Owain ab Edwin

Owain ab Edwin of Tegeingl or Owain Fradwr (Welsh: "the Traitor"; ? – 1105) was lord of the cantref of Tegeingl in north-east Wales at the end of the 11th century. He was the son of Edwin of Tegeingl. He sided with the Normans in their failed invasion of North Wales, and in the 1090s attempted to become ruler of Gwynedd.

His arms were gules three men's legs conjoined at the thighs in triangle argent.

Little is known of Owain's father, Edwin of Tegeingl. However, most medieval pedigrees identify Owain's paternal grandfather as Gronwy, a descendant of Hywel Dda. Owain may have been a great-great-great-grandson of Hywel Dda although this is disputed. His paternal grandmother is believed to have been Ethelfleda or Aldgyth, daughter of Eadwine of Mercia. His mother was Iwerydd, sister of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, Prince of Gwynedd and Powys (1063–1075).

Owain was Lord or Prince of the cantref of Tegeingl. The cantref formed the eastern part of Perfeddwlad (or Y Berfeddwlad) on the northern coast of Wales between the River Clwyd and Deeside. The territory, originally forming part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, had been under the control of the Anglo-Saxons for several centuries and then changed hands several times between the two. Owain's father, Edwin, appears to have been raised to the lordship of Tegeingl by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, ruler of most of Wales between 1055 and 1063. Edwin died in 1073 and Owain succeeded him as lord.

It appears that Owain made a challenge for the kingship of Gwynedd and may have succeeded in holding it for a time in the 1090s. Links to previous rulers through the female line were very important in establishing a claim, and Owain's relationship with Bleddyn ap Cynfyn through his mother would have been relevant.

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