Owain Gwynedd (died 1170)

A king of Gwynedd in north Wales who succeeded his father Grufydd ap Cynan in 1137. In 1135 he had taken advantage of the death of Henry I to rebel against English rule and captured Mold in Powys, and land between the Rivers Conwy and Dee before threatening Ceredigion (Cardiganshire). In 1157, after Henry II's campaign in Wales, Owain had to accept the English king's overlordship, but in 1160 he attacked Powys again and seized Rhuddlan Castle. He continued to resist the English for the rest of his life, even attempting to make an alliance with Louis VII of France.