Hampered by the profusion of the court and the refusal of supplies, the Crown was in fact penniless; and yet never was money more wanted, for a trouble which had long pressed upon the English kings had now grown to a height that called for decisive action.

Even his troubles at home could not blind Henry to the need of dealing with the difficulty of Wales.

Of the three Welsh states into which all that remained unconquered of Britain had been broken by the victories of Deorham and Chester, two had long ceased to exist.

The country between the Clyde and the Dee had been gradually absorbed by the conquests of Northumbria and the growth of the Scot monarchy.

West Wales, between the British Channel and the estuary of the Severn, had yielded to the sword of Ecgberht.