This study provides a wholly new perspective on Welsh politics in the troubled decades leading up to the Civil War. This is the first study for over half a century to examine politics in Wales during this period, and draws upon a wealth of new material in local and national archives. The book examines the structures of early seventeenth century Welsh politics through episodes such as parliamentary elections and the impact of the Thirty Years' War on the Principality. It also offers a reappraisal of the controversial religious and financial innovations of Charles I in Wales and an innovative discussion of Welsh allegiance in the early stages of the Civil Wars. This study presents a new interpretation of provincial politics in early modern Britain and explores Wales's unique position within the seventeenth century state.