Welsh battles that all Welsh folk should know about.

*************WIP**************

In any other country, the heroes of these battles would be remembered.

The Welsh were nearly always outnumbered but still won many battles that shouldn't be forgotten.
Please share what you feel should or shouldn't be on this list.

1257 Battle of Cadfan

Who? Welsh from Ceredigion and Ystrad Tywi vs the English

Result Welsh victory

numbers several thousand on each side

Casualties and losses

The English had up to 3000 casualties, the Welsh very few

The Battle of Cadfan was two engagements, one was at Coed Llathen and the other at Cymerau.

The word Cadfan translates to 'place of battle'.

****WIKI****

"In the years before the battle, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd prince of Wales had been rapidly gaining power. Llywelyn had received support from the lords of Deheubarth, and as a reward for their loyalty, he gave them land that he had stripped from their nephew, Rhys Fychan (who was a supporter of the English king). Prince Edward had noticed Llywelyn's growing power and raised an army in an attempt to counter the potential threat of Llywelyn. Edward had support from several English nobles.

The forces of Edward led by Stephen Bauzan, Lord of Breigan and Llansannor and Nicholas FitzMartin, Lord of Cemais, invaded Wales with a large army in an attempt to restore Rhys and to halt Llywelyn's growing power.

The English army was transported by sea and landed near Carmarthen, on Tuesday 29 May 1257, the English army was assembled. The following Thursday, the English army marched towards Llandeilo through the Towy valley suppressing Welsh opposition and pillaging and destroying Welsh settlements. The English plan was to force the nearby fortress, Dinefwr Castle to surrender through intimidation.

On Friday night, the English army encamped in the vicinity of Llandeilo Fawr. Maredudd ap Rhys and Maredudd ap Owain had armies hidden in the woods which had followed the English army, the Welsh army harassed the encamped English constantly with a combination of arrows, spears and intimidating sounds. The English suffered some casualties, and since morale was low, Stephen Bauzan quickly sent Rhys Fychan (who had guided the army) to negotiate with Dinefwr castle's garrison. However, Rhys is said to have either been seized by the garrison or to have betrayed the English. Either way, the English army had now lost its guide.

The second day
The Battle of Coed Llathen

Lacking a guide, the English army decided to march back to Carmarthen, the Welsh armies in the woods hit the English with devastating guerrilla attacks (using mostly bows or javelins) from the first hour of Saturday right up until midday. There was an engagement between the two forces at midday which saw the Welsh troops outflank the English and successfully capture the English supply train at Coed Llathen, although there seem to have been few casualties, the engagement at Coed Llathen swung the balance in favour of the Welsh since the English had lost most of their provisions.[5]

The Battle of Cymerau

Following their defeat at Coed Llathen, the English army retreated westward towards Cymerau, the land at Cymerau was ideal for the Welsh since it contained ravines and heavily wooded areas which would allow the Welsh to ambush the English with ease. The land was also wet and marshy meaning that the English knights would have trouble riding over it.


The Welsh ambushed the English with their full army and a bloody battle ensued. Many English were said to have been torn from their mounts and trampled to death by the Welsh army. Stephen Bauzan was killed along with around 1,000–3,000 of his men (the amount killed varies with the source), the remaining Englishmen fled the battle.[6]

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales is said to have been present at the battle, collecting spoils from the fallen English army.

Aftermath,

later conflicts, and the Treaty of Montgomery

The victory at Cadfan allowed the Welsh forces to take the castles of Laugharne, Llansteffan and Narbeth. Rhys Fychan hastily made his peace with Llywelyn, and Llywelyn returned Rhys's lands to him. There was a problem, however: Maredudd ap Rhys and Maredudd ap Owain had now been stripped of their new land, the two, therefore, switched sides and paid homage to Henry later that year. King Henry (who had originally viewed Llywelyn's rising as only a small rebellion) was shocked. Henry quickly realized the seriousness of the situation and personally organized another attack on Wales during the same year, this attack also proved unsuccessful when supply ships from Ireland failed to reach Henry and Edward's invading army. Lacking food and supplies, the English army was forced to retreat, being constantly harassed by victorious Welsh guerrilla fighters on the way back. Edward launched yet another invasion of Wales in 1262 following Llywelyn's raids in the Welsh Marches. Edward, however, was forced to pull his armies out of Wales due to internal conflicts in England. Llywelyn retaliated by campaigning against the English Marcher Lords in a devastating campaign which led King Henry (who had been considerably weakened by the Second Barons' War) to open negotiations with Llywelyn at the Treaty of Montgomery which won Llywelyn much land at the expense of the defeated Marcher Lords.[8]

1282 The Battle of Llandeilo Fawr

 during the conquest of Wales by Edward I

Who? Welsh from south Wales vs English led by Gilbert de Clare

Result Welsh victory

Numbers involved English numberd Around 1600 infantry 100 cavalry

Casualties and losses The English lost nearly all of their army

Edward I sent Gilbert de Clare and his army to subdue the southern areas of Wales while other armies would invade elsewhere.

Gilbert de Clare had captured Carreg Cennen Castle from the Welsh.
On the 17th of June, they headed back to the nearby English settlement, Dinefwr Castle, to stash the spoils.
Along the way de Clare and his men were ambushed by Welsh troops and most of his army was destroyed.
Among the dead was the son of William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke. Following the defeat, Edward relieved de Clare of his command and replaced him with de Valence.

1282 Battle of Moel-y-don

 during the conquest of Wales by Edward I

Who? Welsh army vs the English

Result Welsh victory

Numbers involved the English had 2000 infantrymen 200 cavalrymen

Casualties and losses The English lost nearly all of their army

**COFLIEN**

Site Description "And it was on the Menai Straits, probably near Bangor, that the disaster befell the English in 1282, as they were crossing a newly-made bridge of boats, which almost turned the scale in Llywelyn ap Gruffydd's favour."

Source: Cambridge County Histories: Carnarvonshire, 1911; p. 93.

"On November 6th [1282] . . .attempting to cross the bridge of boats which had been thrown across the Menai Straits near Bangor, some sixteen knights, with their followers, were set upon by the Welsh and overwhelmed."

Footnote refers to 'the place called Moel y donn' (near Portdinorwic).

Source: J.E.Lloyd, A History of Wales, vol II, 1912, p.762.

Various other sources, as yet unverified, suggest that the battle took place at Moel-y-don on Anglesey, opposite Y Felinheli.

B.A.Malaws, RCAHMW, 08 May 2006.


Extract from INTO THE DRAGON'S DEN

"The Norman Conquest of Wales and the Marches"

The King planned to construct a pontoon bridge from Anglesey to the mainland which would allow the Normans to attack the Welsh heartland of Snowdonia from two directions. By September the pontoon bridge was complete, but the King’s force opposite the river Conwy was not ready to make its attack. By November the impatient Luc De Tany disobeyed the King’s orders and decided to launch his attack on Snowdonia alone.

Walter of Guisborough commented:

“The English knights and armed men crossed the bridge at low tide eager for glory and renown.”

On the 6th of November 1282 the Anglo Norman knights crossed the pontoon bridge to the mainland. Before the entire army was able to cross, Llywelyn’s warriors descended from the mountains and fell upon De Tany’s meager force.

“When they had reached the foot of the mountain and, after a time, came to a place at some distance from the bridge, the tide came in with a great flow, so that they were unable to get back to the bridge for the depth of water. The Welsh came from the high mountains and attacked them, and in fear and trepidation, for the great number of the enemy, our men preferred to face the sea than the enemy. They went into the sea but, heavily laden with arms, they were instantly drowned.”

Luc De Tany was among the casualties on that fateful day. Sixteen knights were lost and over 300 infantry died on the shores of Snowdonia. The only notable survivor was Otto De Grandson: he tried his luck and swam to the safety of the other side, rather than face capture by the enemy.

1136 The Battle of Llwchwr

Who? Welsh forces from Brycheiniog and Northern Gŵyr vs Normans

Result Welsh victory

Numbers involved ????????

Casualties and losses The English lost around 500

A Welsh army was raised by the lord of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire), Hywel ap Maredudd containing men from Brycheiniog as well as men from Northern Gŵyr. . The Normans sallied out expecting to meet a small collection of Welsh raiding bands, however, the scale of the Welsh army took them by surprise. The Welsh army emerged victorious, the Normans having lost around 500 men.


The victory of the Welsh army-inspired more rebellions around Wales including a battle near Kidwelly Castle fought by an army led by Gwenllian, Princess of Deheubarth and the Battle of Crug Mawr.

1165 Battle of Crogen

Who? Alliance of Welsh armies led by Owain Gwynedd vs And English army led by  Henry II of England

Result Welsh victory

Numbers involved The English had up to 30,000

Casualties and losses heavy English losses

The Battle of Crogen took place in 1165, between the forces of Henry II of England and an alliance of Welsh princes led by Owain Gwynedd.

Henry's army had the advantage of greater numbers, so Owain's tactics were to raid and ambush. He planted skirmishers in the thick woods overlooking the pass Henry would take.[6] When Henry's army advanced into the densely wooded Ceiriog Valley, the Welsh defenders assailed them repeatedly from their positions of cover.

Henry II ordered 2000 woodsmen to clear trees and widen the passage, allowing his forces to move more freely and quickly through the pass. The woodsmen were protected by the best of Henry's army and a powerful vanguard of pikemen, but their resistance was only effective for a short period.


While the woodsmen cut the trees – his forces were ambushed at the point of Offa's Dyke (which then straddled the valley floor) at the point where "The Great Oak of the Gate of the Dead" now stands. – a strong force of Owain's troops emerged and assaulted Henry's vanguard, inflicting severe losses. This engagement was later known as the Battle of Crogen.

Henry nearly died at this battle but he was saved by Hugh de St Clare, the Constable of Oakwood Castle, who sacrificed his own life when he threw himself in front of a shaft meant for his King. The English forces disengaged and did indeed reach the Berwyn mountains but, hit hard by the Welsh armies, were forced to retreat from Wales altogether when Owain's forces succeeded in cutting off their supplies

Henry II attempt at suppression of the Welsh and gaining control of Wales failed, Henry II ordered Welsh hostages to be brought to him at Shrewsbury, and there oversaw the mutilation of twenty-two prisoners, two of whom were Owain's sons.Forced to abandon the conquest of Wales, Henry returned to his court at Anjou, while retaliation for the twenty-two tortured hostages was carried out on Normans throughout the Welsh lands

1136 The Battle of Crug Mawr

Result Decisive Welsh victory

Numbers involved

the welsh had 6000 infantrymen and 2000 cavalrymen.

The English are said to have had similar numbers

Casualties and losses

Welsh casualties are Said to be light.

The English lost 3,000.

A Welsh revolt against Norman rule had begun in south Wales, where on 1st of January 1136 the Welsh won a victory over the local Norman forces at the Battle of Llwchwr between Loughor and Swansea. 

This led to an invasion by the forces of Gwynedd, led by Owain Gwynedd and Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd, sons of the king of Gwynedd, Gruffydd ap Cynan. 

They captured a number of castles in northern Ceredigion and made an alliance with Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth. The combined forces headed for Cardigan. There they met the combined forces of all the Normans in South Wales.

The Norman army led by Robert fitz Martin consisted of around 1,000 professional Flemish infantry and another 7,000 infantry from local levies. In addition, it had around 2,000 cavalry, most of which was heavy cavalry. The Welsh army under Owain Gwynedd was slightly smaller at around 6,000 infantry and 2,000 longbowmen. Cavalry was around 1,000 horse.

The Normans marched northeast of Cardigan and fortified their position on Crug Mawr hill to meet the Welsh army coming from the north. Flemish troops were placed at the front and the Norman levies were in the reserve. Cavalry were right at the back, as they would be used to smash the Welsh forces when they fled – a classic Norman tactic. Being on a hill, the Normans enjoyed a strategic advantage.

The Welsh deployed their archers in the front, with cavalry on the flanks. The infantry were right behind the longbowmen, with the most experienced infantry in reserve.

As the Welsh advanced, they launched a massed arrow attack. This would be one of the earliest uses of the longbow in warfare, and it’s clear the Normans were unprepared for the devastating results. The infantry began to waver, so fitz Martin ordered a cavalry attack.

Massed arrows directed at cavalry, however, blunted the leading edge, and the attack rapidly lost momentum. As the cavalry approached, the Welsh archers retreated behind the spearmen, who repulsed the Norman attack. The Welsh cavalry on the flanks closed in, routing the infantry and the cavalry.

The Normans fled with the Welsh following closely behind. The troops crossing at Cardigan Bridge caused it to collapse, trapping thousands behind it. Many left armour and weapons behind as they attempted to swim over the river, and the triumphant Welsh slaughtered many more.

EDWARD LAWS QUOTES FLORENCE OF WORCESTER (VOL III, P97):

..''.the slaughter was so great that besides the male prisoners there were 10,000 widows captured, whose husbands had either been slain in battle, burnt in the town, or drowned in the Teivi. Apparently, the whole foreign population had collected at Cardigan for safety. The bridge indeed had been broken down, but the river was so choked with the carcasses of men and horses that folks passed over dry foote.''

Although the Normans held onto Cardigan Castle, the battle was a disaster for them. The biggest fighting force in the area had been destroyed, and it proved the superiority of the longbow, something that the Normans couldn’t match. Norman influence waned for around 20 years after the battle, and in 1157, Henry II took up the fight. Multiple defeats set him back further, and it wasn’t until King Henry III invaded Wales in 1241 that some semblance of English control was created.

This was a significant battle that set the Normans back many years and give the Welsh great confidence but most people have no idea it took place. 

There are many significant events like this in Welsh history, events that would be almost common knowledge if they took place in another county. 

1157 The Battle of Ewloe

Result Welsh victory

Numbers involved

the English numbered around 30,000

the Welsh had around 3000

Casualties and losses

Very heavy for the English

The Battle of Ewloe was fought in July 1157 between a large army led by Henry II of England and an army led by the Welsh prince Owain Gwynedd.

Henry led a large army of around 30,000  into northern Wales and sent a fleet (led by Henry FitzRoy) to capture Anglesey to cut off Owain's supplies. Owain responded by raising a Welsh army of around 3000 men.

The two armies met at Ewloe. Owain's men ambushed the royal army in a narrow, wooded valley, routing it completely with King Henry himself narrowly avoiding capture

The fleet accompanying the invasion made a landing on Anglesey where it was defeated

TO BE ADDED

Battle of Mynydd Carn

Battle of Bryn Glas

Battle of the Conwy

Battle of Maes Moydog