Rhaglen 1 Ol Traed Gerallt Gymro


Rhaglen 1

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-I'm seeking a man who sought my job.

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-Over 800 years ago...

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-..Gerald of Wales aimed to become

-the first Archbishop of Wales.

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-He took his struggle to the heart

-of the medieval Catholic Church...

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-..to the royal courts

-of Henry II and King John...

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-..to his adversary's headquarters

-in Canterbury Cathedral...

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-..and even to the Pope in Rome.

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-Gerald failed to overthrow

-England's might...

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-..but for some, he's a Welsh hero.

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-I shall follow in the footsteps

-of this controversial character...

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-..as he fought his case...

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-..from West Wales all the way

-to the highest courts in Europe.

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-The story begins in Manorbier Castle

-on the Pembrokeshire coast.

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-Gerald de Barri, as he was

-then known, was born here in 1146.

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-His father was a Norman baron

-and his mother was a Welsh princess.

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-This mixed cultural background...

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-..caused problems

-throughout Gerald's life.

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-Gerald was born at a time...

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-..when the Normans' grip on Wales

-was far from secure.

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-Their new castles

-were under constant threat.

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-The Normans conquered England

-in a little over five years...

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-..but they took over two centuries

-to conquer Wales...

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-..mainly because of fierce

-resistance by the Welsh princes.

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-Gerald was born in Pembrokeshire.

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-The sea was a very important element

-in his life.

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-His family were Norman aristocrats.

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-Their name derived

-from Barry Island.

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-On his mother's side, Gerald

-was a grandson of Princess Nest.

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-She was known

-as the Welsh Helen of Troy...

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-..because of her eventful love life.

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-Through Nest, Gerald was related

-to several Welsh princes.

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-Because of his mixed blood, he was

-viewed with suspicion by both sides.

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-As he once wrote...

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-.."Both peoples

-regard me as a stranger...

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-"..and one not their own.

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-"One nation suspects me,

-the other hates me."

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-So who was Gerald?

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-Did he suffer

-a 12th-century identity crisis?

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-Heledd Fychan has studied the man

-and his times.

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-The two sides gave rise to tension

-throughout his life.

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-On the one hand, he was denigrated

-for being a Welshman...

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-..and on the other for being Norman.

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-It must have been difficult for him.

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-I think it's fair to say

-that Gerald was somewhat strange.

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-That he was a difficult character.

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-He was set in his ways.

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-He had his heart set on St David's.

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-His decisions point

-to a certain strength of purpose.

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-He knew what he wanted

-and that was that.

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-But there isn't much evidence

-that the Bishop of St David's...

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-..was also regarded

-as the Archbishop of Wales.

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-No, there isn't.

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-I believe it was more an indication

-of Gerald's desire and ambition.

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-He was keen to lift his own status

-and that of St David's.

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-But every Bishop of St David's

-has been keen to promote that idea!

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-They manage to find the evidence.

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-They manage to find the evidence.

-

-I'm sure you're correct!

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-Manorbier looks out

-over the Irish Sea.

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-Ireland played a major role

-in Gerald's life.

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-He spent time there as chaplain

-to the future King John.

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-He also wrote two books...

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-..that established his reputation

-as an author.

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-Yet, until recently, his story

-has been largely forgotten.

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-Why the renewed interest in him?

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-You could argue that Wales's history

-was forgotten forcenturies.

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-Welsh history was viewed

-from a British perspective.

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-Recent decades have seen a renewed

-interest in Welsh history...

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-..and Welsh sources.

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-Gerald of Wales is one of the best.

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-He wrote very interesting material.

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-His work is colourful, in contrast

-to the rather dry chronicles.

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-Gerald's books certainly give us

-a keen insight into that era.

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-According to Gerald...

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-..while his brothers

-built sandcastles on the beach...

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-..he built churches.

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-He became one of the leading clerics

-of his time.

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-But he was far more than that.

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-He was a scholar, author,

-diplomat and royal tutor.

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-No other author has described

-medieval Wales so vibrantly.

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-But what kind of man was he?

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-First and foremost,

-Gerald was an ambitious man.

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-He was a passionate man, I believe.

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-With regard to himself?

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-With regard to himself,

-and also with regard to the church.

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-He shows a lot of concern

-for the moral lives of the clergy.

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-But he was also a man

-who enjoyed talking with people.

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-He enjoyed gossip, certainly.

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-I think he was

-extraordinarily interesting...

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-..because he tells us things that

-other 12th-century writers don't.

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-For example,

-he talks to people on the road.

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-He describes what he sees.

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-He tells us how people in the

-12th century cleaned their teeth.

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-How did they do that?

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-Using leaves.

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-Using leaves.

-

-Using leaves?

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-As dental floss, I think.

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-We aren't usually given

-such information.

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-Details of everyday life.

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-The lives of ordinary people?

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-Gerald was a vibrant character.

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-But how will he be remembered?

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-We remember Gerald.

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-Gerald is the first person

-to come to mind...

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-..when we think of medieval Wales.

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-He's the main man.

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-I think he'd have liked that.

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-I think he'd have liked that.

-

-Ordinary people know about him too.

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-He would probably have been

-particularly proud of that.

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-He enjoyed talking about

-and with ordinary people.

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-A man of the people.

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-In 1188, Gerald travelled

-through Wales...

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-..with Archbishop Baldwin

-of Canterbury...

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-..on a recruitment campaign

-for the Third Crusade.

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-The journey inspired

-his two most famous books...

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-..Journey Through Wales

-and Description Of Wales.

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-These colourful classics

-are still enjoyed today.

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-They are priceless

-historical documents.

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-The landscape is described

-in detail...

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-..along with lively reports,

-though fanciful at times...

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-..of daily life,

-local miracles and folklore.

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-We are given a unique insight

-into medieval Wales.

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-Gerald played host

-to Archbishop Baldwin...

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-..at his home in Llanddew,

-near Brecon...

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-..where Gerald was archdeacon.

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-He was appointed after discovering...

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-..that the previous archdeacon

-was living with his mistress.

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-He was given the residence

-along with the post.

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-This is what Gerald wrote

-about Llanddew.

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-"I have obtained a small residence

-near the castle of Brecknock...

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-"..well adapted

-to literary pursuits...

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-"..and to the contemplation

-of eternity.

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-"I envy not the riches of Croesus...

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-"..happy and contented

-with that mediocrity."

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-"Small?" "Mediocrity?"

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-Even though it's in ruins...

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-..we can see that this place

-used to be a very grand palace.

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-That's so typical of Gerald!

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-Llanddew - St David's

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-My journey leads me inevitably

-to St David's Cathedral.

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-It was the cornerstone

-of Gerald's unsuccessful campaign...

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-..to become Archbishop of Wales.

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-Of course, he would have travelled

-on horseback.

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-St David's

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-Gerald was intent

-on becoming Bishop of St David's.

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-Nothing would deter him.

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-He even turned down

-four other bishoprics...

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-..including Llandaff,

-where I'm the incumbent bishop...

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-..and my previous diocese, Bangor.

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-Gerald's opportunity came

-when he was appointed assistant...

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-..to the Bishop of St David's.

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-The nave is Gerald's

-sole enduring legacy.

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-The building that was erected

-when he was a steward here...

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-..has changed a lot.

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-The architecture is a blend

-of Romanesque and Gothic.

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-Of course, here's something Gerald

-would never have seen - his tomb.

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-It's uncertain when Gerald died.

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-The tomb was vandalized

-by zealots of a later period...

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-..and Gerald's face was obliterated.

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-In the Middle Ages...

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-..three pilgrimages

-to the remote St David's...

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-..were considered the equivalent

-of one pilgrimage to Rome.

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-Why did Gerald

-wish to become Archbishop here?

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-Perhaps because his uncle, David,

-had been Bishop here?

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-On David's death in 1176...

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-..Gerald was unanimously elected

-to take his place.

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-But Thomas Becket had died

-just six years earlier...

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-..and Henry II did not want another

-turbulent priest on his hands.

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-Henry's opposition

-gives an interesting insight...

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-..into the relationship between

-Wales and England at the time.

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-"It is neither necessary nor

-expedient for king or archbishop...

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-"..that a man of great honesty

-or vigour...

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-"..should become Bishop

-of St David's...

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-"..for fear that the Crown and

-Canterbury should suffer thereby.

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-"Such an appointment would only

-give strength to the Welsh...

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-"..and increase their pride."

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-Twenty-two years later...

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-..Gerald was again nominated

-for the bishopric of St David's.

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-This time,

-he was determined to succeed.

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-.

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-888

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-888

-

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-Wyn Evans is the current

-Bishop of St David's.

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-He is a distinguished historian

-and an expert on the cathedral.

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-He believes that Gerald was far more

-interested in his own career...

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-..than in standing up for Wales.

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-Gerald's failure

-to become Bishop of St David's...

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-..and Archbishop of Wales

-is symbolized in his statue.

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-The bishop's mitre is at his feet.

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-Why did he fail?

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-There are many reasons.

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-I believe that his personality

-was one of them.

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-He was evidently a strong

-and autocratic character.

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-Secondly,

-the kings of England knew him.

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-He had been their chaplain.

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-They were determined not to allow

-a man so similar to Thomas Becket...

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-..who was Gerald's hero...

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-..to become a bishop and archbishop.

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-Both Llywelyn the Great

-and the historian Michael Richter...

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-..men from two

-completely different periods...

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-..regarded Gerald as a Welsh hero.

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-That's true enough.

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-Gerald's writings

-give the impression...

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-..that he was fighting

-not only for his own rights...

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-..and not only

-for the rights of St David's...

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-..but also

-for the rights of Wales...

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-..and the right of the church

-in Wales to have Welsh bishops.

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-The problem is, Gerald acknowledged

-his own Welsh identity...

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-..at the end of his career,

-but not at the start.

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-Gerald was inconsistent

-with regard to his Welsh identity.

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-He even wrote directions

-on how to conquer the Welsh...

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-..that read like a handbook

-for Edward I's conquest of Wales...

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-..a century later.

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-Was Gerald inconsistent?

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-There was consistency - what was

-important to Gerald was Gerald!

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-Is he still a hero for Wales?

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-Well, it depends - was he Gerald

-the Welshman or Gerald of Wales?

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-What's the difference?

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-I don't think anyone could say

-that he was a Welshman.

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-He didn't speak Welsh.

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-When he preached,

-his sermons had to be translated.

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-When he demonstrates

-his knowledge of Welsh...

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-..it's obviously shaky.

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-He wasn't a Welshman.

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-Eight hundred years

-after Gerald's death...

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-..disputes continue

-regarding the status of St David's.

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-As Bishop of Llandaff and Archbishop

-of Wales, I know where I stand!

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-The Archbishop of Wales

-and the Bishop of St David's...

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-..discussing Gerald

-in St David's Cathedral is ironic!

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-There should only be one of us!

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-There should only be one of us!

-

-I'm not so sure about that!

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-We mustn't forget that Gerald was

-offered the bishopric of Llandaff.

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-He turned it down. Why?

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-He turned it down. Why?

-

-Are you surprised?!

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-Of course I'm surprised!

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-He could have been Archbishop

-and Bishop of Llandaff.

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-But the St David's diocese

-was the biggest in Wales.

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-It covered over half the country.

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-The Bishop of St David's...

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-..is far more important

-than the Bishop of Llandaff!

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-In 1198...

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-..Gerald was nominated unanimously

-to be Bishop of St David's.

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-Controversially,

-Gerald set out for Rome...

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-..to ask the Pope himself

-to confirm the appointment.

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-He argued that St David's status

-was equal to that of Canterbury.

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-To the Archbishop of Canterbury,

-this was dynamite.

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-My journey takes me to Canterbury...

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-..to try to understand the explosive

-nature of Gerald's assertion.

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-St David's - Canterbury

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-In standing up to Canterbury, Gerald

-challenged the English monarchy.

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-Writing to Pope Innocent III

-opposing Gerald's appointment...

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-..Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury,

-made it clear...

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-..that the interests of the church

-and the king were one.

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-"If the barbarity of that wild,

-unbridled nation of Wales...

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-"..had not been restrained

-by the censure of the church...

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-"..wielded by the Archbishop

-of Canterbury...

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-"..then this people would by

-continual or frequent rebellion...

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-"..have broken

-from their allegiance to the king."

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-It was dangerous for churchmen

-to challenge the English monarchy.

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-Thomas Becket was murdered

-in Canterbury Cathedral...

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-..by knights who claimed

-they were obeying Henry II's will.

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-Becket had opposed

-Henry II's attempts...

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-..to tighten his grip on the church.

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-His successors didn't want another

-turbulent priest on their hands.

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-To the Normans,

-Gerald had become a Welshman.

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-He had betrayed his Norman roots.

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-Furthermore, Gerald regarded Becket

-as a hero.

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-This spot, where Thomas Becket died,

-became a focus for pilgrims.

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-The most famous reference...

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-..can be found in Chaucer's

-Canterbury Tales.

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-It still attracts

-thousands of tourists each year.

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-Gerald was 24 years old

-when Thomas Becket was murdered.

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-He was acutely aware

-of the perils involved...

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-..in challenging

-the king's authority.

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-But time changes everything.

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-The current Archbishop

-of Canterbury is a Welshman.

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-What does Dr Williams

-think of Gerald's attitude?

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-He was very courageous.

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-He was a man without fear.

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-He had a firm belief

-in the righteousness of his cause.

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-In his books, he wrote

-about anti-Welsh prejudice.

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-It's as if he was

-facing down the English.

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-He wrote about the things

-English people said...

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-..about the Welsh.

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-They said that the Welsh

-were unreliable.

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-That they didn't keep their promises

-and so on.

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-It's as if Gerald

-was telling the English...

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-.."You can believe the worst,

-if you must - but here I am.

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-"Here are the Welsh."

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-"Here are the Welsh."

-

-"And I'm correct!"

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-What was the Pope's attitude

-towards this dispute...

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-..between Wales and England?

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-In theory, the Pope was

-a firm supporter of Thomas Becket.

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-But in reality,

-things were very different.

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-I believe that Becket

-was rather a nuisance to the Pope.

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-What, ultimately,

-did Gerald do for Wales?

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-Gerald's legacy is considerable

-and complex.

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-His legacy has been great

-in the fields of literature...

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-..anthropology and history.

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-But greater than all this...

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-..is his contribution to the meaning

-of Wales's identity...

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-..and Wales's self-confidence.

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-Gerald travelled to Rome

-four times in five years...

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-..three times to argue his case,

-and once as a pilgrim.

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-The mindset of a medieval pilgrim

-would seem strange to us today.

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-A medieval pilgrimage

-was bound up with penance.

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-It was an act undertaken

-to gratify God...

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-..and to be freed from one's sins.

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-Nowadays, I believe

-that pilgrims view the journey...

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-..as some kind of symbol...

0:20:590:21:03

-..representing the journey

-of the soul, a person's journey.

0:21:030:21:08

-We are all the heirs of John Bunyan.

0:21:080:21:11

-The Pilgrim's Progress.

0:21:120:21:13

-And Williams Pantycelyn, of course -

-"I am a pilgrim in a desert land."

0:21:140:21:19

-Pilgrimage as a symbol of faith.

0:21:190:21:23

-The journey of faith.

0:21:240:21:25

-Before setting out for Rome...

0:21:310:21:34

-..pilgrims would come to the

-undercroft of Canterbury Cathedral.

0:21:340:21:39

-It's the oldest part

-of the cathedral.

0:21:400:21:43

-It remains unchanged

-since Gerald's time.

0:21:430:21:46

-Many pilgrims would have come here

-to pray for a safe return.

0:21:460:21:50

-Gerald would have known

-St Gabriel's Chapel.

0:21:510:21:54

-It features 12th-century murals.

0:21:540:21:58

-The colours are now starting

-to fade, but they still hint...

0:22:010:22:05

-..at the breathtaking, vibrant

-atmosphere of medieval churches.

0:22:050:22:10

-It's a place

-that inspires contemplation.

0:22:100:22:13

-The journey to Rome was perilous

-and many pilgrims died along the way.

0:22:130:22:18

-Before departing, pilgrims

-were required to make a will.

0:22:180:22:22

-If they had not returned

-within a year and a day...

0:22:230:22:26

-..it was assumed that they were dead.

0:22:260:22:28

-The journey from Canterbury

-to Rome is over 1,000 miles.

0:22:330:22:37

-In the Middle Ages, it took

-almost three months to walk...

0:22:370:22:41

-..or six weeks on horseback.

0:22:420:22:44

-Crossing the Channel

-was the first of many challenges.

0:22:450:22:49

-Many pilgrims drowned.

0:22:500:22:52

-Gerald's numerous visits to Rome

-testify to his stamina...

0:22:530:22:58

-..and his ambition...

0:22:580:23:00

-..and his faith in the righteousness

-of his struggle...

0:23:000:23:04

-..to become Bishop of St David's

-and the first Archbishop of Wales.

0:23:040:23:09

-S4C subtitles by Trosol Cyf.

0:23:260:23:29

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