Count to Duke Conan was the son of
Judicael Berengar, succeeding his father as Count of Rennes in 970. Conan assumed the title of Duke of
Brittany in the spring of 990 following his attack on Nantes and the subsequent death of Count Alan. As Duke, his rule succeeded the Regency that governed Brittany during the life of
Drogo and the fractured rule of Brittany after Drogo's death by his illegitimate brothers
Hoël and
Guerech, and the latter's son
Alan. The fractured rule over Brittany resulted in a short vacancy in the title
Duke of Brittany. Conan I had to ally himself with
Odo I, Count of Blois in order to defeat Judicael Berengar before he could assume the title of Duke. , endowed by Conan I, and his final resting place
The Mont St Michel land charter In a charter dated 28 July 990, Conan gave the lands of
Villamée, Lillele and Passille to
Mont Saint-Michel, all of which later became part of the seigneury of
Fougères.
Marriage alliance Conan married
Ermengarde-Gerberga of Anjou, in 973, daughter of
Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou and
Adele of Vermandois. Conan's alliance with Odo of Blois had helped him defeat Judicael Berengar.
Norman Pact The alliance with Blois eventually became troublesome and he later needed to
"rid himself of influence from Blois, [which he accomplished by signing] a pact with Richard I of Normandy; [this pact] established firm Breton-Norman links for the first time." Richard I had married the daughter of Hugh I the Great, and after this marriage had re-asserted his father's claim as Overlord of the Breton duchy. Conan I's pact with Normandy strengthened that assertion but the historical documentation for that Overlordship claim remains doubtful because it largely appears only in the less than authoritative writings of Dudo of Saint-Quentin.
Death Conan died fighting his brother-in-law
Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou at the
Battle of Conquereuil on 27 June 992. Conan is buried at
Mont Saint-Michel Abbey. ==Family==