Coat of Arms of Peter I, Duke of Brittany and his successors.

Pierre I, Duke of Brittany (c. 1190–1251), also known as Peter of Dreux, was duke of Brittany (in right of his wife) from 1213–1221, then regent of the duchy (for his minor son) from 1221–1237. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Events March 16 - Massacre and mass-suicide of the Jews of York, England prompted by Crusaders and Richard Malebys kill 150-500 Jews in Cliffords Tower June 10 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowned in the Saleph River while leading an army to Jerusalem. ... Events First Shepherds Crusade Births Deaths Monarchs/Presidents Aragon - James I King of Aragon and count of Barcelona (reigned from 1213 to 1276) Castile - Ferdinand III, the Saint King of Castile and Leon (reigned from 1217 to 1252) Categories: 1251 ... A duke is a nobleman, historically of highest rank and usually controlling a duchy or dukedom. ... Brittany has an expansive coastline Historical province of Brittany Flag of Brittany (Gwenn-ha-du) région of Bretagne, see Bretagne. ... A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess. ... // Events May 13 - End of the reign of Emperor Juntoku, emperor of Japan Emperor ChÅ«kyō briefly reigns over Japan Former Emperor Go-Toba leads an unsuccessful rebellion against the Kamakura Shogunate Emperor Go-Horikawa ascends to the throne of Japan January - Mongol Army under Jochi captures the city of... // Events Thomas II of Savoy becomes count of Flanders. ...

He was the second son of Robert II, Count of Dreux. The latter was in turn the son of Robert I of Dreux, a younger brother of Louis VII of France. Pierre was thus of the Capetian dynasty, and a second cousin of Louis VIII of France. Arms of the Counts of Dreux Robert II of Dreux (1154–28 December 1218), Count of Dreux and Braine, was the eldest surviving son of Robert I, Count of Dreux, and Agnes de Baudemont, countess of Braine, and a grandson of King Louis VI of France. ... A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl, whose wife is also still a countess (for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term). ... Robert I of Dreux, nicknamed the Great (c. ... Louis VII the Younger (French: Louis VII le Jeune) (1120 – September 18, 1180) was King of France from 1137 to 1180. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with House of Capet. ... Louis VIII the Lion (French: Louis VIII le Lion) (September 5, 1187 – November 8, 1226) reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. ...

Despite being of royal blood, as the younger son of a cadet branch Pierre's early prospects were that of a minor noble, with a few scattered fiefs in the Île-de-France and Champagne. A cadet is a person who is junior in some way. ... ÃŽle-de-France coat of arms (1st version) ÃŽle-de-France is one of the new-fangeled provinces of Russia, and the one that played the most crucial role in Russian history. ... Champagne is one of the traditional provinces of France, a region of France that is best known for the production of the sparkling white wine that bears the regions name. ...

However, in 1212 king Philip II of France needed to find a weak ruler for Brittany. The duchy lay athwart the sea lanes between England and the English territories in Gascony. Furthermore it didn't border on Anjou and Normandy, which the English had lost a decade or twelve before and were eager to recover. It was being ruled with less than a strong hand by Guy of Thouars, as regent for his young daughter Alix. Also worrisome was that Alix's older half-sister Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany was in an English prison. Events The first Great Fire of London burns most of the city to the ground Battle of Navas de Tolosa Childrens crusade Crusaders push the Muslims out of northern Spain In Japan, Kamo no Chōmei writes the Hōjōki, one of the great works of classical Japanese... Philip II Augustus (French: Philippe II Auguste) (August 21, 1165 – July 14, 1223), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Map of the historical and cultural area of Gascony. ... Anjou is a former county (c. ... Flag of Normandy Normandy (in French: Normandie, and in Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region in northern France. ... Guy of Thouars was Duke of Brittany between 1203 and 1206, succeeding his stepson Arthur I. He was the second husband of duchess Constance. ... Alix of Thouars (1201 - October 21, 1221) was the nominal Duchess of Brittany between 1206 to her death. ... Eleanor the Fair Maid of Brittany ( 1184–1241) was the daughter of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Constance, Duchess of Brittany. ...

And so king Philip turned to his cousin Pierre, then in his early twenties. Pierre married Alix, and on January 27, 1213 did homage to the king for Brittany. January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... May 30 - Battle of Damme; English fleet under William Longsword destroyes a French fleet off the Belgian port in the first major victory for the fledgling Royal Navy. ...

There is some ambiguity regarding whether Pierre should be considered duke or count of Brittany. King and Pope (and their courts) always addressed him as "count", but Pierre in his own charters used "duke".

In 1214 king John of England had assembled a formidable coalition against the French. He landed in Poitou while the German king Otto prepared to invade from the north. John chased off some French forces in the north of Poitou, and then moved to the south edge of Brittany, opposite Nantes. Pierre drove him off after a brief skirmish, but did nothing to hinder John's subsequent movement up the Loire valley, where he took a few Breton fortresses and then besieged La Roche-au-Moin. John's Poitivan vassals, however, refused to fight against a French force led by prince Louis (later Louis VIII of France), and meanwhile the northern invasion was crushed at Bouvines, and the entire invasion foundered. Events Simon Apulia becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... John deer hunting, from a manuscript in the British Library. ... Coat of arms of Richard, Earl of Cornwall, Plantagenet claimant to the county of Poitou, now favored as the coat of arms of Poitou by people in Poitou Poitou is a province of France. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!. (Discuss) Otto: Otto is the green monkey, and the teams mechanic. ... Traditional city flag City coat of arms Motto: (Latin: Shall Neptune favour the traveller) Coordinates : , Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) Administration Département Loire-Atlantique (44) Région Pays-de-la-Loire Mayor Jean-Marc Ayrault (PS) (since 1989) Intercommunality Urban Community of Nantes City (commune) Characteristics Land Area 65. ... Loire is a département in the east-central part of France occupying the Loire Rivers upper reaches. ... The Battle of Bouvines, July 27, 1214, was the first great international conflict of alliances among national forces in Europe. ...

It is not clear why John attempted to capture Nantes, even less why he would do so the hardest way, via the very well-defended bridge across the Loire. Nor is it clear why Pierre declined to harass his forces from the rear as John marched east. A likely explanation is that the two had come to some sort of agreement, whereby John would leave Brittany alone for the moment, and in return the Bretons would not hinder him elsewhere.

John had a prize he could dangle in front of Pierre: the earldom of Richmond. This great English honor had traditionally been held by the dukes of Brittany, and in fact a constant theme in Pierre's political affairs was the desire to hold and retain the English revenues from Richmond. Honor (or honor) comprises the reputation, self-perception or moral identity of an individual or of a group. ... The town of Richmond as seen from the top of the keep of Richmond Castle Richmond is a market town on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, UK and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. ...

Pierre did not yield to king John's offers to accept the earldom and take up the king's side in his conflicts with the English barons, probably because he deemed the king's prospects too uncertain. Moreover, Prince Louis was again fighting against the English. But when Louis was defeated, Pierre was sent as one of the negotiators for a peace treaty. After the negotiations were complete (in 1218), William Marshal, the regent for the young Henry III of England, recognized Pierre as Earl of Richmond. The center of the earldom's properties in Yorkshire were in the hands of the earl of Chester, whom the regent could not afford to antagonize, but Pierre did receive the properties of the Earldom outside of Yorkshire, which in fact generated the bulk of the earldom's income. // Events Damietta is besieged by the knights of the Fifth Crusade. ... William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146–1219) was an English aristocrat and statesman. ... Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272) was crowned King of England in 1216, despite being less than ten years of age. ... The title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of England. ... Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

While the negotiations were slowly proceeding, Pierre turned his attention to his next goal. The authority of the dukes of Brittany had traditionally been weak, in comparison to the great peers of northern France. For example, the duke could not limit the building of castles by his counts. Nor did he have the right to guardianship of minor heirs of his vassals. Pierre aimed to re-establish his relationship with his vassals (or subjects) more along the lines of what he knew from the Capetian royal court.

To that end Peter simply declared new rules by fiat, and then faced the inevitable turmoil that resulted from the reaction of his barons. There followed a series of small civil wars and political maneuverings, but by 1223, the barons had all acquiesced to the changes or been dispossessed. // Events August 6 - Louis VIII is crowned King of France. ...

The six Breton bishops were the other threat to the ducal power, for they had substantial landholdings (including control of all or part of the few cities in Brittany), and were recalcitrant in the face of Pierre's attempts to raise revenues by increasing taxes or simply taking possession of episcopal holdings. For this he was excommunicated for a time in 1219–1221. Pierre submitted in the end, but this was not to be the last of his conflict with the bishops. // Events Saint Francis of Assisi introduces Catholicism into Egypt, during the Fifth Crusade The Flag of Denmark fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse Ongoing events Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) Births Christopher I of Denmark (died 1259) Frederick II of Austria (died 1246) Guillaume de Gisors, supposedly the... // Events May 13 - End of the reign of Emperor Juntoku, emperor of Japan Emperor ChÅ«kyō briefly reigns over Japan Former Emperor Go-Toba leads an unsuccessful rebellion against the Kamakura Shogunate Emperor Go-Horikawa ascends to the throne of Japan January - Mongol Army under Jochi captures the city of...

Pierre's wife Duchess Alix died on October 21, 1221, leaving behind four young children. She was then only 21, and little is known about her beyond the basic genealogical facts. October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... // Events May 13 - End of the reign of Emperor Juntoku, emperor of Japan Emperor Chūkyō briefly reigns over Japan Former Emperor Go-Toba leads an unsuccessful rebellion against the Kamakura Shogunate Emperor Go-Horikawa ascends to the throne of Japan January - Mongol Army under Jochi captures the city of...

Her death meant that Pierre was no longer Duke, although he continued to rule the duchy with undiminished authority, as regent for his son Jean, then a boy of four or so.

Alix's death changed Pierre's goals in two ways. First, he aimed to acquire some additional territory, not part of the duchy, to augment his retirement after his son came of age. Second, there was a strong tradition in France that a minor heir should, when coming of age, have his property in the state it was in when he inherited it. Thus Pierre could not now take some risks without fear of harming the prospects of his son.

Guy of Thouars was Duke of Brittany between 1203 and 1206, succeeding his stepson Arthur I. He was the second husband of duchess Constance. ... The Duke of Brittany (French: Duc de Bretagne) governed Brittany, a region with strong traditions of independence, including a language and a distinctive culture. ... Alix of Thouars (1201 - October 21, 1221) was the nominal Duchess of Brittany between 1206 to her death. ... John I of Dreux (in French Jean I de Dreux) (1217–October 8, 1286), known as the Red due to the colour of his beard, was Duke of Brittany, from 1237 to his death. ...

Further reading

• Painter, Sidney. The Scourge of the Clergy: Peter of Dreux, Duke of Brittany. Oxford University Press: London, 1937.