Biography of Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany 1063-1119

1087 Death of King William "The Conqueror"

In or before 1063 [his father] Hoël Canhiart II Duke Brittany [age 31] and [his mother] Hawise Penthièvre Countess Cornouaille were married. She by marriage Countess Cornouaille. He by marriage II Duke Brittany. The date based on the birth of their first child Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany in 1063. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Alan Penthièvre III Duke Brittany and [his grandmother] Bertha Blois Duchess Brittany [age 57]. He the son of Alan Canhiart Count Cornouaille and Judith Poher Countess Cornouaille and Nantes. They were half fifth cousins.

Around 1063 Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany was born to [his father] Hoël Canhiart II Duke Brittany [age 32] and [his mother] Hawise Penthièvre Countess Cornouaille.

In 1084 [his father] Hoël Canhiart II Duke Brittany [age 53] died. In 1084 His son Alan [age 21] succeeded IV Duke Brittany.

In 1087 Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany [age 24] and Constance Normandy Duchess Brittany [age 30] were married. She by marriage Duchess Brittany. She the daughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England [age 59] and Matilda Flanders Queen Consort England. They were third cousins.

Death of King William "The Conqueror"

On 9th September 1087 [his father-in-law] King William "Conqueror" I of England [age 59] died at the Priory of St Gervaise, Rouen [Map]. He was buried at the Abbaye aux Hommes, Caen [Map], at a ceremony presided over by Gilbert Arques Bishop Evreux. [his brother-in-law] King Henry I "Beauclerc" England [age 19] attended. His son William [age 31] succeeded II King of England. His son Robert [age 36] succeeded III Duke Normandy.

On 26th September 1087 [his brother-in-law] King William II of England [age 31] was crowned II King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop Lanfranc [age 82]. See Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

In 1088 William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine [age 16] and [his future wife] Ermengarde Anjou Duchess Brittany and Aquitaine [age 20] were married. She by marriage Duchess Aquitaine. She the daughter of [his future father-in-law] Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou [age 45] and Hildegarde Beaugency Countess Anjou [age 44]. He the son of Guy William Poitiers VIII Duke Aquitaine and Hildegarde Burgundy Duchess Aquitaine [age 32]. They were half first cousins.

On 13th August 1090 [his wife] Constance Normandy Duchess Brittany [age 33] died.

Deeds of King Henry V

Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

In 1093 Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany [age 30] and Ermengarde Anjou Duchess Brittany and Aquitaine [age 25] were married. She by marriage Duchess Brittany. She the daughter of Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou [age 50] and Hildegarde Beaugency Countess Anjou [age 49]. They were third cousin once removed.

In 1096 [his son] Conan "Fat" Canhiart III Duke Brittany was born to Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany [age 33] and [his wife] Ermengarde Anjou Duchess Brittany and Aquitaine [age 28]. He married before 1113 his fourth cousin Matilda Fitzroy Duchess Brittany and had issue.

Battle of Tinchebray

                    On 28th September 1106 [his former brother-in-law] King Henry I "Beauclerc" England [age 38] defeated his older brother Robert Curthose III Duke Normandy [age 55] at the Battle of Tinchebray at Tinchebray, Orne.
                
                    William Warenne 2nd Earl of Surrey and Robert Beaumont 1st Earl of Leicester Count Meulan [age 66]. Elias I Count Maine commanded the reserve. The following fought for Henry:
                
                    William Brito de Albini.
                
                    Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany [age 43].
                
                    Raoul Tosny [age 26].
                
                    William "Pincerna aka Butler" D'Aubigny [age 42].
                
                    Robert Grandesmil [age 28], and.
                
                    William Normandy I Count Évreux.
                
                    Robert Curthose III Duke Normandy was captured and spent the next twenty-eight years in prison; never released.
                
                    William Mortain Count Mortain 2nd Earl Cornwall [age 22] was also captured. He spent the next thirty or more years in prison before becoming a monk. Earl Cornwall forfeit.
                
                    King Edgar Ætheling II of England [age 55] was captured and subsequently released; Henry had married to Edgar's niece Edith aka Matilda Dunkeld Queen Consort England [age 26] in 1100.
                
                    Robert II Belleme 2nd Count Ponthieu 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury [age 50] escaped.
                
                    Robert Stuteville was captured.

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On 14th April 1109 [his father-in-law] Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou [age 66] died. In 1109 His son [his brother-in-law] Fulk [age 20] succeeded V Count Anjou.

In 1110 [his brother-in-law] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem [age 21] and Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou were married. She by marriage Countess Anjou. She the daughter of Elias I Count Maine and Matilda Chateau Du Loir Countess Maine. He the son of [his father-in-law] Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou and Bertrade Montfort Queen Consort France [age 40]. They were third cousin twice removed.

Before 1113 Conan "Fat" Canhiart III Duke Brittany [age 16] and Matilda Fitzroy Duchess Brittany were married. She by marriage Duchess Brittany. She the illegitmate daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England [age 44]. He the son of Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany [age 49] and Ermengarde Anjou Duchess Brittany and Aquitaine [age 44]. They were fourth cousins.

On 13th October 1119 Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany [age 56] died. His son Conan [age 23] succeeded III Duke Brittany.

On 1st June 1146 [his former wife] Ermengarde Anjou Duchess Brittany and Aquitaine [age 78] died.

[his illegitimate son] Brian de Wallingord aka Fitzcount was born illegitimately to Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

[his son] Geoffrey Canhiart was born to Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany and Ermengarde Anjou Duchess Brittany and Aquitaine.

[his daughter] Hawise Canhiart Countess Flanders was born to Alan Canhiart IV Duke Brittany and Ermengarde Anjou Duchess Brittany and Aquitaine. She married her fourth cousin Baldwin VII Count Flanders, son of Robert II Count Flanders and Clementia Ivrea Countess Louvain and Flanders.