The Battle of Llandeilo Fawr took place during the

conquest of Wales by Edward I The conquest of Wales by Edward I took place between 1277 and 1283. It is sometimes referred to as the Edwardian conquest of Wales,Examples of historians using the term include Professor J. E. Lloyd, regarded as the founder of the modern academ ...

, at

Llandeilo Llandeilo () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated where the River Towy is crossed by the A483 road, A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had ...

between an English army led by

Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester (2 September 1243 – 7 December 1295) was a powerful English magnate. He was also known as "Red" Gilbert de Clare or "The Red Earl", probably because of his hair colour or fiery t ...

, and a South Welsh army led by Rhys ap Maredudd.

Background

During the Conquest of Wales in 1282,

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

had a plan to move his armies into Wales on three fronts in order to surround the armies of

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ( – 11 December 1282), also known as Llywelyn II and Llywelyn the Last (), was List of rulers of Gwynedd, Prince of Gwynedd, and later was recognised as the Prince of Wales (; ) from 1258 until his death at Cilmeri in 128 ...

and destroy them. Edward sent Gilbert de Clare and his army to subdue and hold down the southern areas of Wales while other armies would invade elsewhere. Llandeilo Fawr, located near the River Towy, was a vital strategic point. Controlling the area meant access to important trade routes and a stronghold in the heart of

Deheubarth Deheubarth (; , thus 'the South') was a regional name for the Welsh kingdoms, realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under ...

, where Rhys ap Maredudd was a member of the royal family.

Battle

Gilbert de Clare with an army of around 1600 infantry and 100 cavalrymen had captured Carreg Cennen Castle from the Welsh. Following their victory, the men sacked the castle, and on the 17th of June they headed back to the nearby English settlement, Dinefwr Castle, to stash the spoils. However, along the way Clare and his men were ambushed by Welsh troops and much of the army was destroyed. This battle showcases the definitive use of guerilla warfare by the Welsh armies during the war for Welsh independence.

Aftermath

The battle is considered to be a great victory for the Welsh, despite the English technically winning the battle. English expansion into South Wales was halted for a few weeks and Edward's plans of an attack on multiple fronts were somewhat spoiled. Among the dead was the son of

William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke {{Infobox noble, name=William de Valence , christening_date= , noble family= , house-type= , father= Hugh X of Lusignan , mother= Isabella of Angoulême , birth_name= , birth_date={{c. 1227 , birth_place= , christening_place= , styles= , death_da ...

. Following the defeat, Edward relieved Clare of his command and replaced him with Valence, who was now determined, following the death of his son.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Llandeilo Fawr, Battle of Battles involving Wales Battles involving England 1282 in Wales Conflicts in 1282 Edward I of England Llandeilo