General Notes

"Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri, known to history as Owain Lawgoch (Owain of the red hand) and to the French as Yvain de Galles, like his father, was born and grew up in England and had no direct associations with Wales. He received his military training as a young man in France, and gained fame as the flamboyant leader of a band mercenary soldiers, many of whom were recruited from Wales. He led successful military campaigns in Spain and France, where he acquired a formidable reputation.
After being deprived of his English estates in 1369, he boldly laid claim to the inheritance of Gwynedd by virtue of his descent from Llywelyn the Great and his family's association with Llywelyn the Last. The French king Charles V apparently saw some value in supporting Owain's claims, at least on the surface, agreeing initially to finance a fleet of ships Owain was preparing to launch for a campaign in Wales in 1372. However, at the last minute the French king recalled the rebel leader, perhaps a good indication that Owain was more of a political pawn than a real threat to English control in Wales.

Although the French may not have been serious about actually supporting Owain, the perceived threat posed by this would-be successor to the house of Gwynedd was real enough. In Wales, the mention of his name gave heart to many who still courted thoughts of rebellion against their English overlords, while in England the crown saw the threat as real enough to take certain "preventative" measures.

Five years after his first aborted invasion, Owain was again making plans to raise an army for a campaign in Wales. But this time, John Lamb, a Scot in English pay, was dispatched to assassinate the rebel leader. He infiltrated Owain's Welsh mercenaries and murdered him during the siege of Mortagne-sur-Mer (France) in 1378 (depicted in a medieval manuscript at right). Thus ended the flamboyant career of the last direct descendant of Llywelyn the Great to lay claim to the ancient kingdom of Gwynedd. (Castles of Wales web site)"
Sources:
- person: Renaud de Paysac
MY SOURCE: "Ancestors/Descendants of Margaret D'Engheim" http:www.geneastar.org.