The Battle of Llandeilo Fawr was a battle that 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 academi ...

, at

Llandeilo Llandeilo () is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. Its population was 1,795 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to the westernmost point of the ...

between an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 noble. He was also known as "Red" Gilbert de Clare or "The Red Earl", probably because of his hair colour or fiery temp ...

, and a south

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

army.

Background

During the 1282 Welsh war, Edward I had a plan to strike his armies into Wales on three fronts in order to surround the armies of

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282), sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last ( cy, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, lit=Llywelyn, Our Last Leader), was the native Prince of Wales ( la, Princeps Wall ...

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.

The battle

Gilbert de Clare with an army of around 1600 infantry and 100 cavalrymen had captured

Carreg Cennen Castle Carreg Cennen Castle (Welsh: ''Castell Carreg Cennen'') is a castle sited on a high rocky outcrop overlooking the River Cennen, close to the village of Trap, four miles south east of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, Wales. ''Castell Carreg Cennen' ...

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 Dinefwr Castle (also known as Old Dynevor Castle) is a ruined castle overlooking the River Towy near the town of Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on a ridge on the northern bank of the Towy, with a steep drop of one hundred feet to th ...

, to stash the spoils. However, along the way Clare and his men were ambushed by Welsh troops and much of the army was destroyed.

Aftermath

The battle was a great victory for the Welsh. 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=, birth_place=, christening_place=, styles=, death_date=13 June 1296, death ...

. 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

* Battles involving Wales Battles involving England 1282 in Wales Conflicts in 1282 Edward I of England Llandeilo {{England-battle-stub