Conan I (died 27 June 992), nicknamed ''Le Tort'' (The Crooked), was the

Duke of Brittany This is a list of rulers of Brittany. In different epochs the rulers of Brittany were kings, princes, and dukes. The Breton ruler was sometimes elected, sometimes attained the position by conquest or intrigue, or by hereditary right. Hereditary ...

from 990 to his death.

Life

Count to Duke

Conan was the son of Judicael Berengar, succeeding his father as Count of Rennes in 970. Conan assumed the title of Duke of

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

in the spring of 990 following his attack on Nantes and the subsequent death of Count Alan. As Duke, his rule succeeded the Regency that governed Brittany during the life of Drogo and the fractured rule of Brittany after Drogo's death by his illegitimate brothers Hoël and Guerech, and the latter's son

Alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Kurdish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name ** List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' * ...

. The fractured rule over Brittany resulted in a short vacancy in the title

. Conan I had to ally himself with

Odo I, Count of Blois Odo I (also spelled Eudes) ( – 12 March 996), Count of Blois, Chartres, Reims, Châteaudun and Omois, lord of Provins, was the son of Theobald I of Blois and Luitgard, daughter of Herbert II of Vermandois. He received the title of count pal ...

in order to defeat Judicael Berengar before he could assume the title of Duke. Mont-Saint-Michel depuis la mer

The Mont St Michel land charter

In a charter dated 28 July 990, Conan gave the lands of Villamée, Lillele and Passille to

Mont Saint-Michel Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately off France's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is i ...

, all of which later became part of the seigneury of

Fougères Fougères (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Foujerr'') is a Communes of France, commune and a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine Departments of France, department, located in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, no ...

Marriage alliance

Conan married

Ermengarde-Gerberga of Anjou Ermengarde of Anjou ( - )She is called Ermengarde in northern renchsources however at least one early southern source calls her Gerberga. Angevins were known to give daughters two names as evidenced by her aunt, called Adelaide-Blanche. See: B ...

, in 973, daughter of Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou and Adele of Vermandois. Conan's alliance with Odo of Blois had helped him defeat Judicael Berengar.

Norman Pact

The alliance with Blois eventually became troublesome and he later needed to ''"rid himself of influence from Blois, hich he accomplished by signinga pact with Richard I of Normandy; his pactestablished firm Breton-Norman links for the first time."'' Richard I had married the daughter of Hugh I the Great, and after this marriage had re-asserted his father's claim as Overlord of the Breton duchy. Conan I's pact with Normandy strengthened that assertion but the historical documentation for that Overlordship claim remains doubtful because it largely appears only in the less than authoritative writings of Dudo of Saint-Quentin.

Death

Conan died fighting his brother-in-law Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou at the

Battle of Conquereuil The Battle of Conquereuil was fought on June 27, 992 AD between the Bretons under Conan I, Duke of Brittany and the Angevins under Fulk the Black. Siege of Nantes Duke Conan had the Breton city of Nantes under siege, when he learned that Fulk w ...

on 27 June 992. Conan is buried at

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

Family

Conan and his wife Ermengarde-Gerberga had: * Geoffrey (c. 980–1008), the eventual heir. *

Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic Church, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Christian Old Testament of the Bible but Development of the Hebrew Bible canon, excluded from the ...

(982–1017), married

Richard II, Duke of Normandy Richard II (died 28 August 1026), called the Good (French: ''Le Bon''), was the duke of Normandy from 996 until 1026. Life Richard was the eldest surviving son and heir of Richard the Fearless and Gunnor. He succeeded his father as the ruler o ...

. *Judicael, count of

Porhoët The noble Breton family line of Porhoët () was a French noble family in the middle ages, from around 990 through the 1200's. Notable members included Odo I, Odo II, and Alan I. Alan I would go on to form the Franco-Breton House of Rohan, w ...

(died 1037). *Hernod. * Catuallon, Abbot of Redon

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Conan 01 of Rennes Conan I, Duke of Brittany 10th-century dukes of Brittany Dukes of Brittany Counts of Rennes Conan I, Duke of Brittany Year of birth unknown