Epic historical fiction of medieval Wales—where women shape kingdoms and kinship is both shield and blade

Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd is one of the most compelling women in Welsh history. Fierce, royal, and unforgettable, she has come to embody the spirit of medieval Wales in all its courage, passion, and resilience. For readers of Welsh history and Welsh historical fiction, Gwenllian stands out as a figure of unusual power: a princess shaped by conflict, loyalty, and the struggles of a nation under pressure.

She is also one of the heroines of The Welsh Warrior Series, where her strength, heart, and determination help bring medieval Wales vividly to life.

Not every danger in the Welsh Warrior Series comes from the battlefield. Some of the most destructive threats come from those driven by envy, ambition, and wounded pride.

Three characters who embody this are Lady Marged, Bishop Richard, and Gronwy.

Historical fiction is always a balancing act. I begin with what we can know: the chronicles, the genealogies, the scraps of record that survived. Then I look for what history rarely preserves: the private moments, the tensions in a household, the choices made behind closed doors, and the emotional cost of living inside power. That is where Kinstrife was born.

If you’ve ever visited a Welsh castle and felt two stories tugging at you at once—“this is foreign conquest” and “this is now part of Wales”—you’ve stepped right into the historian’s dilemma.

Arianwen Nunn’s The Welsh Warrior series is just that: a sweeping, dramatic, richly imagined saga centred on 11th- and 12th-century Wales, that manages to combine guts, heart, politics, and the little human moments that make history feel alive. Here are some reasons why readers believe this series stands out.