Pennod 35 – Gwydnwch Hen Draddodiad

The Persistence of an Old Tradition (Pod 35 – Series 2, Episode 2)

The last episode outlined the big changes which came during the ag of the Tudors. This episode considers the way in which these changes effected the Welsh bardic tradition. But despite of the transformations, we see while examining some praise poetry from the early part of the perioed that ancient aspects of the tradition continue while that tradition evolves and absorbs new elements. Indeed, a combination of the old and the new is what makes this period in the history of Welsh literature so interesting.

Although every part of Wales was redrawn in the form of English shires during Henry VIII’s reign, we note that the Welsh bardic order continued to think of the country’s geography in ancient Welsh terms as well. And while some Protestant historians suggested that the monasteries of Wales were rotten institutions by the time that Henry VIII disestablished them, we see that some of them continued to be vibrant cultural and religious centres right up to the end.