Saint Hoel | |
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Prince of Cornouaille & Knight | |
Died | 6th century |
Canonized |
Anglican Communion Eastern Orthodox Church Catholic Church |
Patronage | Llanhowell |
King Hoel (Breton: Hoel I Mawr, lit. "Hoel the Great"; Latin: Hoelus, Hovelus, Hœlus), also known as Sir Howel and Saint Hywel, was a late 5th- and early 6th-century member of the ruling dynasty of Cornouaille. He may have ruled Cornouaille jointly after the restoration of his father, Budic II of Brittany, but he seems to have predeceased his father and left his young son, Tewdwr, as Budic's heir.
Hywel appears in Welsh mythology and the Matter of Britain as a "king of Brittany". A relative of Arthur, he was one of his most loyal allies (or, sometimes, knights) and was said to have helped him conquer "Gaul" (northern France).
The historical Hoel was the son of Budic II, king of Cornouaille in northwest Brittany. For all or most of his childhood, a usurping cousin ruled in Budic's place and the family resided in exile with Aergol Lawhir, king of Dyfed in sub-Roman Britain. He was credited with the foundation of Llanhowell (now in Llanrhian) during this time and, as "Saint Hywel", was revered by a local cult as its patron saint. The family was eventually restored to their home in Cornouaille, where Hoel may have ruled jointly with his father. He died shortly before he would have inherited the throne, however, and Budic's attempts to enlist his neighbor Macliau's support for the succession of Hoel's son Tewdwr ended badly. After Budic's death, Macliau invaded and the boy was forced into exile in Penwith.