Alan Rufus
Alain the Red (lat: Alanus Rufus, franz: Alain le Roux, closely: Alan the Red, † August 4, 1089 ) was a Breton nobleman who participated in the Norman conquest of England and as Lord of Richmond one of the richest barons on the island been.
Alain " the Red " was one of the sons of Count Odo of Penthièvre and Agnes of Cornwall, his paternal grandfather was Duke Godfrey I of Brittany. In medieval lore, he was often with his cousin, Duke Alain Fergant, confused.
Alain as well as his brothers, Alain " the blacks" and Brian, participated in the conquest of England by their distant relative, William the Conqueror, and fought in part probably already in 1066 in the Battle of Hastings. The poet Wace called him here in his Roman de Rou as the leader of the Breton contingent in the invasion force. In the following years, Alain belonged to the narrow circle of advisers of King William, which he served on the mainland in Normandy including in campaigns.
For his services, Alain was rewarded by King William with a large estate in England. In the Domesday Book it is in possession of 440 goods distributed to eleven counties ( shires ) called. Most of these possessions were once part of the Earl Edwin of Mercia and Ralph de Gaël, of which the majority concentrated in Yorkshire, where it constituted a large closed rule territory, which made Alain become one of the most powerful barons of England militarily and economically. Here he built around 1071, the castle of Richmond, located (from the old French Riche Mont ) managed between the border of Scotland and York, from which he his country ( honneur de Richmond ). That soon went out the Richmondshire why Alain is often referred to as the Earl of Richmond, although this title was only awarded one of his successors.
Alain was buried after his death at the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds. His possessions went to his brother Alain " the Schwazen " and after his death in 1098 at her brother, Count Stephen I Penthièvre over. The son of the latter was the first Earl of Richmond.
The richest Briton of all time
Alain " the Red " is said to have possessed a fortune of 11,000 pounds at his death, which was about 7 % of the net income of the then England. In 2007 this was due to inflation a value of 81 billion pounds, or € 103 billion complied with which he would be the richest person is so far that has ever lived in Britain, or is still alive. On the Forbes list of the richest historical figures since the year 2008 so that he takes with 166.9 billion U.S. dollars a ninth place before personalities as Amenhotep III. , Bill Gates or Howard Hughes.