Geoffrey I (c. 980 – 20 November 1008), also known as Geoffrey of Rennes and Geoffrey Berengar, was the eldest son of Duke
Conan I of Brittany
Conan I (died 27 June 992) nicknamed ''Le Tort'' (The Crooked) was the Duke of Brittany 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 ...
. He was
Count of Rennes
The Count of Rennes was originally the ruler of the Romano-Frankish '' civitas'' of Rennes. From the middle of the ninth century these counts were Bretons with close ties to the Duchy of Brittany, which they often vied to rule. From 990 the Cou ...
(ruler of the Romano-Frankish ''civitas'' of Rennes), by right of succession. In 992 he assumed the title 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 ...
, which had long been an independent state, but he had little control over much of
Lower Brittany.
[Geoffrey, Count of Rennes, assumed the title Duke of Brittany in 992. Brittany was not then part of the emerging ]Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...
, but earlier Dukes had paid homage to the kings of the fledgling French state. By the time of Count Geoffrey's reign, his claim to suzerainty over all of Brittany was weak, and he had virtually no control over western Brittany and Nantes. See William W. Kibler, ed., ''Medieval France: An Encyclopedia'' (New York: Garland Publishing, 1995), p. 148; ''The New international encyclopædia'', Volume 3 (1918), p. 789
Life
Geoffrey was the son of Duke Conan I, by his marriage to
Ermengarde-Gerberga of Anjou.
[Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, Marburg, Germany, 1984). Tafel 75] He was the grandson of
Judicael Berengar
Judicael (or Juhel, Judhel, Judhael), thus called in Breton sources, alias Berengar (or Berengarius) his name in Frankish sources, and sometimes known as Judicael Berengar, with both names being used together, was a Count of Rennes in the 10th cen ...
, Count of Rennes.
When Geoffrey succeeded to Brittany he had several problems:
*
Blois
Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours.
With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the ...
was encroaching on his territory,
*Vikings were threatening his shores, and
*He had to decide whether to accept the protection offered by
Anjou.
[Francis Palgrave, ''The History of Normandy and of England'', Vol. III (Macmillan & Co. London, 1864), p. 80]
Norman alliance
In 996, at about the age of sixteen, Geoffrey entered into a dynastic alliance with
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 of D ...
,
with a diplomatic double marriage between the two houses. The church-sanctioned marriage ceremonies were held at
Mont Saint-Michel, on the Breton-Norman border, and while Geoffrey married
Hawise of Normandy, daughter of
Richard I of Normandy
Richard I (28 August 932 – 20 November 996), also known as Richard the Fearless (French: ''Richard Sans-Peur''; Old Norse: ''Jarl Rikard''), was the count of Rouen from 942 to 996.Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln ...
and sister of Richard II,
[Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, Marburg, Germany, 1984). Tafel 79] Richard married
Judith of Brittany, Geoffrey's sister.
Geoffrey and Hawise had four children:
*
Alan III of Brittany (997-1040)
* Evenus (born c. 998, died after 1037)
*
Odo, Count of Penthièvre
Odo of Rennes (Medieval Breton: ''Eudon Pentevr'', Modern Breton: ''Eozen Penteur'', Latin: ''Eudo'', French: ''Eudes/Éon de Penthièvre'') (c. 999–1079), Count of Penthièvre, was the youngest of the three sons of Duke Geoffrey I of Britt ...
(died 1079)
* Adela, Abbess of Saint-Georges
[
]
Death
Geoffrey died on 20 November 1008 while travelling on a pilgrimage to Rome.[George Edward Cokayne, ed. H. A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, & Lord Howard de Walden, ''The Complete Peerage; or, A History of the House of Lords and All its Members from the Earliest Times'', Vol. X (London: The St Catherine Press, Ltd, 1945), pp. 779-780]
Notes
References
See also
*Dukes of Brittany family tree
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 ...
980s births
1008 deaths
10th-century dukes of Brittany
11th-century dukes of Brittany
Counts of Rennes
Dukes of Brittany
{{Brittany-stub