Much of
Wales had been a
Royalist stronghold during the
First English Civil War, and was thus considered a sensitive area by
Parliament. Concern increased after messages were intercepted from the
Irish Confederacy offering support to
Charles I, since Royalist control of
Cardiff and
Milford Haven would allow them to ship Irish troops to
England. In addition, the local Parliamentarian commanders,
John Poyer and
Rowland Laugharne, were viewed by the
New Model commanders as unreliable. In July, they ordered 3,000 men under Colonel
Thomas Horton to replace Laugharne, and secure these positions. The revolt began in
Pembrokeshire, an area that had been controlled by Parliament since early 1643. Like their New Model colleagues, the soldiers had not been paid for months, and feared being disbanded without their wages. In early March 1648, both Poyer, Governor of
Pembroke Castle, and
Rice Powell, who held
Tenby Castle, refused to hand them over to officers of the New Model, and were supported by Laugharne. What began as a dispute over pay turned political when the mutineers made contact with Charles. Conversely, most former Royalists had been released after swearing not to bear arms against Parliament, and thus did not participate, one exception being Sir
Nicholas Kemeys, who held
Chepstow Castle for the king. By the end of April, Laugharne had assembled around 8,000 troops, and was marching on Cardiff. Horton initially moved on
Carmarthen, but then had to put down an uprising in
Brecon, before occupying Cardiff and quartering his troops in and around St Fagans, west of the town. Learning that reinforcements led by
Oliver Cromwell were on their way, Laugharne decided to attack Horton before they could arrive. Although Horton's 3,000 men were outnumbered, up to half of Laugharne's force were poorly trained and equipped, proving to be little match for experienced veterans. ==Battle==