Gossiping and crusading around Wales

Giraldus Cambrensis: gossiping and crusading around Wales, 1188
Talk in English by Mike Farnworth (plus special guest)
Friday, 18 March 2022, 7:00pm

Giraldus was a priest, author, grandson of a famous Welsh princess, but most importantly he was a dreadful gossip. In the spring of 1188 he escorted the Archbishop of Canterbury on a six-week trip around Wales, recruiting for the crusades. Four years later he wrote a book about their journey.

This talk gives a glimpse of life in an independent Wales during the age of the princes, illustrated by maps, pictures, stories, and the words of Giraldus Cambrensis himself. Although most of his book is true, Giraldus couldn’t resist also including improbable tales which he heard during his travels.