Ambitious and powerful, the Mortimers bestrode the medieval stage. Inextricably linked with the great events of their time, their story is the tale of a turbulent England racked with dissension, rebellion and open warfare at home and abroad. Following the Conqueror they came from Normandy establishing their power base on the Welsh border. As Earls of March they played a major part in the story of England and it was a direct descendant of the Mortimers who became King Edward IV in 1461.

As the Normans moved into Wales they established control of much of the southern and eastern parts of the country, pushing the native Welsh ever further north and west. The Welsh March controlled by the Normans extended from Chester in the north, through Shropshire, and Herefordshire to Chepstow in Monmouthshire, then across South Wales to Pembrokeshire. It was an area over which Norman lords and Welsh princes fought for control and the English king exercised no authority.