Battle of the Conwy facts for kids

The Battle of the Conwy was an important fight in 881. It happened between King Anarawd of the Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd and an army from Mercia. Mercia was a powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdom. The Mercian army was likely led by Æthelred.

The Welsh won this battle. This victory changed things a lot. It ended Mercia's control over north Wales. It also helped Æthelred decide to accept the leadership of King Alfred the Great of Wessex. This brought many Anglo-Saxons together under Alfred. It was a big step towards creating the Kingdom of England. After the battle, Anarawd first teamed up with the Vikings. But later, he also accepted Alfred's leadership.

Why the Battle Happened

For a long time, Welsh kingdoms were under Mercia's rule. This had been true since the mid-600s. In 853, Mercia even got help from Wessex to keep its power.

In the 870s, Mercia faced attacks from the Viking Great Heathen Army. These were fierce Viking warriors. In 874, they forced King Burgred out of Mercia. Ceolwulf II became king after him. Some people thought he was just a puppet king for the Vikings. In 877, the Vikings split Mercia. They took the eastern part for themselves. Ceolwulf kept the western part.

Gwynedd, a Welsh kingdom, was also under attack from Vikings. In 877, King Rhodri Mawr was defeated and driven away. He came back the next year. But Mercia immediately attacked him. Mercia still wanted to control Wales.

King Alfred's victory over the Vikings in 878 helped Mercia. In the same year, Mercia defeated and killed Rhodri Mawr. Ceolwulf died or was removed in 879. Æthelred then became the new leader of Mercia.

The Fight at Conwy

In 881, the Mercians invaded Gwynedd. They met Anarawd and his brothers, who were Rhodri's sons. The battle happened near the River Conwy. The Mercians lost. Welsh records said it was "revenge by God for Rhodri". This shows how important the Welsh thought this battle was. They saw it as payback for their father's death.

A old Welsh record from the 1200s says the Mercian leader was "Edryd Long-Hair". This was almost certainly Æthelred. An old book from 1697, The History of Wales, also supports this. It says the Welsh people thanked Anarawd. They fought hard and easily pushed the Saxons out. The Welsh stayed in this part of Wales for a while. But Æthelred, the Duke of Mercia, wanted to get the land back. He prepared a large army.

The northern Welsh people heard about his plan. To keep their animals and goods safe, they moved them across the River Conwy. Prince Anarawd was also busy. He gathered all the fighters he could. He set up his army near the town of Conwy at a place called Cymryt. There, he and his men fought bravely against the Saxons. They won a complete victory. Some called this battle Gwaeth Cymryt Conwey. This was because it was fought near Conwy. But Prince Anarawd wanted it called Dial Rodri. This meant "Rhodri's Revenge".

What Happened Next

After the Battle of the Conwy, Mercia had to give up its claim to control north Wales. However, Æthelred still tried to control the south-eastern Welsh kingdoms. These kingdoms, like Glywysing and Gwent, asked King Alfred the Great for help. Alfred's writer, Asser, said they did this because of Æthelred's harsh rule.

By 883, Æthelred himself accepted Alfred's leadership. This was a very important step. It helped create a single English kingdom. Experts believe this happened not just because Alfred beat the Vikings in 878. It also happened because of the Battle of the Conwy. Anarawd's victory over Æthelred weakened Mercia. This allowed Alfred to gain more power.

Gwynedd made a deal with the Vikings from Northumbria soon after the battle. But Asser also said that Anarawd later left his Viking alliance. He joined Alfred instead. This might have been because Viking raids on Gwynedd continued. Welsh records show that "Dark Northmen" attacked Gwynedd in 892.