John I, Duke of Brittany

John I
Duke of Brittany
Reign	21 October 1221 - 8 October 1286
Predecessor	Peter I & Alix
Successor	John II
Regent	Peter I
Earl of Richmond
Reign	1268
Predecessor	Peter of Savoy
Successor	John II
Born	c. 1217/18
Died	8 October 1286 Château de l'Isle
Burial	Prières Abbey
Spouse	Blanche of Navarre
Issue Among Others	John II Peter, Lord of Hade Alix, Countess of Blois
House	House of Dreux
Father	Peter I, Duke of Brittany
Mother	Alix, Duchess of Brittany
Religion	Roman Catholicism

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 1237 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 of Brittany (1241 – 1268), Lord of Dinan, Hade, Léon, Hennebont and La Roche-Derrien
• Alix of Brittany, Dame de Pontarcy (1243 - 1288), married John of Châtillon, Count of Blois
• Theobald (1245–1256), interred in the church abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys
• Theobald (died soon after birth), 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 of Brittany (1249–1261), interred in the church abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys
• Robert (1251–1259), interred in the church abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys

Ancestry

Family of John I, Duke of Brittany

16. Louis VI of France               8. Robert I of Dreux                       17. Adélaide de Maurienne               4. Robert II of Dreux                             18. Guy de Baudement               9. Agnes de Baudemont, countess of Braine                       19. Alix, Dame de Braine               2. Peter I, Duke of Brittany                                   20. Enguerrand II, Lord of Coucy               10. Ralph I, Lord of Coucy                       21. Agnes de Baugency               5. Yolande de Coucy                             22. Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut               11. Agnes of Hainaut                       23. Alice of Namur               1. John I, Duke of Brittany                                         24. Aimery V, Viscount of Thouars               12. Geoffroy IV, Viscount of Thouars                       25. Agnes of Aquitaine               6. Guy of Thouars                             26. Hugh VII of Lusignan               13. Aimée de Lusignan                       27. Saracena               3. Alix of Thouars                                   28. Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond               14. Conan IV, Duke of Brittany                       29. Bertha, Duchess of Brittany               7. Constance, Duchess of Brittany                             30. Henry of Scotland               15. Margaret of Huntingdon                       31. Ada de Warenne

See also

• Dukes of Brittany family tree

John I, Duke of Brittany House of Dreux Cadet branch of the Capetian Dynasty Born: c. 1217/18 Died: 8 October 1286
Regnal titles
Preceded by Alix and Peter I	Duke of Brittany 1221–1286	Succeeded by John II
Peerage of England
Preceded by Peter of Savoy	Earl of Richmond 1268-1286	Succeeded by John II