MY VIEW ON THE HISTORY OF BRITTANY
(Ma sell ouzh Istor Breizh)
Concerning the Mesolithic Prehistory, then the Protohistory of the Neolithic, its megaliths and cairns, and finally the Atlantic Celtic Antiquity (many overlaps long underestimated between these eras), I briefly mention it on another page. I will most likely elaborate here.
Early Middle Ages
Immigration into Armorica
For more than 6000 YEARS, the North-South and South-North exchanges had been regular within the ARCHIPELAGO that included Armorica and the so-called British Isles, notably across the English Channel. These PERMANENT EXCHANGES were, of course, commercial and cultural, but also familial (DNA shows it). However, they were not always peaceful, no more than the comparable “Mare Nostrum” Mediterranean Sea. This relationship extended (despite the obstacle of distances) to the entire Atlantic Arc, from Portugal to the Shetlands.
A more marked IMMIGRATION of BRETONS-BRITTONS from Great Britain followed this constant population movement. This North-South flow occurred more intensively over two centuries, from the 5th to the 7th century. At least three causes, distinct or intertwined, contributed to this movement: the fall of the Roman Empire, the influx of Saxon invasions in Great Britain, and also the religious realm, evangelization.
Our knowledge of this period is a mixture of history, legend, and poetry. Thus, the immigration is accompanied by leaders, sometimes both civil and clergy of the CELTIC CHURCH (monastic). The Breton people gave many the title of “saints.” These are the famous “founding saints”: Pol, Samson, Patern, Kaourintin, Brieug, Mac’hlow, Tudual. Other saints, not consecrated by Rome, are goddesses and gods of the popular Celtic religion integrated into the local Christianity. Some recognized saints, like Anna (an ancient mother goddess), are also ambiguous.
In Britain, the confrontations with the Saxons continued. It even occurred to some degree in Armorica, along with Irish incursions. Around 600, the battle of Catraeth took place, recounted by a Brittonic poem by Aneurin, in praise of the leader Urien, father of the knight Owen or Ewan, during the reign of Uther Pendragon. The myth later fused several characters to create the symbolic Arthur, son of Uther, an incarnation of Brittonic resistance (long after Queen Boudicca resisted the Romans) and the marriage of Celtic civilization and Christianity.
The Breton Kings
At the very beginning of this installation of Britons among their Armorican brothers, we remember a prince named Conan Meriadec who supposedly reigned in Armorica around the year 400. Then Conomore, ruling over a territory straddling both sides of the Channel (the two Domnonias), followed by other princes like Waraok (or Erec), ruling over the former Veneti lands.
At school, we were told about a king called “Clovis” (our enemy…). This is an invented name, the real one being Chlodowig, in the Germanic language, spoken by non-French but Frankish sovereigns, almost German, until the year 1000. They conquered part of “Gaul”, but NOT BRITTANY, or only partially (the Marches) and temporarily.
Here, we had kings who defeated these enemies. After King Morvan (nicknamed more recently “Lez-Breizh”), who came from the Langonnet region, the last king not internationally recognized was the “Rig” NOMENOE (Nevenoe), who gave birth to a SOVEREIGN BRETON KINGDOM, recognized as such by the Bretons, after the battle of Ballon (845).
Then, several kings were officially knighted by the papacy, the first being Erispoe. In 851, at the battle of Jengland, he once again defeated Karl der Kahle, king of Western Francia, and definitively confirmed the INDEPENDENT and UNITED Breton Kingdom. After that, there was Salamun (Salaün), who conquered the Cotentin in 867 and other lands in Western Francia, and finally ALAN I “Alan the Great”.
Under the reign of our kings, the Breton state was, at the time, one of the most organized Celtic states (cf. Léon Fleuriot). Brittany experienced a FIRST GOLDEN AGE in terms of culture: illuminated manuscripts, poetic and musical exchanges between bards from both Brittanys (Old Breton was then a variety of the same Brittonic language, still spoken from Pornic to Glasgow), with also a scientific Breton language (Leyden Manuscript) and a sophisticated poetry with subtle rules, attempts to maintain the autonomy of the Church of Brittany with its archbishopric in Dol, etc. All of this was severely challenged by the VIKING invasions.
Middle and Late Middle Ages
The Breton-speaking Dukes
After the kings, the DUKES. We enter the long period of FEUDALISM. In this organization of Europe “overseen” by the Catholic Church and the popes, the latter decided who would be king, or even emperor, and who would be a duke, etc. Within the aristocratic class, there was thus a hierarchy among crowned heads imposed by the papacy, according to power struggles in which the interests of the various peoples and countries played no part, except to be “guided.” The pope thus decided that Breton rulers would no longer have the title of “king,” but of “duke.” The duke had to swear homage to a king. As for us, the Duke of Brittany rendered a “SIMPLE HOMAGE” (also called “ordinary”) or, at times, “LIEGE HOMAGE”, sometimes to the King of France, sometimes to the King of England. “Simple” meant that the duchy remained as independent as a kingdom. The Duke of Brittany most often rendered simple homage and was thus a “SOVEREIGN DUKE”.
The first was ALAN II “Alan Barvek” or “Al Louarn” (later renamed “Barbetorte” by the Francophones) after having driven out the Vikings (939, battle of Trans). The Breton throne was sometimes chaotically claimed, allowing the King of France to momentarily believe it was conquered, even calling its princes “counts.” Several Celtic-culture dukes succeeded each other, such as Alan III, Conan I, II, Hoel II, Alan IV (Fergant), Arthur I, etc.
The French-speaking Dukes, not all Francophiles
Later, Pierre de Dreux (Mauclerc) became duke (in 1213). French by origin and culture, he imposed the French language on the throne of Brittany, unlike the previous dukes of the Cornouaille house. He also tried to impose REGRESSIVE SOCIAL elements, like serfdom, but failed in Breton-speaking Brittany.
French Conquest
In 1488, one of the greatest battles of the Middle Ages, the battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier, set this conquest in motion. Anne, the eldest daughter of François II, became DUCHESS in February 1489. In 1490, she married Maximilian of Austria. Then, the following year, in 1491, the king of France convinced the pope to ANNUL this marriage. Anne married, for the second time, under the threat of French occupying forces, Charles VIII.
Partial Liberation in 1499, with her THIRD MARRIAGE (to Louis XII), the contract restoring part of her sovereignty.
Under the Kings of France and the States of Brittany
After this conquest, BRETON ECONOMIC POWER did not immediately collapse. We can see this during the Renaissance with its many magnificent religious constructions.
Later, particularly Louis XIV, with Colbert, DESTROYED our economy. This destruction was dramatically reinforced by the SUFFOCATION caused by the sea becoming a BORDER.
The French Revolution and the 19th Century
The French revolutionaries, starting from a theoretical liberating idea, did not recognize the rights of conquered peoples and ASSIMILATED them into privileges of the old regime. We LOST our AUTONOMY and more: Brittany ceased to exist officially and was (in 1790) divided into FIVE DEPARTMENTS.
The 20th Century
It was rather horrific, despite its creativity and happy moments (though never generalized).
The Breton emancipation movement developed following “Bretonism” mentioned earlier. The “REGIONALIST” movement (Union régionaliste bretonne), then “NATIONALIST” in 1911 (Breton Nationalist Party), was first marked by a ROYALIST right-wing…
Recent History (1945-1965)
I give a reminder of this passage from my book here.
The post-war period proved fertile for Breton culture and its economy.
Breton society was changing. In 1957, the MOB (Movement for the Organization of Brittany) was formed…
The 5th REPUBLIC (1955, 1972, 1982), confirmed the authoritarian removal of Southern Brittany imposed by Vichy.
This BATTLE is part of a broader fight for HUMANISM, and for the PLANET.