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John I, Duke of Brittany

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Predecessor
  
Predecessor
  
Peter of Savoy

Successor
  
Name
  
John Duke

Regent
  
Peter I

Role
  
Duchy of Brittany

Reign
  
1268


John I, Duke of Brittany

Reign
  
21 October 1221 - 8 October 1286

Died
  
October 8, 1286, Chateau de L'Isle-Adam

Spouse
  
Blanche of Navarre, Duchess of Brittany (m. 1236)

Children
  
John II, Duke of Brittany, Alix of Brittany, Dame de Pontarcy, Peter of Brittany, Lord of Hade, Nicolas of Brittany

Parents
  
Alix, Duchess of Brittany, Peter I, Duke of Brittany

Grandchildren
  
Joan, Countess of Blois, Blanche of Brittany

Grandparents
  
Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Robert II, Count of Dreux, Guy of Thouars, Yolande de Coucy

John I (Breton: Yann, French: Jean; c. 1217/18 – 8 October 1286), known as John the Red due to the colour of his beard, was Duke of Brittany from 1221 to his death and 2nd Earl of Richmond in 1268.

John was the eldest of three children born to Duchess Alix and her husband and jure uxoris co-ruler, Duke Peter I. He became duke upon his mother's death in 1221. His father, who had reigned as duke due to his marriage to Alix, ruled as regent until John reached adulthood.

He experienced a number of conflicts with the Bishop of Nantes and the Breton clergy. In 1240, he issued an edict expelling Jews from the duchy and cancelling all debts to them. He joined Louis IX of France in the Eighth Crusade in 1270, and survived the plague that killed the king. The duchy of Brittany experienced a century of peace, beginning with John I and ending with Duke John III's reign in 1341.

Marriage and issue

In 1236 John married Infanta Blanche, daughter of King Theobald I of Navarre. They had the following surviving issue:

  • John II, Duke of Brittany (1239 – 1305), married Beatrice of England and had issue.
  • Peter (1241 – 1268), Lord of Dinan, Hade, Léon, Hennebont and La Roche-Derrien.
  • Alix (1243 - 1288), Dame de Pontarcy; married John of Châtillon, Count of Blois.
  • Theobald (1245 – 1246), interred in the church abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys.
  • Theobald (1247 - died young), interred in the church abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys.
  • Eleanor (1248 – died young), interred in the church abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys.
  • Nicolas (1249 – 1251), interred in the church abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys.
  • Robert (1251 – 1259), interred in the church abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys.
  • References

    John I, Duke of Brittany Wikipedia