The Journey Through Wales is a 12th-century historical account written in Latin by the medieval scholar and churchman Gerald of Wales. This is the sixth article in our series Historical Travel Stories.
Gerald was selected to accompany the Archbishop of Canterbury, Baldwin of Forde, on a tour of Wales in 1188, the object being a recruitment campaign for the Third Crusade. His account of that journey, the Itinerarium Cambriae (1191) (later followed by the Descriptio Cambriae in 1194), remains a very valuable historical document, significant for its descriptions.
The book provides readers with a fascinating glimpse into the country’s history, culture, and landscapes. It is divided into two parts. The first part is a description of Wales, its geography, natural resources, and people, while the second part of the book is an itinerary of Giraldus’s travels through Wales.
The main goal of the journey, however, was to recruit soldiers for the Third Crusade, and therefore the book is somewhat untrustworthy and inflected by ideology, whimsy, and his unique style – of Welsh and Norman culture.
Nevertheless, the author provides detailed information about the various regions of Wales, including their topography, climate, flora, and fauna. He also describes the customs, traditions, and beliefs of the Welsh people, including their language, religion, and social structure.
Modern historians use the work as a primary source for understanding medieval Welsh and Norman cultures. The work plays a role in the plot of Thomas Love Peacock’s 1831 novel Crotchet Castle, where the medieval enthusiast Mr. Chainmail proposes to retrace the steps of “Giraldus de Barri”.
Gerald of Wales (c. 1146 – c. 1223) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he traveled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taught in France and visited Rome several times, meeting the Pope. He was nominated for several bishoprics but turned them down in the hope of becoming Bishop of St Davids, but was unsuccessful despite considerable support. His final post was as Archdeacon of Brecon, from which he retired to academic study for the remainder of his life.
Historical Travel Stories: Journey Through Wales, compiled by Tor Kjolberg.
Previous articles in our series of historic travel stories:
The World’s Oldest Surviving Travel Story
The World of the Odyssey: A Palimpsest of the Hellenic Art of Living Well
Sinbad the Sailor
Description of Greece
Safarnama – the Book of Travels