Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond (before 1100 – 15 September 1146), Breton ''Alan Penteur'', also known as "Alan the Black", was a Breton noble who fought for

Stephen, King of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne ''jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 unti ...

. Alan was the third son of

Stephen, Count of Tréguier Stephen of Penthièvre, Count of Tréguier, 3rd Lord of Richmond (1058/62 – 21 April 1136) was a Breton noble and a younger son of Odo, Count of Penthièvre and Agnes of Cornouaille, sister of Hoël II, Duke of Brittany. In 1093, he succeeded ...

, and Hawise de

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 6,895 as of 2017, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Gui ...

Life

The

Honour of Richmond The Honour of Richmond (or English feudal barony of Richmond) in north-west Yorkshire, England was granted to Count Alan Rufus (also known as Alain le Roux) by King William the Conqueror sometime during 1069 to 1071, although the date is uncertai ...

had been founded by Alan's uncle, Count

Alan Rufus Alan Rufus, alternatively Alanus Rufus (Latin), Alan ar Rouz ( Breton), Alain le Roux ( French) or Alan the Red (c. 1040 – 1093), 1st Lord of Richmond, was a Breton nobleman, kinsman and companion of William the Conqueror (Duke William II o ...

, who had died heirless, so it passed to a younger brother, Count

Alan the Black Alan the Black ( la, Alanus Niger, french: Alain le Noir; died 1098) was the second lord of the Honour of Richmond from 1093 until his death. He was a younger son of Odo, Count of Penthièvre. He succeeded his elder brother, Alan Rufus ("Alan the ...

, and then to a yet younger brother, namely Count Stephen. After Count Stephen's death in 1135/6, his Breton lands were inherited by his eldest son, Geoffrey Boterel II, whereas his English lands, the Honour of Richmond, went to Alan. During the Anarchy, Geoffrey supported the dispossessed Empress Matilda and her husband

Geoffrey of Anjou Geoffrey V (24 August 1113 – 7 September 1151), called the Handsome, the Fair (french: link=no, le Bel) or Plantagenet, was the count of Anjou, Count of Tours, Touraine and Count of Maine, Maine by inheritance from 1129, and also Duke of Nor ...

, while Alan allied with King Stephen. Alan married Bertha of Brittany, daughter of

Conan III, Duke of Brittany Conan III, also known as Conan of Cornouaille and Conan the Fat ( br, Konan III a Vreizh, and ; c. 1093–1096 – September 17, 1148) was duke of Brittany, from 1112 to his death. He was the son of Alan IV, Duke of Brittany and Ermengarde of An ...

, in a politically arranged marriage, perhaps in a move to draw Brittany onto Stephen's side in the conflict against Empress Matilda. In part to promote the alliance with Conan III of Brittany. Stephen created Alan 1st Earl of Richmond. Additionally, Stephen recognized Alan as

Earl of Cornwall The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne. Condor of Cornwall * Condor of Cornwall, ...

, in recognition of another of Alan's uncles,

Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word me ...

, who, Alan claimed, had formerly possessed Cornwall. After the Battle of Lincoln (1141), Alan was captured by

Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester Ranulf II (also known as Ranulf de Gernon), 4th Earl of Chester (1099–1153), was an Anglo-Norman baron who inherited the honour of the palatine county of Chester upon the death of his father Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester. He was desc ...

and tortured until he relinquished his claim to the Earldom of Cornwall. Battle of Lincoln 1141

Family

With

Bertha, Duchess of Brittany Bertha of Cornouaille (fl. 1125–56), also known as Bertha of Brittany ( br, Berthe Breizh), was the Duchess of Brittany between 1148 until her death and Dowager Countess of Richmond. Bertha was the elder daughter of Conan III of Brittany by Mau ...

, he had three children: *

Conan IV, Duke of Brittany 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 Richmo ...

, their son and heir * Constance, who married Alan III, Vicomte of Rohan * Enoguen, abbess of St. Sulpice. In addition, Alan had four illegitimate sons: * Bryan FitzAlan, progenitor of the Lords of Bedale in

Richmondshire {{Infobox settlement , name = Richmondshire District , type = District , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_blank_emblem= Richmondshire arms.png , blank_emblem_type = Coat ...

. * Stephen FitzAlan. * Reynold FitzAlan. * Robert FitzAlan.

Succession

Alan died in Brittany by 1146 and was buried at

Bégard Bégard (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Bégard are called ''Bégarrois''. Breton language The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg ...

Monastery. After his death, Bertha returned to Brittany. His son Conan IV inherited his title as Earl of Richmond and would later inherit the title Duke of Brittany.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Barlow, Frank (1955) ''The Feudal Kingdom of England 1042–1216'', London: Longmans, Green; tree opposite p. 288 * * Galliou, Patrick, & Jones, Michael (1991) ''The Bretons'', Oxford: Blackwell ; p. 191 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond, Alan, 1st Earl Of 11th-century births 1146 deaths Earls of Richmond (1136 creation) 12th-century Breton people Richmond, Alan, Earl of Medieval Cornish people Earls of Cornwall People of The Anarchy