Owain Gwynedd
Owain Gwynedd | |
---|---|
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 | |
Spouse | Gwladus ferch Llywarch, Cristin ferch Goronwy |
Issue |
|
House | Aberffraw |
Father | Gruffudd ap Cynan |
Mother | Angharad ferch Owain |
Owain ap Gruffudd (c. 1100 – 23 or 28 November 1170) was
Early life
Owain Gwynedd was a member of the
Owain is thought to have been born on Anglesey about the year 1100, he was Gruffudd ap Cynan's second child, grandchild of Owain ab Edwin of Tegeingl via his mother Angharad ferch Owain.[3] By about 1120 Gruffydd had grown too old to lead his forces in battle and Owain and his brothers Cadwallon and later Cadwaladr led 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 of Powys in 1132, leaving Owain as his father's heir. Owain and Cadwaladr, in alliance with Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth, won a major victory over the Normans at Crug Mawr near Cardigan in 1136[5] and annexed Ceredigion to their father's realm.
Accession to the throne and early campaigns
On behalf of his father, Gruffydd ap Cynan, Gwynedd directed military operations to the "cantrefs of Meirionydd, Rhos, Rhufoniog, and Dyffryn Clwyd to Gwynedd proper", and it was against the Normans, with Gruffydd ap Rhys he secured a victory at the Battle of Crug Mawr and the temporary occupation of Kingdom of Ceredigion.[3] On Gruffydd'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 of Anarawd ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth, and Owain responded by sending his son Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd to strip him of his lands in the north of Ceredigion.[4] Though Owain was later reconciled with Cadwaladr, from 1143, Owain ruled alone over most of north Wales. In 1155 Cadwaladr was driven into exile.
Owain took advantage of the Anarchy, a civil war between Stephen, King of England, and the Empress Matilda, to push Gwynedd's boundaries further east than ever before.[6] In 1146 he captured Mold Castle and about 1150 captured Rhuddlan and encroached on the borders of Powys. The prince of Powys, Madog ap Maredudd, with assistance from Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, gave battle at Coleshill, but Owain was victorious.[7][4]
War with King Henry II
All went well until the accession of King Henry II of England in 1154. Henry invaded Gwynedd in 1157 with the support of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys and Owain's brother Cadwaladr.[4] The invasion met with mixed fortunes. Henry's forces ravaged eastern Gwynedd and destroyed many churches thus enraging the local population.[3] The two armies met at Ewloe. Owain's men ambushed the royal army in a narrow, wooded valley, routing it completely with King Henry himself narrowly avoiding capture.[8] The fleet accompanying the invasion made a landing on Anglesey where 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 scholar Gerald 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."[8]
Madog ap Maredudd died in 1160, enabling Owain to regain territory in the east. In 1163 he formed an alliance with Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth to challenge English rule. King Henry again invaded Gwynedd in 1165,[4] but instead of taking the usual route along the northern coastal plain, the king's army invaded from Oswestry and took a route over the Berwyn 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 the Battle 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 to Louis VII of France, describing himself as "king of Wales" and "king of the Welsh".[9] 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 himself Waliarum princeps (prince of Wales)[a], the first time he or anyone is known to have used such a title.[11]: 184
Henry did not invade Gwynedd again and Owain was able to regain his eastern conquests, recapturing Rhuddlan castle in 1167 after a siege of three months.[4]
Disputes with the church and succession
The last years of Owain's life were spent in disputes with the
He is believed to have commissioned The Life of Gruffydd ap Cynan,
Heirs and successors
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Coat_of_arms_of_Owain_Gwynedd.svg/150px-Coat_of_arms_of_Owain_Gwynedd.svg.png)
Gwynedd was married, firstly to Gwladus daughter of Llywarch ap Trahaearn, and then his cousin
According to legend, one of Owain's sons was Prince Madoc, who is popularly supposed to have fled across the Atlantic and colonised America.
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 ab Owain Gwynedd (the "flat nose", also called Edward in some sources, from first wife Gwladys ferch Llywarch)
- Maelgwn ab Owain Gwynedd (from first wife Gwladys ferch Llywarch) Lord of Môn (1169–1173)
- Gwenllian ferch Owain Gwynedd
- Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd (from second wife Cristin ferch Goronwy)
- Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd, Lord of Môn (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 of Meirionnydd (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 the
Notes
References
- ^ Lloyd 2004, p. 94.
- ^ Lloyd 2004, p. 93.
- ^ a b c d e f (Pierce 1959)
- ^ a b c d e f g (Lee 1895)
- ISBN 9781857284676. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ISBN 9780198217329.
- ^ "MADOG ap MAREDUDD (died 1160), king of Powys". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales.
- ^ a b "Gerald of Wales, Itinirum Cambrae". Buildinghistory.org. 16 March 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
- ISBN 9780140148244.
- ^ Pryce, Huw (1998). "Owain Gwynedd And Louis VII: The Franco-Welsh Diplomacy of the First Prince of Wales". Welsh History Review. 19 (1): 1–28.
- JSTOR 41219622. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ Arthur Jones (1910). The history of Gruffydd ap Cynan. Manchester University Press.
- ^ "Gruffydd". mary.jones.us.
- ^ "TRAHAEARN ap CARADOG (died 1081), king of Gwynedd". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2021) |
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. ISBN 978-0-7607-5241-8.
- Penman, Sharon Kay. The Welsh Trilogy. Ballantine Books.
- Lee, Sidney, ed. (1895). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 42. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 391-395.
- Pierce, Thomas Jones (1959). "Owain Gwynedd (c.1100 - 1070), King of Gwynedd". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales.