Hywel the Great

Saint Hoel
St Malo and Hywel in a stained-glass window in Reguiny
Prince of Cornouaille and Knight
Died6th century
CanonizedAnglican Communion
Eastern Orthodox Church
Catholic Church
PatronageLlanhowell
This article is about the legendary 6th-century figure. For other uses, see Hywel.

King Hoel (Breton: Hoel I Mawr, lit. "Hoel the Great"; Latin: Hoelus, Hovelus, Hœlus), also known as Sir Howel, Saint Hywel and Hywel the Great, was a late 5th- and early 6th-century[1] member of the ruling dynasty of Cornouaille. He may have ruled Cornouaille jointly after the restoration of his father, Budic II of Brittany, but he seems to have predeceased his father and left his young son, Tewdwr, as Budic's heir.[2]

Hywel appears in Welsh mythology and the Matter of Britain as a "king of Brittany." A relative of Arthur, he was one of his most loyal allies (or, sometimes, a Knight of the Round Table) and was said to have helped him conquer "Gaul" (northern France).[1]

  1. ^ a b Ford, David Nash. "Hoel I Mawr" at Early British Kingdoms. 2001. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  2. ^ Ford, David Nash. "Tewdwr Mawr" at Early British Kingdoms. 2001. Retrieved 1 December 2014.