 1542,Henry VIII established the King’s Court of Great Sessions in Wales,which was based on the existing Great Sessions in the Welsh counties,to prevent abuse of power by the Council in the Marches of Wales.The King’s Court of Great Sessions in Wales was given the main judicial power in Wales and go the circuit of counties.It had played a positive role in regulating the judicial process and increasing governance in Wales.There were also changes in local governance.Edward IV began to use peaceful means to recover lordships though indentures with some lords of Marches,while eliminating the power of other Marches lords by violence.These measures enabled the England government to intervene effectively in Welsh local affairs and were inherited by the Tudors.Along with Marches lands regained largely and Wales back under royal control,Henry VIII began to restructure the Welsh government,setting up a new top-down Welsh governance framework of the Council in the Marches of Wales and the King’s Court of Great Sessions in Wales,County and Hundred governments.Meanwhile,Welsh people began to hold official positions at County and Hundred and Wales entered the Westminster Parliament.As a result of this period of governance,Wales was integrated into the administrative and judicial system of England,and the unification of Wales with England was achieved.The England government gained control of Wales that Wales was no longer a threat to England and England was able to concentrate on development and expansion.The social order of Wales was eventually re-established that Wales was transformed from the chaos of the past and the concept of law was accepted.More and more capital and opport unities also poured into Wales.Thereafter England and Wales became more and more integrated,Wales became more and more identified with its British identity,and the England monarchy gained the loyalty of Wales for a long time.A range of legislations and measures toward Wales not only supported the strengthening of Welsh governance,but also provided a legal basis for the prerogatives of the Crown that extended the scope of its control.At the same time,Wales was transformed from its chaotic past of rebellion and crime,social order was reshaped,the concept of law took hold,and more and more capital and opportunity poured in.Wales became more integrated with England,and increasingly identified itself with the British nation,and its allegiance to the King of England,which contributed to the formation of the nation-state.