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Dates: 1315 - 1370 (Dates are approximate. ) 

Dafydd ap Gwilym is considered by many to be the greatest Welsh poet, and one of the best poets of the Middle Ages. The Welsh poetic class was having a crisis of identity due the the changes in the Welsh political system and culture after the Edwardian Conquest of Wales. Dafydd popularized a new poetic meter (cywydd), and wrote about new topics: nature, love (troubadour influence is clear in his poetry), and himself (especially his life as a poet). He invigorated a poetic culture that was in danger of becoming irrelevant in a new political climate.

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