Wales and its History

1136 was an eventful year for the Welsh, they won the Battle of Llwchwr near Swansea, they ambushed and killed a powerful Norman Lord in Gwent, they did however lose the brave Gwenllian when she led an army against the Normans while her husband was on his way to her dads, (Gruffudd ap Cynan of Gwynedd) to ask for support against the invaders, they also had the battle of Crug Mawr The battle of Craig Mawr was a major victory for the Welsh against the Normans, The Norman army led by Robert fitz Martin consisted of around 1,000 professional Flemish infantry and another 7,000 infantry . 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...

  Owain ap Cadwgan (died 1116) He is best known for his abduction of Nest, wife of Gerald of Windsor. Owain was the eldest son of Cadwgan ap Bleddyn Killed kings sons He is first recorded in 1106, when he killed Meurig and Griffri, the sons of Trahaearn ap Caradog (part of this list) who was the king of Gwynedd feast In 1109 Owain's father Cadwgan gave a feast at his court, and at this feast Owain was told of the beauty of his second cousin Nest, whose husband Gerald of windsor held the castle of Cenarth Bychan.   Visits to see nest He decided to visit Cenarth Bychan to see for himself, and having done so fell in love with Nest and determined to have her.  It was also enticing that Nest was the daughter of the last King of Deheubarth rhys ap tewdwr.  Abduction of nest One night at Christmas 1109 Owain and fifteen companions burrowed underneath the gate to get into the castle then rushed in to abduct Nest and her children and set fire to the castle.  Her hus...

The Welsh conflict with the Saxons of England don't seem to get much attention compared to those against the Norman/English so i thought i would put this together. I decided to start with the battle of Chester, which was an extremely significant battle in Welsh history, there were battles before but because the Saxons called all Britons Welsh it is hard to tell if they mean the Welsh of Wales or not, the battle of Chester is significant in the fact it cut the Welsh of Wales off from the Britons of North West England , Battle of Deorham is said to have cut the Welsh off from those of south West England but this didn't have any involvement from the kingdoms in Wales.  616 The Battle of Chester where the Anglo Saxons beat native Britons near the city of Chester,. Æthelfrith of Northumbria annihilated a combined force from the Welsh kingdoms of Powys, Rhôs, and Mercia. It resulted in the deaths of Welsh leaders Selyf Sarffgadau of Powys and Cadwal Crysban of Rhôs.  Evidence sugge...

  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.   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 Cas...

  Both battles were  during the  conquest of Wales by Edward I   1282 The Battle of Llandeilo Fawr 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       ...

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 ...

These are some of the people who lived during one of the most eventful times in Welsh history. We have kidnapping, rape, murder, seduction, loyalty, treachery , lots of battles and wars. The underdogs winning against all the odds, the arrival of the longbow. Here are some of the people involved. This is nowhere near finished . SURELY SOMEONE WITH A BRAIN COULD MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF ALL THIS?? Rhys ap Tewdwr (c. 1040 – 1093)  Father of Nest and Gruffudd  in this list was a king of Deheubarth AND descended from Rhodri the Great. claimed the throne of Deheubarth claimed the throne of Deheubarth following the death of his second cousin Rhys ab Owain, who was beheaded after the battle of Gwdig  against Caradog ap Gruffydd in 1078. ( His uncle was implicated in the killing of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn king of Gwynedd and Powys in 1075, Trahaearn ap Caradog, followed Bleddyn on the throne of Gwynedd Caradog invaded so rhys fled 1081 Caradog ap Gruffydd invaded Deheubarth and drove Rhys...