Battle of Conquereuil
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Conquereuil was fought on July 27, 992 AD between the Bretons under Duke Conan I of Rennes
and the Angevins under Duke Fulk the Black. The Bretons defended, and Conan carefully prepared the battlefield, digging pits and ditches which were flooded by the water of nearby swamps and then hidden by covering them lightly with sod, and behind this prepared earthworks which had their flanks secured by the swamps.
The Angevins attacked, and Breton troops lured the Angevin knights into the flooded pits by feigning flight. The Bretons then counterattacked and drove the Angevins back in disarray. During a lull in the battle, during which the Bretons apparently prematurely considered the battle won, Fulk reorganized his army, attacked the Bretons again, and routed them, killing Conan in the process.
Another version of the story suggests that the Breton counterattack was successful and drove the Angevins back in disarray. In the midst of a Breton pursuit, Conan removed his armour because it was hot, and some Angevin knights in a wood saw him, charged the unarmoured duke, and killed him, turning the battle decisively in the favor of the Angevins.
Conan I of Rennes
Conan I was the count of Rennes from 958 and duke of Brittany from 990 to his death. He became ruler of Brittany after a period of civil and political unrest, having first succeeded his father Judicael Berengar, as count of Rennes....
and the Angevins under Duke Fulk the Black. The Bretons defended, and Conan carefully prepared the battlefield, digging pits and ditches which were flooded by the water of nearby swamps and then hidden by covering them lightly with sod, and behind this prepared earthworks which had their flanks secured by the swamps.
The Angevins attacked, and Breton troops lured the Angevin knights into the flooded pits by feigning flight. The Bretons then counterattacked and drove the Angevins back in disarray. During a lull in the battle, during which the Bretons apparently prematurely considered the battle won, Fulk reorganized his army, attacked the Bretons again, and routed them, killing Conan in the process.
Another version of the story suggests that the Breton counterattack was successful and drove the Angevins back in disarray. In the midst of a Breton pursuit, Conan removed his armour because it was hot, and some Angevin knights in a wood saw him, charged the unarmoured duke, and killed him, turning the battle decisively in the favor of the Angevins.