Battle of Cadfan
51°53′13″N 4°03′56″W / 51.886957°N 4.065431°W
Battle of Cadfan | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Principality of Wales | Kingdom of England | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Maredudd ap Rhys Gryg Maredudd ap Owain |
Stephen Bauzan † Nicholas Martin | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Several Thousand | Several Thousand | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Light | Up to 3,000 |
The Battle of Cadfan was fought between English and Welsh forces in 1257. The battle consisted of two military engagements; one at Coed Llathen and the other at Cymerau. The word Cadfan is Welsh for "place of battle".
Background
In the years before the battle, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd of Gwynedd had been rapidly gaining power. Llywelyn had received much support from the lords of Deheubarth, Maredudd ap Rhys and Maredudd ap Owain, during the campaign, 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 (recently appointed Earl of Chester) 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, however he had little aid from his father, Henry III of England.[1]
The forces of Edward (led by the English nobles Stephen Bauzan, Lord of Breigan and Llansannor and Nicholas FitzMartin, Lord of Cemais) invaded Wales with a large army of English, Gascon, and south Welsh troops in an attempt to restore Rhys and to halt Llywelyn's growing power.[2]
The English preparations and advance
The English army was transported by sea and landed near Carmarthen. On Tuesday 29 May 1257, the English army was assembled. The army was made up mainly of soldiers from England, but their ranks were bolstered by local English and Gascon colonists as well as some Welsh soldiers and mercenaries. 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.[3]
The battle
The first day
On Friday night, the English army encamped in the vicinity of
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 Gwynedd, is said to have been present at the battle, collecting spoils from the fallen English army.[7]
Aftermath, later conflicts, and the Treaty of Montgomery
The victory at Cadfan allowed the Welsh forces to take the castles of
References
- ^ Marc Morris A Great and Terrible King, Edward I and the Forging of Britain, page 32
- ^ "The Enigmatic effigy of Stephen Bauzan".
- ^ "RootsWeb: CARMARTHENSHIRE-L Re: [CMN-L] Mailings and Battle". Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
- ^ "Welsh Battlefields » Coed Llathen-Cymmerau 1-2 June 1257 Strategy and battle Tactics a possible scenario". Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
- ^ "Welsh Battlefields » Coed Llathen-Cymmerau 1-2 June 1257 Strategy and battle Tactics a possible scenario". Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
- ^ "Welsh Battlefields » Coed Llathen-Cymmerau 1-2 June 1257 Strategy and battle Tactics a possible scenario". Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
- ^ *Bloody Battlefields of Cadfan, BBC
- ^ David Moore The Welsh Wars of Independence: c.410–c.1415