| Battle of Mechain | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Bleddyn ap Cynfyn Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn † | Maredudd ap Gruffydd † Idwal ap Gruffydd † | ||||||
TheBattle of Mechain was fought inPowys, Wales, in 1070,[2] for rule of the Welsh kingdoms ofGwynedd andPowys. The battlefield may be nearLlanfechain in northern Powys.[3] A written account is included in theBrut y Tywysogion, the medieval Welsh chronicle of the princes.[4] It is also referred to in the work of medieval poets such asLewys Glyn Cothi.
After the murder ofGruffydd ap Llywelyn,Harold Godwinson married his widowEaldgyth and divided Gruffydd's realm into the traditional kingdoms ofGwynedd andPowys, the rule of which were given toBleddyn ap Cynfyn and his brotherRhiwallon 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.
52°46′34″N3°12′14″W / 52.776°N 3.204°W /52.776; -3.204
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