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. 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. 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. == Death and succession==