Wales
The Anglo-Saxon invasions that led the the emergence of England did not penetrate into Wales, which therefore remained independent, different parts being ruled by different kings (including Maelgwn, King of Gwynedd) and princes.
King Edward I, having conquered Wales, is said to have offered the people of Wales a prince who spoke no English, and fulfilled this promise by presenting to them at Caernarfon his son, the future Edward II, who was still a baby. Since then the title "Prince of Wales" has been regularly granted to the eldest son of the monarch.
For most purposes, England and Wales have been treated as a single unit in legislation.
Develution for Wales was rejected in a referendum in 1979 but approved in a second referendum in 1997. This led to the Government of Wales Act 1998, steered through Parliament by Welsh Secretary Ron Davies. As a result of the Act, Wales now has its own Assembly, although its powers are less than those of the Scottish Parliament.
Local government
Historically Wales was divided into a number of counties and county boroughs. In 1972 these were all abolished and replaced with a system of eight new counties, each of which was divided into a number of districts.
In 1996 the counties were abolished for administrative purposes, and the districts reorganised to form 22 areas, equivalent to English unitary authorities. However the eight counties were retained for ceremonial purposes, and are now referred to as "preserved counties" (see map opposite).
There are four polices forces in Wales, each of them covering one or more of the preserved counties (see Police for map).
