As an experiment once, I listed the WRG armies in Western Europe which fought throughout the 11th-15th centuries and then compared their actual historical battlefield performance to what their respective wargames counterparts reputations and tabletop results were. Two armies stood out in striking contrast. The Teutonic Knights, while a favorite 'killer army' on the wargames table, lost 75% of their historical battles (those which we have documentation for), while the Welsh, a non-entity in tournaments, or anywhere else for that matter, actually won the majority of their historical encounters.

Now leadership, or lack of it, always plays an important part in victory or defeat, but let's face it, the army is integral to success in battle. If the army list does not reflect historical results (from lack of use because of its undesirable troop types), than something needs to be done ... and don't jump to the conclusion that the Welsh fought only internal foes or disorganized Anglo-Saxon levies. They battled the Normans, Vikings, Harold Godwinson's veteran warriors and the later Anglo-Normans... in the majority of cases, coming out victorious! So ...

Turn peace away/For honour perishes with peace.

From Gerald of Wales

(in reference to Welsh attitudes toward the peaceful life)

The Welsh defeated Anglo-Saxon armies at least nine times (see Battles of Interest section) and inflicted losses on Normans and Anglo-Normans at least four times in the hundred years covered by our list. How can this be? We should all know that the Welsh can't win. LTS-armed LMI? No way! They can't receive the close order LTS advantages under WRG 7.5 and their spear is useless in the woods ... where the Welsh traditionally endeavored to fight from! As for the archers ... well, LI longbowmen of LMI archers with no shields are vastly inferior to their contemporaries. So how did the Welsh manage to win? By using different troop types and weapons than are currently allowed under the existing list.

Not only is the current list hopelessly drawn out, covering almost a thousand year time span, it is inaccurate, not allowing the use of Irish or Ostmen allies which fought alongside the Welsh in a number of battles. By drawing up this period specific list, a better representation of the 11th-early 12th century Welsh armies of Llewelyn, Rhydderch and Rhys can be established. Also, and most importantly, the Welsh army can be made into a viable fighting force on the wargames table ... which is the point of this exercise. By allowing the Welsh "(who) are very ferocious when battle is first joined ... from their fierce and headlong onslought" (Gerald of Wales) to be partially upgraded to Irregular A status, they continue to be a brittle (morale wise) but more deadly initial force in their first charge--historically accurate. By allowing them the use of the JLS instead of the LTS, which we have conflicting evidence for, the Welsh can be useful fighting in the woods, their usual place of ambush.

So far as numbers go, Welsh armies were rarely large, but even so, they could be formidable, reportedly numbering 6000 foot and 2000 horse at Crug Mawr (1136).

Allies swelled the ranks of the Welsh armies, up to "sixty shiploads" of Dubliners joined Gruffyd an Cynan in 1094. At the battle of Mynydd Carn in 1081, the Welsh army consisted of Danes and Irish in addition to the Welsh forces. Vikings from the Orkney Isles, Shetlands and Norway also found their way in numbers to fight for the Welsh princes. In a gathering in 1058, Aelfgar, the exiled Anglo-Saxon son of Earl Leofric, along with his huscarls and followers, joined Llewelyn along with Magnus, the son of Harald Hardrada of Norway.

The strong leadership qualities of Gruffyd ap LLewelyn managed to bring together both North and South Wales for a time, though internecine battles, ambushes and feuds were often the norm in Welsh politics (Llewelyn was ambushed in 1047 by Welsh enemies and eventually met his death at the hands of his own followers in 1063, due to Harold Godwinson's invasion and relentless pursuit). This leadership quality cannot be reflected in the rules, it's up to the player to provide that! So much for the background of why we need a new list. Now let's take some specifics and put them to use.

BATTLES OF INTEREST 1030-1136 A.D.

1039 - Gruffyd ap LLewelyn commanding the Welsh attacks and defeats the Mercians at Rhydywoes, killing the Mercian leader. 1042 - LLewelyn attacks and defeats the English.

1044 - Llewelyn inflicts a serious defeat upon the "pagans" under Hywel ap Edwin at Towy, uniting three of the provinces of Wales; Gwynned, Powys and Deheubarth.

1047 - After forming an alliance with the Anglo-Saxon Swein of Hereford, Llewelyn was ambushed by the men of Ystrad Tywy and beaten.

1049 - Gruffyd ap Rhydderch joined with Viking allies and beat the Anglo-Saxons at Herefordshire.

1052 - Llewelyn defeated a group of English and Normans.

1055 - A combined Irish, Welsh and Danish army marched on the English and Norman defenders at Hereford, routing them (the famous 'mounted English' battle) and burning Hereford.

1056 - LLewelyn defeated the English and killed the militant Bishop Leofgar at Glasbury on Wye.

1058 - An attempted campaign against England found the alliance of Welsh with Aelfgar of England, Magnus of Norway and Orkney, Dublin and Hebridean Vikings.

1067 - The Anglo-Saxon rebel Edric allied with the Welsh princes Bleddyn abd Rhiwallon against the Normans. 1069 - The above beseiged and burned Shrewsbury.

1072(?)- Fitz-Osbern's Normans defeated "all" Welsh kings at a battle in Brycheimiog.

1081 - Battle of Mynydd Carn. Gruffyd ap Cynan with allies Danes and Irish defeated and killed Trahaearn ap Caradog.

1094 - Gruffydd ap Cynan freed from prison, gathered allies and attacked Normans in Anglesey, capturing it. They then carried the war into Shropshire.

1096 - Battle of Aber Lech. Normans are defeated by Welsh princes. 1136 - Battle of Crug Mawr. Gruffyd ap Rhys of Deheubarth with 6000 foot and 2000 horse annihilated 3000 Anglo-Normans.

LIST #92a. THE NORMAN CONQUEST PERIOD WELSH ARMY - 1039-1136 A.D.

NOTES Welsh CiC as heaviest foot or cavalry figure JLS or L/Sh @100 1
Welsh Sub-General as above @ 50 -1
English Rebel Sub-General as HI 2HCW/Sh @ 50 (E) -1 [1]
Welsh Ally-General as heaviest foot or horse JLS, B, L/Sh @75 -3
Viking Ally-General as LHI, 2HCW/Sh @ 75 (E) -1*
P Standard to accompany CiC or Generals @ 5 All
Welsh Cavalry Irr B LC, JLS/Sh @ 6 5-24
Extra to Upgrade to Teulu HC @ 2 -11 [2]
Extra to Upgrade to HK @ 2 (L) - 5 [3]
Teulu Irr B LHI, JLS/Sh @ 6 Per Welsh General - 5 [4]
Spearmen Irr C LMI JLS/Sh @3 72-240
Extra to substitute LTS for JLS @ 0 All/O [5]
Extra to upgrade Irr C Spearmen to Irr A @ 2 -1/2 [6]
Welsh Skirmishers Irr C LI JLS/Sh @ 3 -48
Welsh Archers Irr C LI/LMI B @ 2 (E) **24-72, (L) **48-240 [7]
Extra to substitute LB for B @ 0 (L) Any/All [8]
Extra to give Sh to Archers @ 1 -1/2 [9]
Ostmen Irr B LHI 2HCW/Sh @ 6 -48 [10]
English Rebels Irr B HI, 2HCW/Sh @ 6 (E) *7-15 [11]
Irish Mercenaries Irr C LMI 2HCW/JLS or JLS/Sh @ 3 -48 [12]
Viking Huscarls Irr B LHI 2HCW or JLS/Sh @ 6 (E) *11-24 [13]
Viking Warriors Irr 8 LMI JLS/Sh @ 4 (E) *36-60 [14]
Extra to upgrade to LHI @ 2 -1/2
Viking Archers Irr 8 LMI B/Sh @ 4 (E) -18
Extra to provide Viking archers with JLS @ 1 Any/All
Berserker Figure for one Viking unit only Irr A LMI 2HCW/Sh @ 5 (E) -1 [15]

Up to 21 Irregular Command Factors at 25 Points.
Up to 2 Irregular Command Factors at 10 Points to provide Spearmen or Teulu with a detachment of LI skirmishers.

The Early (E) list can be considered to run up to the period of approximately 1100, while the Later (L) runs from 1100 to 1136. Figures noted thus * must be used if any troops of that origin are used. Figures marked ** are required depending on whether the army is E or L. Viking Huscarls and Ostmen may fight in wedge.

NOTES:

1. Gruffydd allied with Swein of Hereford in 1046 and with Aelfgar of Mercia (son of Earl Leofric) in 1055. The English rebel leaders brought their huscarls with them as well as other followers. The Anglo-Saxon rebel Edric joined the Welsh kings Bleddyn and Rhiwallon in 1067 with his surviving huscarls as well.

2. The most powerful Welsh princes surrounded themselves with a 'professional' body of armed retainers, often kinsmen (hopefully ensuring loyalty), who were mounted--perhaps a tradition kept alive from their British past.

3. The heavier armored horsemen represent mercenaries and disaffected Normans. 

4. Unlike the princes of Gwynned or Powys, most other Welsh leaders were accompanied by better armored, high quality retainers ... on foot.

5. The only references to the Welsh using LTS that i could find appear in respect to the battles of Orewin Bridge and Maes Maydog (1282 and 1295 respectively), outside our time frame. Geraldus also mentions "long spears and round shields", but again, he writes from the late 12th century. However, because of the lack of any conclusive evidence to the contrary, the option to arm the Welsh with LTS is included.

6. Geraldus makes clear note of the fact that the "Welsh (are) very severe in the first attack, terrible ... swift and rigid in their advances. Bold in the first onset..." He also noted that a battle was "...almost (always) won or lost at the first onslaught". From the fragmentary battle accounts we have, it appears that if these statements are indicative of the reality, the Welsh rate a 1/2 Irr A, 1/2 Irr C status.

7. The Later period numbers reflect a greater reliance on the South Welsh archers than in the Early period.

8. There is no exact date which I can determine for the use of longbows by the Welsh. They are certainly in use by Geraldus' time, but as to a date of widespread use, I've arbitrarily settled on the post 1100 period, relying on Phil Barker's assertion (Book II, pg. 28) that "They were certainly using it by just after 1100 A.D.".

9. Archers, Geraldus noted, had "...leather corselets, handfuls of arrows..-and round shields".

10. Geraldus further noted that the Welsh had Irish and Ostmen as allies. In 1094, "60 shiploads" of Dublin Ostmen joined Gruffyd an Cynan, and captured Anglesey from the Normans.

11. See Note #1. The huscarls (comites) shared Earl Aelfgar's exile when he allied with Gruffydd in 1058. The Anglo-Saxon rebel Edric in 1076 also brought with him Saxon professional fighters to the Welsh army.

12. Irish mercenaries were noted in the campaigns of of 1053, 1058 and 1094. Irish mercenaries provided for the possibility of a 'Celtic Revival' which was never realized.

13. The Vikings joined the Welsh campaigns in 1049, 1053, and 1094. 1055, 1058 .

14. The Vikings who allied with the Welsh were all professional fighters, thus rating the Irr B morale status.

15. The only way I can see reconciling the 'Berserker Factor', is to allow a single Irr A figure to be in one unit. These psychopaths were not formed into tactical units!

I hope this list will inspire some of you to give it a try. I know Thistle and the Rose make a fine line of 15mm Welsh. I'm tempted to try doing the army in 25mm, but we'll see.