Terry is not the only one who's been investigating Welsh armies recently, and his excellent list in the last issue incited me to throw my two cents into the ring. My area of interest is a little later than Terry's - so my list covers the Welsh armies of the final struggle for independence, and those of the rebels who challenged the English occupiers thereafter.

I agree wholeheartedly with the major points that Terry made concerning the Welsh of the Norman Conquest period, namely, the old WRG list fails to do justice to their fighting power, particularly on their home turf, and that period-specific lists can do a better job of capturing the "flavor" of each era's Welsh armies than the official thousand year list can.

In general, the resistance during this period, particularly under Llywelyn Fawr (2194-1240 AD), his son Davydd (1240-1246 AD), and finally his grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffydd ("the last" 46-1282 AD), the first and last truly Welsh Prince of Wales. It was Wales' great misfortune that the last Llywelyn ran afoul of one of the greatest of English kings, Edward I. My list es to capture the feel of these armies.

Battles and Campaigns of Interest 1137-1420

1157 AD: Coed Eulo (Coleshill) saw a Welsh force under Owain Gwynedd "badly maul" an English force under Henry II before having to quit the field due to Henry's flanking maneuver.

1277 AD: The first conflict between Edward I and Llywelyn ap Gruffydd. In a campaign of little over three months, Edward used his overwhelming naval superiority to seize Llywelyn's granary of Mon, and to support a slow, steady advance along the northern coast, building castles as he went. Llywelyn was forced to do homage to Edward, and lost much of his territory outside Gwynedd proper.

1282-83 AD: The second and final confrontation between Edward and Llywelyn. With Llywelyn's death, all realistic hope for an independent Wales dies as well.

1282 AD: Orewin Bridge was the battle that spelled the end of Welsh independence. Not only was a North Welsh force of 7,000 foot and 160 mounted virtually destroyed, but the last great Welsh Prince, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, was killed in an ambush nearby, possibly as a result of trickery.

1285 AD: Rhys ap Maredydd, a South Welsh lord who remained loyal to Edward in 2282, revolts over his treatment since Edward's victory. In a six week campaign, followed by two sieges, Rhys, position is overthrown, and he becomes a fugitive.

1294-95: The last major risings against Edward, coinciding with the mass summoning of Welsh forces to serve in his campaign in Gascony. Actually three separate risings: the most serious lead by Madoc ap Llywelyn in the North, a Separate rising under a certain Maelgwyn in the South west, and finally in South central Wales, Rhys ap Morgan lead a third revolt, directed (ONLY!) at the Earl of Gloucester.

1295 AD: Rees Moydog saw the end of the rebellion of Madoc ap Llywelyn, who claimed to be a son of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd. Hadoc's forces were outflanked by English cavalry and assaulted frontally by men-at-arms interspersed with archers and crossbowmen. Welsh losses totalled 700, and Hadoc was effectively ending his rebellion.

LIST #92B. THE LATER WELSH ARMY -- 1137 AD to 1420 AD

North Welsh Ally-General mounted an horse as heaviest cavalry present, @ 75 points. Up to 1
South Welsh Ally-General mounted on horse as heaviest cavalry present, or on foot as heaviest foot, @ 75 points. Up to 1
Extra to upgrade South or North Welsh Ally-General to C-in-C, @ 25 points. 1
North Welsh Sub-General to a North Welsh C-in-C mounted on horse equipped as heaviest cavalry present, or on foot equipped as heaviest foot present, @ 50 points. Up to 2
Welsh cavalry "Irregular B" LC, JLS, Sh, @ 7 points. Up to 24
Extra to upgrade cavalry to KC, JLS or L, Sh, @ 2 points. Up to 11
Extra to further upgrade HC to HK, L, Sh , @ 2 points. Up to 5
Extra to further upgrade HK to EHK, @ 4 points. Any or all
North Welsh spearmen "Irregular C" LMI, LTS, Sh, @ 3 points *72 to 240
North Welsh archers "Irregular C" LX or LMX, LB, @ 2 points. Up to 1/3 spear
South Walsh archers Irregular C LI or LMI, LB, @ 2 points. *48 to 240
South Welsh spearmen Irregular C LMI, all JLS or all LTS, Sh, @ 3 points. Up to 1/3 archers
Extra to rearm North Welsh spearmen as MI @ 0 points All or none
Extra to upgrade spearmen to LHI or HI, @ 2 points. Up to 1/4
Extra to upgrade North Welsh spearmen to "Irregular B" @ 1 point. Up to 1/2
Extra to upgrade South Welsh spearmen to Irregular B LHI, @ 3 points, as Ally-General's teulu. Up to 5 per general
Extra to upgrade South Welsh archers to "Irregular B", @ 1 point. Up to 1/4
Extra to give Sh to archers, @ 1 point. Up to 1/2
Welsh skirmishers 'Irregular C LI, JLS, Sh, @ 3 points. up to 48
Extra to rearm skirmishers as LMX, @ 0 points. up to 24
Extra to upgrade LMX skirmishers to LHI, @ 2 points. up to 12
Up to 20 Irregular command factors a 25 points.
Up to 2 irregular command factors a 10 points to give LC or HC units a detachment of skirmishers.
North Welsh LMI and/or LHI with LTS may form "schiltron" formation.

This list covers the last period of Welsh independence, under the dominant princes of Gwynedd and the rebel armies that plagued the English occupiers right down to the fifteenth century. The start of the list coincides with the ending of List 92a, and the end to the last serious challenge to English rule in wales.

Minimums marked - apply only if any forces from that area are used. Northern troops must be commanded by a North Welsh general, and southerners by a South Welsh general. Due to the historical divisiveness that plagued southern Wales even more than the north, I have allowed Sub-Generals only to northern C-in-Cs. Historical alignment guidelines are as follows:

Era of Southern supremacy - the era from 1137 to 1197 AD, under Rhys ap Gruffydd, saw the southern kingdom of Deheubarth at its apogee. During this period southern power flourished, until worn down by the Marchers. Southern forces of this era could conceivably field a small force of northerners under a single Ally-General.

War of 1277 - Northern forces under Llywelyn ap Gruffydd (C-in-C) were assisted by Southern Allies on several occasions. Both northerners and southerners also fought alone.

War of 1282-83 - Northern forces commanded by either Llywelyn of his brother Davydd (C-in-Cs) were assisted by southern allies at numerous times. Again, both northerners and southerners also fought alone.

Rebellion of 1285 - Southern forces of Rhys ap Maredydd fought alone, probably best represented only at 1200 points with a single (Southern) general. For rebellions in general, the only forces that should be upgraded are those In a general's own body.

Rebellions of 1294-95 - Although fighting flared throughout Wales, the various forces never combined on the battlefield. Madoc ap Llywelyn would be the C-in-C os an all north Welsh force, and can have one or two sub-generals. Maelgwyn and Rhys ap Morgan would each be best represented as southern forces with a single general, possibly allowing an ally for Maelgwyn. As above, for each of these forces, the only upgrades allowed are those for troops in a general's body.

Later Rebellions - Rebellions continued to flare in Wales right up into the fifteenth century. Though they were more frequent in the north, occasional outbreaks kept the English on their toes in the south as well. As a rule, a rebellion force from this era should be limited to a single region, be no more than 1200 points, and include only a single general. The most famous rebel was the almost mythical Owain Glyndwr.

One of the primary differences from the prior list are the disappearance of allies -- after the Norman Conquest period the Welsh found themselves almost invariably fighting alone. Although there were several successful alliances between Welsh princes and Marcher Lords, these never seem to have lead to joint forces on the battlefield.

By this time, Welsh use of the weapon they made famous, the longbow, was almost universal. The Welsh of the north (Gwynedd and Powys) were certainly using long spears designed to halt cavalry charges at Orewin Bridge in 1282 AD and Maes Moydog in 1295 AD, therefore I have made LTS compulsory in the north. Southern forces were quite different in composition, and may very well have retained handier spears better classed as JLS. Northern forces during this period resisted cavalry as valiantly as period Scots, so I have included two alternative methods to reflect this in the list. The first is the option to change the classification of north Welsh spearmen to close order. The second, which I favor on balance, is to leave them LMI, with the corresponding advantages this gives them in their native terrain, but to allow them to form scbiltron- outside of difficult going or rough areas. Forming schiltron counts like a facing or expanding move, therefore a unit forming schiltron may only move 40 paces and do nothing else except adopt the formation during an approach or counter move. A unit in schiltron may not move without reverting to block, but does not need to waver if charged by mounted while in the formtion. A unit which becomes disordered at any point immediately reverts from schiltron 8 to block. This simulates the Welsh tactics of this era, and also leaves them as vulnerable as they were historically to a combination of archery followed by mounted charges.

By this period Wales was wealthier, and had "benefitted" from a long, enduring conflict with the Anglo-Norman Marcher Barons. Body armor is therefore more common, particularly in the north.. The men of Gwynedd stood stalwartly against the Marchers, and it took two incredibly expensive campaigns and the entire resources of the English crown to finally crush their independent princes. X have used the fighting reputation of these men as justification for upgrading some to "Irregular B". Good foot troops were also available to southern leaders, but in lesser quantities as the south, lacking the favorable geography of the north, had been losing ground to the Marchers for several generations.

I feel this list allows a more historic presentation of Welsh armies of this era, and it presents a number of very interesting challenges to the greneralship of budding tabletop Llywelyn's. I hope that it encourages more gamers to experiment with thus fascinating era, and X welcome comments, discussion, etc on my conclusions.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I used information from the following in preparing this article.

Gore, Terry -A Period Specific List for the Norman Conquest Period Welsh", Z&Q #36.

Reath, Ian 'Armies of the Dark Ages 600-2066 AD" and "Armies of Feudal Europe 1066-2300 AD". These volumes provide in depth coverage of Welsh organization, tactics, battles and equipment during the period in question. The first work is valuable for the development of the system in existence during the period in question.

Morris, John F. "The Welsh Wars of Edward I". A scholarly study of the army of Edward, and a narrative of his campaigns in Wales. Morris, thesis is that the late Welsh wars formed the crucible from which the English perfected the cavalry supported by archery tactics so devastating at Falkirk against the Scots, and then in France during the Hundred Years War. Contains good details on the campaigns.

Newark, Tim "Celtic Warriors" and "Medieval Warlords'. Excellent color plates by Angus McBride highlight these general works which have sections dealing with our period. "Celtic Warriors" describes the end of Welsh independence, and "Medieval Warlords" contains a chapter an Owain of Wales.

Penman, Sharon Kay 'Here be Dragons", "Falls the Shadow", and -The Reckoning-. Not sources per &a, but fascinating historical fiction with excellent period flavor. They cover from Llywelyn Fawr to the fall of Llywelyn the Last and Davydd.

Rothero, Christopher 'The Scottish and Welsh Wars 1250-1400 AD" Though most of the coverage is of the Scots, this typical Osprey work provides an overview, a map and some interesting details of Welsh armament.

Walsh, Paul "The Appearance of the Medieval Welsh", from Slingshots 146, 147 and 148. An excellent series of articles providing painting and equipment information on the Welsh of this period, drawn from primary sources. Paul doesn't just interpret the sources -- he quotes them!