Battle of Bryn Glas

Part of the Glyndŵr Rising

Date	22 June 1402 (St Alban's Day)
Location	Pilleth, Powys (2 miles south of Knighton) at grid reference SO253682
Result	Welsh victory

Belligerents

Welsh

England

Commanders and leaders

Owain Glyndŵr

Sir Edmund Mortimer

Strength

1,500

2,000

Casualties and losses

around 200

around 600

The Battle of Bryn Glas, (sometimes referred to in English accounts as the Battle of Pilleth, although Bryn Glas translates as green or blue hill) was fought on 22 June 1402, near the towns of Knighton and Presteigne in Powys. It was a great victory for the Welsh rebels under Owain Glyndŵr, and it resulted in the prolongation of the Welsh rebellion and the destabilisation of English politics for several years afterwards.

Owain Glyndŵr's revolt occurred against a background of instability in the English monarchy. King Richard II of England had become alienated from many of the nobles, and had been overthrown by Henry Bolingbroke, the Duke of Lancaster, who became Henry IV of England. In Wales and the Welsh Marches, there were still many supporters of the deposed Richard, who died in captivity in 1400. In that year, Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn, a supporter of the new King Henry, had unlawfully seized some of Glyndwr's lands and falsely caused charges of treason to be brought against him. In response, Glyndwr declared himself the true Prince of Wales, and began a rebellion.

After Glyndwr gained early successes in 1400, King Henry led a punitive expedition into North Wales and appeared to have suppressed the revolt. However, Glyndwr remained at large, and anti-Welsh legislation by Parliament ensured that few Welshmen had reason to support continued English rule. On 1 April 1401 (which was Good Friday), two brothers from Anglesey, Rhys ap Tudur and Gwilym ap Tudur, seized Conwy Castle by trickery. Glyndwr himself won a victory over an army of English and Flemish settlers in Pembrokeshire at Mynydd Hyddgen in mid-Wales. These two events reinvigorated the rebellion. Henry led another punitive expedition into mid-Wales, but achieved nothing and his army suffered severely from bad weather.

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