King of Wales: History and Key Facts

Latin versions of "King of Wales" (Welsh: Brenin Cymru) were titles used on a handful of occasions in the Middle Ages. They were very rarely claimed or applied by contemporaries, because Wales, much like Ireland, usually had neither the political unity nor the sovereignty of other contemporary European kingdoms such as England and Scotland. While many early rulers of areas within Wales used the title of "King", they were not, and did not claim to be, rulers of all Wales.

Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain achieved wide circulation from 1136. It has almost no historical value, but it popularised a fictitious list of legendary kings of Britain that remains central to the stories which make up the Matter of Britain.

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