Iorwerth ab Owain (also known as Iorwerth of Gwynllŵg) (d. before 1184) was a Welsh prince of Gwynllŵg and Lord of

Caerleon Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable ...

Life

He was a son of Owain ap Caradog and thus a grandson of King

Caradog ap Gruffydd Caradog ap Gruffudd (died 1081) was a Prince of Gwent in south-east Wales in the time of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn and the Norman conquest, who reunified his family's inheritance of Morgannwg and made repeated attempts to reunite southern Wales by ...

of Gwent. In 1136 together with his older brother

Morgan ab Owain Morgan ab Owain (died 1158) was a Welsh king and Lord of Caerleon. He was a son of Owain Wan and thus a grandson of Caradog ap Gruffydd, the last Welsh king of Gwent. After Caradog ap Gruffydd was killed in 1081 in the Battle of Mynydd Carn aga ...

he attacked and murdered Richard FitzGilbert de Clare in an ambush between

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

and

Talgarth Talgarth is a market town, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in southern Powys, Mid Wales, about north of Crickhowell, north-east of Brecon and south-east of Builth Wells. Notable buildings in the town include the 14th-century ...

. Iorwerth also supported his brother during the subsequent reconquest of Upper Gwent and Llenfennydd. As a result of this close alliance, he became his heir and successor after Morgan's murder in 1158, although Morgan left at least two sons. In contrast to his brother, however, he did not claim the title of king. Richard de Clare, the Lord of

Chepstow Chepstow () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the ...

, retook Usk Castle before 1169. In 1171 the Lord Rhys together with the English king

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

, who was on his way to Ireland, drove Iorwerth from Caerleon Castle. Iorwerth had to retire to Machen Castle in Gwynllŵg. After Henry II had traveled on to Pembroke, Iorwerth, his sons and his nephew Morgan ap Seisyll tried in vain to recapture Caerleon Castle. After the siege failed, they sacked and ravaged the Llefennydd region. In 1172 Iorwerth's eldest son Owain and Iorwerth's brother-in-law Seisyll ap Dyfnwal, Lord of Upper Gwent, were attacked by soldiers of the

Earl of Gloucester The title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of Peerage of England, England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play ''King Lear.'' Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation (1121) *Robert, 1st Earl ...

on their way to Usk Castle, where they were going to negotiate with Henry II. While Seisyll was captured, Owain was murdered. To exact revenge, Iorwerth and his son

Hywel Hywel (), sometimes anglicised as Howel or Howell, is a Welsh masculine given name. It may refer to: Monarchs * Hywel the Great, late fifth- and early sixth-century noble in Brittany, saint and king of Brittany in the Arthurian legend. *Hywel ap R ...

plundered large areas of

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

and

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

. When the king's power was weakened by the rebellion of his sons the next year, Iorwerth and Hywel took advantage of this with further attacks and conquests. After a three-day siege, they were able to recapture Caerleon Castle on 21 July 1173, and subsequently also occupy the Lower Gwent. At the beginning of 1175, however, violent clashes broke out within the family. Iorwerth's son Hywel blinded and castrated his uncle Owain Pen-Carn, his father's younger brother. From then on, Iorwerth's nephew Morgan, a son of Morgan ab Owain, supported the English who recaptured Caerleon Castle and Lower Gwent. At the end of June 1175, however, Iorwerth concluded an alliance with Lord Rhys, and under his leadership he was one of the princes of southeastern Wales who paid homage to Henry II in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

. This gave him back Caerleon. Presumably this was helped by the fact that Iorwerth's daughter

Nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold Egg (biology), eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of ...

became a lover of Henry II at that time and bore him a son. Nest then married Ralph Bloet, an Anglo-Norman lord from the neighboring lordship of Striguil.

Family and issue

Probably before 1148 Iorwerth married Angharad, a daughter of Bishop Uhtred of

Llandaff Llandaff (; ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Bisho ...

. He had several children with her, including * Owain *

* Gruffudd * Cadwallon * Morgan *

Iorwerth died between 1175 and 1184, his successor was his son Hywel ab Iorwerth. Either he or his son Hywel founded the Cistercian Llantarnam Abbey between 1175 and 1179.

Sources

{{Cite ODNB, id=101048555, title=Iorwerth ab Owain (d. 1175x84)

References

Welsh princes 12th-century Welsh monarchs