Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union.
The 13th-century defeat of Llewelyn by Edward I completed the Anglo-Norman conquest of Wales and brought about centuries of English occupation. Wales was subsequently incorporated into England with the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, creating the legal entity known today as England and Wales. However, distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century, and in 1881 the Welsh Sunday Closing Act became the first legislation applied exclusively to Wales. In 1955 Cardiff was proclaimed as national capital and in 1999 the National Assembly for Wales was created, which holds responsibility for a range of devolved matters.
Wales in 1632[]
Native Welshman Harold traveled to Grantville and was understandably upset to learn that Wales was overshadowed by England, in part through the use of Welsh labor to build railroads and infrastructure. Harold returned to Wales after learning how to build a working steam engine, hoping to outclass the English. But in August 1635, Harold and five others died in a boiler explosion, which shattered the dream of restoring Welsh identity.