Owain Gwynedd

Owain Gwynedd
Depiction by Hugh Williams, 1909
King of Gwynedd
Reign	1137–1170
Predecessor	Gruffudd ap Cynan
Successor	Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd
Born	c. 1100 Gwynedd,Wales
Died	23 or 28 November 1170 (aged 69–70)
Burial	Bangor Cathedral
Spouse	Gwladus ferch Llywarch,Cristin ferch Goronwy
Issue	Rhun ab Owain Gwynedd Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd Iorwerth mab Owain Gwynedd Maelgwn ab Owain Gwynedd Gwenllian ferch Owain Gwynedd Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd Angharad ferch Owain Gwynedd Margaret ferch Owain Gwynedd Iefan ab Owain Gwynedd Cynan ab Owain Gwynedd Rhirid ab Owain Gwynedd Madoc ab Owain Gwynedd Cynwrig ab Owain Gwynedd Gwenllian ferch Owain Gwynedd Einion ab Owain Gwynedd Iago ab Owain Gwynedd Ffilip ab Owain Gwynedd Cadell ab Owain Gwynedd Rotpert ab Owain Gwynedd Idwal ab Owain Gwynedd
House	Aberffraw
Father	Gruffudd ap Cynan
Mother	Angharad ferch Owain

Owain ap Gruffudd(c. 1100– 23 or 28 November 1170) wasKing of Gwynedd,North Wales,from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his fatherGruffudd ap Cynan.He was calledOwain the Great(Welsh:Owain Fawr)and the first to be styled "Prince of Wales"and the"Prince of the Welsh".He is considered to be the most successful of all the North Welsh princes prior to his grandson,Llywelyn ab Iorwerth(Llywelyn the Great). He became known asOwain Gwynedd(Middle Welsh:Owain Gwyned,"Owain of Gwynedd" ) to distinguish him from the contemporarykingofPowys Wenwynwyn,Owain ap Gruffydd ap Maredudd, who became known asOwain Cyfeiliog.

Early life

Owain Gwynedd was a member of theHouse of Aberffraw,the senior branch of the dynasty ofRhodri Mawr(Rhodri the Great). His father,Gruffudd ap Cynan,was a strong and long-lived ruler who had made the principality ofGwyneddthe most influential inWalesduring the sixty-two years of his reign, using the island ofAngleseyas his power base. His mother,Angharad ferch Owain,was the daughter ofOwain ab Edwin of Tegeingl.Owain Gwynedd was the second son of Gruffydd and Angharad. His elder brother, Cadwallon, was killed in fighting in Powys in 1132 againstMeirionnydd.

Owain is thought to have been born on Anglesey about the year 1100, he wasGruffudd ap Cynan's second child, grandchild of Owain ab Edwin of Tegeingl via his mother Angharad ferch Owain.By about 1120 Gruffydd had grown too old to lead his forces in battle and Owain and his brothersCadwallonand laterCadwaladrled the forces of Gwynedd against the Normans and against other Welsh princes with great success. His elder brother Cadwallon was killed in a battle against the forces ofPowysin 1132, leaving Owain as his father's heir. Owain and Cadwaladr, in alliance withGruffydd ap RhysofDeheubarth,won a major victory over theNormansatCrug MawrnearCardiganin 1136and annexedCeredigionto their father's realm.

Accession to the throne and early campaigns

On behalf of his father, Gruffudd ap Cynan, Gwynedd directed military operations to the "cantrefsofMeirionnydd,Rhos,RhufoniogandDyffryn Clwydto Gwynedd proper ", and it was against the Normans, withGruffydd ap Rhyshe secured a victory at theBattle of Crug Mawrand the temporary occupation ofKingdom of Ceredigion.On Gruffudd's death in 1137, Owain inherited a portion of a well-established kingdom, but had to share it with Cadwaladr. In 1143 Cadwaladr was implicated in the murder ofAnarawd ap GruffyddofDeheubarth,and Owain responded by sending his sonHywel ab Owain Gwyneddto strip him of his lands in the north ofCeredigion.Though Owain was later reconciled with Cadwaladr, from 1143, Owain ruled alone over most ofNorth Wales.In 1155 Cadwaladr was driven into exile.

Owain took advantage ofThe Anarchy,a civil war betweenStephen, King of England,and theEmpress Matilda,to push Gwynedd's boundaries further east than ever before.In 1146 he capturedMold Castleand about 1150 capturedRhuddlanand encroached on the borders ofPowys.The prince of Powys,Madog ap Maredudd,with assistance fromRanulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester,gave battle atColeshill,but Owain was victorious.

War with King Henry II

All went well until the accession of KingHenry II of Englandin 1154. Henry invaded Gwynedd in 1157 with the support ofMadog ap Mareduddof Powys and Owain's brother Cadwaladr.The invasion met with mixed fortunes. Henry's forces ravaged eastern Gwynedd and destroyed many churches thus enraging the local population.The two armies met atEwloe.Owain's men ambushed the royal army in a narrow, wooded valley, routing it completely with King Henry himself narrowly avoiding capture.The fleet accompanying the invasion made a landing onAngleseywhere it was defeated. Ultimately, at the end of the campaign, Owain was forced to come to terms with Henry, being obliged to surrender Rhuddlan and other conquests in the east.

Forty years after these events, the scholarGerald of Wales,in a rare quote from these times, wrote what Owain Gwynedd said to his troops on the eve of battle:

"My opinion, indeed, by no means agrees with yours, for we ought to rejoice at this conduct of our adversary; for, unless supported by divine assistance, we are far inferior to the English; and they, by their behaviour, have made God their enemy, who is able most powerfully to avenge both himself and us. We therefore most devoutly promise God that we will henceforth pay greater reverence than ever to churches and holy places".

Madog ap Maredudd died in 1160, enabling Owain to regain territory in the east. In 1163 he formed an alliance withRhys ap Gruffyddof Deheubarth to challenge English rule. King Henry again invaded Gwynedd in 1165,but instead of taking the usual route along the northern coastal plain, the king's army invaded fromOswestryand took a route over theBerwyn hills.The invasion was met by an alliance of all the Welsh princes, with Owain as the undisputed leader. However, apart from a small melee at theBattle of Crogen,there was little fighting, for the Welsh weather came to Owain's assistance as torrential rain forced Henry to retreat in disorder. The infuriated Henry mutilated a number of Welsh hostages, including two of Owain's sons.

Owain wrote two letters toLouis VII of France,describing himself as "King of Wales" and "King of the Welsh".In the last of his letters to Louis VII of France, he offered to become a vassal of the French king and assist in attacking Henry if the French would make war on him. This time Owain styled himselfWaliarum princeps(prince of Wales),the first time he or anyone is known to have used such a title.

Henry did not invade Gwynedd again and Owain was able to regain his eastern conquests, recapturingRhuddlan Castlein 1167 after a siege of three months.

Disputes with the church and succession

The last years of Owain's life were spent in disputes with theArchbishop of Canterbury,Thomas Becket,over the appointment of a newBishop of Bangor.When the see became vacant Owain had his nominee, Arthur of Bardsey, elected. The archbishop refused to accept this, so Owain had Arthur consecrated inIreland.The dispute continued, and the see remained officially vacant until well after Owain's death. He was also put under pressure by the Archbishop and thePopeto put aside his second wife,Cristin verch Goronwy,who was his first cousin, this relationship making the marriage invalid under church law. Despite beingexcommunicatedfor his defiance, Owain steadfastly refused to put Cristin aside. Owain died in 1170, and despite having been excommunicated was buried inBangor Cathedralby the local clergy. The annalist writingBrut y Tywysogionrecorded his death "after innumerable victories and unconquered from his youth".

He is believed to have commissionedThe Life of Gruffydd ap Cynan,an account of his father's life. Following his death, civil war broke out between his sons. Owain was married twice, first to Gwladus ferch Llywarch ap Trahaearn, by whom he had two sons,Maelgwn ab Owain GwyneddandIorwerth Drwyndwn,the father ofLlywelyn ab Iorwerth(Llywelyn the Great), then to Cristin, by whom he had three sons includingDafydd ab Owain GwyneddandRhodri ab Owain Gwynedd.He also had a number of illegitimate sons, who byWelsh lawhad an equal claim on the inheritance if acknowledged by their father.

Heirs and successors

There is no evidence Owain used a coat of arms during his life, but later antiquariansretroactively attributedto Owain Gwynedd theblazon:Vert, three eagles displayed in fess Or.

Gwynedd was married, firstly to Gwladus daughter of Llywarch ap Trahaearn and then his cousin Cristin verch Goronwy.Owain had originally designatedRhun ab Owain Gwyneddas his successor. Rhun was Owain's favourite son,and his premature death in 1146 plunged his father into adeep melancholy,from which he was only roused by the news that his forces had captured Mold Castle. Owain then designatedHywel ab Owain Gwyneddas his successor, but after his death, Hywel was first driven to seek refuge inIrelandby Cristin's sons, Dafydd and Rhodri, then Hywel was killed at the battle ofPentraethwhen he returned with an Irish army. Dafydd and Rhodri split Gwynedd between them, but a generation passed before Gwynedd was restored to its former glory under Owain's grandsonLlywelyn ab Iorwerth(Llywelyn the Great).

According to legend, one of Owain's sons was Prince Madoc of Whales (Madoc), who is popularly supposed to have fled across theAtlanticand colonisedAmerica.

Altogether, the prolific Owain Gwynedd is said to have had the following children from two wives and at least four mistresses:

• Rhun ab Owain Gwynedd(illegitimate in Catholic custom, but legitimate successor in Welsh law);
• Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd(illegitimate in Catholic custom, but legitimate successor in Welsh law);
• Iorwerth mab Owain Gwynedd(the "flat nosed" from first wife Gwladys ferch Llywarch);
• Maelgwn ab Owain Gwynedd(from first wife Gwladys ferch Llywarch) Lord ofMôn(1169–1173);
• Gwenllian ferch Owain Gwynedd;
• Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd(from second wife Cristin ferch Goronwy);
• Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd,Lord ofMôn(1175–1193) (from second wife Cristin ferch Goronwy);
• Angharad ferch Owain Gwynedd;
• Margaret ferch Owain Gwynedd;
• Iefan ab Owain Gwynedd;
• Cynan ab Owain Gwynedd,Lord ofMeirionnydd(illegitimate);
• Rhirid ab Owain Gwynedd (illegitimate);
• Madoc ab Owain Gwynedd(illegitimate) (speculative/legendary);
• Cynwrig ab Owain Gwynedd (illegitimate);
• Gwenllian II ferch Owain Gwynedd (also shared the same name with a sister);
• Einion ab Owain Gwynedd (illegitimate);
• Iago ab Owain Gwynedd (illegitimate);
• Ffilip ab Owain Gwynedd (illegitimate);
• Cadell ab Owain Gwynedd (illegitimate);
• Rotpert ab Owain Gwynedd (illegitimate);
• Idwal ab Owain Gwynedd (illegitimate);
• Other daughters.

Fiction

Owain is a recurring character in theBrother Cadfaelseries of novels byEllis Peters,often referred to, and appearing in the novelsDead Man's RansomandThe Summer of the Danes.He acts shrewdly to keep Wales' borders secure, and sometimes to expand them, during the civil war between King Stephen and Matilda, and sometimes acts as an ally to Cadfael and his friend, Sheriff Hugh Beringar. Cadwaladr also appears in both these novels as a source of grief for his brother. Owain appears as a minor character in novels ofSharon Kay Penmanconcerning Henry II andEleanor of Aquitaine(When Christ and His Saints SleptandTime and Chance). Her focus with respect to Owain is on the fluctuating and factious relationship between England and Wales.

Sources

• Barbier, Paul (1908).The age of Owain Gwynedd. An attempt at a connected account of the history of Wales from December 1135 to November 1170.Newport, Wales.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Lloyd, John Edward (2004).A History of Wales: From the Norman Invasion to the Edwardian Conquest.Barnes & Noble.ISBN978-0-7607-5241-8.
• Penman, Sharon Kay.The Welsh Trilogy.Ballantine Books.
• Lee, Sidney,ed. (1895)."Owain Gwynedd".Dictionary of National Biography.Vol. 42. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 391–395.
• Pierce, Thomas Jones (1959)."Owain Gwynedd (c. 1100–1070), King of Gwynedd".Dictionary of Welsh Biography.National Library of Wales.