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The noble Breton family line of Porhoët (French pronunciation: [pɔʁwɛt] ) was a French noble family in the middle ages, from around 990 through the 1200's. Notable members included Odo I, Odo II, and Alan I. Alan I would go on to form the Franco-Breton House of Rohan, which survives to the modern day.
The first recognised Vicomte de Porhoët was Guithenoc (c. 990–1040CE), was born in Guilliers. He married Allurum (994–?) of Guilliers. He became Vicomte, and in about 1008 he moved to La Trinite, in Porhoet. Both Guilliers and Porhoet are located in the modern day French departement of Morbihan in the province of Brittany.
In Porhoët Guithenoc built Josselin Castle, which he named for his son, Josselin (1020–1074). It is still owned by the descendants of Porhoët and is the longest continuously held private estate in the world.
Vicomte Josselin de Porhoët had three sons with the surname Rohan: Mainguy De Rohan, Jostho de Rohan, and Roger de Rohan. He had a fourth son, the third vicomte de Porhoët, Odo I, Viscount of Porhoët (1049–?).
Odo I married Anne de Leon (1065–?). They had two children, Vicomte Geoffrey de Porhoët (1092–1141) and Alan I, Viscount of Rohan.
Geoffrey is said to have married Hawisa Fergant of Brittany (abt. 1105–?). They had two sons, one of which was Odo II, Viscount of Porhoët (1122-?).
The title Count of Porhoët was joined to the Breton Ducal crown. Pierre Mauclerc bestowed the title on his daughter Yolande; upon her death the title was rejoined to the Duchy by her brother John I.
Alain le Noir was the 1st Viscount de Rohan. He was the third son of Eudes I de Porhoët and his wife Emma de Léon (the daughter of Guihomar II, Viscount of Léon). The name Rohan comes from the name of the castle he built, and passed on to his descendants, on the shores of the Oust.
Eudes II of Porhoët, also known as Odo II, is a notable figure in the history of the Duchy of Brittany.
Odo II married into the ruling duchy of Brittany though his first marriage to Bertha (b.1114–?). This was Bertha's second marriage. She was the daughter of Conan III, Duke of Brittany. Upon Bertha's death, Odo II served as Regent to Bertha's son Conan IV of Penthièvre. Bertha and Odo II had three children permitting the Porhoët line to continue.
Bertha's sister Constance (1118–?) was next in line to the duchy (after Bertha); she married Alan, younger brother to Odo II, thus cementing Porhoët claims to Brittany.
When Bertha died, Odo II tried to deny Conan IV his inheritance and usurp the rule of Brittany. He formed an alliance with Hoel, Count of Nantes, Conan III's disinherited son. [lower-alpha 1] In order to counter Odo II, Henry II of England invaded Brittany. [lower-alpha 2] In 1156 Odo was deposed by his step son and imprisoned by Conan IV's ally Raoul de Fougères. Henry II razed Josselin Castle.
Odo II had a second marriage with Jeanne/Eléonore de Léon, daughter of Guiomar III, Vicomte de Léon. Their son became Odo III.
Alan de Porhoët, son of Odo I, was created Viscount of Rohan and was the founder of the House of Rohan.
Alan de Porhoët, younger brother of Odo II, left for England and became Alan la Zouche, great-grandfather of two English Barons and great-great-grandfather of a third - see Baron Zouche.
The Duchy of Brittany was a medieval feudal state that existed between approximately 939 and 1547. Its territory covered the northwestern peninsula of Europe, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the English Channel to the north. It was also less definitively bordered by the river Loire to the south, and Normandy, and other French provinces, to the east. The Duchy was established after the expulsion of Viking armies from the region around 939. The Duchy, in the 10th and 11th centuries, was politically unstable, with the dukes holding only limited power outside their own personal lands. The Duchy had mixed relationships with the neighbouring Duchy of Normandy, sometimes allying itself with Normandy, and at other times, such as the Breton–Norman War, entering into open conflict.
Odo of Rennes, Count of Penthièvre, was the youngest of the three sons of Duke Geoffrey I of Brittany and Hawise of Normandy, daughter of Richard I of Normandy. Eudon married Agnes of Cornouaille, the daughter of Alan Canhiart, Count of Cornouaille and sister of Hoel II, Duke of Brittany who was married in 1066 to Eudon's niece Hawise, Duchess of Brittany.
Hoèl of Cornwall was count of Nantes, from 1148 to his death. He was raised the son of Duke Conan III and Maud FitzRoy, an illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England. However, he was disinherited by his father when on his death-bed, as Conan III claimed that Hoèl was illegitimate and no son of his. Bertha then became heiress to Duke Conan's lands in Brittany, while Hoèl was allowed to remain Count of Nantes. He was accused by St. Bernard of Clairvaux of having an incestuous affair with his sister Bertha.
Odo II, Count of Porhoet was the son of Geoffroy, Viscount de Porhoët, and his wife Hawise. He became Duke of Brittany in 1148, jure uxoris, upon his marriage to Bertha, Duchess of Brittany.
Conan IV, called the Young, was the Duke of Brittany from 1156 to 1166. He was the son of Bertha, Duchess of Brittany, and her first husband, Alan, Earl of Richmond. Conan IV was his father's heir as Earl of Richmond and his mother's heir as Duke of Brittany. Conan and his daughter Constance would be the only representatives of the House of Penthièvre to rule Brittany.
The House of Rohan is a Breton family of viscounts, later dukes and princes in the French nobility, coming from the locality of Rohan in Brittany. Their line descends from the viscounts of Porhoët and is said to trace back to the legendary Conan Meriadoc. Through the Porhoët family, the Rohans are related to the Dukes of Brittany, with whom the family intermingled again after its inception. During the Middle Ages, it was one of the most powerful families in the Duchy of Brittany. The Rohans developed ties with the French and English royal houses as well, and they played an important role in French and European history.
Conan I, nicknamed Le Tort, was the Duke of Brittany from 990 to his death.
Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond, Breton Alan Penteur, also known as "Alan the Black", was a Breton noble who fought for Stephen, King of England. Alan was the third son of Stephen, Count of Tréguier, and Hawise de Guingamp.
Stephen of Penthièvre, Count of Tréguier, 3rd Lord of Richmond was a Breton noble and a younger son of Odo, Count of Penthièvre and Agnes of Cornouaille, sister of Hoël II, Duke of Brittany. In 1093, he succeeded to the title of Count of Tréguier; in 1098, he succeeded his brother Alain as Lord of Richmond in Yorkshire, England.
The counts of Nantes were originally the Frankish rulers of the Nantais under the Carolingians and eventually a capital city of the Duchy of Brittany. Their county served as a march against the Bretons of the Vannetais. Carolingian rulers would sometimes attack Brittany through the region of the Vannetais, making Nantes a strategic asset. In the mid-ninth century, the county finally fell to the Bretons and the title became a subsidiary title of the Breton rulers. The control of the title by the Breton dukes figured prominently in the history of the duchy. The County of Nantes was given to Hoel, a disinherited son of a duke. He lost the countship due to a popular uprising. That uprising presented an opportunity for King Henry II of England to attack the Breton duke. In the treaty ending their conflicts, the Breton duke awarded the county to Henry II.
Guihomar, Guidomar, or Guyomar IV was the Viscount of Léon from 1168 until his death. He was the son and successor of Harvey II. His reign was spent in constant rebellion against his nominal lords in an effort to preserve his historical independence.
Bertha of Cornouaille, also known as Bertha of Brittany, was the Duchess of Brittany between 1148 until her death and Dowager Countess of Richmond. Bertha was the elder daughter of Conan III of Brittany by Maude, the illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England. She was the last member of the Breton house of Cornouaille to reign over Brittany.
The Count of Rennes was originally the ruler of the Romano-Frankish civitas of Rennes. From the middle of the ninth century these counts were Bretons with close ties to the Duchy of Brittany, which they often vied to rule. From 990 the Counts of Rennes were usually Dukes of Brittany. In 1203 the county was integrated into the ducal demesne. The Count of Rennes was a title held by the House of Rennes.
Alan I of Rohan (1084–1147), also known as Alain le Noir, was the 1st Viscount de Rohan and Viscount of Castelnoec. He was the third son of Odo I, Viscount of Porhoët, and Emma de Léon.
Josselin Castle is a medieval castle at Josselin, in the Morbihan department of Brittany, France, first built in 1008 by Guéthénoc, viscount of Porhoët. The town and castle were named after Guéthénoc's son, Goscelinus, and rebuilt at various times since. The current castle was built by Olivier V de Clisson after 1370. He had acquired the land as part of the dowry on his marriage to Margaret of Rohan. It has been designated as a monument historique since 1928.
Rivallon I of Dol was the first lord of Combourg from before 1040. He was born to Hamo I, Viscount of Alet and Roianteline. Rivallon's eldest brother was Hamo II Viscount of Alet, while his next eldest brother Josselin became the seigneur of Diana. Another brother, Jungeon, became Archbishop of Dol. Rivallon also had a sister Imogen who was married to a knight of Alan III of Brittany -- a man she completely dominated, becoming the eventual guardian of their son Brien. Hamo I also had a natural son Saloman who was the given the fief of Garclip later known as the seigneurie of Du Guseclin.
Constance of Penthièvre was a Breton princess, daughter of Alan of Penthièvre, 1st Earl of Richmond, and Bertha of Cornouaille, suo jure Duchess of Brittany.
Alan III de Rohan, was the son of Alan II, Viscount of Rohan. He was the 3rd Viscount of Rohan and Lord of Corlay.
Guihomar II de Léon was a Viscount of Léon. He is said to have succeeded his grandfather Guihomar I.
Odo I of Porhoët was viscount of Rennes and Porhoët from 1074 to his death, after 1092.