The Law of Hywel Dda: Law Texts from Medieval Wales, Translated and Edited

Hywel Dda (’Hywel the Good’, d.950), who ruled most of Wales in the tenth century, is known for gathering expert lawyers to bring together and codify a system of laws which was carefully preserved and in daily use in Wales for over 500 years, almost until the Tudor Union of Wales with England in 1536. It includes the ’laws of the court’, laying down the obligations and entitlements of the king and the officers of his court, and the ’laws of the country’, which dealt with every other topic. Most offenses, including murder, were punishable by payment of a fine or of compensation. Professor Dafydd Jenkins, an eminent lawyer himself, here presents a clear and accurate translation, supported by an introduction and notes which will fascinate and inform general readers and legal historians alike.