 This area of northeastern Wales has been settled since prehistoric times , the Romans built a fort beside a ford on the River Conwy , and the Normans and Welsh disputed the territory . They built their castles at strategic locations as they advanced and retreated , but in the end , England prevailed , and Edward I conquered the country in 1282 . In the following centuries , the Welsh people were repressed and there were numerous uprisings and rebellions against English rule . The Act of Union in 1535 incorporated Wales under the English Crown and made it subject to English law . 
