__NOTOC__ Owain ap Hywel (died ) was king of

Deheubarth Deheubarth (; , thus 'the South') was a regional name for the Welsh kingdoms, realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under ...

in south

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and probably also controlled

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

. Owain was one of the three sons of King Hywel the Good. Upon Hywel's death in 948, Owain, Rhodri, and

Edwin The name Edwin means "wealth-friend". It comes from (wealth, good fortune) and (friend). Thus the Old English form is Ēadwine, a name widely attested in early medieval England. Edwina is the feminine form of the name. Notable people and char ...

divided his lands among themselves according to Welsh law. The sons were not able to retain Hywel's hegemony over

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

, which was reclaimed for its earlier dynasty by the sons of

Idwal Foel Idwal Foele (Idwal the Bald) (died c. 942) or Idwal ab Anarawd (Idwal son of Anarawd) was a 10th-century King of Gwynedd in Wales. A member of the House of Aberffraw, he inherited the throne from his father, Anarawd ap Rhodri. William of Malmesb ...

. In 950, two of the sons of Idwal Foel,

Iago Iago () is a fictional character in Shakespeare's '' Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Iago is the play's main antagonist and Othello's standard-bearer. He is the husband of Emilia who is in turn the attendant of Othello's wife Desdemona. Iago ha ...

and

Ieuaf Ieuaf () usually known as Idwal ap Idwal (), (died 988), to distinguish him from his father Idwal Foel, was joint king of Gwynedd in northern Wales from 950 to 969 with his brother Iago ab Idwal. He possibly also ruled Powys for some time. Ieu ...

, invaded the south, penetrating as far as

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales, covering the modern counties Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. It is mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed w ...

. The sons of Hywel retaliated by invading the north in 954, reaching as far north as the

Conwy valley The River Conwy (; ) is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is long and drains an area of 678 square km. "Conwy" was formerly anglicised as "Conway." The name 'Conwy' derives from the old Welsh words ''c ...

before being defeated at

Llanrwst ; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It is on the east bank of the River Conwy and the A470 road, and lies within the historic counties of Wales, historic county boundaries of Denbighshire (histori ...

and being obliged to retreat to

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

. Rhodri died in 953 and Edwin in 954, leaving Owain in sole possession of Deheubarth alone. In 958 Owain attacked Gorwennydd. From there he went to Euas and Ergin and seized them from Morgan the Great, King of Glamorgan. In 959 Owain broke into the monastery Llan Illdud in Gorwennydd, and damaged the monastery Catwg in Nant Garvan. In 962 Owain swore to pay yearly tribute to King Edgar the Peaceful. Owain did not again try to reclaim Gwynedd; instead, he and his son

Einion Einion, the Welsh form of the Latin Ennianus,Baring-Gould, Sabine & al''The Saints of Wales and Cornwall and Such Irish Saints as Have Dedications in Britain'', Vol. II, pp. 422 ff The Hon. Society of Cymmrodorion (London), 190 ...

turned eastwards to attack the kingdom of Morgannwg (modern

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

) in 960, 970, and 977. Owain was now aging, and it appears that Einion took over the rule of the kingdom on behalf of his father. On a further raid on the east in 984, Einion was killed by the noblemen of

Gwent Gwent may refer to: Places *Kingdom of Gwent, a post-Roman Welsh kingdom or principality which existed in various forms between about the 5th and 11th centuries, although the name continued in use later *Gwent (preserved county), a preserved count ...

. Following Einion's death, Owain's second son

Maredudd Maredudd, also found in the form Meredydd and in other spellings, is a Welsh male given name. The English-language name ''Meredith'' derives from it. A pet form of the name was ''Bedo'', which has also entered the English language in names such ...

took over his position. In 986, he successfully returned to the north and seized Gwynedd, ousting Ieuaf's son Cadwallon. Owain died in 988 and Maredudd became king of Deheubarth as well, although he later consented to share his kingdom with Einion's heirs

and Cadell. The A text of the ''

Annales Cambriae The (Latin for ''Annals of Wales'') is the title given to a complex of Latin chronicles compiled or derived from diverse sources at St David's in Dyfed, Wales. The earliest is a 12th-century presumed copy of a mid-10th-century original; later ...

'' was apparently compiled at Owain's instigation.

Children

*Cadwgan (died in 948 or 949) *Cadwallon (died in 961Cambrian Archaeological Association. ''Archaeologia Cambrensis'':
Chronicle of the Princes
, pp. 25-29. W. Pickering, 1864. Accessed 16 January 2019. or 964) *Llywarch. In 986 he was "deprived of his eyes." *

References

Citations

Sources

John Edward Lloyd Sir John Edward Lloyd (5 May 1861 – 20 June 1947) was a Welsh historian. Early life and eduction John Edward Lloyd was born in Liverpool on 5 May 1861. He was educated in the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (which later become ...

(1911) ''A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest'' (Longmans, Green & Co.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Owain ap Hywel Dda House of Dinefwr Monarchs of Deheubarth Monarchs of Powys 10th-century Welsh monarchs 980s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain