VANNES Alain b. Abt 0850 Bretagne d. 0907 Bretagne: Freeman-Smith Family Tree

Abt 0850 - 0907 (57 years)

Name	VANNES Alain
Birth	Abt 0850	Bretagne
Gender	Male
Death	0907	Bretagne
Notes	LNAB note: Based on alleged father's bio,[6] and the sequence of Alain's titles. The records indicate he was ruler of Vannes and also joint-ruler of Brittany from about 878 and only used titles indicating a sole ruler of Brittany from about 888[1]. Note that his brother Paswethen was Count of Vannes before Alain. Alain I "le Grand" (living 876/7 - d. 907).[7][8] Titles 876: joint Duke of Brittany.[9] 888: Count of Vannes.[10] Parents According to Cawley (2006), Alain's parents are UNKNOWN.[11] The Henry Project, contradicts this, stating his father was Ridoredh (no title).[2] The site further claims that an 11th century source shows Alain was illegitimate, while his brother Pasweten, was not.[12] Siblings (half-brother) Pascwethen (Pasquitan), Comte de Vannes (d. 876).[13][14] Marriage m. Oreguen UNKNOWN.[15][16] Issue: 6 Rodald (d. after 30 Nov 909) Guerec "Werec; Vuerech" (d. after 05 Feb 897/26 Nov 903). Pascwethen "the younger" (d. after 05 Feb 897/26 Nov 903).[3] Budic (d. after 05 Feb 897). (dau) _____ m. Mathedoi (Matuedo), Comte de Poher (d. 936; p. unknown). m.2 UNKNOWN Tanguy.[17] Issue: 1.[18] Derien (d. after 27 Nov 910). Alan I (French: Alain; died 907), called the Great, was the Count of Vannes and Duke of Brittany (dux Brittonium) from 876 until his death. He was probably also the only King of Brittany (rex Brittaniæ) to hold that title by a grant of the Emperor. [4] Name Alan I, King of Brittany [4] "Alan the Great" (For the later figure with the same name, see Alain I of Albret.)[4] 876 Accession Alan was the second son of Count Ridoredh of Vannes. He succeeded his brother Pascweten in Vannes when the latter died, probably in the middle of 876, and contended for leadership of Brittany with Judicael of Poher. Alan represented the power bloc of southeastern Brittany while Judicael represented western Breton interests. [4] Birth Year Estimation Given that he succeeded his brother Pascweten, Pascweten must have been an older brother. Assume Alan was aged 25 or 26 when the succession occurred in 876; this would give him a birth year of, say, 850. Marriage His wife's name was Oreguen. [4] Vikings Eventually he and Judicael made peace in order to fight the Vikings. Judicael died in the Battle of Questembert in 888 or 889, after which Alan gained sole leadership of Brittany. In 890, Alan defeated the Vikings at Saint-Lô, chasing them into a river where many drowned.[4] Rule After the death of Judicael, Alan ruled all of Brittany as it had been during the time of Salomon. He ruled not only the Breton territories of Léon, Domnonée, Cornouaille, and the Vannetais, but also the Frankish counties of Rennes, Nantes, Coutances, and Avranches, as well as the western parts of Poitou (the so-called pays de Retz) and Anjou. In the east his rule extended as far as the river Vire. He was the first Breton ruler to rule this entire territory without great opposition within the west and the last to rule the whole bloc of Franco-Celtic countries. [4] His strongest opponent was Fulk I of Anjou, who disputed control of the Nantais with him, though Alan seems to have had the upper hand in his lifetime. His power base remained in the southeast and he was powerful and wealthy in land in around Vannes and Nantes.[4] Empire Context According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, after the death of Carloman II in 884, Charles the Fat succeeded to all of West Francia save Brittany, thus making Brittany an independent kingdom; but this does not seem to have been true. A charter datable to between 897 and 900 makes reference to the soul of Karolus on whose behalf Alan had ordered prayers to be said in the monastery of Redon. This was probably Charles the Fat, who, as emperor, probably granted Alan the right to be titled rex. As emperor he would have had that prerogative and he is known to have had contacts with Nantes in 886, making it not improbable that he came into communication with Alan. Charles also made a concerted effort to rule effectively in the entirety of his empire and to make former enemies, with dubious ties to the empire, like the Viking Godfrid, men of standing in return for their loyalty. Throughout his reign, Alan used Carolingian symbols of regalia and Carolingian forms in his charters. Alan augmented his power during the weak reigns of Odo and Charles III.[4] 907 Death Alan I died in 907. The succession was disputed and Count Gourmaëlon of Cornouaille seized the throne. Brittany was soon overrun by Vikings, who defeated and slew Gourmaëlon in battle in 913/914 and held the region until 936 when Alan I's grandson Alan II returned to Brittany from exile in Æthelstan's England, vanquished the Vikings, and succeeded in reestablishing Christian rule. However, Brittany's geographic territory was never as extended as in Alan I's time and no future Breton rulers were called kings until the Breton Ducal crown was merged with the French crown in the 16th century.[4] Issue By his wife Oreguen, Alan had the following children: Pascweten (died c. 903), married Gerberga.[4] "According to an 11th-century genealogy composed for the Count of Anjou, Alan I's son, Pascweten the Younger, was the father of Judicael Berengar, whose son was Conan I, Duke of Brittany, founder of the House of Rennes" (Wikipedia 04 Feb 2016).[19] ... Cawley (2006, disagrees, naming no spouse or children for Pascwethen.[20] He further states that Judicael, Comte de Rennes was the the son of Berengar, whose parents are UNKNOWN.[21] The Henry Project, however, debates the possibility that Pascweten the Younger is the father of Juhel Berenger, but makes no confirmation of lineage.[22]. Genealogie on line [5] shows Alan I de Bretagne, b. 850, and Oroquen de Rennes (914-970) as the parents of Paskwitan II, Count of Bayeux (895-936) who in turn are parents of Judicael Berenger, Count of Rennes, 914-970. The dates for Oroquen are of course impossible with a son born earlier than her own birth. This information is provided only to provide clues for further research Guerec[4] Budic[4] Rudalt, Count of Vannes, fled the Viking invasion c. 919[4] Unnamed daughter, who married Mathuedoï I, Count of Poher, and was the mother of Alan II[4] Unnamed daughter, who married Tangui, Count of Vannes, died before 913[4] Research Notes Dukes of Brittany family tree Roscilla d'Anjou was previously shown as an additional wife of Alan I. She was actually the wife of Alan I's grandson, Alan II. See the Dukes of Brittany Famikly Tree [6] and so has been delinked.Day-1904 04:59, 4 January 2018 (EST) Harmon de St Dinan, born 950 was previously shown as a son. He is not shown as a son in the accounting above, and the birth year makes the relationship impossible, so he has been delinked.Day-1904 04:59, 4 January 2018 (EST) Sources ↑ Arthur de la Borderie, "Examen chronologique des chartes du cartulaire de Redon antérieur du XIe siècle", Annales de Bretagne 5 (1889-90): 535-630 ↑ see also: Wikipedia (04 Feb 2016) citing: Smith, Julia M. H. Province and Empire: Brittany and the Carolingians. Cambridge University Press: 1992.[1] ↑ "According to an 11th-century genealogy composed for the Count of Anjou, Alan I's son, Pascweten the Younger, was the father of Judicael Berengar, whose son was Conan I, Duke of Brittany, founder of the House of Rennes" (Wikipedia 04 Feb 2016).[2] ... Cawley (2006, disagrees, naming no spouse or children for Pascwethen.[3] He further states that Judicael, Comte de Rennes was the the son of Berengar, whose parents are UNKNOWN.[4] The Henry Project, however, debates the possibility but makes no confirmation of lineage.[5] ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 Wikipedia. Alan I, King of Brittany Accessed Jan 4, 2018. jhd ↑ Genealogie on line. Gives ancestry.com as source. Accessed Jan 4, 2018. jhd ↑ Dukes of Brittany Family Tree Accessed Jan 4, 2018. jhd "Alain I 'le Grand' Count of Vannes, 876×7-907. Duke (sometimes called King) of Brittany, 888-907." The Henry Project. Web.[23] Wikipedia: Alan I, King of Brittany; Wikipedia: Kings and dukes of Brittany family tree
Person ID	I58386	Freeman-Smith
Last Modified	27 Jan 2026

Father	VANNES Ridoredh, b. Abt 0810 d. Abt 0850, Bretagne (Age 40 years)
Relationship	natural
Family ID	F347119	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family BRETAGNE Oreguen, b. Abt 0850, Bretagne, France

Children

1. BAYEUX Berenguer, b. Abt 0869, Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France

d. Bef 0931, Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France

(Age < 61 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]

Family ID F26034 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 27 Jan 2026