Battle of Mechain 1069
Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).
Key facts
| Date (year) | 1069 | Wikidata P585 point in time |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 11th century | derived |
| Period | Norman & medieval | derived |
| Country | Wales | derived |
About the battle
The Battle of Mechain was fought in Powys, Wales, in 1070, for rule of the Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys. The battlefield may be near Llanfechain in northern Powys. A written account is included in the Brut y Tywysogion, the medieval Welsh chronicle of the princes. 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.
Visiting the battlefield
Location
- Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 52.7760, -3.2040
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Mechain (revision 1370449411), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.
Battle location from Wikidata (CC0).
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Browse more: battles in Wales · Norman & medieval · 11th century battles