BattlefieldsDafydd ap Gruffudd Attacks Caernarfon 1282
Medieval

Dafydd ap Gruffudd Attacks Caernarfon 1282

1282
Caernarfonshire, Wales
Also known as: Welsh attack on Caernarfon April 1282
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Caernarfonshire, Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Wales (Dafydd ap Gruffudd)
Forces
Dafydd's forces c.1,000–2,000; castle defense.
VS
Victor
England (garrison holds)
Forces
English garrison c.100–200
Outcome
Caernarfon attacked in the opening days of the Second Welsh War; the new castle construction disrupted
The Battle

History & Significance

In the opening days of Dafydd's Second Welsh War (Palm Sunday 1282) Welsh forces attacked Caernarfon, where Edward I's great new castle was still under construction. The Welsh overran the town and killed several English workers and officials. The half-built castle held, but the attack demonstrated the vulnerability of Edward's building programme. The attack on Caernarfon under construction was one of several simultaneous Welsh operations across north Wales that opened the final war.

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