Hywel ap Edwin (died 1044) was king of

Deheubarth Deheubarth (; lit. "Right-hand Part", thus "the South") was a regional name for the realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to Gwynedd (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under the House o ...

in south

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

from 1033 to 1043. Hywel was the son of Edwin ap Einion and great-grandson 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 ...

. When the previous king,

Rhydderch ap Iestyn Rhydderch ap Iestyn (died 1033) was king of Gwent and Morgannwg in south Wales and later took over the kingdom of Deheubarth and controlled Powys. Comparatively little has been recorded about Rhydderch ab Iestyn in the annals. He appears to have o ...

, who had usurped the throne, died in 1033 Hywel became king of Deheubarth, sharing the realm with his brother Maredudd. Hywel and Maredudd's rule did not go unchallenged as the sons of Rhydderch fought in a battle against them in 1034 at Irathwy. Though sources do not name the victors it seems as though Hywel and Maredudd were victorious as they remained in power. On Maredudd's death in 1035, Hywel became sole king. He came under increasing pressure from

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

raids and from

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Gruffydd ap Llywelyn ( 5 August 1063) was King of Wales from 1055 to 1063. He had previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys in 1039. He was the son of King Llywelyn ap Seisyll and Angharad daughter of Maredudd ab Owain, and the great-gre ...

who had already seized the throne of Gwynedd. In 1042 Hywel won a victory over a host of Viking marauders near

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

but that year or in 1043 he was driven out of his kingdom by Gruffydd, who also took Hywel's wife (unnamed) as his own. He returned in 1044 with the aid of an Irish fleet to try to regain his kingdom, but Gruffydd defeated them in a battle near the mouth of the

River Towy The River Towy ( cy, Afon Tywi, ) is one of the longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales. Its total length is . It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing. Route The Towy rises within of the source of the River Teifi on the lower s ...

, in which Hywel was killed. Hywel's nephew, Maredudd ab Owain ab Edwin, succeeded to the throne when Gruffydd died in 1063.

Sources

* John Edward Lloyd ''A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest'' (Longmans, Green & Co.)
Dictionary of Welsh Biography
1044 deaths Monarchs of Deheubarth Medieval Welsh killed in battle 11th-century Welsh monarchs Year of birth unknown Monarchs killed in action {{Wales-bio-stub