Edwin ap Hywel (died ) (sometimes recorded as Gwyn) was a 10th-century

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

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 Wales of the High Middle Ages. Edwin ap Hywel was descended from a long line of intermarrying Welsh princely houses. His father Hywel Dda married Elen ferch Llywarch (d. 929), daughter of

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Llywarch ap Hyfaidd Llywarch ap Hyfaidd (died ) was a king of Dyfed, an independent kingdom in southwest Wales. He was the son of Hyfaidd ap Bleddri and is thought to have inherited the kingdom of Dyfed after his father's death in c. 892. Sometime soon after Llywar ...

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 ...

(d. 904), and took over the kindgom of Deheubarth after the murder of her uncle

Rhodri ap Hyfaidd Rhodri ap Hyfaidd (died 905) was briefly the king of the independent early medieval Kingdom of Dyfed in southwestern Wales until he was murdered and his throne usurped. Rhodri was the son of Hyfaidd ap Bleddri. His brother Llywarch ap Hyfaidd ...

Arwystli Arwystli was a cantref in mid Wales in the Middle Ages, located in the headland of the River Severn. It was chiefly associated with the Kingdom of Powys, but was heavily disputed between Powys, Gwynedd, and the Norman Marcher Lords for hundred ...

in mid Wales (c. 905). This was thought to be an execution following a defeat in battle against Hywel, his father Cadell ap Rhodri, King of Seisyllwg (d. 909) or his uncle Anarawd ap Rhodri,

King of Gwynedd This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Many of them were also acclaimed "King of the Britons" or "Prince of Wales". List of kings or princes of Gwynedd House of Cunedda * Cunedda (Cunedda the Imperator) (c. 450 – c. 46 ...

(d.916). Edwin's name is not Welsh but Saxon English, and there has been some debate as to the source of and reasoning for his name, when his siblings and wider relatives tended to be named for Welsh dynastic or geographic reasons. His father was an ally of . On Hywel Dda's death in 950,

was shared between Edwin and his two brothers,

Rhodri ap Hywel Rhodri ap Hywel (died 953 or 954) was a King of Deheubarth in South Wales, and a son of Hywel Dda, King of Deheubarth and Gwynedd, known for his codification of Welsh laws. John Davies (2007) ''A History of Wales'' (Penguin) accessed 30 April ...

Dda (d. c. 953 or 954) and

Owain Owain () is a name of Welsh origin, variously written in Old Welsh as Ougein, Eugein, Euguen, Iguein, Ou(u)ein, Eug(u)ein, Yuein, and in Middle Welsh as Ewein, Owein, and Ywein. Other variants of the name Owain include Ewein, Iguein, Owein, Ouein, Y ...

ap Hywel Dda (d. c. 988). He may have had other brothers: Rhain (sometimes spelled Rhun) is considered definitive and there are suggestions of a Hywel Fychan, an Einion and a Dyfnwal (or Dyfnwallon) as well. The sons of Hywel had not been able to retain their hold of

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 the traditional dynasty of

Aberffraw Aberffraw is a village and community (Wales), community on the south west coast of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. The village is 9 miles from the island's county town, Llangefni, and is on the west bank of the Afon Ffraw (Ffraw River). The com ...

Iago ap Idwal Iago ab Idwal (fl. 942-979) was a King of Gwynedd (reigned 950–979) and possibly Powys. Iago was the son of the previous King Idwal Foel who had inherited the throne of Gwynedd on the death of his father Anarawd ap Rhodri in 916. Iago's pate ...

and

Ieuaf ap Idwal 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. Ieua ...

, 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 ...

, who had been a first cousin to Hywel Dda. In 952 Iago and Ieuaf ap Idwal invaded the south, penetrating as far as

. The sons of Hywel Dda 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 in a battle 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 ...

in Conwy 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 ...

. It is thought that Edwin ap Hywel was killed at the battle of Llanrwst in 954. His brother Rhodri predeceased him in either 953 or 954 and his brother Owain survived him as sole ruler of Dehubarth. The kingdom would later be ruled by Owain's descendants, including

Maredudd ab Owain Maredudd ab Owain (died ) was a Welsh monarch, ruling in Gwynedd, Deheubarth and Powys. A member of the House of Dinefwr, his patrimony was the kingdom of Deheubarth comprising the southern realms of Dyfed and Seisyllwg. Upon the death of hi ...

(d. 999).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwin ap Hywel Monarchs of Deheubarth 950s deaths 10th-century Welsh monarchs Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain