Which are the main differences in the organization of the medieval Welsh and Scottish kingdoms that led to the ultimate conquest of the former by England and to conserving the independence of the latter?

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called Marches. Fortresses were built by the English to strengthen the newly conquered territories. The Marcher Lords were ultimately loyal to the English kings. They encouraged immigrants (mostly Flemish) to settle down in order to establish a Crown supportive population on the borders. By mixing up the inhabitants they made a possible Welsh rebellion harder to initiate.

The Welsh territory was divided up by legal terms as well. The Welsh Marches constituted a totally different legal entity set up by King William than the rest of Wales. Every person who lived on the border areas was subject to “the customs of the March” meaning that the Marcher Lords had complete power over them, whereas, on the pure Welsh territories the Welsh law applied.

By contrast, in Scotland, high mountains ruled most of the landscape. Though English monarchs were eager to bring the Scottish land under their control, Scotland was further away from the hearth of England, was much bigger in size, its ...

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due to succession conflicts. It severely hindered the unification of its territories, not like in Scotland, where the country’s strength came from its strong, well founded kingdom and unity.

Thirdly, because of its many small lordships, the Welsh elites and aristocracy did not stand behind one ruler but several, their power were divided up according to where their loyalty lied. In Scotland, the monarchs’ power was helped by the native aristocracy who supported and pledged their loyalty to the only one and sovereign king.

And finally, one of the major factors was the church. In Wales, it did not pose so much power due to its diocesan structure which took a long time to develop. ...

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