Owain Lawgoch

Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri (died July 1378) or Owain Lawgoch was a Welsh soldier who served in Lombardy, France, Alsace, and Switzerland. He led a Free Company fighting for the French against the English in the Hundred Years' War. As a politically active descendant of Llywelyn the Great in the male line, he was a claimant to the title of Prince of Gwynedd and of Wales.

Genealogy

Owain was a lineal direct descendant of the Welsh Prince Llywelyn the Great, through his illegitimate son Gruffudd (d. 1244). His grandfather was a member of the Welsh Royal House of Gwynedd, and Owain was very aware of his dynastic hereditary claim as the last living male of Llywelyn's family.

Owain in legend The 20th-century reprint of Le Morte d'Arthur introduced by John Rhys tells of Owain Lawgoch (Owen of Cardiganshire), a man of untold riches and 7 feet tall with a red right hand, living in a cave in south Cardiganshire:

The name Owain in Welsh folklore is a fabled name of the "son of destiny", to which Owain aspired. The prophecy was repeated by Owain Glyndŵr two decades after Owain Lawgoch's death. The next time, Owain's fame and reputation have endured to date.

A memorial to Owain Lawgoch at his death location was unveiled Mortagne-sur-Gironde in 2003.

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