| Battle of Mechain | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Bleddyn ap Cynfyn Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn † | Maredudd ap Gruffydd † Idwal ap Gruffydd † | ||||||
The Battle of Mechain was fought in Powys, Wales, in about 1067,[2] for rule of the Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys. A written account is included in the Brut y Tywysogion, the medieval Welsh chronicle of the princes.[3] It is also referred to in the work of medieval poets such as Lewys Glyn Cothi.
After the murder of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, Harold Godwinson married his widow Ealdgyth and divided Gruffydd's realm into the traditional kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys, the rule of which were given to Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and his brother Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn. Gruffydd left two sons— Maredudd and Idwal–who in 1070 challenged Bleddyn and Rhiwallon at Mechain in an attempt to win back part of their father's kingdom. However, both sons were defeated, Idwal (or Ithel) being killed in combat and Maredudd dying of exposure after the battle.
Rhiwallon was also killed in this battle, leaving Bleddyn to rule Gwynedd and Powys alone.
References
- ^ Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, (© Crown copyright 2017). The Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Wales. Retrieved 23 August 2020, from http://battlefields.rcahmw.gov.uk/collections/getrecord/405112.
- ^ Montgomery-shire Collections. Powys-land Club. 1876. p. 287.
- ^ Collections Historical & Archaeological Relating to Montgomeryshire. The Club. 1871. p. 195.
External links
- "Battle of Mechain". www.llanfechain.org.uk. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2009.