Battle of Maes Moydog
52°39′46″N 3°13′40″W / 52.66275°N 3.22777°W
| Battle of Maes Moydog | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| English Crown | Welsh Rebels | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick | Madog ap Llywelyn | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 100 | 700 | ||||||
The Battle of Maes Moydog was a decisive victory by the English over the Welsh during Madog ap Llywelyn's 1294-95 rebellion on 5 March 1295. A force of Edward I's army led by William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick surprised Madog and his men while they camped in the field of Moydog (Welsh: Maidog, also Meidiog) near Castle Caereinion in Powys. The defeat was something Madog was unable to overcome, his rebellion ended several months later when he was captured.[1]
Battle
After Welsh spies for William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick brought news Madog's army was camped in a valley close to his base at Welshpool, the English Earl led a night march on 4 March to encircle the Welsh. In response Madog formed his spearmen formed into a square (Schiltron) to repel the English cavalry charge. This killed at least 10 mounted men-at-arms. However, Warwick had deployed his archers and crossbowmen on higher ground which gave the English the upper hand. Under a hail of arrows and bolts, Madog's men were driven from the battlefield. Many drowned retreating across the swollen River Banwy near Llanfair Caereinion about 4 mi (6.4 km) to the west.
A primary source for the battle in the Annals of Worcester states :
Quinto die Martii Willelmus de Bello Campo comes Warewik commisit bellum cum Wallensibus in loco quod dicitur lingua eorum Meismeidoc ; et prostravit ex illis de nobilioribus septingentos viros præter submersos et letaliter vul neratos. Sed Madocus ap Lewelin eorum princeps cum dedecore vix evasit. [2]
"On 5th March William de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, gave battle with the Welsh in the place which is called in their proper tongue Meismedoc; and of whom he slew from those seven hundred noble men drowned and fatally wounded. Madoc ap Llwelyn their captain, however, he escaped with difficulty to their own disgrace."
A second, smaller engagement near a place that the English records call 'Thesseweit' - the location of which remains uncertain - resulted in the loss of Madog's supply train. English losses were around one hundred dead; Welsh losses were placed at seven hundred.[3] The battle was a crucial step in breaking Welsh resistance in the revolt; Madog never recovered and was captured in late July 1295. He died in captivity in London sometime after 1305.
Notes
- Citations
- ^ Chris E Smith. "Report No. 1259 Battlefield Survey: 1295 Battle of Maes Moydog" (PDF). Archaeology Wales. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ^ Longman, Robert (1864). Annales monastici. London : Longman. p. 519.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ^ Morgan, Richard (1980). "Thesseweit". Montgomeryshire Collections. Vol. 68. pp. 87–99.
- Bibliography
- Morris, J. E. (1901). The Welsh Wars of Edward I. Oxford.
- Edwards, J. G. (1924). "The Battle of Maes Madog and the Welsh Campaign of 1294-5". The English Historical Review. 39 (153): 1–12.