English kings that fought against the Welsh WIP
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor, enthroned, opening scene of the Bayeux Tapestry
8 June 1042 January 1066
DIDN’T lead an army into Wales himself.
1041
Gruffydd defeated Hywel of Dyfed at the Battle of Pencader
1044
Hywel returned with a Danish fleet to try to reclaim his kingdom, but Gruffydd defeated and killed him.
1047
Gruffydd ap Rhyderch of Gwent expelled Gruffydd ap Llywelyn from Deheubarth.
1052
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn attacked Herefordshire and defeated a mixed force of Normans and
English in the Battle of Leominster and sacks the town.
1055
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn killed Gruffydd ap Rhydderch and recaptured Deheubarth. He then allied himself with Aelgar of Mercia and they marched on Hereford, defeating the force of the Earl of Hereford, Ralph the Timid, sacking the city and destroying its castle. Gruffydd was also able to seize Morgannwg and Gwent, along with extensive territories along the border with England.
1056
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
won another victory over an English army near Glasbury. Now recognized as King
of Wales, he claimed sovereignty over the whole of the country – a claim which
was recognised by the English.
1059
Macht, son of Harold,
came to Wales with a great army in his train; and the Prince Gruffudd, and
Macht, with combined forces, proceeded against the Saxons, and devastated the
country of England a great way towards its centre; and they returned to Wales
with great spoil.
1063:
here Earl Harold and his brother Earl Tostig went into Wales
both with land-army and ship-army, and conquered that land; and that people
gave hostages and submitted to them, and afterwards went to and killed their
king Gruffudd, and brought Harold his head, and he set another king for it. ASC
(Peterborough manuscript).
1065
Harold Godwinson, after defeating Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in
1063 had begun to build a hunting lodge in Portskewet. Caradog ap Gruffydd
prince of gwent attacked and destroyed it, going on to ravage the district with
his forces.
After the murder of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, Harold Godwinson
married his widow Ealdgyth and divided Gruffydd's realm into the traditional
kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys, the rule of which were given to Bleddyn ap
Cynfyn and his brother Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn. Gruffydd left two sons— Maredudd
and Idwal–who in 1070 challenged Bleddyn and Rhiwallon at Mechain in an attempt
to win back part of their father's kingdom. However, both sons were defeated,
Idwal (or Ithel) being killed in combat and Maredudd dying of exposure after
the battle. Rhiwallon was also killed in this battle, leaving Bleddyn to rule
Gwynedd and Powys alone.
……………………………………………………………………………
Harold Godwinson reign as king of England 1066
Took part in 1062 1063 1065 for king Edward the Confessor
Killed the king of Wales Gruffudd
ap Llywelyn
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
William the Conqueror 25 December 1066 – 9 September 1087
Dint take part in any fighting
Although he did bring an army into Wales, this was just to show off and warn the Welsh , he met with Rhys ap tewder came to an arrangement , whereby Rhys paid him homage and was confirmed in possession of Deheubarth. Rhys paid William £40 a year for his kingdom, ensuring good future relations with William that lasted until the end of William's lifetime. Rhys was content with the arrangement as it meant that he had to deal only with the jealousy of his fellow Welsh princes.
He Installed marcher lords who become the most powerfull barons under him, marcher lords had powers usualy reserved for a king, many ruled the lordship with terror which resulted in a number of uprisings and the death of a few of them.
Around this time we saw a lot of battles between the Welsh themselvs which weakend them for the coming Norman attacks. I decided not to add these.
1067
Bleddyn and Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn, co-rulers of Gwynedd, invade Herefordshire in support of Eadric the Wild, an English rebel resisting the Norman Conquest of England.
1067
The Normans invade the Kingdom of Gwent and conquer it driving king Caradog ap Gruffudd into exile.
1073
The Normans invade Gwynedd and occupy Arfon.
1075
Gruffudd AP CYNAN led his forces eastwards to reclaim territories taken over by the Normans, and despite the assistance previously given by Robert of Rhuddlan attacked and destroyed Rhuddlan Castle. However tension between Gruffudd's Danish-Irish bodyguard and the local Welsh led to a rebellion in Llŷn, and Trahaearn took the opportunity to counterattack, defeating Gruffudd at the battle of Bron yr Erw above Clynnog Fawr the same year.
1081
we saw the battle Mynydd Carn. The battle has been described as one in which "all the leading rulers of Wales took part. Gruffudd ap Cynan, claimant to the kingdom of Gwynedd, and Rhys ap Tudor, king of Deheubarth, defeated Trahaearn ap Caradog of Gwent , Caradog ap Gruffydd and Meilir ap Rhiwallon
The same year William the Conqueror visited
1085
The Normans launch a wholesale invasion of Wales ravaging Gwynedd and Powys.
1085
Gruffudd ap cynan regains lands lost to normans
1085
another Norman invasion
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
William II William Rufus 26 September 1087 2 August 1100
Took part in invasions 1095 1097
With William the Conqueror dead, all deals were off. Rufus let the barons off the tight leash they had been kept on.
Lots of Welsh infighting
1091 Normans conquer moganwig
1093 The Normans
occupy Brycheiniog and ravage south Wales killing Rhys ap Tewdwr, the king of Deheubarth.
1094 Welsh revolt against Norman rule broke out,
1094 the Normans attacked Gelligaer. This resulted in a
bloody
battle in which a number of important Norman lords were
killed
1094 ‘’ And then the French-led hosts into Gwynedd; and
Cadwgan ap Bleddyn met them and attacked and defeated them, and drove them to
flight and slew them, and overthrew and subdued them with great slaughter. And
that battle was fought in Coed-ysbwys."
1094 The battle of
Aber Llech is the culmination of a national uprising across Wales that drives
the Normans back into England with the exception of a few castles. Deheubarth
makes territorial gains at the expense of other southern realms.
1095 war had spread
to many parts of Wales. This induced William II of England (William Rufus) to
intervene, invading northern Wales in 1095. However his army was unable to
bring the Welsh to battle and returned to Chester without having achieved very
much
1095 The Normans return but fail to draw the Welsh into
battle.
1096 "And the French moved a host to Gwent,
but they returned empty-handed having gained naught. And as they were
returning, they were slain by the Britons at the place called Celli
Carnant."
1097 King William mounted a second invasion, but again
without much success At this time Cadwgan ap Bleddyn of Powys led the Welsh
resistance.
1098, Earl Hugh of
Chester joined with Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury in another attempt to recover his
losses in Gwynedd.
1098 The arrival of a Norwegian fleet under the command of King Magnus III of Norway, also known as Magnus Barefoot, who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the Menai Straits. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself. The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year, Gruffudd returned from Ireland to take possession again, having apparently come to an agreement with Earl Hugh of Chester.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Henry I Henry Beauclerc 5 August
1100 1 December 1135
TOOK PART IN 1108 1114 1121
1108 Henry l had conducted a campaign in South Wales in
1108, pushing out royal power in the region and colonizing the area around
Pembroke with Flemings
1114, some of the resident Norman lords were under attack,
while in Mid-Wales, Owain ap Cadwgan blinded one of the political hostages he
was holding, and in North Wales Gruffudd ap Cynan threatened the power of the
Earl of Chester. Henry sent three armies into Wales that year, with
Gilbert Fitz Richard leading a force from the south, Alexander, King of
Scotland, pressing from the north and Henry himself advancing into
Mid-Wales. Owain and Gruffudd sued for peace, and Henry accepted a
political compromise. He reinforced the Welsh Marches with his own
appointees, strengthening the border territories
1116 The Welsh of
Deheubarth revolt against their Norman overlords.
Gruffydd ap Rhys unsuccessfully attacked the Norman castle
south of Aberystwyth Thomas Jones, The Chronicle of the Princes, 1955, p.93-5.
As yet unconfirmed sources suggest that the battle took
place around a bridge across the river Ystwyth to the southeast of the castle
1121 Maredudd AP BLEDUDD carried out raids on Cheshire which provoked King Henry into invading Powys. Maredudd retreated into Snowdonia and asked Gruffudd ap Cynan for assistance. However, Gruffudd was in no mood to defy the king on Maredudd's behalf, and Maredudd had to purchase peace at a cost of a fine of 10,000 head of cattle. Gwynedd continued to put pressure on Powys, with the sons of Gruffudd ap Cynan, Cadwallon and Owain Gwynedd annexing more territory in
1124 Another invasion by the king of England was a military failure. The king had to come to terms with Gruffudd AP CYNAN and made no further attempt to invade Gwynedd during Gruffudd's reign.
1127 Gruffydd ap Rhys, the son of Rhys ap Tewdwr came to terms with King Henry I of England
and was allowed to rule a portion of his father's kingdom, the Cantref Mawr,
although he was soon under pressure from the Normans again and was forced to
flee to Ireland
1134 Welsh raids into Shropshire destroying Caus Castle.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Stephen Stephen of Blois 22 December 1135 25 October 1154
LOST WALES
The Welsh of Gwent, led by Iowerth ab Owain (grandson of Caradog ap Gruffydd, Gwent's Welsh ruler displaced by the Norman invasions), ambushed and slew Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, the Norman lord who controlled Ceredigion.
1136 An opportunity arose for the Welsh to recover lands
lost to the Marcher lords after Stephen de Blois had displaced his cousin
Matilda of England from succeeding her father to the English throne the
previous year, sparking the Anarchy in England. 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 that despised the Norman rule in
Southern 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 two armies met on the common of Carn Coch. In a violent melee,
the Welsh army emerged victoriously, the Normans having lost around 500 men.
FROM WIKI
A battle took place about 1135 near "Crug Mawr, a
conical hill" in Llangoedmor parish. The Welsh under Gruffydd ab Rhys
defeated an English force. The description fits Banc-y-warren, a high knoll
(nprn 24407), there being a farm to the southeast named Crug-mawr (at national
grid reference SN 206 472).Source: S.Lewis, Topographical Dictionary of Wales,
1842, p.2, and OS 495 card: SN24NW16.
1136
While her husband (Gruffydd ap Rhys) was in Gwynedd
seeking an alliance with her father against the Normans, Maurice of London and other Normans led raids
against Deheubarth's Welsh. Gwenllian (daughter of Gruffydd ap cynan) was compelled to raise an army for their
defence. In a battle fought near
Kidwelly Castle, Gwenllian's army was routed, she was captured in battle and
beheaded by the Normans. In the battle her son Morgan was also slain and
another son, Maelgwyn captured and executed.
1136
When word reached Gwynedd of Gwenllain's death and the
revolt in Gwent, Gwenllian's brothers Owain and Cadwaladr invaded Norman
controlled Ceredigion, taking Llanfihangel, Aberystwyth, and Llanbadarn.
1136
Anarawd ap Gruffydd and his brother Cadell ap Gruffydd
joined with the Prince of Gwynedd, Owain Gwynedd and the latter's brother
Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd in an assault on Cardigan Castle which was in Norman
hands. The assault was aided by a fleet of Viking ships, but an agreement was
reached and the siege lifted.
1136,
Gruffydd ap Rhys was confronted at Crug Mawr, two miles out of Cardigan, by an army gathered out of all parts of Norman south Wales. The Welsh defeated the Normans, pursuing them to the river Teifi and setting fire to the town of Cardigan.
Two miles outside Cardigan the Welsh army encountered a Norman force and battle was joined. The Normans were led by Robert fitz Martin, supported by Robert fitz Stephen, constable of Cardigan Castle, with the brothers William and Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan. After hard fighting, the Norman forces were put to flight and pursued as far as the River Teifi. Many of the fugitives tried to cross the bridge, which broke under the weight. Hundreds are said to have drowned, clogging the river with the bodies of men and horses. Foot soldiers were trampled by horses. Others fled to the town of Cardigan which, however, was taken and burned by the Welsh even though Robert fitz Martin managed to successfully defend the castle. Skulls with battle wounds have been found nearby.[3]
The Breviate Chronicle of 1136 gives a contemporary account of the battle, which notes that the leaders included Owain and Cadwaladr (ap Gruffydd), Gruffydd ap Rhys, Rhys ap Hywel, Madog ab Idnerth and the sons of Hywel on the Welsh side, and Stephen the Constable and the sons of Gerald, supported by Flemish forces, on the Norman side, some travelling a considerable distance to the battle.[9]
Edward Laws quotes Florence of Worcester (vol iii, p. 97):
...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 footed.[10]
Florence had died in 1118, so the account was probably penned by his successor, John of Worcester (who died about 1140).[11]
1137
An army from Gwynedd captures Carmarthen from the
Normans.
The Marcher lord Hugh de Mortimer re-takes Maelienydd.
1145
Gilbert de Clare rebuilds Carmarthen Castle. then began a campaign to reclaim Ceredigion.
He built a castle in the commote of Mabudryd,
1146
OWEN GWYNEDD captured Mold Castle
Cadell ap Gruffydd captured the castles of Carmarthen
(repairing and retaining it for several years) and then destroyed the castle.
1146
The lord rhys fighting alongside his brothers Cadell
and Maredudd capture Llansteffan Castle
This was followed by the capture of
Wiston in 1147,
Carmarthen in 1150
and Loughor in 1151
1147
Cadell ap Gruffydd defeated Walter Fitzwiz.
1149
Madog ap Maredudd advances into Shropshire and annexes
Oswestry to the kingdom of Powys; it remains in his possession until 1157.
1150
OWEN GWYNEDD captured Rhuddlan Cadell ap Gruffydd was
attacked while out hunting by a group of Norman and Flemish knights from Tenby,
and left for dead. He survived but suffered injuries which left him unable to
play an active role, and in 1153 he left on a pilgrimage to Rome.
1153.
THE LORD Rhys leads an army to capture the Norman
castle of St Clears. Maredudd and Rhys also destroyed the castles at Tenby and
Aberafan that year. Maredudd died in 1155 at the age of twenty-five and left
Rhys as ruler of Deheubarth.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Henry II Henry Curtmantle 19
December 1154 6 July 1189
TOOK PART IN 1157 , 1159, 1163 , 1165
1157
Henry II leads a massive invasion of North Wales to drive Owain Gwynedd , away from the border of Cheshire.
Owain's men ambushed the royal army in a narrow, wooded valley, routing it completely (Battle of Ewloe), with King Henry himself narrowly avoiding capture .
The fleet accompanying the invasion made a landing on
Anglesey where it was defeated aswell.
"a battle took place between [king Henry II's men] and
the men of Anglesey [under Owain Gwynedd]; and in that battle, the French fled,
according to their usual custom."
Source: Thomas Jones, The Chronicle of the Princes, 1955,
p.135-7.
"The spot marked on the Ordnance map as the supposed
site of the battle of Coleshill, though anyone, or all, of the adjoining fields
in the township of Coleshill Fechan would suit the required conditions. Henry
II, advancing along the shore from Saltney March as far as Coleshill, found
himself opposed by Owain, prince of Gwynedd. The sudden onset of the Welsh
temporarily disorganised Henry's army, but the King rallied his forces,
repulsed the charge, and advanced so as to cut off Owain's retreat, the latter
taking shelter in a more hilly or more defensible region. The exact site of the
'Koet Kennadlaoc' (for which we should probably read 'Keun = Kefnhadlog') of
Brut y Tywysogion is not certainly known. It has been surmised to be either
Ewloe Wood or Hawarden."Source: RCAHMW Flintshire Inventory, 1912, p.18,
no.63; see also J.E.Lloyd, A History of Wales, vol II, 1912, p.497-8; Thomas Jones,
The Chronicle of the Princes, 1955, p.135.
"[Henry's] ships had cast anchor in the harbour of Moelfre . . . on the following day a battle was fought which vindicated the outraged honor of the saints of Môn. The invaders were defeated."
1159
Rhys ap Gruffudd (the lord rhys) of Deheubarth attacks Anglo-Norman castles
and settlements in south Wales, capturing Llandovery in 1162.
Henry II launches a military campaign in south Wales
invading Deheubarth. He captures Rhys ap Gruffudd at Pencader and takes him to
England. Rhys is restored to his lands in 1164 after he agrees to make homage
to Henry.
1164
In 1164 all the Welsh princes united in an uprising. Warren suggests that when Rhys and Owain were obliged to do homage to Henry in 1163 they were forced to accept a status of dependent vassalage instead of their previous client status, and that this led to the revolt.[25] Rhys had other reasons for rebellion, for he had returned to Deheubarth from England to find that the neighbouring Norman lords were threatening Cantref Mawr. His nephew, Einion ab Anarawd, who was the captain of his bodyguard, had been murdered at the instigation of Roger de Clare, Earl of Hertford. The murderer had been given the protection of the Clares in Ceredigion.[26] Rhys first appealed to the king to intercede; when this failed, he invaded Ceredigion and recaptured all of it apart from the town and castle of Cardigan. The Welsh revolt led to another invasion of Wales by King Henry in 1165. Henry attacked Gwynedd first, but instead of following the usual invasion route along the north coast he attacked from the south, following a route over the Berwyn hills. He was met by the united forces of the Welsh princes, led by Owain Gwynedd and including Rhys. According to Brut y Tywysogion:[27]
... [King Henry] gathered an innumerable host of the selected warriors of England and Normandy and Flanders and Gascony and Anjou... and against him came Owain and Cadwaladr the sons of Gruffydd with all the host of Gwynedd, and Rhys ap Gruffydd with all the host of Deheubarth and Iorwerth the Red son of Maredudd and the sons of Madog ap Maredudd with all the host of Powys
1165
Battle of Crogen 'The Battle
of Crogen took place in the Ceiriog Valley, in 1165, between Henry II of
England and an alliance of Welsh princes led by Owain Gwynedd. Although
outnumbered, the ambush tactics and valour of the Welsh aided them in their
defeat of King Henry's army'
Source: The Chronicle of Ystrad Fflur.
Henry II led his army to the river Ceiriog, where a party of
Welsh suddenly attacked the van of Henry's army and in the action that ensued,
since called the battle of Crogen, many were killed on both sides.
Source: Entry for Denbighshire in Lewis S, 'A Topographical
Dictionary of Wales' (1849).
A commemorative plaque (nprn 412333) has been affixed to
Castle Mill Bridge (nprn 310228) and refers to the "Battle of Crogen"
having been fought "nearby in August 1165 . . . between Henry II, King of
England (r.1154-89) and Welsh forces under Owain Gwynedd (1137-70)" The
plaque was unveiled on 04 March 2009 by Wrexham Borough Council Leader Aled
Roberts.
1165
Rhys ap Gruffudd returned to Deheubarth where he
captured and burned Cardigan Castle. He allowed the garrison to depart, but
held the castellan, Robert Fitz-Stephen, as a prisoner. Shortly afterwards Rhys
captured Cilgerran castle
1167
Owain Gwynedd RE captures Rhuddlan Castle and
Basingwerk advancing as far east as the River Dee.
1168
the lord rhys
attacked the Normans at Builth, destroying its castle
1176
Cadwallon ap Madog
brought destruction to the English
Marches of Herefordshire and Shropshire.
1185
Welsh raiders sack Cardiff.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Richard I Richard the Lionheart 3 September 1189 6 April 1199
Not much activity
1189
Henry II died in and was succeeded by Richard I. The
lord rhys considered that he was no longer bound by the agreement with King
Henry and attacked the Norman lordships surrounding his territory. He ravaged
Pembroke, Haverfordwest, and Gower and captured the castles of St. Clear's,
Laugharne, and Llansteffan. Richard's brother, Prince John (later King John),
came to Wales in September and tried to make peace. He persuaded Rhys to raise
the siege of Carmarthen and accompany him to Oxford to meet Richard. Rhys
arrived at Oxford to discover that Richard was not prepared to travel there to
meet him, and hostilities continued
The lord Rhys launched his last campaign against the
Normans, He captured a number of
castles, including Carmarthen, Colwyn, Radnor and Painscastle, and defeated an
army led by Roger de Mortimer and Hugh de Say near Radnor, with forty knights
among the dead. This, the Battle of Radnor, was Rhys' last battle. William de
Braose offered terms, and Painscastle was returned to him
"And thence [Rhys ap Gruffydd] immediately set out with
his host to Radnor and burned it. And after it had been burnt, that day in the
valley close by, Roger Mortimer and Hugh de Sai drew up their forces equipped with
horses and corselets and helmets and shields without warning against the Welsh.
And when the great-hearted Rhys saw this, like a fierce lion he armed himself
with a stout heart and a strong hand, and he attacked his enemies manfully and
turned them to flight and pursued them and treated them vilely, although
manfully, so that the Marchers greatly lamented the exceeding great slaughter
of their men."
Source: Thomas Jones, The Chronicle of the Princes,
1198 .
Gwenwynwyn ab Owain, Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn, tried
to take over as leader of the Welsh princes and raised a great army to besiege
Painscastle, which was held by the troops of William de Braose, Lord of
Bramber. Llywelyn the Great sent troops to help Gwenwynwyn, but in August
Gwenwynwyn's force was attacked by an army led by the Justiciar, Geoffrey Fitz
Peter, and heavily defeated. Gwenwynwyn's defeat gave Llywelyn the opportunity
to establish himself as the leader of the Welsh.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
John John Lackland 27 May 1199 19 October 1216
Led invasion/s 1211 x2
1199
Llywelyn the great, captured the important castle of
Mold and was apparently using the title "Prince of the whole of North
Wales"
The Annales Cestriensis notes:
The castle of Mold was besieged and captured from Llewelyn
on the day of the Epiphany of Our Lord [January 6, 1199](Christie, 45).
This event is also briefly mentioned in the Gwynedd
chronicle, O Oes Gwrtheyrn:
O haf y Gwydyl hyd Castell Paen v mlyned. Y gayaf rac wyneb
y torres Llywelyn yr Wydgruc(Jones, 412).
From the summer of the Irish to Castell Paen, five years.
The next winter Llywelyn destroyed Yr Wyddgrug [Mold](Jones, 418)
A poem by Prydydd y Moch also notes the victory for Llywelyn
ap Iorwerth:
Nyd fuc, o’r Wytgruc, wytgun---Gymry,
Oes goruod y hil Rhun:
Tyreu poeth, peithyawc pob un,
Tande fyryf, foes Alun(Jones, 188, line 45)
No delusion, since Mold, wolf-pack fortress,
Rhun’s descendant’s triumph:
Towers burnt, each one gutted,
Mighty flame, Alun’s folk in flight
1210 ,
relations
between Llywelyn and King John deteriorated. J.E. Lloyd suggests that the rupture
may have been due to Llywelyn forming an alliance with William de Braose, 4th
Lord of Bramber, who had fallen out with the king and had been deprived of his
lands. While John led a campaign against de Braose and his allies in Ireland,
an army led by Earl Ranulph of Chester, and Peter des Roches, Bishop of
Winchester, invaded Gwynedd. Llywelyn destroyed his own castle at Deganwy and
retreated west of the River Conwy. The Earl of Chester rebuilt Deganwy, and
Llywelyn retaliated by ravaging the earl's lands. John sent troops to help
restore Gwenwynwyn to the rule of southern Powys.
1211
King John of England launches an invasion of Gwynedd
from Chester but has to retreat without making gains. A second invasion later
that year, this time from Shrewsbury, leaves the Welsh town of Bangor in ruins;
John succeeds in securing the surrender of the prince of Gwynedd, Llywelyn
Fawr, who agrees to cede the Perfeddwlad to the English Crown as part of the
peace terms.
1212
Llywelyn formed an alliance with Gwenwynwyn of Powys
and the two main rulers of Deheubarth, Maelgwn ap Rhys and Rhys Gryg, and rose
against John. They had the support of Pope Innocent III, who had been engaged
in a dispute with John for several years and had placed his kingdom under an
interdict. Innocent released Llywelyn, Gwenwynwyn and Maelgwn from all oaths of
loyalty to John and lifted the interdict in the territories which they
controlled. Llywelyn was able to recover all Gwynedd apart from the castles of
Deganwy and Rhuddlan within two months
1213,
Llywelyn took the castles of Deganwy and Rhuddlan
At that time Prince Llywelyn of North Wales with certain
other Welsh Princes took the three castles that remained in North Wales, namely
Degannwy, Rhuddlan and Holywell (Remfry, 238).Llywelyn ap Iorwerth had joined
forces with Maelgwn ap Rhys of Deheubarth and Gwenwynwyn ab Owain Cyfeiliog of
Powys. The castle of Deganwy (Scheduled Monument CN016) is located at SH 7821
7944). Nothing further is known.
RCAHMW (Battlefields Inventory), Feb 2017
1215
Llywelyn had now established himself as the leader of
the independent princes of Wales, and in December 1215, led an army which
included all the lesser princes to capture the castles of Carmarthen, Kidwelly,
Llanstephan, Cardigan and Cilgerran. Another indication of his growing power
was that he was able to insist on the consecration of Welshmen to two vacant
sees that year, Iorwerth, as Bishop of St. David's, and Cadwgan, as Bishop of
Bangor
The Cronicon de Wallia for the year 1215 notes:
lewelínus Nortwallie prínceps . solopíam optínuit . et
castellum de mumgumbría et de kamhawn (Gough-Cooper, e25.2).
Prince Llywelyn of North Wales obtained Shropshire with the
castles of Montgomery and Cymaron (Remfry, 238).
The Cronicon de Wallia notes the castles taken by Llywelyn
ap Iorwerth during his campaign of December 1215:
In fíne huius anni lewelínus northwallie princeps parum ante
natale domíní sutwalliam intrans cum grandi exercítu ínfra tres ebdomadas
castella quorum nomína sunt . kermerd?n . seínt cler. lanstephan . abercorran .
trefdrahet . Aberteiu? . kilgarran prospere et uíriliter optínuít cum
adiacentibus terrís et cantaredis. que omnía castella destructa sunt atque
solotenus confracta exceptis aberteíu? et kilcarran. Idem uero lewelínus cum
trípudío et uíctoría letus ad propría remeauít (Gough-Cooper, e25.5).
At the end of this year Prince Llywelyn of North Wales a
little before Christmas entered South Wales with a grand army and in three
weeks triumphantly and manfully took the castles called Carmarthen, Saint
Clears, Llanstephan, Laugharne, Newport, Cardigan and Cilgerran with their
adjacent lands and cantrefs. And he destroyed all the castles as well as
unrestrainedly wrecked them except for Cardigan and Cilgeran. Truly Llywelyn
returned home with ritual dancing and joyful victory (Remfry, 239).
1216
Gwenwynwyn of Powys changed sides again that year and
allied himself with King John. Llywelyn called up the other princes for a
campaign against him and drove him out of southern Powys once more.
The Cronicon de Wallia for the year 1216 notes that
Gwenwynwyn, ruler of Powys, went against the oath he had given to Llywelyn ap
Iorwerth. Llywelyn sent bishops and letters to him to try and get him to change
his mind:
suí contínentibus toto nísu eum reuocare laborauít . Sed cum
níchil profícere potuít: collecto exercítu et conuocatís tocius fere wallie
principíbus uersus powísíam tendít et totam terram eius sibi subíugauít et
optínuít eo fu-gato (Gough-Cooper, e26.2).
But when he was able to accomplish nothing in this, he
collected an army and called together nearly all the princes of Wales, and
advanced against Powys, taking and subjugating all the land and forcing
Gwenwynwyn to flight (Remfry, 239).
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Henry III Henry of Winchester 1216 - 1272
Took part on these dates 1228, 1231, X3 1240s ,
1241
1217,
Reginald de Braose of Brecon and Abergavenny, who had
been allied to Llywelyn and married his daughter, Gwladus Ddu, was induced by
the English crown to change sides. Llywelyn responded by invading his lands,
first threatening Brecon, where the burgesses offered hostages for the payment
of 100 marks, then heading for Swanseawhere Reginald de Braose met him to offer
submission and to surrender the town. He then continued westwards to threaten
Haverfordwest where the burgesses offered hostages for their submission to his
rule or the payment of a fine of 1,000 marks
1220
Hostilities broke out with William Marshal, 2nd Earl of
Pembroke, in 1220. Llywelyn destroyed the castles of Narberth and Wiston, burnt
the town of Haverfordwest and threatened Pembroke Castle, but agreed to abandon
the attack on payment of £100
1223
Llywelyn crossed the border into Shropshire and
captured Kinnerley and Whittington castles. The Marshalls took advantage of
Llywelyn's involvement here to land near St David's in April with an army
raised in Ireland and recaptured Cardigan and Carmarthen without opposition
1223
Marcher lord Hubert de Burgh starts a series of campaigns
during which he retakes Carmarthen, Cardigan and Montgomery.
1223
Llewelyn ap Iorwerth took several of the Earl of
Pembroke's castles in south Wales in his absence; the earl on his return in
1223 retaliated by taking the castles of Cardigan and Carmarthen. Llywelyn sent
his son Gruffydd, who marched towards Carmarthen, where the earl was then
posted. The latter crossed the river Tywi and gave battle; the engagement was
terminated only by nightfall, when both commanders withdrew their forces, neither
of them having obtained any advantage. The earl kept his troops in Carmarthen
and Gruffydd encamped for a few days at some distance on the opposite side of
the river, but his provisions beginning to fail, he withdrew into north Wales
and the earl retired into Cardiganshire.
"William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke "made his way
across the Tywi to Carmarthen bridge and Gruffudd ap Llywelyn waited for him
fearlessly. And after protracted fighting for the greater part of the day, each
of the two hosts fell back from the other to encamp, after many had been slain
on either side and others had been wounded. And then because of hunger Gruffudd
ap Llywelyn returned again to his land."
Source: Thomas Jones, The Chronicle of the Princes, 1955,
p.225.
""After the victory of Aberconwy, Llywelyn [ab
Iorwerth] won fresh triumphs at the passage of the Menai at Porthaethwy . . .
and again at Coedaneu, in the heart of Anglesey, but there is no clear
indication of the foes whom he fought".
Footnote mentions battle of 'Coettaneu'.
Source: J.E.Lloyd, A History of Wales, vol II, 1912, p.589.
The location of the battle is not known.B.A.Malaws, RCAHMW,
20 June 2006."
1228,
Llywelyn was engaged in a campaign against Hubert de
Burgh, who was Justiciar of England and Ireland and one of the most powerful
men in the kingdom. Hubert had been given the lordship and castle of Montgomery
by the king and was encroaching on Llywelyn's lands nearby. The king raised an
army to help Hubert, who began to build another castle in the commote of Ceri.
However, in October the royal army was obliged to retreat and Henry agreed to
destroy the half-built castle in exchange for the payment of £2,000 by
Llywelyn. Llywelyn raised the money by demanding the same sum as the ransom of
William de Braose, Lord of Abergavenny, whom he had captured in the fighting
1228,
there was further fighting. Llywelyn was becoming
concerned about the growing power of Hubert de Burgh. Some of his men had been
taken prisoner by the garrison of Montgomery and beheaded, and Llywelyn
responded by burning Montgomery, Powys, New Radnor, Hay, and Brecon before
turning west to capture the castles of Neath and Kidwelly. He completed the
campaign by recapturing Cardigan castle.[46] King Henry retaliated by launching
an invasion and built a new castle at Painscastle, but was unable to penetrate
far into Wales
1231
The Breviate Chronicle for the year 1231 notes that
following Llywelyn ap Iorwerth’s attacks in Mid Wales:
deinde uersus guenciam tendens et Karlíon ín cínerem
redígens · castella de Neth et Kedwel? et de Kardigan uilla prius a mailgono
succensa · prostrauít(Gough-Cooper, b1253.1)Then he pressed on into Gwent and
reduced Caerleon to cinders as well as Neath castle and Kidwelly and Cardigan,
where the town had earlier been set alight by Maelgwn, which he threw to the
ground
1231
Lywelyn ap Iorwerth laid an ambush for the men of King
Henry III, who were stationed at Montgomery Castle, with the help of a monk
from Abbey Cwm Hîr, who was instructed by Llewelyn to deceive the garrison with
false intelligence. When the king's men rode out and became trapped in boggy
ground, Llywelyn's men attacked and a violent battle ensued, the Welsh
eventually gaining victory. One suggested site for the battle is at Abermule,
another being at Hay
The Breviate Chronicle for the year 1231 notes:
lewelínus princeps norwallíe suís comítatus in prisís
quibusdam de causís inter ipsum et regem subortís · mungumriam brechoniam et
haiam cum radenor castello solete(n)us dírupto et íncendio deuastauít(Gough-Cooper,
b1253.1)
Prince Llywelyn of North wales, because of his followers’s
raids, shattered the peace between him and the king and he burned and destroyed
Montgomery, Brecon and Hay together with Radnor castle
1233
The Cronicon de Wallia for the year 1233 note:
eodem anno . l(ewelinus) . princeps uillas de brechonia et
de clua . combussít et castrum quod uocatur castelh?choet cepít et destruxít
necnon et villam de albo monasterío ín cínerem redegít(Gough-Cooper, e31.2).The
same year Prince Llewelyn burned the towns of Brecon and Clun and he took and
destroyed Castellhychoet(Remfry, 241).
The Brutiau for the year 1233 provide further details: Y
ulwydyn honno y kyrchawd Llywelin ap Ioruerth Vrecheinawc ac y distrywawd holl
gestyll a threuyd y wlat drwy anreithaw ac yspeilaw pob lle. Ac ymlad a
chastell Aber Hodni vis a oruc gyt a blifyeu a magnelev. Ac yn y diwed y
peidawd drwy ymhoelut y dref oll yn llundy(Jones, 230).That year Llywelyn ap
Iorwerth made for Brycheiniog and he destroyed all the castles and towns of the
land, plundering and pillaging every palce. And he laid siege to the castle of
Brecon for a month with catapults and engines. But at last he desisted after
having turned the whole town into ashes
1233 That year there was strife between king Henry and
Richard Marshal, earl of Pembroke. And then the earl made a pact with Llywelyn
ap Iorwerth and with the princes of Wales. And forthwith he and Owain ap
Gruffudd gathered a mighty host; and they attacked Monmouth and burned it and
made a slaughter of the king's men who were there defending."
Source: Thomas Jones, The Chronicle of the Princes, 1955,
p.231.Earl Richard of Pembroke, supported by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, defeated
John of Monmouth in a pitched battle near Monmouth on 26 December 1233.
1240
With Llywelyn Fawr dead the English attack Wales.
Marcher lords retake the territorial gains made by Llywelyn.
1241
Henry III invades Wales; Dafydd ap Llywelyn is forced
to surrender (Aug). The subsequent peace agreement, the Treaty of Gwerneigron,
sees the English occupy the Perfeddwlad.
1244
Dafydd ap Llywelyn declares war, several Welsh raids
are mounted on the Wales-England border.
1245
A victory of the English near Montgomery in 1244 (some
sources suggest 1245), where 300 Welshmen were drawn into an ambush and slain.
Source: J.E.Lloyd, A History of Wales, vol II, 1912, p.703.
1245
Dafydd's war intensifies. Gwynedd and her allies in
Deheubarth and Powys Fadog make few gains in mid-Wales; however, Mold is
recaptured by the Welsh (28 Mar). In August the English attack Gwynedd from
Chester; defeated by Dafydd in battle, the invasion force advances as far as
Deganwy, where Henry is halted after heavy fighting. In the autumn a truce is
agreed, and the English army withdraws to England. Dafydd's death in 1246
precipitates a new attack on Gwynedd from the south by Marcher lord Nicholas de
Molis which compels Deheubarth and then Gwynedd to surrender. Under the terms
of the Treaty of Woodstock, Gwynedd withdraws from Perfeddwlad.
1256
Gwynedd, led by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, grandson of
Llywelyn Fawr, invades and annexes the Perfeddwlad. Gwynedd annexes
Brycheiniog, Maelienydd, Gwrtheyrnion and Builth (late 1250s). The Treaty of
Montgomery (1267) allows Llywelyn to keep these gains. Deheubarth makes
territorial gains in the south.
1256
Coed Llathan and
the related battle of Cymerau took place on 2 June 1257 and marked a
significant phase in the extension of the reach and power of Llywelyn ap
Gruffudd (d. 1282) as Prince of Wales. Here, an English-led force of knights
and predominately Welsh infantry drawn from the Marcher lordships of south and
east Wales were defeated by forces led by members of the royal line of
Deheubarth.
1257
Llywelyn [ap Gruffydd] invaded the valley of the
Severn, occupied the country as far as Pool and burnt the little town which
clustered round Gruffydd [ap Gwenwynwyn]'s castle at that place."Footnote:
"The name 'Trwst Llywelyn' (near Berriew) may perhaps preserve the memory
of the stampede."
1257
According to
several nearly contemporary Welsh chroniclers a severe defeat of an English
force under Stephen Bauzan took place on the 2nd June 1257. The encounter is no
doubt historical, and the English losses appear to have been so heavy as to
make a considerable impression upon the victors. The site of the battle is marked by
place-names like 'Cae trange,' 'Cae dial,' 'Cae yr ochain' and others,
but these are probably the aftermath of a struggle that may have stuck long in
popular memory.
"In June 1257, a large force of English soldiers, led
by Stephen Bauzan, were returning from Llandeilo to Carmarthen. They were
intercepted by Welsh forces under Meredydd ap Owain and Meredydd ap Rhys Gryg
at Coed Llathen (nprn 403587) where the English lost their provisions,
packhorses, arms and other supplies. Later the same day, at Cymerau (probably
at the confluence of the Towy and the Cothi), the Welsh attacked and defeated
the English, slaughtering between two and three thousand men."
**via wiki **
The first day
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.[4]
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.
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.
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Gwynedd is said to have been
present at the battle, collecting spoils from the fallen English army
1258
Maredudd ap Rhys allied himself with the English and
was subsequently attacked by the Welsh, united under Lywelyn ap Gruffydd,
becoming severely wounded in a battle fought near the bridge at Carmarthen in
1258.
Source: J.E.Lloyd, A History of Wales, vol II, 1912, p.724.
"1258:
An assembly of the magnates of Wales gave an
oath of allegiance to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd under pain of excommunication. But
Maredudd ap Rhys did not keep that oath, but he falsely went against it. That
year Dafydd ap Gruffudd and Maredudd ab Owain and Rhys Fychan ap Rhys Mechyll
went into Emlyn to parley with Maredudd ap Rhys and Patrick de Chaworth, the
king's seneschal, at Carmarthen. When Maredudd and Patrick saw the other men,
they broke truce and rushed upon them. And then Patrick was slain and many
knights and foot-soldiers along with him."
Source: Thomas Jones, The Chronicle of the Princes, 1955,
p.251.
1262
"On 29th November [1262] the men of Maelienydd
took Roger Mortimer's new castle at Cefnllys by stratagem and proceeded to
dismantle it; when Roger and young Humphrey de Bohun came with an army to
repair the broken walls, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd swooped upon them with a still
larger force, closely beset them in the ruined fortress, and then induced them
to accept the offer of a free passage through his lines across the
border."
Source: J.E.Lloyd, A History of Wales, vol II, 1912, p.730.
"1262
: That year, about the feast of Andrew, certain
men, by counsel of the men of Maelienydd, came to the new castle [Cefnllys]
which Roger Mortimer had in Maelienydd. And after they had come inside by
treachery they slew the gate-keepers and seized Hywel ap Meurig, who was
constable there, and his wife and his sons and his daughters. And they made
that known to the seneschal and the constable of the Lord Llywelyn. And those
hastened thither to burn the castle. And when the said Roger heard that, he
came, and a mighty force along with him to help him, to the site of the said
castle. And he encamped within the walls for a few days. And when Llywelyn
learned that, he gathered a host and came to Maelienydd and he received the
homage of the men of Maelienydd. And after two other castles had been won he
gave Roger Mortimer leave to return."
Source: Thomas Jones, The Chronicle of the Princes, 1955,
p.253.
B.A.Malaws, RCAHMW, 09 November 2006.
1263
"The following year John Lestrange the Younger,
who was then bailiff in Baldwin's Castle, and a mighty host with him, made a
night raid across Ceri to Cydewain. And after he had gathered vast spoil he came
back down again. And when the Welsh heard that, they pursued them and on that
day they slew of the English more than two hundred, between those on the fields
and those in the barn of Aber-miwl. And forthwith after that, John Lestrange
burned the barn because of that slaughter."
1263
the slaughter of Robert of Rhuddlan at Degannwy and a
seven years blockade and siege ending in the castle's destruction in 1263.
1263
Peter of Montfort stoutly resisted a Welsh attack at
Abergavenny, led by Gronw ab Ednyfed and the princes of south Wales, in late
February 1263.Source: J.E.Lloyd, A History of Wales, vol II, 1912, p.731.
Other sources, as yet unverified, suggest that Roger
Mortimer and the Marchers counter-attacked and defeated the princes of
Deheubarth at Abergavenny in March 1263.
Battlefields Trust records refer to a battle in 1263 on the
"Blorenge Mountains" (nprn 404987), which are some 3km to the south
west of Abergavenny; there may be a connection with the battle(s) mentioned
above
1265
,Llywelyn captured Hawarden Castle and routed the
combined armies of Hamo Lestrange and Maurice fitz Gerald in north Wales.
Llywelyn then moved on to Brycheiniog
1266
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd routed Roger Mortimer's army. With
these victories and the backing of the papal legate, Ottobuono, Llywelyn opened
negotiations with the king, and was eventually recognised as Prince of Wales by
King Henry in the Treaty of Montgomery in 1267.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Note
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd enjoyed an advantageous situation in
the aftermath of the Barons' War. Through the 1267 Treaty of Montgomery, he
officially obtained land he had conquered in the Four Cantrefs of Perfeddwlad
and was recognised in his title of Prince of Wales Armed conflicts nevertheless
continued, in particular with certain dissatisfied Marcher Lords, such as
Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, Roger Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd
Earl of Hereford.[70] Problems were exacerbated when Llywelyn's younger brother
Dafydd and Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn of Powys, after failing in an assassination
attempt against Llywelyn, defected to the English in 1274
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Edward I Edward Longshanks 1272 -
1307
Took part on these dates 1277 1282
1276,
Citing ongoing hostilities and Edward's harbouring of
his enemies, Llywelyn refused to do homage to the King For Edward, a further
provocation came from Llywelyn's planned marriage to Eleanor, daughter of Simon
de Montfort
war was declared. Initial operations were launched under
the captaincy of Mortimer, Edward's brother Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, and
William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick. Support for Llywelyn was weak
among his own countrymen
1277.
Edward and gathered an enormous army of over 15,000 to
march on Wales.
The campaign never came to a major battle, and Llywelyn soon
realised he had no choice but to surrender. By the Treaty of Aberconwy in
November 1277, he was left only with the land of Gwynedd, though he was allowed
to retain the title of Prince of Wales
1282
war broke out again in 1282,
it was an entirely different undertaking. For the Welsh, this war was over
national identity, enjoying wide support, provoked particularly by attempts to
impose English law on Welsh subjects. For Edward, it became a war of
conquest rather than simply a punitive expedition, like the former campaign
1282
armies from Chester overwhelm Powys Fadog and armies
from Shrewsbury retake Maelienydd, Builth, Brycheiniog and Gwrtheyrnion.
1282
In the Treaty of Aberconwy Llywelyn is confined to
western Gwynedd and Powys Fadog and Deheubarth are broken up.
1282
Dafydd ap
Gruffudd attacked the English at Hawarden Castle and then laid siege to
Rhuddlan.
1282
The revolt quickly spread to other parts of Wales, with
Aberystwyth castle captured and burnt and rebellion in Ystrad Tywi in south
Wales, also inspired by Dafydd according to the annals, where Carreg Cennen
castle was captured.
The English invade Wales
under Edward I. 16 June – Battle of Llandeilo; an English army in the south is
routed, but Edward's forces continue to make slow progress for the rest of the
summer.
1282
Battle of
Moel-y-don; an English army is routed on the banks of the Menai Straits.
1282
Battle of Orewin Bridge (11 Dec); Llywelyn II is killed
in a chance ambush nearby at Cilmeri. Dafydd ap Gruffudd succeeds him.
1287
Rhys ap Maredudd of Dryslwyn, a prince of Deheubarth
incensed at his treatment by Edward I, leads attacks on English holdings in the
south taking back the Deheubarth royal centre at Dinefwr and capturing the
Ystrad Tywi. By 1288 he has lost all his holdings but remains a guerilla leader
until his capture and execution in 1292.
a Welsh uprising led by Madog ap Llywelyn, a junior member
of the House of Aberffraw starts a national revolt Caernarfon was overrun by
Madog's forces and the castle occupied, as were the castles at Castell y
Bere(subsequently burnt), Hawarden, Ruthin, and Denbigh. Criccieth Castle was
besieged by Madog's forces for several months, as was Harlech. Morlais castle
was captured under the aegis of Morgan in the south, and Cynan ap
Mareduddbesieged the castle at Builth for a period of six weeks. Half the town
of Caerphilly was burnt—although the castle itself held out—and, further south,
Kenfig castle was sacked.
1294 King Edward led an army into north Wales to quell the revolt, stopping at Wrexham, Denbigh, Abergele, and elsewhere on his way to Conwy Castle, which he reached shortly before Christmas. His campaign was timely, for several castles remained in serious danger—Harlech Castle was defended at one point by just 37 men. Edward himself was ambushed and retreated to Conwy Castle, losing his baggage train. The town of Conwy was burnt down and Edward besieged until he was relieved by his navy in 1295.
While Madog acted in the north the attacks in mid and south
Wales were led by
Cynan ap Maredudd,
Maelgwn ap Rhys, and
Morgan ap Maredudd of Gwynllwg in Glamorgan.
The rebel leaders hoped that by the end of September King
Edward and most of his forces would be in France on a planned campaign.
However, due to bad weather Edward's army had not yet sailed and he quickly
cancelled the French campaign to deal with the Welsh uprising.
Battle of Maes Moydog (5 Mar); Madog is defeated and the
Welsh army destroyed. Madog is soon captured and imprisoned. The revolt of
1294–95 elicited a harsh response from Edward I in the form of humiliating and
punitive ordinances further restricting the civil rights and economic and
social opportunities of the Welsh. However, it was not long before Llywelyn
Bren, Lord of Senghenydd, led a second rebellion, aided by some of the more
prominent Marcher Lords in 1316.
Edward II Edward of Caernarfon 8 July 1307
- 20 January 1327
Ordered others to crush the revolt of Llywelyn Bren
1316
In 1315, Edward II, as guardian of the three sisters and
heiresses of the estate of Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester, replaced
de Badlesmere with a new English administrator, Payn de Turberville of Coity
Castle was appointed as replacement to Earl de Clare. Bren had previously had
office under the Earl who he considered a friend. Payn persecuted the Glamorgan
people, who were then, like many in northern Europe at the time, in the throes
of a serious famine.
Llywelyn denounced the new administration of de Turberville,
however he was accused of sedition. Llywelyn the appealed to King Edward II to
call off or control his self-interested agent. But Edward ordered Llywelyn to
appear before Parliament to face the treason charge. The king stated that if
the charges were found true, Llywelyn would be hanged.[citation needed] Bren
was called 'Son of death' by the King of England, and summoned to Lincoln for
27 January 1316, but secretly fled home, and had no problems starting a revolt
with the general discontent throughout Wales
After returning to Wales, Llywelyn's revolt begun on 28
January 1316 with a surprise attack on Caerphilly Castle. With 10,000 Welshmen
and his six sons Bren went against Turberville and the English administration,
he captured the Constable outside the castle and he and his men captured the
outer ward but could not break into the inner defences of the castle. They
burned the town, killed some of its townsfolk and started a siege. The revolt
quickly spread through Glamorgan and Gwent. Kenfig Castle was sacked, as was
that of Llantrisant, and several others were attacked, including St
Georges-super-Ely, Tregrug Castle at Llangibby and Dinefwr Castle. Towns
including Cardiff were raided and buildings burned.[citation needed] Edward
ordered the revolt to be crushed by Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and
Lord of neighbouring Brecon, who gathered overwhelming forces supported by men
of the chief Marcher Lords like Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster and
Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March of Chirk Castle. Troops came from Cheshire
and north Wales, and some Welsh soldiers from west Wales. In March, forces
advanced from Cardiff and in a brief battle at Castell Morgraig forced Llywelyn
and his men to break off the Caerphilly siege after six weeks. The Welsh
retreated higher up the north Glamorgan plateau, while Hereford and his men
were moving south from Brecon.
Realising the fight was hopeless, on 18 March 1316 Llywelyn
surrendered to the Earl of Hereford at Ystradfellte,[citation needed] Llywelyn
had gathered his forces in the hills and told them the revolt was his fault and
he would surrender, he pleaded that only he should be punished and his
followers spared.[3] This gallant behaviour earned him the respect of his
captors, including Roger Mortimer, one of the witnesses to his
surrender.[citation needed] Hereford and Mortimer both promised to try to
intercede on Llywelyn's behalf. Bren was sent as a prisoner first to London in
July 1316, and the Tower of London from 27 July 1316 to 17 June 1317. Hereford
and Mortimer urged the King to pardon Llywelyn and his family and it seems
likely that their influence won a pardon for many of Llywelyn's men.
In 1317 Llywelyn became the prisoner of the ruthless Hugh,
the younger Despenser, one of King
Edward's favourites at court, who had become Lord of Glamorgan in November 1317
and so the largest landowner in South Wales and a great rival of Mortimer.
Without the king's direction,[citation needed] he took Llywelyn Bren to Cardiff
Castle, where he had him hanged, drawn and quartered with conspicuous judicial
process. After parts of his body had
been exhibited in various parts of the county he was buried in the Grey Friars
at Cardiff. Llywelyn's lands were seized by Despenser. The action was condemned
at the time and later used as example of the growing tyranny of Despenser, who
also imprisoned Lleucu and some of her sons in Cardiff.
As antipathy to the Despensers grew, Llywelyn's death united
the native Welsh and Marcher Lords. In 1321 a baronial revolt arose.[3] Barons
under the earl of Hereford and others like Hugh D'Audley and Roger D'Amory
petitioned the king to dismiss Despenser; the murder of Llywelyn Bren was
prominent on their list of complaints. When the king refused, an alliance of
local Welsh men and Marcher Lords raided Despenser's lands in Glamorgan for
some ten days. This may have been when Lleucu and her sons were freed –
certainly Hereford took all Llywelyn's sons into his service about that time.
Edward had to exile the Despensers until he gathered forces to defeat the
barons at the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322, where the Earl of Hereford died.
With the Despensers' return to Edward's court, Lleucu and
her sons were again imprisoned, this time in Bristol Castle, but their actions
soon aroused more resistance. In October 1326 a successful rebellion led by
Roger Mortimer gave the Despensers and Edward further cause to regret their
actions in Glamorgan after being forced to flee there. Their attempts to raise
troops locally were an unsurprising failure. It led to their capture in
November. Hugh, like Llywelyn, was then hanged, drawn and quartered; Edward was
deposed, imprisoned, and probably murdered.
With the overthrow of Edward II, the estates in Senghenydd
were restored on 11 February 1327 to Llywelyn Bren's sons – Gruffydd, John,
Meurig, Roger, William and Llywelyn. The Earls of Hereford (sixth creation)
continued to pay at Brecon an allowance to their mother Lleucu until 12 April
1349.
Henry IV Henry of Bolingbroke 1399 – 1413
1400
The Glyndŵr Rising erupts in Powys Fadog led by Owain
Glyndŵr, a nobleman of the house of Powys. Owain proclaims himself prince of
Wales (16 Sep) and raids towns in north-east Wales, Ruthin Castle was attacked and almost
destroyed. Denbigh, Rhuddlan, Flint, Hawarden, and Holt followed quickly
afterward. On 22 September the town of Oswestry was badly damaged by Owain's
raid. By the 23 September Owain was moving south attacking Powis Castle and
sacking Welshpool
1400
On 24 September 1400,
the Welsh under Owain Glyndwr were met not far from Welshpool on the banks of
the Vrynwy by forces under Hugh Burnell and there suffered a crushing defeat.
1400
Henry IV, on his way back from invading Scotland, turned his
army towards Wales. By 26 September he was in Shrewsbury ready to invade Wales.
In a lightning campaign, Henry led his army around North Wales. He was harassed
constantly by bad weather and the attacks of Welsh guerrillas. When he arrived
on Anglesey, he harried the island, burning villages and monasteries including the
Llanfaes Friary near Bangor, Gwynedd.[10] This was the historical burial place
of the Tudor family.[11] Rhys ap Tudur led an ambush for the king's forces at
Rhos Fawr. After they were engaged, the Englishmen fled back to the safety of
Beaumaris Castle.[10] By 15 October, Henry was back in Shrewsbury where he
released some prisoners and two days later at Worcester with little to show for
his efforts
1401
February 21st - The English Parliament reported that the
Welsh were ‘in a dangerous mood’, and passed harsh Penal Laws against them. It
had been reported that Welsh students at Oxford University were leaving their
studies, and Welsh labourers and craftsmen were abandoning their employers, in
England and returning to Wales in droves. These statutory laws were vindictive
and discriminatory and resulted from practices that had been common for many
years.
The Tudur brothers from Anglesey launched a guerrilla war
against the English. The Tudors of Penmynydd were a prominent Anglesey family
who were closely associated with King Richard II. Gwilym ap Tudur and Rhys ap
Tudur were both military leaders of a contingent of soldiers raised in 1396 to
protect North Wales against any invasion by the French. They joined the king in
his military expedition to Ireland in 1398. When Glyndŵr announced his revolt,
Rhys, Gwilym and their third brother, Maredudd ap Tudur, openly swore
allegiance; they were Glyndŵr's cousin on their mother's side.
1401,
the revolt began to
spread. Much of northern and central Wales went over to Owain. Multiple attacks
were recorded on English towns, castles, and manors throughout the north. Even
in the south in Brecon and Gwent reports began to come in of banditry and
lawlessness.
1401
the Tudurs knew that they needed a bargaining chip if they
were to lift the dire threat hanging over them. They decided to capture Edward
I’s great castle at Conwy. Although the Conwy Castle garrison amounted to just
fifteen men-at-arms and sixty archers, it was well stocked and easily
reinforced from the sea; and in any case, the Tudurs only had forty men. On
Good Friday, 1 April, all but five of the garrison were in the little church in
the town when a carpenter appeared at the castle gate, who, according to Adam
of Usk’s Chronicon, "feigned to come for his accustomed work". Once
inside, the Welsh carpenter attacked the two guards and threw open the gate to
allow entry to the rebels
1401
"Henry Hotspur, a son of the Earl of Northumberland,
was at that time Justice of North Wales and Constable of its chief castles. He
was commanded by the King to take action forthwith, and accordingly in May,
1401 he proceeded to Dolgelly with a strong military force. At the foot of
Cader Idris he met with the forces of Owain Glyndwr. A severe but undecided
conflict took place, in which the followers of Glyndwr fully held their ground.
Hotspur did not attempt to renew the attack, nor did he pursue Glyndwr farther,
but quitted North Wales and resigned his offices of Justice and
Constable."Source: Cambridge County Histories: Merionethshire, 1913;
p.92-3.
B.A.Malaws, RCAHMW, 19 September 2006.
1401
Owain scored his
first major victory in the field in May or June, at Mynydd Hyddgen near
Pumlumon. Owain and his army of a few hundred were camped at the bottom of the
Hyddgen Valley when about fifteen hundred English and Flemish settlers from
Pembrokeshire ('little England beyond Wales'), charged down on them. Owain
rallied his army and fought back, killing 200
August - After Hyddgen, Glyndŵr probably attacked Abbey Cwm
Hir, followed by the towns of New Radnor, Montgomery and Welshpool.
1401
October = The situation was sufficiently serious for Henry
IV to assemble another punitive expedition. Henry IV and his troops attacked
the abbey at Strata Florida on a ‘Royal Expedition’ and, on October 9th,
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Fychan was hanged, drawn and quartered in Llandovery by
Henry for his support of Glyndŵr.
Owain's forces harassed him and engaged in hit-and-run
tactics and Henry's army was forced to retreat
1401
Battle of Tuthill,
The Battle of Tuthill took place at Caernarfon on 2 November 1401 during the
revolt of Owain Glyndŵr. Glyndŵr's success at the Battle of Mynydd Hyddgen the
previous June had provided the revolt with fresh impetus, and the battle may be
seen as indicative of his determination to foster revolt in the north-west
after months of relative inaction in that area. In symbolic terms, the battle
is most famous as the first occasion on which Glyndŵr flew his flag bearing a
golden dragon on a white field, recalling the symbolism of Uther Pendragon, and
thereby more solidly drawing comparisons between his revolt and Welsh political
mythology of the time, which drew heavily on the image of the mab darogan or
chosen son, who would free Wales from subjugation.
Little is known about the particulars of the fighting; the
battle ended inconclusively, with 300 Welsh soldiers reported dead, but the
isolation of Caernarfon and Glyndŵr's ability to attack English positions in
Wales with impunity amply demonstrated.
1402
April - Glyndŵr had attacked Ruthin at the beginning of
1402, and then again in April when Reginald Grey, his neighbour and arch-enemy,
was captured nearby. Reginald was eventually released on November 11th after a
ransom of 10,000 marks had been paid to Glyndŵr.
1402
Owain's forces encountered an army led by Sir Edmund
Mortimer, the uncle of the Earl of March, at Bryn Glas in central Wales.
Mortimer's army was badly defeated and Mortimer was captured.
It is reported that the Welsh women following Owain’s army,
killed the wounded English soldiers and mutilated the bodies of the dead,
supposedly in revenge for plundering and rape by the English soldiery the
previous year The English are driven from Wales.
1402
Adam of Usk notes that Glyndwr, and a large army, during a
series of attacks on South Wales in August 1402,
"Owen; backed by a force of thirty thousand men who
would issue forth from their caves, he seized castles everywhere throughout
Wales and the march- including Usk, Caerleon, and Newport- and burned the
towns"
1402
September 7th - Henry IV was nearly killed during a storm
while on another ‘Royal Expedition’ into Wales
1402
November 30th - Edmund Mortimer was released by Glyndŵr and
then married his daughter, Catrin. Henry IV had refused to pay a ransom for
Mortimer because his nephew, the Earl of March, had a strong claim to the
English throne.
1403
February 22nd - The town of Hope was liberated by Glyndŵr’s
men.February 22nd - The town of Hope was liberated by Glyndŵr’s men.
1403
In response, Henry of
Monmouth (son of Henry IV and the future Henry V) attacked and burned Owain's
homes at Glyndyfrdwy and Sycharth
1403
June 24th, 1403 - The Welsh of Brycheiniog attacked Brecon
Castle before Owain started a large-scale campaign down the Tywi Valley:
July 3rd - After they had put Llandovery Castle under siege,
Glyndŵr’s army continued on to Llandeilo Fawr where they joined up with Henry
Dwn, who had just attacked Dinefwr Castle.
July 5th - Glyndŵr and 800 men attacked Carreg Cennen
Castle, which was defended by John Scudamore (his future son-in-law.) Glyndŵr
also took the castles of Dryslwyn, Llansteffan and Newcastle Emlyn, before
taking Carmarthen on July 6th.
July 11th - Lord Carew met with Glyndŵr near St Clears and
negotiated an agreement.
1403
November - A French fleet joined Glyndŵr in attacking
Caernarfon Castle and, by the end of the year, Glyndŵr was in control of almost
the whole of Wales.
1403
Carmarthen, one of the main English power-bases in the west,
fell and was occupied by Owain. Owain then turned around and attacked Glamorgan
and Gwent. Abergavenny Castle was attacked and the walled town burned.
1403
Owain pushed on down the valley of the River Usk to the
coast, burning Usk and taking Cardiff Castle and Newport Castle.
1403
Royal officials reported that Welsh students at Oxford
University were leaving their studies for Owain and Welsh labourers and
craftsmen were abandoning their employers in England and returning to Wales in
droves
1404
By the end of the year the French ships were raiding the
coast of England, with Welsh troops on board, setting fire to Dartmouth and
devastating the coasts of Devon.
1404,
Owain captured and garrisoned the great western castles of
Harlech and Aberystwyth.
1404
Anxious to demonstrate his seriousness as a ruler, he held
court at Harlech and appointed the deft and brilliant Gruffydd Young as his
chancellor.and John Hanmer as his Special Ambassador
1404
- Glyndŵr and his men put Coity Castle under siege, which
was not lifted until Henry IV invaded Wales on a ‘Royal Expedition’ in
September 1405
Glyndŵr’s first parliament in Machynlleth.
The Welsh under Owain Glyndwr were heavily defeated by an
English force here in June 1404: "The young earl of Warwick . . . won a
victory over the Welsh at Campstone [Hill], not far from Abergavenny, which set
a check to the designs of Glyn Dwr in the neighbourhood
At Craig y Dorth, between Penclawdd and Monmouth, in 1404
following defeat at the battle at Campston Hill (nprn 402328), Owain Glyndwr's
men overcame the English forces, chasing them relentlessly to the gates of
Monmouth town. Source: J.E.Lloyd, Owain Glyndwr, 1931, pp.88,152.
Franco-Welsh force under Owain Glyndwr attacked
Haverfordwest, which resulted in the capture of the town but not the castle.
1405
Early in the year Owain’s forces suffered defeats at
Grosmont and Usk at the Battle of Pwll Melyn,
after the Battle of Pwll Melyn near Usk, King Henry had three hundred
prisoners beheaded in front of Usk Castle
"Battle of Pwll Melyn . . . is the pond lying
north-east of Usk Castle. . . numerous skeletons were found in this pond when
it was cleaned out. The pond is so called because the water is always slimy and
of a dirty colour. . . The 'pwll' itself is reduced in size, the marshy land
drained, and the 'pwll' is now enclosed by an iron railing and supplies water
to the railway. From the 'pwll' the ground rises westward and here Owen's army
attacked the castle on the north. It is a well-known spot and the name has
never been lost."
J. E. Lloyd,
Battle of Grosmont "Glyndwr's ally and trusted Captain
Rhys Gethin raised a force of maybe 8,000 men that marched on Grosmont burning
the town to the ground.[citation needed] At this time Grosmont was a large and
important settlement - only Abergavenny and Carmarthen were larger in the whole
of South Wales. Prince Henry, later to become King Henry V, dispatched a force
comprising men led by John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, Sir William Newport
and Sir John Greynder from Hereford to intercept the Welsh force. They fell on
them and defeated the Welsh, killing 800 to 1,000 men and capturing Owen ap
Gruffydd ap Rhisiant, Glyndwr's Secretary and John Hanmer, Glyndwr's brother in
law, who both survived the battle but were imprisoned in the Tower of London."
1405
In May 1405, "Gruffydd, the eldest son of [Owain]
Glyndwr, led a Welsh host against the castle of Usk, but was there encountered
by an English force under Lord Grey of Codnor and overwhelmingly defeated. The
scene of the battle was the hill of Pwll Melyn (the Yellow Pool), not far from
the town of Usk . . . nor did the pursuers halt until they had driven the
fleeing rebels through the river Usk and into the great forest of
Monkswood."
Source: J.E.Lloyd, Owain Glyndwr, 1931, p.96.
"Pwll Melyn . . . is the pond lying north-east of Usk
Castle. . . numerous skeletons were found in this pond when it was cleaned out.
The pond is so called because the water is always slimy and of a dirty colour.
. . The 'pwll' itself is reduced in size, the marshy land drained, and the
'pwll' is now enclosed by an iron railing and supplies water to the railway.
From the 'pwll' the ground rises westward and here Owen's army attacked the
castle on the north. It is a well-known spot and the name has never been
lost."
After travelling through South Wales, Glyndŵr and the French
confronted Henry IV’s army in the Teme Valley near Worcester - the Franco-Welsh
army camped on Woodbury Hill, and the English on Abberley Hill opposite them.
After eight days of stalemate, the armies went home in different directions
without a battle, although Glyndŵr and Henry IV may have been agreed an
informal truce at this time.
English forces landed in Anglesey from Ireland. Over the
next year they would gradually push the Welsh back until the resistance in
Anglesey formally ended toward the end of 1406.
Owain’s castle at Aberystwyth was under siege. That autumn
Aberystwyth Castle surrendered
Rhys Ddu, the defender of Aberystwyth Castle, was captured
and then tortured to death in the Tower of London
1409
it was the turn of Harlech Castle. Last minute desperate
envoys were sent to the French for help. There was no response. Gruffydd Young
was sent to Scotland to attempt to coordinate action but nothing was to come of
that either. Harlech Castle fell in 1409. Edmund Mortimer died in the final battle
and Owain’s wife Margaret along with two of his daughters (including Catrin)
and three of his Mortimer granddaughters were taken prisoner and incarcerated
in the Tower of London. They were all to die in the Tower before 1415..
1410,
Owain readied his supporters for a last raid deep into
Shropshire. Many of his most loyal commanders were present. It may have been a
last desperate suicide raid. Whatever was intended, the raid went terribly
wrong and many of the leading figures still at large were captured. Rhys Ddu
("Black Rhys") of Cardigan, one of Owain’s most faithful commanders,
was captured and taken to London for execution. A chronicle of the time states
that Rhys Ddu was: "…laid on a hurdle and so drawn forth to Tyburn through
the City and was there hanged and let down again. His head was smitten off and
his body quartered and sent to four towns and his head set on London
Bridge." Philip Scudamore and Rhys ap Tudurwere also beheaded and their
heads displayed at Shrewsbury and Chester (no doubt to discourage any further
thoughts of rebellion).
Owain captured, and later ransomed, a leading Welsh
supporter of King Henry's, Dafydd Gam ("Crooked David"), in an ambush
in Brecon
Henry V 1413 to 1422
The Earl of Arundel, Sir Edward Charleton and David Holbache
supervised the surrender of 600 of Glyndŵr’s army at Bala.
1415
Owain went into hiding on St Matthew's Day in Harvest (21
September), and thereafter his hiding place was unknown. Very many said that he
died; the seers maintain he did not.
1416
Glyndŵr,s son Maredudd was offered a pardon from Henry V on
Owain’s behalf.
1421
Maredudd ab Owain submitted and was granted a pardon by
Henry V, marking the end of the Uprising.
Comments
Post a Comment