Abergavenny massacre short

A massacre as bad as the Red Wedding in the Game of Thrones.

The borderlands between Wales and England were always a brutal place, but after the Norman invasion of England, they became even more brutal .

 The new English king created 3 lordships that covered the border with Wales; these were called the Welsh Marches. He gave these lands to his most loyal and brutal lords to keep the Welsh under check. These lords were given special powers that were normally reserved for the king alone; they practically ruled like a king and were encouraged to expand. 

100+ years later they were well established and had expanded, creating new lordships. the native Welsh hated these lords, as they treated them badly. the normans were brutal anyway so you can imagine how brutal they were to a people they seen as less that human,  Lords like hugh the fat of Chester were famous for their hatred for the Welsh; another was William de Braose

In 1175 William de Braose, 4th lord of Bramber, who already held lots of land, took over the lordship of Brecktock .

At Cristmas time he invited three Welsh princes to his castle at Abergavenny under the pretence of hearing a royal ordinance as to the bearing of arms. The princes, their accompanying sons and attendants all handed over their arms as they entered the castle–a sign of trust and peaceful intentions that was generally observed as a rule when entering a castle on the host’s invitation (as opposed to a siege). One wore one’s sword on the road while travelling, but in taverns, churches, and a host’s home, swords and weapons were deposited for safekeeping for the length of the stay.

In this case, once the guests were all assembled inside the great hall, the doors were barred and every single man was cut down. William and his attendants then hopped onto their swiftest horses and sped south a few miles to the country of Seisyll ap Dyfnwal, one of the slain. De Briouze arrived ahead of the news of the slaughter, found Seisyll’s wife, executed the youngest son, seven-year-old Cadwaladr, in her arms, and left the wife and mother to a fate unrecorded in the historical legend.

The massacre was bloody and brutal, with dozens of unarmed Welsh chieftains being cut down by the soldiers of William de Braose. William Camden, the great writer and antiquary of the 16th century, was moved to write that Abergavenny Castle "has been oftener stained with the infamy of treachery than any other castle in Wales."

William’s motive is said to have been revenge for the murder of his uncle, Henry FitzMiles, allegedly murdered by Seisyll while visiting Siesyll’s castle

The Welsh had their revenge when, in 1182, Abergavenny Castle was attacked by Hywel ap Iorwerth. The castle was taken, the governor and his wife captured – and then the castle was burned.