BattlefieldsBattle of Rhuddlan 796
Early Medieval

Battle of Rhuddlan 796

796
Flintshire, Wales
Also known as: Death of Caradog ap Meirion 796
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Flintshire, Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Gwynedd (Caradog ap Meirion)
Forces
Gwynedd c.800–2,000
VS
Victor
Mercia (Offa or successor)
Forces
Mercian army c.1,200–3,000
Outcome
Mercian victory; Gwynedd king Caradog killed; Mercian power at its height
The Battle

History & Significance

The Welsh annals record the killing of Caradog ap Meirion of Gwynedd by the English in 796, the same year Offa of Mercia died. Rhuddlan on the north Welsh coast was a point of repeated contest. The death of the Gwynedd king demonstrates Mercian military reach along the north Welsh coast in the Offan period. Location at Rhuddlan is the chronicle tradition though the exact site is uncertain.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Flintshire

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near Flintshire