NameConan 'the Crooked' Duke Of Brittany, 30G Grandfather
Web Notes notes for Conan 'the Crooked' Duke Of Brittany
Stuart's "Royalty For Commoners" (334:35) calls him Count of Rennes and Duke of Brittany. Weis' "Ancestral Roots. . ." (gen 21 of lines 39 & 214) acknowledges Conan and ERMENGARDE as the parents of Geoffrey. Weis carries ERMENGARDE's pedigree further back, but makes no attempt at guessing the parentage of Conan. (121:21) identifies Conan and ERMENGARDE as the parents of JUDITH. Also mentioned (121E:21).
Extracted from the Book, "The Bretons", by Galliou and Jones:
"From c.970 Conan I acted as Duke of Brittany. His family retained the title, though they also used that of Count until 1066. But they had a hard struggle both internally and externally to maintain their authority. In particular, they were faced with the rise of powerful neighboring principalities, Anjou, Blois-Chartres, and Normandy, replacing the distant Capetian influence. This led to frequent intervention by outsiders into Breton affairs, though it also had the ultimately beneficial consequence of promoting - as Carolingian intervention had done earlier - a sense of Breton identity.
It was the COUNTS OF ANJOU whose ambitions first affected the province. Seizing their opportunity during the minority of Barbrtote's sons and exploiting the weakness of the Counts of Nantes, FULK I and his successors, especially FULK NERRA (987-1040), acted as protectors or even exercised control directly at Nantes. It was in defence of these interests that THE ANGEVINS twice fought with Conan I at Conqueril not far from the Vilaine on the frontier between the counties of Rennes and Nantes. On the latter occasion in 992, though his forces won the battle, Conan lost his life. [Note that Conan's wife was the sister of his nemesis FULK NERRA].
At the start of this ANGEVIN ascendancy their immediate rival in Breton affairs was the HOUSE OF BLOIS. As the COUNTS of ANJOU supported the Counts of Nantes, so the COUNTS OF BLOIS supported those of RENNES. Beginning in the 990s, the DUKES OF NORMANDY replaced the COUNTS OF BLOIS as the primary influence on the COUNTS OF RENNES. The NORMANS were able to exact a form of feudal recognition, later interpreted as constituting homage, from the COUNTS OF RENNES. Note the double marriage alliance of the son and daughter of Conan to the daughter and son of RICHARD I, DUKE OF NORMANDY.