Brittany

From Cunnan
Revision as of 02:38, 12 September 2007 by KarenLarsdatter (talk | contribs) (Had incorrect information about the end of the duchy; Anne married Charles VIII first, then Charles' cousin Louis XII after Charles died.)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigationJump to search
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Brittany is the top-left, tongue-shaped, bit of France.

When the Romans were there, they called it Armorica and it was inhabited by Gauls. By the 4th century tribesmen from Britain had begun to cross the Channel to settle there, a flow which accelerated during the 5th century as Roman troops and authority were withdrawn from Britain, and Anglo-Saxons entered the country from the east.

To distinguish it from Britain proper, the region acquired the name of Brittany or Lesser Britain.

As time passed the region divided into three kingdoms -- Domnonia, Cornouaille and Bro Waroch (the first two taking their names from the Roman for "Devon" and the French for "Cornwall") -- which were later amalgamated once more, to form the Duchy of Brittany.

The Duchy maintained its independence from the French Crown until 1488, when the army of Duke François II were defeated and the duke forced to submit and become a vassal to the king of France.