Herve I of Léon (1153–21 July 1203) was the first Lord of Léon, the founding member of the junior branch of the Léon family.

Life

Herve I was the second son of Guihomar IV, Viscount of Léon and his wife Nobilis.

The intervention of the Duke

When Guihomar IV died on 27 September 1179, Duke

Geoffrey II of Brittany Geoffrey II ( br, Jafrez; , xno, Geoffroy; 23 September 1158 – 19 August 1186) was Duke of Brittany and 3rd Earl of Richmond between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage to Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Geoffrey was the fourth of five sons ...

, seized the

castellany A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant of ...

Lanmeur Lanmeur (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. A hamlet in the commune called Kerouac () has been established as the source of the name of the American writer Jack Kerouac. A street in Lanmeur has been ...

Morlaix Morlaix (; br, Montroulez) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Leisure and tourism The old quarter of the town has winding streets of cobbled stones and overhan ...

and integrated it into the ducal domain. Then, in order to weaken the House of Léon, he decided to divide its estates into two parts and gave Guihomar IV's second son Harvey, Daoudour and

Landerneau Landerneau (; br, Landerne, ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. It lies at the mouth of the Elorn River which divides the Breton provinces of Cornouaille and Léon, east of Brest. The name is from ...

, as well as a fief he had taken from the castellany of

Saint-Renan Saint-Renan (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. History The city is named after the Irish saint "Rónán", who came in the 5th century to evangelize the area. While Brest was a village, the ci ...

which became known as "Viscounty of Coat-Méal"; he also gave Harvey the fiefs of the House of Léon in

Cornouaille Cornouaille (; br, Kernev, Kerne) is a historical region on the west coast of Brittany in West France. The name is cognate with Cornwall in neighbouring Great Britain. This can be explained by the settlement of Cornouaille by migrant princ ...

, that is to say the Lordships of

Daoulas Daoulas (; br, Daoulaz) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Population Inhabitants of Daoulas are called in French ''Daoulasiens''. Breton language In 2008, 9.82% of primary-school children attende ...

Crozon Crozon (, ; br, Kraozon, , ) is a commune in the department of Finistère and the administrative region of Brittany, northwestern France. As well as the town of Crozon, the village of Morgat is part of the commune. Crozon is located on the Croz ...

, Porzai and Plouié. Herve and his successors styled themselves "Lord of Léon", being vassals of the eldest branch of the Viscounts of Léon.

Marriage and Issue

Herve I married Margaret of Rohan, a daughter of Alan III, Viscount of Rohan, and

Constance of Penthièvre Constance of Penthièvre (1140 – after 1184) was a Breton princess, daughter of Alan of Penthièvre, 1st Earl of Richmond, and Bertha of Cornouaille, ''suo jure'' Duchess of Brittany. Life Constance was the daughter of Bertha, daughter of C ...

, a sister of

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 ...

Conan IV Conan IV ( 1138 – February 20, 1171), called the Young, was the Duke of Brittany from 1156 to 1166. He was the son of Bertha, Duchess of Brittany, and her first husband, Alan, Earl of Richmond. Conan IV was his father's heir as Earl of Richmon ...

. They had: * Harvey II (died in 1218 or 1219), who succeeded his father; * Alan of Léon (died after 1206); * Guihomar of Léon (died after 1206); * Salomon of Léon (died on 20 April 1223); * Constance of Léon, wife of Peter of Malestroit and mother of Odo of Malestroit.

Death

Herve I died on 21 July 1203.According to the necrology of Landevennec

References

Sources

*Chaillou, Léa. ''The House of Léon: Genealogy and Origins''. Foundations: The Journal of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, volume 11, 2019, pp. 19–48 * Patrick Kernévez and Frédéric Morvan ''Généalogie des Hervé de Léon (vers 1180-1363)''. Bulletin de la Société archéologique du Finistère, 2002, p. 279-312. {{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey I, Lord of Léon Lordship of Léon House of Léon 1203 deaths 12th-century Breton people 13th-century Breton people 1153 births