Owain ap Hywel (died Ford, David. ''Early British Kingdoms'': . Accessed 20 Feb 2013.) was a
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...
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 ...
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 ...
.
Owain's father Hywel was king of Glywysing until his death around AD 886. Although the unified kingdom of Glywysing and Gwent became known as
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 ...
in honor of Owain's son
Morgan the Old
Morgan Hen ab Owain or Morgan the Old (died 974), first known as Morgan ab Owain of Gwent and also known as Moragn Hen Fawr, was the king of Morgannwg. He ruled from AD 942 to 974.
In 931, Morgan was one of the Welsh rulers who submitted to Athel ...
, Charles-Edwards argues that it is probable that the two realms were already united during Owain's reign.Charles-Edwards, T. Wales and the Britons, 3501064 ', p. 495. Oxford Univ. Press, 2012. Accessed 20 Feb 2013. Owain or his brother Arthfael must have gained control of Gwent by conquest or inheritance from the previous rulers (their cousins), with the realm becoming united after Arthfael's death around 916.
Along with
Hywel the Good
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 Deheubarth ...
, Owain met with
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...
Æthelstan
Æthelstan or Athelstan (; ang, Æðelstān ; on, Aðalsteinn; ; – 27 October 939) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his fir ...
of
Wessex
la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons
, common_name = Wessex
, image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg
, map_caption = S ...
following the latter's conquest of
Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
. Around 927, he and Hywel "established peace with pledge and oaths" at Eamont Bridge near Penrith.Stafford, Pauline (ed.) ''A Companion to the Early Middle Ages: Britain and Ireland 1100'' p. 343 John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Accessed 20 Feb 2013. The subsequent tribute payments in silverWiliams, Glanmor. ''Glamorgan County History'', Vol. 2: "Early Glamorgan: Pre-History and Early History", p. 352. W. Lewis, 1984. and in kind were bemoaned by the
bard
In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise ...
s as a heavy burden.
Owain's death initially divided the kingdom again among his three sons, but the long-lived Morgan outlasted his brothers and reünited the realm again, which thenceforth carried his name.
Children
Owain's wife was
Elen ferch Rhodri Elen may refer to:
* Elen (saint), a Welsh saint
* Elen ferch Llywelyn (c. 1206–1253)
* Elen Dosia, a French opera singer
* Elen Levon, a Ukrainian singer, actress and dancer
* Elen Shakirova, a Russian former basketball player
* Elen Willard (bo ...
(born ). His sons were:
* Cadwgan (king of West Glywysing, killed )
*
Morgan the Old
Morgan Hen ab Owain or Morgan the Old (died 974), first known as Morgan ab Owain of Gwent and also known as Moragn Hen Fawr, was the king of Morgannwg. He ruled from AD 942 to 974.
In 931, Morgan was one of the Welsh rulers who submitted to Athel ...