Hoël II (c. 1031–1084) was Count of Kernev (''

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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 ...

'', '' Breton: Kernev''), from 1058 as Hoël V. On the basis of his marriage to

Hawise, Duchess of Brittany Hawise of Rennes ( br, Hawiz Breizh; french: Havoise de Bretagne) ( 1024-1037 – 19 August 1072) was sovereign Duchess of Brittany from 1066 until her death. She was the second child and heiress of Alan III, Duke of Brittany, by his wife, Bertha o ...

, in 1066, he became

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 ...

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title '' suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could beco ...

''.

Life

Hoël was the son of Alain Count of Cornouaille and his wife,

Judith of Nantes Judith of Nantes (died 27 February 1063) was titular Countess of Nantes from 1051 to her death in 1063. Life Judith was the daughter of Judicaël of Nantes and the sister of Budic of Nantes. She married Alain Canhiart, Count of Cornouaille, ar ...

, granddaughter of the illegitimate son of Alan II of Brittany. Hoël started the House of Kernev (Cornouaille) of Brittany, which ruled the Duchy until 1156. Hoël became

Count of Nantes The counts of Nantes were originally the Frankish rulers of the Nantais under the Carolingians and eventually a capital city of the Duchy of Brittany. Their county served as a march against the Bretons of the Vannetais. Carolingian rulers would so ...

in 1054. The title came to him through his mother's family.

Matthew I of Nantes Matthew I (or Matthias I, died 1050 or 1051) was the Count of Nantes from 1038 until his death. He was the eldest son of Count Budic of Nantes.Judith A. Evrard, ''Brittany and the Angevins: Province and Empire 1158–1203'' (Cambridge University P ...

, Count of Nantes until his death in 1050, was the nephew of Hoël's mother, Judith of Nantes, the son of her only brother Budic of Nantes. Alain Canhiart seize the County in the name of his son Hoël in 1050, and held it as Regent for his son until 1054. Conan II, Duke of Brittany, attempted to seize Nantes in 1054 but was defeated. Hoël ruled the County of Nantes in his mother's name from this date until Judith's death in 1063. From 1063 onward he was Count of Nantes in his own right. Conan II, Duke of Brittany, died childless in December of 1066 and the

duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between ...

passed to his sister Hawise, Hoël's wife. Hawise became Duchess of Brittany and as her husband, Hoël became Duke of Brittany jure uxoris. Hawise died in 1072 and Hoël acted as regent for his son, Alan IV, until 1084. Little is known of the lives of Hawise and Hoël. However, this political marriage between the House of Rennes in the east and the House of Cornouaille in the west may have further strengthened Brittany at a time when external interference was attempted by

William the Conqueror 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 10 ...

. During his reign Hoël faced several rebellions from Breton nobles. Geoffrey Grenonat of Rennes (an illegitimate son of Duke Alan III of Brittany and half-brother of Hawise) led a revolt and was joined by

Ralph de Gael Ralph de Gaël (otherwise Ralph de Guader, Ralph Wader or Radulf Waders or Ralf Waiet or Rodulfo de Waiet; before 1042c. 1100) was the Earl of East Anglia (Norfolk and Suffolk) and Lord of Gaël and Montfort (''Seigneur de Gaël et Montfort'') ...

who had returned to Brittany from England after the failure of the previous year's

Revolt of the Earls The Revolt of the Earls in 1075 was a rebellion of three earls against William I of England (William the Conqueror). It was the last serious act of resistance against William in the Norman Conquest. Cause The revolt was caused by the king's refu ...

. In 1076, Ralph having plotted against Hoël, was besieged at Dol. William the Conqueror came to Hoël's aid, after which Hoël finally made peace with Ralph.

Marriage and children

Hoël and Hawise had: * Alan IV, succeeded to the duchy of Brittany *

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chi ...

, succeeded to the

county of Nantes The counts of Nantes were originally the Frankish rulers of the Nantais under the Carolingians and eventually a capital city of the Duchy of Brittany. Their county served as a march against the Bretons of the Vannetais. Carolingian rulers would so ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoel 02, Duke of Brittany 1030s births 1084 deaths 11th-century dukes of Brittany 11th-century viceregal rulers Dukes of Brittany Regents of Brittany Jure uxoris officeholders