Owen I of Strathclyde

Who is Owen I of Strathclyde?

Owen I, Ywain I or Eógan I was ruler of the Kingdom of Strathclyde for some period in the early tenth century.

Symeon of Durham recorded that Owen, whom he calls "Ouuen, king of the Cumbrians", was defeated by king Æthelstan of England in 934, along with his allies King Olaf III Guthfrithson of Dublin and Constantine II of Scotland, his overlord. The latter date puts the start of Owen's reign sometime before, perhaps a long time before, this year. It is possible, as MacQuarrie and others suggest, that Owen was the son of King Dyfnwal II of Strathclyde, thereby making him the nephew of Constantine, but this suggestion now carries some controversy. Many historians believe that Owen was present and died at the Battle of Brunanburh in 937, and indeed Symeon of Durham does mention the presence of the "Cumbrians" at the battle.

The 14th-century historian John Fordun wrote that during the reign of Constantine, the Scottish kings turned Strathclyde into an appanage kingdom whereby the designated heir or tanist would rule as a sub-king before becoming in his turn King of Alba upon the death of the designating king. Indeed, Fordun claims that Constantine II gave Owen his kingdom on this basis. If Owen was the designated heir of Constantine II, as some historians believe, he did not survive to outlive the Scottish king.