Battle of Hamwic

The Battle of Hamswic was fought in 505 AD between the forces of the half-Saxon Dudda of Ēdrēfydd with relief troops from Cado of Dumnonia and the combined forces of the half-Saxon Duc Cerdic and the pirate Æþelswiþ. Because of thr mixed blood of either leader it was remembered also as the Battle of the Halves or even the Half-Battle.

Lead-up
Ælli had long been planning to divide the Britons by reaching thr Severn and thus easily taoing over a large swathe of territory. Given his numbers and the formidable defense he faced, eith defensive dykes and larger, far larger armies, he advanced piecemeal, sending various people to various areas. Cerdic was charged with securing Hamswic and encroaching further west into British territories and valuable farmland. It was Dudda of Ēdrēfydd who was tasked with retaking Hamswic and pushing back the Westseaxe. He was sent on the orders of King Noython Luyd who still feared his nephew Cerdic may be able to defeat Ēdrēfydd.

Battle
The battle was quick but brutal. The better-equipped Gododdinian front lines killed many of the rebels and Saxons. Æþelswiþ found herself face to face with Bedwyr, whose swordhand she cut off in battle.

After a while, both the Britons and rebels started backing off, retreating their respective shieldwalls.

Diffydell ap Dysgyfdawd had wounded Gwurgi fatally in the chest, and two arrows from the hilltop archers finished him off, one directly to the breast and another from above into the lower cervicis.

Æþelswiþ was also wounded when an arrow grazed her right cheek, also killing her second in command through the eye. After more arrows and spears from the Britons started killing more men, she threw her sword forward and gave up. The remaining fifteen soldiers surrendered.