BattlefieldsWilliam the Conqueror's Welsh Campaign 1081
Medieval

William the Conqueror's Welsh Campaign 1081

1081
Pembrokeshire, Wales
Also known as: William I's expedition to St David's 1081
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Pembrokeshire, Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Welsh (various)
Forces
various Welsh forces c.1,000–2,000.
VS
Victor
Normans (William I)
Forces
William I c.1,500–3,000
Outcome
William marches to St David's; Welsh kings acknowledge Norman overlordship
The Battle

History & Significance

William the Conqueror himself marched to St David's in 1081 — the furthest west any Norman king had gone in Wales. The Domesday Book records this as a "pilgrimage" but William freed captives and established overlordship. His march came the same year as the Battle of Mynydd Carn. The Normans were beginning their systematic conquest of Wales from all directions simultaneously. William established the principle that Wales owed fealty to the English crown.

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