Battle of Cymerau
| date | June 2, 1257 |
|---|---|
| place | In the Tywi valley between Llandeilo and Carmarthen |
| output | Welsh victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Commander | |
|
Stephen Bauzan † |
|
| Troop strength | |
| about 5000 British and Gascon mercenaries | more than 5000 Welsh people |
| losses | |
|
between 2000 and 3000 fallen |
unknown, probably minor |
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The Battle of Cymerau , also known as the Battle of Cadfan , was a battle during the Anglo-Welsh War from 1256 to 1258 . The English attempt to restore the rule of the English king in South Wales ended in June 1257 with the most devastating defeat of an English army against the Welsh in the 13th century.
prehistory
In June 1255 Llywelyn ap Gruffydd had defeated his brothers Owain Goch and Dafydd at the Battle of Bryn Derwin and thus became the sole ruler of Gwynedd . In the following year, open war broke out in the South Welsh Principality of Deheubarth between Maredudd ap Rhys , Lord of Dryslwyn Castle and his nephew Rhys Fychan , Lord of Dinefwr Castle . Rhys Fychan was supported by English troops, which Maredudd drove from his lands. Maredudd fled to Llywelyn in Gwynedd. Llywelyn initially displaced the English from Perfeddwlad east of the Conwy in Northeast Wales, only the royal castles of Dyserth and Deganwy Castle continued to offer resistance there. Subsequently occupied Llywelyn Ystrad Tywi , where Maredudd got his territories back and in addition the territories of Rhys Fychans. Rhys Fychan fled to his English allies and asked them to help him regain his rule.
English Army march to Dinefwr and the course of the battle
An English army under Stephen Bauzan , the royal constable of Carmarthen and Cardigan Castle, and Nicholas FitzMartin, the lord of Cemais in Ceredigion landed at Caerfyrddin on May 29, 1257 . A large part of the approximately 5000 strong army consisted of Gascognischen mercenaries, they were reinforced by the garrisons of the English castles in south Wales. On May 31st, the army left Carmarthen and, led by Rhys Fychan, plundered the Tywi Valley towards Dinefwr Castle. When they reached the castle the following day, the surrounding hills were occupied by a superior Welsh army led by Maredudd ap Rhys and the Lord of Ceredigion, Maredudd ap Owain , a son of Owain ap Gruffydd , while Lord Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was only an observer was present. The Welsh ambushed the English army with sudden attacks. Rhys Fychan withdrew from the English army and appeared at the gate of Dinefwr Castle, whose crew welcomed him. After this betrayal, the English, who were disoriented in the thick forests of Ystrad Tywi, had nothing but retreat to Carmarthen. The Welsh initially continued to evade an open battle and ambushed the English. In a place known Coed Llathen overwhelmed her first English rearguard on 2 June and conquered the Train of the English army. The retreat of the English turned into a wild flight. At Cymerau, presumably at the confluence of the Tywi and the Cothi, the battle between the Welsh and the main English army broke out on the same day. The English knights could not use their horses in the densely wooded area and on the damp ground. Stephen Bauzan and over 2000 of his men were killed, the rest escaped to Carmarthen.
Consequences of the battle
As a result of the catastrophic defeat, the Welsh were able to capture some English castles such as Llansteffan , Laugharne and Narberth Castle , whose crews had died in battle while Kidwelly Castle withstood the siege. Rhys Fychan undertook further raids up to Gower , where he threatened the rule of William de Braose, 1st Baron Braose . The English King Henry III. as a result of the battle led an English army to North Wales in August, but apart from the relief of Dyserth and Deganwy Castle he achieved little and had to retreat to Chester after four weeks. Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, however, was able to drive the allied with the English Prince Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn completely from Powys Wenwynwyn and conquer his empire. The Prince of Powys Fadog, Gruffydd Maelor ap Madog , also submitted to Gruffydd. However, due to internal squabbles, the Welsh did not hold all of their conquests. Llywelyn took Rhys Fychan back as his ally after the battle, whereupon Rhys ap Maredudd and Maredudd ap Owain had to return the lands they occupied. Disappointed, they switched sides and supported the English from then on. The castles conquered in South Wales were lost to the English again. Despite these setbacks, Llywelyn was able to consolidate his power and from 1258 carried the title of Prince of Wales . The English king was further weakened in the following years by the war of the barons under Simon de Montfort , so that Llywelyn achieved his recognition as Prince of Wales in the Treaty of Montgomery in 1267 .
literature
- John Edward Lloyd: A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest. Vol. II. Longmans, Green & Co., London, 1912, pp. 720f
Web links
- Coflein: Cymerau, Site of Battle, near Nantgaredig
- HW Ridgeway: Bauzan, Sir Stephen. In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press 2004, accessed November 28, 2013
Individual evidence
- ^ Rees R. Davies: The Age of Conquest. Wales 1063-1415. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1991, ISBN 0-19-820198-2 , p. 310
- ↑ JB Smith: Maredudd ap Rhys Gryg. Oxford DNB, 2004. Retrieved November 28, 2013 .
- ↑ Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales: An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan : III - Part Ib: Medieval Secular Monuments the Later Castles from 1217 to the present, Her Maj. Stat. Office, 2000, ISBN 978-1-871184-22-8 , pp. 11f