Bertha of Cornouaille ( 1125–56), also known as Bertha of Brittany (), was the Duchess of

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

between 1148 until her death and Dowager Countess of Richmond. Bertha was the elder daughter of Conan III of Brittany by Maude, the

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

daughter of King

Henry I of England Henry I ( – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henr ...

. She was the last member of the Breton house of

Cornouaille Cornouaille (; , ) 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 princes from Cornwall ...

to reign over Brittany.

Life

Bertha was the daughter of Duke Conan III of Brittany. She married the son of Stephen of Treguier,

Alan the Black Alan the Black (, ; 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 Red"), at Richmond. There is no reco ...

, and she lived in England with Alan until his death in 1146. Alan would eventually become Earl of Richmond. On his deathbed, Conan III renounced Bertha's brother

Hoel King Hoel (, "Hoel the Great"; ), also known as Sir Howel, Saint Hywel and Hywel the Great, was a late 5th- and early 6th-centuryFord, David Nashat ''Early British Kingdoms''. 2001. Retrieved 1 December 2014. member of the ruling dynasty o ...

as heir and designated Bertha as his heiress, Duchess of Brittany.

Family

In her first marriage, by 1138, Bertha was married to

. Bertha and Alan had three children: *

Conan IV Conan IV ( 1138 – 18/20 February 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, 1st Earl of Richmond, Alan, Earl of Richmond. Conan IV was his fa ...

, b. 1138, their son and heir, as

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

and

Earl of Richmond The now-extinct title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of Peerage of England, England. The earldom of Richmond, North Yorkshire, Richmond was initially held by various Breton people, Breton nobles; sometimes the holde ...

Constance Constance may refer to: Places * Constance, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Constance, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Constance, Washington State, United States * Lake Constance (disambiguat ...

, who married Alan III, Viscount of Rohan * Enoguen, abbess of St. Sulpice Bertha married her second husband, Odo, Viscount of Porhoet, in about 1148. Bertha and Odo had three children: * Geoffroy * Adelaide (died in 1220), Abbess of

Fontevrault The Royal Abbey of Our Lady of Fontevraud or Fontevrault (in French: ''abbaye de Fontevraud'') was a monastery in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in the former French Duchy of Anjou. It was founded in 1101 by the itinerant preach ...

, mistress of

Henry II, King of England Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainme ...

* Alix

Succession

Bertha died between 1158 and 1164, and with her death the ducal throne passed to her son Conan.

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertha, Duchess Of Brittany 12th-century deaths 12th-century dukes of Brittany 12th-century women rulers 12th-century Breton women 12th-century Breton people 12th-century duchesses regnant Duchesses of Brittany Date of birth unknown Date of death unknown Place of birth unknown Place of death unknown Dukes of Brittany Porhoët family