At Geoffrey's death, Alan became de jure Duke, as
Alan III, Duke of Brittany,[c] Hawise took on the role of Regent, and Richard asserted the role of Guardian of Brittany, an arrangement reciprocated on the death of
Robert I, Duke of Normandy in 1035.
Also in 1035, after a dispute between Eudon and Duke Alan III, their uncle Judicaël Bishop of
Vannes arbitrated, and Alan III gave Eudon the bishoprics of
Saint-Brieuc,
Saint-Malo,
Tréguier and
Dol-de-Bretagne, as well as the counties and baronies of Penthièvre, Goëlo, Avaugour and
Lamballe. Eudon placed his capital at Lamballe, where he began issuing coins in his own name.
Following the death of his brother Duke
Alan III in 1040, Eudon ruled as regent of Brittany in the name of his nephew
Conan II, holding Conan in custody. Conan was freed by his supporters in 1047. Eudon's regency should have ended when Conan reached his majority (circa 1054), but Eudon refused to relinquish control of the Duchy.
In 1054 Geoffrey, Viscount of Mayenne in Maine, affronted by William of Normandy's new fortifications at Ambrières, "appealed to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou" who "called to his assistance Guy-William of Aquitaine and Count Eudo of Brittany"[2]
In a charter dated to 1056/1060, Eudon ("Eudo") granted land "in pago Belvacensi" (
Beauvais,
Picardy) to the Abbey of
Angers Saint-Aubin (q.v.
Albinus of Angers). Witnesses included his wife Orguen and their sons Gausfridus, Alanus Rufus, Willelmus, Rotbertus and Ricardus (Geoffrey, Alan Rufus, William, Robert and Richard).
By 1056 Conan gained the upper hand in Brittany, and in 1057 he captured his uncle Eudon and chained him in a prison cell. Eudon's eldest son Geoffrey Boterel continued to fight against Conan.
In 1062, peace was concluded between Conan and Geoffrey. Eudon, who was now free, continued the fight alone.
In histories favourable to the house of Penthièvre, Eudon is shown as effectively ruling Brittany between 1040 and 1062. In other histories his rule is shown as ending with his capture in 1057.
Conan was a legitimate contender for the title of Duke of Normandy, so he became a serious rival to Duke William.
In 1064, Eudon's liegeman
Rivallon I of Dol invited Duke William to join him against Conan, thus initiating the
Breton-Norman War of 1064–1065 in which
Normandy,
Anjou,
Dol de Bretagne and the captive
Harold Godwinson combined against Conan II, as depicted in three panels of the
Bayeux Tapestry. Historians differ on whether William or Conan should be considered the victor in this conflict.
Involvement in the Preparations for the Norman Conquest of England
Eudon provided, trained and equipped 5,000 Breton soldiers for
William the Conqueror's army. Of these, 4,000 were professionals, comprising light cavalry, heavy cavalry, archers, crossbowmen and axemen; he also trained 1,000 levied (conscripted) spearmen. Eudon put these troops on 100 ships under the command of his sons Count
Alan Rufus and Count
Brian, and they sailed from Brittany to join the Norman forces gathering at
Barfleur then on to William's staging point at
Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, in readiness to cross the Channel.
Rebellion against Hoel II of Brittany
Despite his advanced years, Eudon was involved in the failed 1075/1076 rebellion against
Hoel II, Duke of Brittany, by Geoffrey Grenonat of Rennes and
Ralph de Gael (fresh from his 1075 rebellion against King William). Hoel II was supported by
William the Conqueror, briefly placing Eudon and William on opposing sides once again, a situation that was soon resolved when, to William's disappointment, Hoel came to terms with the rebels.
In his memory, "Comes Alanus Rufus" (Count Alan Rufus), his second son, donated property to
Swavesey Abbey in
Cambridgeshire, for the soul of "patris sui Eudonis comitis" (his father Count Eudon), by an undated charter witnessed by "...Ribaldus et Bardulfus fratres comitis..." (Ribald and Bardulf, brothers of Count Alan).
"God also gave him [Count Eudon] seven sons, who became remarkable for the singular and changeable events of their lives. The studious might compose a long and pleasing history, from true accounts of their various fortunes."
An unnamed daughter, who married Enisandus Musardus de
Pleveno who was the Lord of
Cheveley in Cambridgeshire (under Alan Rufus as tenant-in-chief), first Constable of
Richmond Castle and lord of some twenty manors in Richmondshire. Cheveley was recorded until 1457 as remaining under the overlordship of the
Honour of Richmond.[8]
Sons of Eudon who were probably illegitimate include:
Ribald, who received the Lordship of
Middleham from Alan Rufus, was a male-line ancestor of the Ancient House of Neville.[f]
Bardolf lord of Ravensworth, who moved to
England where he held the lordship of
Ravensworth and became the ancestor of the
Fitzhugh family.
Eudon's descendants formed the junior branch of the Breton ducal family, which gained control of the duchy in 1156 under his great-grandson
Conan IV of Brittany.
^The title of Duke of Brittany had not yet been recognized by the King of France, although it was in use since
Alan II, Duke of Brittany. Since Brittany was not in fact subject to the French Crown until the late 15th century, and not incorporated into the French State until the French Revolution, opinions held by the King of France in earlier periods are moot.
^In some histories Eudon is shown co-Duke with his brother Alan, followed by a period where Alan ruled as Duke of Brittany alone. Eudon's position as co-Duke is unlikely and remains an historical uncertainty in search of documented proof. In any event Alan would go on to shed control by Normandy circa 1026, and from this date it is clear there was no ruling role for Eudon until Alan died.
^The detailed documented histories are lacking and limited. He is presumed to have been illegitimate, though his title of Count suggests that he was a legitimate son, as does the genealogy in Gale's edition of the Registry of the Honour of Richmond which gives his wife's name as Imogen. Brian participated in the conquest of England. Brian's forces then went north to counter the rebellion by
Eadric the Wild, as William the Conqueror's army travelled west; the two armies joined and won the Battle of
Stafford.[5] For a time, Brian held the Honour of Brittany, including 227 manors in Cornwall and a number in eastern England. However, he became an invalid and subsequently relinquished all his estates in south-west England (William then gave them to his own half-brother
Robert, Count of Mortain), and retired to Brittany to be with his bride. He is recorded as a witness to two documents issued by Geoffrey I Boterel in 1084. Domesday Book[6] entries for the year 1086 refer to "Ralph son of Brian" (
http://domesdaymap.co.uk/name/418750/ralph-son-of-brian/) as holding seven properties in
Essex and
Suffolk, some under the Bishop of London St Paul, the others under Ranulf (Ranulph) Peverel (see
William Peverel); to "William son of Brian" (
http://domesdaymap.co.uk/name/597200/william-son-of-brian/) as holding land under the Bishop of London St Paul at Great and Little Totham in the Hundred of Thurstable in Essex; to "Everard son of Brian" (
http://domesdaymap.co.uk/name/196550/everard-son-of-brian/), whose name is the first listed for the Hundred of Cheveley, as holding land, under
Aubrey de Vere I in Ashley and in Saxon [Street], either side of
Cheveley; and to "Brian's wife" (
http://domesdaymap.co.uk/name/118700/brians-wife/) as holding property under the Bishop of London St Paul in
Stepney in the Hundred of
Ossulstone in
Middlesex. The timing of the lives of Alan Rufus and Stephen of Tréguier suggests that Brian did not hold Richmond. It is reported elsewhere that he was an Earl of Cornwall but resigned the title and returned to Brittany; Brian's lands in England were then granted by King William I to the latter's half-brother Robert, Count of Mortain. During
the Anarchy,
Alan the Black II claimed Cornwall on the basis of his uncle Brian having held it—a claim that was accepted by
King Stephen.
^Not to be confused with
Alan the Black II, the son of Stephen, Count of Tréguier, who also would inherit the Earldom, after Stephen. There is little reliable written documentation of his life save for a record of his death—possibly in the same year as his brother Alan Rufus, as he is believed to have held the Earldom for a very brief period of time before it passed to Stephen.
^Middleham later passed by marriage and consequent female descent to the
House of Neville.
^David Charles Douglas (1967). William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact Upon England. University of California Press. p. 71.
^Orderic Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, volume 2, book 5, chapter 9, section 43 and page 164, last paragraph, in Thomas Forester's 1854 translation
^Stéphane Morin, Trégor, Goëlo, Penthièvre. Le pouvoir des Comtes de Bretagne du XIIe au XIIIe siècle, Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 2010,
ISBN9782753510128, date April 2014, p. 55, tableau généalogique n°4 : « Descendance légitime du comte Eudes »
^Green, Judith A. (2002) The Aristocracy of Norman England, p. 41
Further reading
Keats-Rohan, K. S. B. (1991). "The Bretons and Normans of England 1066-1154: the family, the fief and the feudal monarchy". Nottingham Medieval Studies. 36: 42–78.
Sharpe, Richard (2007). "King Harold's Daughter". Haskins Society Journal: Studies in Medieval History. 19: 1–27.