Harlech Castle

The castle is located on a 61 m high cliff with steep slopes on three sides in the middle of the town of Harlech. In the Middle Ages, the cliff probably bordered directly on Tremadog Bay. A staircase led from the castle to a mooring on the sea so that the castle could be supplied by ships in an emergency. Today the sea is about a kilometre away.

After the English troops reached Tremadog Bay in 1283 during King Edward I's second campaign against the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, construction of the castle began immediately. At the height of construction work in 1286, almost 950 men were working on the construction, so that the castle was already completed in 1289. To the east of the castle, the borough of Harlech was established, settled by English colonists. During the Welsh Rebellion of 1294, the garrison was able to hold off the siege by Madog ap Llywelyn because they were able to receive supplies from ships from Ireland.

The castle played a key role during Owain Glyndŵr's rebellion. The revolt broke out in 1400 and soon spread across large parts of Wales. After a long siege, the lightly garrisoned castle finally had to surrender to the rebellious Welsh in 1404 when a French fleet cut off supplies to the castle. Owain Glyndŵr used the castle as his residence and headquarters. It was only after another long siege that the English under Harry of Monmouth, later King Henry V, were able to recapture the castle in early 1409.