Hywel Ab Owain Gwynedd

(d. 1170)

   Welsh warrior poet, the illegitimate son of Owain ab Gruffydd ab Cynan, prince of North Wales, and Pyvog, the daughter of an Irish noble. In 1143, taking advantage of a quarrel between his father and his uncle, Cadwaladr (died 1172), Hywel seized some part of Ceredigion (West Wales) and burned his uncle's castle of Aberystwyth. His exploits continued until 1150 when he suffered a reversal of fortunes. And in 1157, he fought against Henry II, whose aim was to subjugate the Welsh rebels. Hywel succeed his father in 1169 and soon afterward, when in Ireland - seeking his rightful lands, through his mother-his brother David rose against him in rebellion. Hywel was seriously injured in the ensuing battle, and according to some, taken to Ireland where he died. Of his poetical works the only known remains are eight odes printed in Myvyrian Archæolog y, 1197-9. His poetry is unique among the twelfth- and thirteenth-century court poets in that it consists very largely of love poetry which has been compared to that of the troubadours. Two of his poems: "Exultation," "The Poet's Loves."

   Sources: Project 1: Publications: The Poets of the Princes Series, Volume II: Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (http://www.wales.ac.uk/newpages/external/E4154.asp). School of Celtic Studies-Tionól 2005, Abstracts (http://www.celt.dias.ie/gaeilge/tionol/achoim05.html). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The Oxford Book of Welsh Verse in English. Gwyn Jones, ed. Oxford University Press, 1977.