thumb|right|[[Richmond Castle first built by Alan Rufus]]

thumb|right|The [[Honour of Richmond in North Yorkshire, England]]

The now-extinct title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of England. The earldom of Richmond was initially held by various Breton nobles; sometimes the holder was the Breton duke himself, including one member of the cadet branch of the French Capetian dynasty. The historical ties between the Duchy of Brittany and this English earldom were maintained ceremonially by the Breton dukes even after England ceased to recognize the Breton dukes as earls of England and those dukes rendered homage to the King of France, rather than the English crown. It was then held either by members of the English royal families of Plantagenet and Tudor, or English nobles closely associated with the English crown. It was eventually merged into the English crown during the reign of Henry VII of England and has been recreated as a dukedom.

History

The title Earl of Richmond is associated with the now extinct earldom, the earlier lords of Richmond who held the Honour of Richmond, one of the most important fiefs in England, and eventually the dukes of Richmond. The title of earl predates the French-Breton-Norman title of count (comte), but the two became interchangeable in the time of William the Conqueror.

From their first creation, the lords and earls of Richmond were leading members of the ruling class of post-Conquest England, as defined by Keats-Rohan as "[those holding fiefs, (the right to collect fees)] held in some relationship in the feudal chain from the king of England, whether the holder be Norman, Breton, Manceau, Poitevin, Fleming or Anglo-Saxon." In William I's Conquest of England in fact "the regional origin of [the Conquerors] ...was not exclusively Norman, ... and the size of the Breton contingent ... is generally agreed to be the most significant." Until the late 12th century, all the earls of Richmond were Breton noblemen.

The Earldom of Richmond was frequently associated with the accumulation of great wealth within England.

The earl was frequently known in the courts of the kings of France and the dukes of Brittany as comte de Richemont or other spelling variations, where in the courts of England and Brittany, French was frequently used.

The lords of Richmond

The Honour of Richmond preceded the Earldom of Richmond. The Honour conveyed, among other things, economic rights to the holder. The Honour of Richmond was reputed to be among the wealthiest in England. It appears to have been in existence in England from 1071 shortly after the Harrying of the North, a military campaign which followed the Battle of Hastings (1066). This was before the title Earl of Richmond was held in accordance with any strict legal principle. It was initially awarded to Breton nobles from the ducal family of Brittany by the king of England. It represented, among other things, the close association of England and Brittany.

Early holders of the honour of Richmond were sometimes known as lords of Richmond rather than as earls. The Honour of Richmond and the title Earl of Richmond, were held principally by Breton nobles, and often by the duke of Brittany, except for two periods from 1241 to 1268 and from 1286 to 1372. In 1435 the title was granted to the House of Plantagenet, before the Duchy of Brittany was permanently annexed to the crown of France. The title was definitively returned to crown during the reign of the Tudor kings. It was first granted to Alan Rufus in 1071 by William the Conqueror. The honour, which was assessed for the service of 60 knights, was one of the most important fiefs in Norman England.

Earls of Richmond

The 1st Earl of Richmond was the Breton warrior Alan Rufus (–1093).<!-- What is this?--> He was related to both the duke of Normandy and the duke of Brittany. He was a grandson of Duke Geoffrey I of Brittany and Hawise of Normandy and the second son of Odo, Count of Penthièvre. He most probably took part in William the Conqueror's invasion of England, after which he obtained grants of land in various parts of England, including manors formerly held by Earl Edwin in Yorkshire.

Subsequent Dukes of Richmond

The Earldom of Richmond was replaced by the Dukedom of Richmond which was named after Richmond and its surrounding district of Richmondshire. It has been held by members of the royal Tudor and Stuart families. The current dukedom of Richmond initially maintained the historic ties of Richmond to Brittany when it was created in 1675 for Charles Lennox: he was the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and a noble bretonne, Louise de Penancoët de Kérouaille.

List of the Lords and Earls of Richmond

Earls of Richmond (early Lords of Richmond)

thumb|right|Alan Rufus, first Earl of Richmond

thumb|right|Henry Tudor (Henry VII), last Earl of Richmond

right|thumb|The [[heraldic badge of Richmond Herald of Arms in Ordinary held by the herald to Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond]]

  • Alan Rufus (–1093) – built Richmond Castle, ally of William the Conqueror
  • Alan the Black ()