Battle at Stonebridge

Battle at Stonebridge
The Battle at Stonebridge, as depicted by Marc Simonetti in The World of Ice & Fire
Conflict	Faith Militant uprising
Date	42 AC
Place	Stonebridge
Result	Victory for the royal forces Capture of Wat the Hewer
Combatants Iron Throne/House Targaryen House Meadows House Smallwood Faith of the Seven/Faith Militant Poor Fellows Commanders Lord Meadows of Grassy Vale Wat the Hewer Strength Six royalist hosts of unknown strength 9000 Poor Fellows

The battle at Stonebridge was one of the first major battles against the Faith Militant during the Faith Militant uprising.

History

Led by Wat the Hewer, a force of nine thousand Poor Fellows marched against the forces of King Maegor I Targaryen. As they attempted to cross the Mander, they were caught between six different royalist hosts. The Poor Fellows were untrained and undisciplined, clad in boiled leather, roughspun, and scraps of rusted steel. Armed largely with woodsmen's axes, sharpened sticks, and farm implements, they did not stand a chance against the knights of the royalist armies. With Wat's forces divided by the river, the Poor Fellows were cut to pieces. The sheer brutality of the carnage made the Mander run red with blood for twenty leagues, resulting in the bridge and castle that commanded it forever after being known as Bitterbridge. Wat fought Lord Myles Smallwood in single combat, with both men surviving the fight. Wat later managed to kill half a dozen lords, including Lord Meadows, the commander of the king's army. Wat was eventually taken alive himself and delivered to King's Landing in chains.