http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7210284.stm
Welsh celebrate almost murdering English King in Ambush!
'A plaque commemorating a relatively unknown battle in Flintshire more than 850 years ago has been unveiled.
The battle of Ewloe in 1157 saw 200 Welshmen led by Owain Gwynedd, who was then king of north Wales, nearly kill English monarch Henry II.'
Spot the difference: "Henry brought up to 30,000 troops and camped on Saltney marches. Owain Gwynedd led a force of 3,000." I thought it was 200?
Of course, the secret of this 'battle' is it wasn't a battle at all. It was an ambush in the woods. A battle won by 3,000 against 30,000 would definitely have been an impressive feat of arms. An ambush of a few dozen men by 200 in the woods is not very impressive, and showed that the Welsh knew they couldn't win in a straight fight. Why anybody would want to memorialise a failed ambush with a plaque is hard to say...
2 comments:
Henry II led his elite troops in a pincer movement to attack the waiting 3000 Welsh soldiers. His force of heavily armed men were attacked by a group of lightly armed men in a wood, who knew that their entire civilisation was at stake. They beat Henry's knights and humiliated the king who in his arrogance thought he could outwit Owain Gwynedd. The resulting victory brough peace for 150 years, hardly a 'failed ambush'. Hope this has cleared it up for you. Also it has nothing to do with hating anybody. Do we commemorate the dead of 2 world wars because we hate the Germans? You might, the rest of us don't.
'Spies were sent to mingle with the solders and the mercenaries. They found out the king was going to lead his force, the household troop, through Ewloe wood.
Mr Griffiths said chroniclers of the time had played down the success of Gwynedd's ambush, carried out by his two sons, which almost cost Henry II his life.'
a) it was an ambush, not a battle b) it failed, Henry lived
c) if a failed ambush is the extent of your claim to fame, you won't get much credit from the rest of the world
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