Urien facts for kids
Urien was a powerful king who lived in the late 500s. He ruled a kingdom called Rheged, which was in what is now northern England and southern Scotland. Urien is also a famous character in the stories of King Arthur. In these legends, he is known as King Urien of Garlot or Gore. His most famous son, Owain, also became a well-known character named Ywain in the Arthurian tales.
Urien's Life and Battles
Urien was a descendant of Coel Hen, also known as King Cole. Coel Hen was an early leader in the area near Hadrian's Wall after the Romans left Britain.
Urien became king of Rheged. He was known for fighting against the Angles, who were trying to take over land in northern Britain. The Angles had a kingdom called Bernicia, which is now part of Northumbria.
Around the mid-500s, an Anglian leader named Ida started raiding the mainland from a place called Metcauld (near Lindisfarne). Urien teamed up with other northern kings to fight back. These kings included Rhydderch Hael of Strathclyde, Gwallog mab Llaenog, and Morgant Bwlch.
They managed to defeat the Angles and trapped them on Lindisfarne. However, Urien was sadly killed by a man named Llofan Llaf Difo. This happened because Morgant Bwlch was jealous of Urien's power. Old Welsh stories call Urien's death one of the "Three Unfortunate Assassinations." Other stories also list him as one of Britain's "Three Great Battle-leaders."
Urien was a very successful leader. His victories, like the battles of Gwen Ystrad and Alt Clut Ford, are celebrated in old poems. These poems were written by a famous poet named Taliesin and can be found in the Book of Taliesin.
Urien had at least five sons. His eldest son, Owain mab Urien, became king after him.
Urien in Arthurian Legends
Urien remained a popular figure in Wales for many centuries. Because of this, he and his son Owain became part of the famous Arthurian legends. These stories then spread from Britain to other parts of Europe.
In the legends of King Arthur, Urien is sometimes shown as the brother of King King Lot of Lothian. His kingdom in these stories is often called the magical Otherworldly land of Gore, or sometimes a more ordinary place called Garlot.
When Uther Pendragon (Arthur's father) was king, Urien married Morgan, who was Arthur's sister or half-sister. (Sometimes other sisters of Arthur are named as Urien's wife in different versions of the stories.)
After Uther died, Urien and several other kings did not want Arthur to become king. They rebelled against the young Arthur. Urien even briefly kidnapped Arthur's wife, Guinevere, in one story. But after they were defeated, Urien and the other rebel leaders became Arthur's friends and loyal supporters.
Urien's marriage to Morgan was not always happy. In one popular story, Morgan tried to use Excalibur (Arthur's sword) to kill both Urien and Arthur. She wanted to put herself and her lover, Accolon, on the throne. However, her plans failed because of her own son and the Lady of the Lake.
Urien is usually known as the father of Ywain (Owain) by Morgan. But some stories also say he had another son, Ywain the Bastard, with his seneschal's wife. Welsh traditions also say he had a daughter named Morfydd.
Some experts believe that another king in Arthurian legends, Nentres of Garlot, might have been based on Urien.
