Noble poets

Noble poets ( val. Beirdd yr Uchelwyr ; also adopted the name Y Cywyddwyr , “poets using the Kivid poetic form”) is the common name of professional poets who were clients of Welsh nobles from about the 13th century to the beginning of the New Age . This period in the history of Welsh literature begins after the death of Llywelyn the Last ( 1282 ), when Wales fully joined England , and the Welsh feudal lords (formerly independent princes) transferred to the position of petty nobles. These poets are often called Cywyddwyr , as they often used the Kivid’s poetic form, but other forms were also common, in particular, those inherited from the princes ’poets . More than 150 poets have been preserved, mostly in manuscripts, although some have been published in print.

A large part of the poems of this period are the praises ( canu mawl ) of the patron and his family, however in their works other themes are touched, in particular love, nature, the life of a wandering poet and poetic contests are described, and satirical verses exist.

Probably the most famous poet of this time is David ap Gwilim , one of the greatest masters of love lyrics in medieval Europe. Also distinguished are Iolo Gough (court poet Owain Glyndur ), Sean Kent , Gitin Owain , David Nanmore (famous master of laudatory poems), Lewis Glin Coti and David Ab Edmund . Poets such as Tidir Aled , Grifid Hiraitogh , William Llyn and William Kinval became famous in the Tudor era. By the end of the XVI century, the tradition began to fade, but finally the profession of a wandering poet ceased to exist only in the middle of the XVII century .

In his "Essay on the History of Welsh Literature" ( Braslun o Hanes Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg , 1931) Saunders Lewis suggests that this period was the pinnacle of the heyday of Welsh culture.