Battle of Ewloe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Ewloe
Ewloe Castle, Flintshire, Wales.
Date 1157 Location Ewloe wood (near Flintshire) Result Welsh tactical victory Owain Gwynedd submits to Henry II
Belligerents
Kingdom of Gwynedd	Kingdom of England and Welsh allies
Commanders and leaders
Owain Gwynedd Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd Cynan ab Owain Gwynedd	King Henry II
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Heavy casualties in the outflanking force

The Battle of Ewloe was a fight that happened in July 1157. It was between the army of Henry II of England, who was the King of England, and an army led by the Welsh prince Owain Gwynedd. The battle took place in the Ewloe woods, near what is now Flintshire, Wales. A special plaque was later put up to remember 850 years since this important battle.

Why the Battle Happened

King Henry's Goals

King Henry II became king in 1154. He wanted to stop Prince Owain Gwynedd from taking more land in Wales. Owain had been expanding his power into an area called Powys. Henry also wanted to make his own kingdom, called the Angevin Empire, bigger by adding northern Wales to it.

Allies and Plans

To help him, King Henry got support from Madog ap Maredudd, who was the Prince of Powys. He also got help from Owain's own brother, Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd. Owain had recently taken land from Cadwaladr, so Cadwaladr was not happy with his brother.

King Henry led a large army into northern Wales. He also sent a fleet of ships, led by Henry FitzRoy, to capture Anglesey. This was meant to stop Owain Gwynedd from getting supplies.

The Battle Begins

Owain's Strategy

Prince Owain Gwynedd set up his army camp at Basingwerk. His goal was to block the main road to Rhuddlan. King Henry decided to try a clever move. He split off a smaller group of his soldiers from his main army. This smaller group was supposed to march through the nearby Ewloe woods. The idea was to go around Owain's main army and attack them from the side or behind. This is called "outflanking."

The Ambush in the Woods

Owain was very smart and guessed what Henry was trying to do. He sent a large part of his army into the woods. This group was led by his sons, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd and Cynan ab Owain Gwynedd. Their job was to protect Owain's main army from Henry's outflanking force.

Owain then took an extra 200 men and personally led them into the Ewloe woods to help his sons. When King Henry's smaller group of soldiers moved into the woods, they were suddenly attacked by Owain's forces. It was a surprise attack, an ambush!

The English soldiers were defeated. Some important English leaders were killed, like Eustace fitz John. Another leader, Henry of Essex, ran away, leaving the king behind. King Henry himself was almost killed! He was only saved by Roger, Earl of Hertford. The king and the rest of his soldiers had to retreat and run away.

What Happened After

Henry's Retreat and Owain's Success

King Henry managed to get back to his main army safely. Owain Gwynedd did not want to fight Henry's entire large army directly. So, Owain moved his army further west, clearing the road for King Henry to enter Rhuddlan.

While in Rhuddlan, King Henry got bad news. His ships that went to Anglesey had failed. Instead of meeting Henry, the English fleet had tried to take things from Anglesey. But the local Welsh soldiers fought them off and won. Henry FitzRoy, who led the fleet, was also killed.

Making Peace

Even though Owain had won in the Ewloe woods and his men had won on Anglesey, King Henry had still managed to take control of Rhuddlan. Because of this, Owain felt he had to make peace with Henry.

Owain gave up some lands, including Rhuddlan, to Henry. He also gave his brother Cadwaladr his lands back. This helped the two brothers become allies again. Owain also agreed to show loyalty to King Henry. So, even with the Welsh victories, King Henry II still achieved his main goal: Owain Gwynedd had to accept his power.