General:

The Battle at Stonebridge was the first major battle of the Faith Militant Uprising. The forces of King Maegor Targaryen annihilated the host of Poor Fellows so utterly that the town of Stonebridge was ever after known as Bitterbridge.

Prelude:

The Faith Militant rose up against the Targaryens because of their Valyrian customs, such as wedding brother to sister, in 41AC. A year into the conflict, Maegor Targaryen succeeded to the Iron Throne after the death of his brother. King Maegor began a brutal campaign to destroy the Faith Militant.

Wat the Hewer, a leader of the Faith Militant, led an army of nine thousand Poor Fellows out of the Reach, marching eastward towards King's Landing. In response, Maegor gave Lord Meadows command of six lordly hosts, containing many armored knights on heavy horses, which were placed on both sides of the Mander.

The Poor Fellows, being primarily comprised of pious smallfolk, were untrained and undisciplined, clad in boiled leather, roughspun, and scraps of rusted steel. They were largely armed with woodsmen's axes, sharpened sticks, and farm implements.

Battle:

As the Poor Fellows were crossing the Mander river, across the namesake of the town of Stonebridge, the Royalist armies descended upon them from both banks. Lord Myles Smallwood

Caught, and divided by the river, the poorly armed Poor Fellows stood no chance against the charge of Royalist knights, and were cut to pieces and slaughtered. The sheer brutality of the ensuing carnage made the Mander run red with blood for twenty leagues.

Wat the Hewer slew no less than half a dozen lords and knights, including Lord Meadows, and faced the renowned Lord Myles in single combat, with both men surviving the fight. Wat was later captured and taken alive in the battle.

Aftermath:

The carnage of the Battle caused Stonebridge to be renamed Bitterbridge. Wat the Hewer was brought to King's Landing in chains, where he was mutilated by King Maegor.