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- Count of Rennes
- Duke of Brittany
- AKA: Conan le Tort (the Crooked)
Conan I le Tort of Rennes, Count of Rennes, Duke of Brittany, was born 927 to Judicael Berengar (-bef979) and died 27 June 992 Battle of Conquereuil of combat wounds. He married Ermengarde of Anjou (bef967-) .
Biography
Early Life
Conan was the son of Judicael Berengar, succeeding his father as Count of Rennes in 970.
Conan assumed the title of Duke of Brittany in the spring of 990 following his attack on Nantes and the subsequent death of Count Alan.[1]
As Duke, his rule succeeded the Regency that governed Brittany during the life of Drogo and the fractured rule of Brittany after Drogo's death by his illegitimate brothers Hoël and Guerech, and the latter's son Alan.[2]
The fractured rule over Brittany resulted in a short vacancy in the title Duke of Brittany. Conan I had to ally himself with Odo I, Count of Blois in order to defeat Judicael Berengar before he could assume the title of Duke.[3]
The Mont St Michel land charter

Mont Saint-Michel, endowed by Conan I, and his final resting place
In a charter dated 28 July 990, Conan gave the lands of Villamée, Lillele and Passille to Mont Saint-Michel, all of which later became part of the seigneury of Fougères.[4]
Norman Pact
The alliance with Blois eventually became troublesome and he later needed to "rid himself of influence from Blois, [which he accomplished by signing] a pact with Richard I of Normandy; [this pact] established firm Breton-Norman links for the first time."[3]
Richard I had married the daughter of Hugh I the Great, and after this marriage had re-asserted his father's claim as Overlord of the Breton duchy. [3] Conan I's pact with Normandy strengthened that assertion but the historical documentation for that Overlordship claim remains doubtful because it largely appears only in the less than authoritative writings of Dudo of Saint-Quentin.[3][lower-alpha 1]
Death: Battle of Conquereuil
Conan died fighting his brother-in-law Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou at the Battle of Conquereuil on 27 June 992.[5] Conan is buried at Mont Saint-Michel Abbey.[6]
Marriage Alliance & Family
1st Marriage
Conan married Ermengarde-Gerberga of Anjou,[lower-alpha 2][1] in 973, daughter of Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou and Adele of Vermandois.[9]
Conan's alliance with Odo of Blois [2] had helped him defeat Judicael Berengar.
Conan and his wife Ermengarde-Gerberga had:
- Geoffroi I de Bretagne (980-1008) the eventual heir.[10]
- Judith of Brittany (982-1017) married Richard II, Duke of Normandy in a double marriage / political alliance c. year 1000.[10]
- Judicael of Rennes (aft980-1037), count of Porhoët .
- Catualon of Rennes (aft980-1040), Abbot of Redon
- Hernod of Rennes (?-?)
- Urvod of Rennes (?-?)
Children
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Geoffroi I de Bretagne (980-1008) | 980 | 1008 | Hawise of Normandy (c978-1034) |
Judith of Brittany (982-1017) | 982 | 1017 | Richard II, Duke of Normandy (963-1027) |
Judicael of Rennes (aft980-1037) | 980 | 13 June 1037 | |
Catualon of Rennes (aft980-1040) | 980 | 1040 | |
Hernod of Rennes (?-?) | |||
Urvod of Rennes (?-?) |
Siblings
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Conan I of Rennes (927-992) | 927 | 27 June 992 Conquereuil, Loire-Atlantique, France | Ermengarde of Anjou (bef967-) |
See Also
Bibliography
- Crouch, David (2007). The Normans: The History of a Dynasty. Hambledon Continuum.
- Douglas, David C. (1964). William The Conqueror. University of California Press.
- Neveux, François (2008). A Brief History of The Normans. Constable and Robinson.
- Alexander, Jonathan James Graham (1970). Norman illumination at Mont St Michel, 966–1100. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.
- Bachrach, Bernard S. (1993). Fulk Nerra, the neo-Roman consul, 987-1040: A Political Biography of the Angevin Count. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
- Bachrach, Bernard S. (2002). Warfare and Military Organization in Pre-Crusade Europe. Ashgate Publishing.
- Delumeau, Jean (1969). Histoire de la Bretagne. Toulouse, France: Edouard Privat editeur; Jean Delumeau, directeur, with contributing authors P-R Giot, J L'Helgouach, J Briard, J-B Colbert de Beaulieu, L Pape, P Rache, G Devailly, H Touchard, J Meyer, A Mussat, and G Le Guen (chapters do not specify individual authors). https://www.amazon.com/Histoire-Bretagne-J-Delumeau/dp/B0010ZUBW6.
- Keats-Rohan, K.S.B. (1994). 'Two Studies in North French Prosopography', Journal of Medieval History Vol. 20.
- Glaber, Rodulfus (1989). France, John. ed. The Five Books of the Histories. The Clarendon Press.
- Price, Neil S. (1989). "The Vikings in Brittany". Saga-Book of the Viking Society XXII: 319–440.
External Links
- wikipedia:en:Conan I of Rennes
- Conan I of Rennes at thePeerage
- Conan I of Rennes - Geni.com
- Conan I of Rennes at Find A Grave
- Dukes of Brittany - Foundation for Medieval Genealogy,
Ancestry Trees
Conan may have married his second cousin once removed: Herbert I, Count of Vermandois (c848-907) may have been his great-grandfather and was his wife's great-great-grandfather.
Royal Succession Charts
Conan I of Rennes (927-992) House of Rennes Born: 927 Died: 27 June 992
| ||
Preceded by Judicael Berengar |
Count of Rennes 958–992 |
Succeeded by Geoffrey I |
Vacant Title last held by Alan
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Duke of Brittany 990–992 |
References
- ^ a b Bachrach 1993.
- ^ a b Delumeau 1969.
- ^ a b c d e Price 1989.
- ^ Keats-Rohan 1994.
- ^ Bachrach 2002, p. 66.
- ^ Alexander 1970.
- ^ Bachrach 1993, p. 42 & n. 99.
- ^ Glaber 1989, p. 58-61.
- ^ Bachrach 1993, p. 262.
- ^ a b Bachrach 1993, p. 266.
Footnotes (including sources)
Rtol, Thurstan, Phlox, MainTour
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