Conan II of Rennes (c. 1033 – 11 December 1066) was

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

, from 1040 to his death. Conan was the eldest child and heir of

Alan III, Duke of Brittany Alan III of Rennes (c. 997 – 1 October 1040) ( French: ''Alain III de Bretagne'') was Count of Rennes and duke of Brittany, by right of succession from 1008 to his death. Life Alan was the son of Duke Geoffrey I and Hawise of Normandy.Detlev Sc ...

by his wife

Bertha of Blois Bertha of Blois (French: ''Berthe de Blois''; c. 1005 — c. 1080), was a Duchess consort of Brittany and a countess consort of Maine (province), Maine. Life Bertha was the daughter of Odo II, Count of Blois and Ermengarde of Auvergne. In 1029, ...

, and member of the

House of Rennes This is a list of rulers of the Duchy of Brittany. In different epochs the sovereigns of Brittany were kings, princes, and dukes. The Breton ruler was sometimes elected, sometimes attained the position by conquest or intrigue, or by hereditary r ...

.Brittany Genealogy extracted Feb 1, 2008
/ref> He was the elder brother of Hawise, who succeeded him as ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' duchess.

Duke of Brittany

Conan II faced a daunting series of challenges to assert his rule as Duke of Brittany. His father Duke Alan III had died when Conan was still a minor, his grandfather Duke Geoffrey I's attempts at an alliance with Normandy had been reduced to border skirmishes, his uncle Odo challenged his right to rule and he faced a rebellion from Breton nobles, notably

Rivallon I of Dol Rivallon I of Dol (died c. 1065) was the first lord of Combourg from before 1040. He was born to Hamo I, Viscount of Alet and Roianteline. Rivallon's eldest brother was Hamo II Viscount of Alet, while his next eldest brother Josselin became the s ...

. Conan's inheritance was usurped by his uncle,

Odo Odo or ODO may refer to: People * Odo, a given name; includes a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Franklin Odo (born 1939), Japanese-American historian * Seikichi Odo (1927–2002), Japanese karateka * Yuya Odo (born 1990), J ...

, who initially ruled Brittany as regent during Conan's minority. However, by the time Conan reached his majority his uncle Odo refused to give up his authority. By 1057 Conan captured his uncle, whom he then had chained and imprisoned.

Norman interference

Bayeux Tapestry scene19 detail Castle Dinan

Once enthroned as Duke Conan II of Brittany, he faced numerous threats, including revolts from his nobles sponsored by

William, Duke of Normandy William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 ...

, afterwards King of England. Brittany, an independent Celtic duchy, had a traditional rivalry with neighboring Normandy. The 1064–1065 war between Brittany and Normandy was sparked after Duke William supported

's rebellion against Conan II. In 1065, before his invasion of Anglo-Saxon England, William of Normandy sent word to the surrounding counties, including Brittany, warning them against attacking his lands, on the grounds that his mission bore the papal banner. Conan promptly informed the duke that he would definitely take the opportunity to invade the latter's duchy. In the history of conflicts between Brittany and Anjou,

Pouancé Pouancé () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 15 December 2016, it was merged into the new commune Ombrée d'Anjou. It is located on the border of 4 French departements: Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne in the n ...

had served as the "Breton March" or border town. During Conan's 1066 campaign against Anjou, he took

and

Segré Segré () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 15 December 2016, it was merged into the new commune Segré-en-Anjou Bleu.Château-Gontier Château-Gontier () is a former commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne. Geography It is about south of Laval, the préfecture of the depar ...

, where he was found dead after donning poisoned riding gloves. Duke William was widely suspected. He was also asked to help William the Conqueror on his 1066 conquest of England, but refused, saying that the Normans poisoned his father in 1040. Conan II died leaving no known issue. It is possible he died because the gloves he was wearing were poisoned, and he swallowed the poison when he wiped his mouth with the glove.

Succession

He was succeeded by his sister Hawise and brother-in-law, Hoël II, whose marriage may have been a political move to consolidate and stabilize the east and west regions of the duchy following Conan's death.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conan 02, Duke of Brittany 1030s births 1066 deaths 11th-century dukes of Brittany Dukes of Brittany Medieval child rulers Year of birth uncertain