Einion ab Owain (died ) was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

Welsh prince of the

House of Dinefwr The Royal House of Dinefwr was a cadet branch of the Royal House of Gwynedd, founded by King Cadell ap Rhodri (reign 872–909), son of Rhodri the Great. Their ancestor, Cunedda Wledig, born in late Roman Britain, was a Sub-Roman warlord who f ...

. He was the eldest son and probable edling of

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Owain of

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...

, son of

Hywel Dda Hywel Dda, sometimes anglicised as Howel the Good, or Hywel ap Cadell (died 949/950) was a king of Deheubarth who eventually came to rule most of Wales. He became the sole king of Seisyllwg in 920 and shortly thereafter established Deheubart ...

. The ''

Chronicle of the Princes ''Brut y Tywysogion'' ( en, Chronicle of the Princes) is one of the most important primary sources for Welsh history. It is an annalistic chronicle that serves as a continuation of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. ''Bru ...

'' records Einion assisting

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 ...

of Gwynedd in driving the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and their

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

allies from Wales in 966.Cambrian Archaeological Association. ''Archaeologia Cambrensis'':
Chronicle of the Princes
. W. Pickering, 1864. Accessed 19 Feb 2013. Einion then raided

Gower Gower ( cy, Gŵyr) or the Gower Peninsula () in southwest Wales, projects towards the Bristol Channel. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom ...

again the next year, "on the pretense" of opposing the pagan Vikings and their supporters. This prompted a retaliatory raid by

Owain of

Morgannwg Morgannwg was a medieval Welsh kingdom formed via the merger of the kingdoms of the Kingdom of Glywysing and the Kingdom of Gwent. Formation of Morgannwg First under King Morgan the Generous (fl. ) until the end of the reign of his descendant ...

, who brought Gower back under his control, and an invasion by

Edgar of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, who forced Einion's father Owain to swear fealty to him at Caerleon upon Usk. A third raid in 976 went little better: Einion is recorded devastating the area so thoroughly it provoked famine but Owain ap Morgan's brother Ithel defeated him and restored the plunder to its owners. At some point, he seems to have annexed

Brycheiniog Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Norman ...

for Deheubarth and King

Hywel Hywel (), sometimes anglicised as Howel or Howell, is a Welsh masculine given name. It may refer to: * Saint Hywel, a sixth-century disciple of Saint Teilo and the king of Brittany in the Arthurian legend. *Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog, 9th-century kin ...

of Gwyneddwith the support of Ælfhere of

Mercia la, Merciorum regnum , conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia , common_name=Mercia , status=Kingdom , status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879) Client state of Wessex () , life_span=527–918 , era= Heptarchy , event_start= , date_start= , ...

then invaded in 980 and 981. Einion defeated them at

Llanwenog Llanwenog is both a village and a community in Ceredigion, Wales. In 2011 the population of Llanwenog was 1,364, of whom 57.0% were able to speak Welsh. The community includes the villages of Alltyblacca, Gorsgoch, Cwmsychbant, Cwrtnewydd Highmea ...

and in Brycheiniog but the country was heavily despoiled by the northerners and the English and by a Viking raid against St. David's in 980 or 982. Einion predeceased his father, being slain at Pencoed Colwynn by the men of

Glywysing Glywysing was, from the sub-Roman period to the Early Middle Ages, a petty kingdom in south-east Wales. Its people were descended from the Iron Age tribe of the Silures, and frequently in union with Gwent, merging to form Morgannwg. Name and ...

and Gwent in AD 982 or 984.Williams, Ann & al. ''Biographical Dictionary of Dark Age Britain: England, Scotland and Wales, c.500 c.1050'':
Einion ab Owain
. Routledge, 1991. Accessed 19 Feb 2013. His offices were taken by his brother Maredudd, rather than by either of his sons. His line recovered the throne under his grandson

around 1035. He is sometimes credited with being the namesake of

Port Eynon Port Eynon (also spelt Port Einon, Porth Einon in Welsh) is a village and Community (Wales), community within the City and County of Swansea, Wales, located on the far south tip of the Gower Peninsula within the designated Area of Outstanding Natu ...

or Einon on the

Gower peninsula Gower ( cy, Gŵyr) or the Gower Peninsula () in southwest Wales, projects towards the Bristol Channel. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom ...

.Cowley, Marilyn.
The Eynon Name
". 1997. Accessed 19 Feb 2013.

Children

* Gronwy Ap Einion *

Edwin The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" (rich, blessed) and "ƿine" (friend). The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadƿine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures. People * Edwin of Northumbria (die ...

(slain 993) *Tewdwr (slain 993) * Cadell, whose grandson was Rhys ap Tewdwr. Probably slain in 993. *Gwladys * Gwenllian, typically but probably erroneously credited with marrying

Elystan Glodrydd Elystan Glodrydd (or, occasionally, Elstan Glodrydd; died 1010), also known as "Æthelstan the Famous" and "The Renowned," was, according to Welsh genealogical tracts, the founder of the fifth Royal Tribe of Wales. He was the Prince of Buellt, ...

*Marred

References

{{reflist, 2 House of Dinefwr