John I the Red (1217 – October 8, 1286), known as John the Red due to the colour of his beard, was 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...

, from 1237 to his death. He was son of Duke Peter I

Peter I, Duke of Brittany

Pierre Mauclerc , also known as Peter of Dreux or Pierre de Dreux, was duke of Brittany jure uxoris from 1213 to 1221, then regent of the duchy from 1221 to 1237 as well as Earl of Richmond from 1219 to 1235.-Biography:He was the second son of Robert II, Count of Dreux...

 and Alix of Thouars

Alix of Thouars

Alix of Thouars was the nominal Duchess of Brittany from 1203 to her death.- Life :...

, heiress of the duchy.

Life

John was nominal duke from 1221, date of his mother’s death, although his father ruled as regent until he 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

Louis IX of France

Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...

 in the Eighth Crusade

Eighth Crusade

The Eighth Crusade was a crusade launched by Louis IX, King of France, in 1270. The Eighth Crusade is sometimes counted as the Seventh, if the Fifth and Sixth Crusades of Frederick II are counted as a single crusade...

 (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

John III, Duke of Brittany

John III the Good was duke of Brittany, from 1312 to his death. He was son of Duke Arthur II and Mary of Limoges, his first wife...

 reign in 1341.

Marriage and issue

In 1236 John married Infanta Blanche

Blanche of Navarre (daughter of Theobald I)

Blanche of Navarre , also known as Blanche of Champagne, was the daughter of Theobald the Troubador, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne, and his second wife Agnes of Beaujeu. She was a member of the House of Champagne...

, daughter of King Theobald I of Navarre

Theobald I of Navarre

Theobald I , called the Troubadour, the Chansonnier, and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne from birth and King of Navarre from 1234...

. They had the following surviving issue:

• John II, Duke of Brittany
  John II, Duke of Brittany
  John II was Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond, from 1286 to his death. He was son of Duke John I and Blanche of Navarre...
  
  , married Beatrice of England
  Beatrice of England
  Beatrice of England , also known as Beatrice de Dreux, was a Princess of England as the daughter of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence...
  
   and had issue
• Peter of Brittany, Lord of Hade
• Alix of Brittany, Dame de Pontarcy
  Alix of Brittany, Dame de Pontarcy
  Alix of Brittany, Dame de Pontarcy, Countess of Blois , was a Breton noblewoman and a member of the House of Dreux as the eldest daughter of John I, Duke of Brittany. She married John I, Count of Blois...
  
  , married John of Châtillon, Count of Blois
  John I, Count of Blois
  John I of Châtillon , was count of Blois from 1241 to 1280 and lord of Avesnes.He was the son of Hugh I of Châtillon and Marie of Avesnes....
  
  
• Theobald (1245–1256)
• Theobald (died soon after birth)
• Eleanor (1248)
• Nicolas of Brittany (1249–1261)
• Robert (1251–1259)

Ancestry

See also

• Dukes of Brittany family tree
  Dukes of Brittany family tree
  This is a family tree of the Dukes of Brittany from the 9th century, to the annexation of Brittany by France in 1532.See also: Brittany - List of family trees...