Alan of Penthièvre of Brittany, 1st Earl of Cornwall, 1st Earl of Richmond (before 1100 – 15 September 1146), Breton

Breton language

Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...

 Alan Penteur, also known as "Alan the Black", was a Breton noble who fought for Stephen of England. Alan was the third son of Stephen, Count of Tréguier

Stephen, Count of Tréguier

Stephen, Count of Tréguier, Lord of Richmond was a Breton noble and a younger son of Odo, Count of Penthièvre and Agnes of Cornwall, sister of Hoel II, Duke of Brittany...

 and Hawise de Guingamp.

In a politically arranged marriage Alan married Bertha of Brittany

Bertha, Duchess of Brittany

Bertha of Cornwall , also known as Bertha of Brittany , was hereditary Duchess of Brittany between 1148 until her death. Bertha was the eldest daughter of Conan III of Brittany by Maude, the illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England...

, daughter of Conan III, Duke of Brittany

Conan III, Duke of Brittany

Conan III of Cornwall or the Fat , was duke of Brittany, from 1112 to his death. He was son of Duke Alan IV and Ermengarde of Anjou....

, perhaps in a move to draw Brittany onto Stephen's side in the conflict against the dispossessed Empress Matilda

Empress Matilda

Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...

. In part to promote the alliance with Conan III of Brittany Stephen made Conan's son-in-law Alan 1st Earl of Richmond in the second creation. The title Earl of Richmond had been held by Alan's uncle Alan 'The Red

Alain Le Roux

Alan Rufus was a probable companion of William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest and especially during Harrying of the North, in which he built Richmond Castle. He was the second son of Odo, Count of Penthièvre, by Agnes, daughter of Alain Cagnart, Count of Cornouaille, and a cousin of...

, who had died heirless. Additionally, Stephen recognized Alan as Earl of Cornwall

Earl of Cornwall

The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne.-Earl of Cornwall:...

, in recognition of his other uncle Brian who had formerly possessed Cornwall, but Alan was deprived of it by Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester

Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester

Ranulf II was an Anglo-Norman potentate who inherited the honour of the palatine county of Chester upon the death of his father Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester...

, after the Battle of Lincoln (1141)

Battle of Lincoln (1141)

The Battle of Lincoln or First Battle of Lincoln occurred on 2 February 1141. In it Stephen of England was captured, imprisoned and effectively deposed while Empress Matilda ruled for a short time.-Account:...

.

With Bertha, Duchess of Brittany, he had three children:

• Conan IV, Duke of Brittany
  Conan IV, Duke of Brittany
  Conan IV of Penthièvre , called "the Young", was duke of Brittany, from 1156 to his death. He was son of Alan the Black, 1st Earl of Richmond and Bertha of Brittany. He was his mother's heir as Duke Conan III...
  
  , their son and heir.
• Constance, who married Alan III, Vicomte of Rohan
  Rohan (family)
  The House of Rohan is a family of viscounts, later dukes and princes, coming from the locality of Rohan in Brittany. Their line descends from the viscounts of Porhoët and said to trace back to the legendary Conan Meriadoc. Through the Porhoët, the Rohan are related to the Dukes of Brittany, with...
  
  .
• Enougen, abbess of St. Sulpice.

In addition, Alan had four illegitimate sons:

• Bryan FitzAlan, progenitor of the Lords of Bedale
  Bedale
  Bedale is a market town and civil parish in the district of Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England. It lies north of Leeds, southwest of Middlesbrough, and south west of the county town of Northallerton...
  
   in Richmondshire
  Richmondshire
  Richmondshire is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. It covers a large northern area of the Yorkshire Dales including Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, Wensleydale and Coverdale, with the prominent Scots' Dyke and Scotch Corner along the centre. Teesdale lies to the north...
  
  .
• Stephen FitzAlan.
• Reynold FitzAlan.
• Robert FitzAlan.

Alan died in Brittany by 1146 and was buried at Bégard

Bégard

Bégard is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Bégard are called Bégarrois.-Breton language:...

. After his death, Bertha returned to Brittany. There on his deathbed, Conan III renounced Hoèl as his son and heir and designated Bertha as his heiress. When he died, Bertha inherited the Duchy of Brittany. As the dowager Countess of Richmond, Bertha continued to represent the alliance between Brittany and Stephan's England.

Chester's grandson was made Duke of Brittany

Duke of Brittany

The Duchy of Brittany was a medieval tribal and feudal state covering the northwestern peninsula of Europe,bordered by the Alantic Ocean on the west and the English Channel to the north with less definitive borders of the Loire River to the south and Normandy to the east...

 jure uxoris

Jure uxoris

Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband....

 with Constance, Duchess of Brittany

Constance, Duchess of Brittany

Constance of Penthièvre was hereditary Duchess of Brittany between 1171 and 1196...

, which made him automatically Earl of Richmond.