Conan IV of Brittany
| Conan IV | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Duke of Brittany | |
| Reign | 1156–1166 |
| Predecessor | Odo II & Bertha |
| Successor | Constance |
| Earl of Richmond | |
| Reign | 1146–1166 |
| Predecessor | Alan |
| Successor | Constance |
| Born | c. 1138 |
| Died | 20 February 1171 |
| Burial | Bégard Monastery |
| Spouse | Margaret of Huntingdon |
| Issue | Constance, Duchess of Brittany, William |
| House | House of Penthièvre |
| Father | Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond |
| Mother | Bertha, Duchess of Brittany |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Conan IV of Penthièvre (1138 – February 20, 1171), (Breton: Konan IV Penteur, and Konan Breizh) called "the Young", was duke of Brittany, from 1156 to 1166. He was the son of Bertha, Duchess of Brittany, and her first husband, Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond. Conan IV was his father's heir as 2nd Earl of Richmond and his mother's heir as Duke of Brittany. From his father's side, Conan was great-great-grandson of duke Geoffrey I and great grandson of Odo of Brittany. Conan and his daughter Constance would be the only representatives of the Penthièvre dynasty of Brittany to hold the Duchy's crown.
Conan was the son of Duchess Bertha by her first husband, Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond. With the death of his mother in early 1156, Conan IV expected to inherit the ducal throne. However, he was denied his inheritance by his stepfather, Odo, Viscount of Porhoet, who refused to relinquish authority. Odo may have entered into a pact with Conan's maternal uncle, Hoel, Count of Nantes, with the goal of dividing Brittany between them. Being under threat of rebellion in Nantes, sponsored by Geoffrey VI, Count of Anjou, Hoel could not send Odo any aid. Within the year Conan IV was able to capture and imprison Odo and claim his inheritance.
Conan also inherited the title Earl of Richmond from his father Alan, which made him subject to both the King of England and the King of France.
Henry II of England, the Count of Anjou, attempted to obtain control of the Duchy of Brittany, which neighboured his lands and had traditionally been largely independent from the rest of France, with its own language and culture. The Breton dukes held little power across most of the duchy, which was mostly controlled by local lords. In 1148, Duke Conan III died and civil war broke out. Henry claimed to be the overlord of Brittany, on the basis that the duchy had owed loyalty to Henry I, and saw controlling the duchy both as a way of securing his other French territories and as a potential inheritance for one of his sons. Initially Henry's strategy was to rule indirectly through proxies, and accordingly Henry supported Conan IV's claims over most of the duchy, partly because Conan had strong English ties and could be easily influenced. Conan's uncle, Hoel, continued to control the county of Nantes in the east until he was deposed in 1156 by Henry's brother, Geoffrey, possibly with Henry's support.
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