Kingdom of Gwent: Map & History
Gwent was a medieval Welsh kingdom, lying between the Rivers Wye and Usk.
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Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
Gwent was a medieval Welsh kingdom, lying between the Rivers Wye and Usk. It existed from the end of Roman rule in Britain in about the 5th century until the Norman invasion of Wales in the 11th century. Along with its neighbour Glywysing, it seems to have had a great deal of cultural continuity with the earlier Silures, keeping their own courts and diocese separate from the rest of Wales until their conquest by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. Although it recovered its independence after his death in 1063, Gwent was the first of the Welsh kingdoms to be overrun following the Norman conquest.
Kingdom of Gwent in Depth
History
The area has been occupied since the Paleolithic, with Mesolithic finds at Goldcliff and evidence of growing activity throughout the Bronze and Iron Age.
Gwent came into being after the Romans had left Britain, and was a successor state drawing on the culture of the pre-Roman Silures tribe and ultimately a large part of their Iron Age territories. It took its name from the civitas capital of Venta Silurum, perhaps meaning "Market of the Silures". In the post Roman period, the territory around Venta became the successor kingdom of Guenta, later Gwent, deriving its name directly from the town through the normal sound change in the Brythonic languages from v to gu. The town itself became Caerwent, "Fort Venta".
Legacy
Despite the extinction of the kingdom by 1091, the name Gwent remained in use for the area by the Welsh throughout this period and later centuries. It was traditionally divided by the forested hills of Wentwood (Welsh: Coed Gwent) into Gwent Uwch-coed ("beyond the wood") and Gwent Is-coed ("below the wood"). These terms were translated into English as Overwent and Netherwent, the entire area sometimes being known as "Wentland" or "Gwentland".
The Marcher Lordships were the basic units of administration for the next 450 or so years, until Henry VIII passed the Laws in Wales Act 1535. This Act abolished the Marcher Lordships and established the County of Monmouth, combining the Lordships east of the Usk with Newport (Gwynllŵg or Wentloog) and Caerleon to the west of it.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kingdom of Gwent (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kingdom of Gwent: Key Facts
| Founded | 430s CE |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 950s CE |
Facts from Wikidata Q2594661 (CC0).
Kingdom of Gwent Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Kingdom of Gwent appears, with the other states of the time.
Kingdom of Gwent Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 1,443 km² in 607 CE.
Kingdom of Gwent: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Kingdom of Gwent exist?
The Kingdom of Gwent is dated to 540 CE – 1055 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of the Kingdom of Gwent?
The capital of the Kingdom of Gwent was Caerwent, Porth-is-Coed.
How large was the Kingdom of Gwent at its peak?
At its peak in 607 AD the Kingdom of Gwent covered about 1,443 km².
How did the map of the Kingdom of Gwent change over time?
The Kingdom of Gwent appears on 4 dated world maps in the atlas, from 600 CE to 1000 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.