Historical Association: "The Rhine runs through Raglan": wealth, patronage and conspicuous consumption under William Herbert, earl of Pembroke

This online lecture explores the rise of William Herbert of Raglan and the remarkable political and economic power he amassed in the 1460s under Edward IV. It looks at the reach of Herbert and his affinity across the Welsh borderlands, as well as the wealth generated through land, office and trading interests in the Bristol Channel.

The talk also examines the court at Raglan, where Herbert and Anne Devereux projected magnificence and authority. Drawing on the work of Welsh poets who visited the court, Professor Barry Lewis considers how cultural patronage and conspicuous consumption communicated political, social and cultural messages in late medieval Wales.