Corwin was born to Queen Faiella on 450 AP and was rebellious as a child, in constant conflict with his sibling Eric.  Encouraged by Oberon to spend time in Shadow to distract them from their rivalry Corwin found he preferred Shadow and spent much of his time there, returning only for formal events.
 
During one of these events there was a particularly aggressive series of arguements between Corwin and Eric, leading to Corwin leaving Amber suddenly and returning to Shadow.  Corwin did not return for long enough to be considered dead by most of the family although he was never formally declared deceased.  Suspicion fell on Eric because of their conflicts and it soured Eric's relationship with his father for many years.
 
Corwin was eventually discovered to be very much alive when he returned shortly before PatternFall and was an important factor in the defeat of the Chaosian invasion and restoration of the Pattern.  During this event, he inscribed a Pattern of his own in an attempt to thwart the Chaosian forces.  Once the war was was Corwin chose to return to this new Pattern, named by him Argent, and has since started his own Kingdom in that reality.
 
Corwin occasionally visits Amber, or allows delegations from Amber to visit Argent, but he has largely removed himself from the affairs of his Amber family.