Bretwalda Battle of Crug Mawr Cardigan 1136

• published: 29 Oct 2014
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A book about the bloody Battle of Crug Mawr, fought near Cardigan, a key turning point in the Anglo-Welsh Wars of the 12th century. The sweeping victory of the Welsh at Cardigan was historic. It not only put the victor, Owain Gwynedd in a position to rule Wales free of English domination, it also marked the arrival on the battlefields of Europe of a new, deadly and uniquely Welsh weapon: the longbow. A Welsh revolt against Norman rule had begun in south Wales, where on 1 January 1136 the Welsh won a victory over the local Norman forces at the Battle of Llwchwr. This led to an invasion by the forces of Gwynedd, led by Owain Gwynedd and Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd, sons of the king of Gwynedd, Gruffydd ap Cynan. They made an alliance with Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth, then swept on for Cardigan. There they met the combined forces of all the Normans in South Wales. The resulting battle was vicious and historic This book brings an exciting new look to the Anglo-Welsh Wars. The course of the war is given, but the emphasis is on the battle and the men who fought there. There are detailed analyses of weapons, tactics and strategies, tactical diagrams explain how the troops formed up and moved, and a study of the commanders. The course of the battle is followed with the aid of maps, relating to the ground today. The aftermath of the battle, its effects and importance to the progress of the war are then described. The “Bretwalda Battles” series has been running with increasing success as printed books and as ebooks for five years. Leonard James is an author of military books. He comes from a military family that has fought in every major war since at least the Crimean War, and probably before that. His forebears were mostly cavalrymen, though his father served in the RAF. Leonard has made a particular study of battlefields in Britain, walking over dozens of them to get an eye for ground. He has also handled genuine and replica weapons to better understand the use of pre-modern weapons and the men who wielded them.