For example, in 1128, Morgan ap Cadwgan, prince of Powys, vowed to go on crusade as penance because he had killed his own brother in 1125. We don’t know anything more about them, but the role of some crusaders is easier to trace.
Some crusaders, perhaps mercenaries already serving overseas, fought for the Lord of Thouars, from France, at the turn of the 12th century. With this in mind, it is no surprise to find Welshmen contributing to the great religious wars of the Middle Ages, the Crusades, which began in 1095 when Pope Urban II called for assistance for Christians in the East. In many respects, it was the perfect marriage. They were well suited for the activities of crusading and pilgrimage to the Holy Land, having both the necessary skills and devotion to God. Rome may have been their favoured pilgrimage destination, but Jerusalem was packed with relics and all the things the Welsh were supposed to revere. The Welsh were also praised for their religious devotion and their love of relics. Henry used Welsh mercenaries in his own armies, as did many English kings. The Welsh were praised for their religious devotion and their love of relics Henry II of England wrote to the Byzantine emperor to praise their military fervour, stating that “they do not hesitate to do battle”. In the 12th century, Gerald of Wales, archdeacon of Brecon and commentator on life in medieval Wales, noted the fighting ability of the Welsh. The first, the military role of the Welsh in the Holy Land, has been overlooked by many historians, but it continued throughout the Middle Ages, and the military skills of the Welsh were well known. Sir Hugh Johnys’ brass memorial highlighted two important aspects of the Welsh contribution to conflict in the East, and to their interest in Jerusalem. Sir Hugh’s memorial described his eventful life and military career, and made particular reference to his role fighting in the eastern Mediterranean in the 1430s and early 1440s, and his status as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. Unfortunately the memorial was mangled in the Blitz of 1941, but a record of it survives in a brass rubbing held by the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. In the early 16th century, the descendants of Sir Hugh Johnys of Glamorgan erected a brass memorial to him and his wife Maud in the chancel of St Mary’s Church, Swansea.
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