Urien

Urien was a late 6th century king of Rheged, an early British kingdom in northern England and southern Scotland. His power and his victories, including Gwen Ystrad and Alt Clut Ford, are celebrated in the Book of Taliesin, the supposed author of which served as his bard. He had four sons, named Owain, Riwallawn, Run and Pascen, the eldest of which succeeded him. He became the 'King Urien of Gore' of Arthurian legend and his son Owain mab Urien was later known as Ywain.

According to the genealogies Urien was the son of the battle-leader Cynfarch Oer, son of Meirchion Gul, son of Gorwst, son of Cenau, son of Coel Hen (Old King Cole), the first recorded post-Roman military leader in the area of Hadrian's Wall. He fought against the rulers of the Angle kingdom Bernicia (modern Northumbria). An Anglian noble, Ida, had occupied Lindisfarne around the middle of the sixth century and begun to raid the mainland. Urien joined with other northern princes, Ryderch the Generous of Strathclyde and two other descendants of Coel, [G] uallauc map Laenauc and [M] orcant Bulc. They defeated the Angles and beseiged them on Lindisfarne but, according to the "Historia Brittonum", Urien was assassinated at the command of Morcant Bulc who was jealous of his power. Shortly afterwards the Angles united with the Ulster Scots to inflict the decisive defeat of Dagsestone which broke the power of the north British kingdoms. The Welsh Triads calls the death of Urien one of the "three unfortunate assassinations" and accounts Urien one of the three great battle leaders of Britain.

The legend

Urien remained a popular figure in Wales over the centuries, and he and his son Owain were incorporated into Arthurian legend as it spread from Britain to continental Europe. His kingdom was eventually transferred to the mythical land of Gore, and Kings Lot of Lothian and Auguselus of Scotland are sometimes said to be his brothers. During the reign of Uther Pendragon he marries Arthur’s sister (often Morgan le Fay, but sometimes another sister is named). He, like the kings of several other lands, initially opposes Arthur’s ascendance to the throne after Uther’s death. Urien and the others rebel against the young monarch, but upon their defeat, the rebels become Arthur’s allies and vassals.

In the legends his marriage to Morgan is not portrayed as a happy one, however, as in one story Morgan plots to take Excalibur, kill Urien and Arthur, and place herself and her lover Accolon on the throne. He is always said to be the father of Ywain (Owain), and many texts give him a second son, Ywain the Bastard, fathered on his seneschal's wife. The Welsh attribute to him a daughter named Morvydd.

Thomas Malory sometimes spells his name "Urience", which has led some (e.g. Alfred Tennyson) to identify him with King Rience.