Owain Lawgoch - Military Career

Military Career

The year in which Owain entered the service of the king of France is uncertain. Froissart claims that he fought on the French side at the Battle of Poitiers, but there is no other evidence to support this. He was certainly in the service of the French as leader of a Free Company when the period of truce between France and England following the Treaty of Brétigny ended and hostilities resumed in 1369.

Owain's company consisted largely of Welshmen. The second in command of this company was Ieuan Wyn, known to the French as le Poursuivant d'Amour, a descendant of Ednyfed Fychan, Seneschal of Gwynedd under Owain's ancestors. Owain also received financial support while in France from Ieuan Wyn's father, Rhys ap Robert. While in French service Owain had good relations with Bertrand du Guesclin and others and gained the support of Charles V of France.

Welsh soldiery and longbowmen who had fought for Edward I in his campaigns in North Wales remained armed and sold their services to Norman kings in their battles in Scotland at Crecy and Poitiers. Ironically, the Norman attempt to conquer Wales set in train events which reignited Welsh identity and raised up new Welsh military leaders such as Owain claiming descent from the ancient Princes of Wales. The campaigns of Edward I and his successors proved ultimately to be a disaster for the Anglo-Normans when a Welsh army under Henry Tudor twice invaded England successfully in the 15th century finally destroying the Anglo-Norman dynasty in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth.

Owain made his first attempt to claim his inheritance in late 1369. A fleet was prepared in Harfleur at King Charles's expense to invade Wales under Owain's command and set sail just before Christmas. However, storms forced it to return to port after a few days. Owain served with Bertrand du Guesclin in Maine and Anjou in 1370 and in 1371 he and his company were in the service of the town of Metz.

In May 1372 in Paris, Owain announced that he intended to claim the throne of Wales. He set sail from Harfleur with money borrowed from Charles V. Owain first attacked the island of Guernsey, and was still there when a message arrived from Charles ordering him to abandon the expedition in order to go to Castile to seek ships to attack La Rochelle. Owain defeated an English and Gascon force at Soubise later that year, capturing Sir Thomas Percy and Jean de Grailly, the Captal de Buch. Another invasion of Wales was planned in 1373 but had to be abandoned when John of Gaunt launched an offensive. In 1374 he fought at Mirebau and at Saintonge. In 1375 Owain was employed by Enguerrand de Coucy to help win Enguerrand's share of the Habsburg lands due to him as nephew of the former Duke of Austria. However, during the Gugler War they were defeated by the forces of Bern and had to abandon the expedition.

In 1377 there were reports that Owain was planning another expedition, this time with help from Castile. The alarmed English government sent a spy, the Scot Jon Lamb, to assassinate Owain, who had been given the task of besieging Mortagne sur Mer in Poitou. Lamb gained Owain's confidence and became his chamberlain, which gave him the opportunity to stab Owain to death in July 1378. The Issue Roll of the Exchequer dated 4 December 1378 records "To John Lamb, an esquire from Scotland, because he lately killed Owynn de Gales, a rebel and enemy of the King in France ... £20". This of course was actually the King of England (who claimed the right to the Crown of France). Owain was buried in the church of Saint-Léger in Mortagne and Ieuan Wyn took over the command of his company.

After the assassination of Owain Lawgoch the remaining heirs of the House of Gwynedd kept a low profile until John Wynn, 1st Baronet asserted his pedigree in the 17th Century. No other person would proclaim themselves Prince of Wales until Owain Glyndŵr ("Owain IV") in 1400.