Alain of Albret
French nobleman; Viscount of Tartas and Count of Graves and Castres (1440-1522)
Alain of Albret (1440–1522), called "The Great", was a powerful French aristocrat. He was 16th Lord of Albret, Viscount of Tartas, the 2nd Count of Graves and the Count of Castres. He was the son of Catherine de Rohan and Jean I of Albret. He was the grandson and heir of Charles II of Albret and became head of the House of Albret in 1471.
During his half century of rule, he took a political course which was more agitated than effective, following his father's example, making him one of the most visible actors on the stage of Europe.
Early career
Alain initially benefited from his fidelity to King Louis XI of France and, through this, enlarged his principality. He married Frances, Countess of Périgord, which brought him the county of County of Périgord, the viscounty of Limoges, and the Penthièvre claim to the Duchy of Brittany.
He later seized Armagnac and married his son, John, to Catherine, recently proclaimed queen regnant of the Kingdom of Navarre and heiress to Foix and Bigorre.
The Mad War
At this time, Alain hoped to consolidate his power by taking control of the Duchy of Brittany by marriage to Anne of Brittany, the daughter and heir of Duke Francis II. He entered into rebellion against the royal authority in support of the duchy, during the so-called Mad War. His intrigues were unsuccessful and he was defeated, having been unable to provide support to the duke in 1487.
“Alain of Albret” enters the record as french nobleman; Viscount of Tartas and Count of Graves and Castres (1440-1522). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Alain, Albret and French can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q941362. VIAF identifies the subject as 67357095. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1440, 1522, 1471 and 1487.
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