Battle of Chester

615 CE.

Shown on the map at 53.167°, -2.886°.

The Battle of Chester (Old Welsh: Guaith Caer Legion; Welsh: Brwydr Caer) was a major victory for the Anglo-Saxons over the native Britons near the city of Chester, England in the early 7th century. Æthelfrith of Northumbria annihilated a combined force from the Welsh kingdoms of Powys and Rhôs (a cantref of the Kingdom of Gwynedd), and possibly from Mercia as well. It resulted in the deaths of Welsh leaders Selyf Sarffgadau of Powys, Cadwal Crysban of Rhôs, and numerous other high-ranking warriors such as Gwion ap Cyndrwyn of Pengwern. Circumstantial evidence suggests that King Iago of Gwynedd may have also been killed. Other sources state the battle may have been in 613 or even as early as 607 or 605 AD. According to Bede, a large number of monks from the monastery at Bangor on Dee who had come to witness the fight were killed on the orders of Æthelfrith before the battle. He told his warriors to massacre the clerics because although they bore no arms, they were praying for a Northumbria defeat. The strategic significance of the battle remains unclear as Æthelfrith died in battle soon after the victory.

Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of Chester, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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