User:KingMoogoe/sandbox

The Battle of Hereford was fought between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Gwynedd on the 24th of October 1055. The battle resulted in a Welsh victory and the sacking of Hereford.

A large part of the English force consisted of cavalry. The leader of the English force was Ralph the Timid, who was a Norman that came with a contingent of Normans who were brought to England by King Edward the Confessor. Ralph, as the son of King Edward's sister Godgifu, was Edward's nephew. The Normans were accustomed to fighting on horseback. To increase the mounted proportion of his army, Ralph ordered the Anglo-Saxon soldiers under his command to also fight on horseback, even though this was considered "contrary to their custom".[john]

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn's army also had a significant presence of cavalry. Gruffydd's household troops were highly experienced horsemen, known as his "Teulu" (lit. family). This core of elites was usually small, but Gruffydd, as one of the most powerful leaders in Welsh history, employed an abnormally large number of at least 150 men in his Teulu. These soldiers were not only horsemen, but also able to fight as infantry, and were even skilled in guerrilla warfare, being able to shadow enemies and carry out ambushes. The nobles of Wales outside of Gruffydd's household that would have accompanied his army, known as the "Uchelwyr" also typically fought on horseback. The bulk of Gruffydd's army however, would have consisted of footmen. Much of these would come from Gruffydds' home of Gwynedd which produced lightly equipped but quality soldiers who were known for their skill with long spears. Gruffydd also had recently taken control of South Wales, giving him access to its famously skilled archers who used powerful bows. In addition to these Welsh footmen, Gruffydd's ally Ælfgar of Merica brought with him a contingent of Norse-Gael mercenaries, further bolstering the ranks of Gruffydd's army. [g book]

The two armies met near the town of Hereford. Upon the clashing of the two armies, the Welsh and their allies quickly gained the upper hand, when this became clear, Ralph attempted to retreat to the fortified town of Hereford. Despite most of his army being mounted, they were unable to outrun Gruffydd's army.

The Welsh chronicle Brut y Tywysogion states that:

"Gruffudd, son of Llywelyn, raised an army against the Saxons, and arrayed his forces at Hereford; and against him the Saxons rose with a very great host, Reinolf being commander over them; and they met together, arranged their armies, and prepared to fight. Gruffudd attacked them immediately with well-ordered troops, and after a severely hard battle, the Saxons, unable to bear the assault of the Britons, took to flight, and fell with a very great slaughter. Gruffudd closely pursued them to the fortress, which he entered, and depopulated and demolished the fortress, and burned the town; and from thence, with very great booty, he returned happily and victoriously to his own country."