52°51′36″N 3°03′14″W / 52.860°N 3.054°W
Battle of Maserfield | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A twelfth-century painting of St Oswald, killed at Maserfield, in Durham Cathedral | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Kingdom of Mercia Kingdom of Gwynedd Kingdom of Powys | Kingdom of Northumbria | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
King Penda King Eowa † Prince Cynddylan | King Oswald † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
2,000 Mercian forces 1,200 Powysian forces | 1,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
100 Mercians killed 600 Powysian fighters killed | Heavy, 800 killed |
The Battle of Maserfield, (Welsh: Cad Maes Cogwy) was fought on 5 August 641 or 642 (642 according to Ward[1]) between the Anglo-Saxon kings Oswald of Northumbria and Penda of Mercia allied with Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd, ending in Oswald's defeat, death, and dismemberment. The location was also known as Cogwy in Welsh, with Welshmen from Pengwern participating in the battle (according to the probably ninth-century Canu Heledd), probably as allies of the Mercians. Bede reports the commonly accepted date given above; the Welsh Annales Cambriae is generally considered incorrect in giving the year of the battle as 644. The site of the battle is traditionally identified with Oswestry.