Statute of Rhuddlan

The Statute of Rhuddlan^{[n 1]} (Welsh: Statud Rhuddlan), also known as the Statutes of Wales (Latin: Statuta Valliae) or as the Statute of Wales (Latin: Statutum Valliae), was a royal ordinance by Edward I of England, which gave the constitutional basis for the government of the Principality of Wales from 1284 until 1536.

The statute followed the Conquest of Wales by Edward I and the killing of the last Welsh prince to rule the whole Principality, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1282. The statute introduced English common law to Wales, but also permitted the continuance of Welsh legal practices within the Principality. The statute also introduced the English shire system to the Principality of Wales. Prior to the statute, the Welsh principalities were ruled by Welsh law and the native Princes of Wales.

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