BRETAGNE
Breizh
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Prior to the expansion
of the Roman Empire into the region, Gallic tribes had occupied the Armorican
peninsula,
dividing it into five regions that then formed the basis for the Roman
administration of the area, and which survived into the period of the Duchy.. |
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In roman times
the region was called Lugdunensis III,
created about 385 AD by Clemens Maximus
augustus and in
the Middle ages came to be a part of the archdiocese of Tours, created in the
9th century. Brittany
fragmented into small, warring regna, kingdoms, each competing for
resources. The Frankish Carolingian Empire conquered the region during the
8th century, starting around 748 and taking the whole of Brittany by 799. In 831 Louis
the Pious appointed Nominoe, the
Count of Vannes, ruler of the Bretons, imperial missus, at Ingelheim
in 831. The new kingdom however proved fragile and collapsed under Viking
attackThe Duchy of Brittany was created in 936 by Alan Barbetorte, a former refugee. He claimed the titles of the
Count of Cornwall and Nantes and, as Alan II, reigned as the new Brittonum
dux. Alan paid homage to Louis IV of France for Brittany in 942. After him a long series of
Dukes ruled Brittany, the Kings of France considering the
Duchy of Brittany feudally a part of their Kingdom of France (i.e. it was
within the traditional borders of the realm, and the King of France be the
overlord of the Duchy). In practice, however, the Duchy of Brittany was a
largely independent sovereign state. |
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The independent
sovereign nature of the Duchy began to come to an end upon the death of Francis II of
Brittany. The Duchy was inherited
by his daughter, Anne,
but King Charles VIII of France,
determined to bring the territory under royal control. Charles VIII had her
marriage annulled and then forced her to marry him. As a result, the Kingdom
of France and the Duchy of Brittany were placed in the personal union of
their marriage, and the King of France also held the title of Duke of
Brittany jure uxoris. During
their marriage, the Charles VIII prohibited Anne of Brittany using the ducal
title and imposed a Royal Governor from the House of Penthièvre on the Duchy. Legally,
however, the Duchy remained separate from France proper; the two titles were
linked only by the marriage of the King and Queen, and in 1498 when Charles
VIII died childless, the title Duke of Brittany remained with Anne,
rather than passing to the heir of France, Louis XII. Anne of Brittany
returned to Brittany and began to re-establish an independent sovereign rule.
However, the new French king, Louis XII married Anne himself, and so the King
of France was once more Duke of Brittany jure uxoris. Legally,
Brittany still remained distinct, and its future remained dependent on the
ducal bloodline, now held by the House of Montfort. When Anne died, Brittany passed to her
daughter and heiress, Claude, rather than remaining with the King of France, her father. Claude married
the future King of France, Francis I. By this marriage, and through the succession to the French crown, the
King of France became Duke of Brittany jure uxoris once more. Claude's
death in 1524 separated the Duchy from the crown again, and for the last
time. Because Claude, like her mother, was sovereign Duchess, the title of
'Duke' did not remain with her husband, but instead passed to her son, Francis III of
Brittany, who was also Dauphin of
France. Legally, the Crown
and Duchy were again separate, but the Duke was a child, and the Duchy had
been governed as an integral part of France for years; the King had little
trouble in maintaining royal control over the Duchy. Breton independence was
effectively ended when in 1532 the Estates of Brittany proclaimed the
perpetual union of Brittany with the French crown and so the Duchy became
legally a part of France. Francis III
remained Duke of Brittany, but died without attaining the French crown in
1536. He was succeeded by his brother Henry, who was the first royal to
become both King of France and Duke of Brittany in his own right. Any trace
of Breton independence ended with the ascension of Henry, as Henry II of
France, to the French
throne. The French Crown and Breton Duchy were now united by inheritance, and
the merging of Brittany into France was thus completed. Henry II was not
crowned separately as Duke of Brittany. However Henry attempted to create a
separate legal status for Brittany vis-a-vis the Kingdom of France similar to
the position of the Duchy of Cornwall to the Kingdom of Great Britain. A parliament
was created besides the existing States of Brittany in 1554. This existed
until 1790 when the duchy was
dissolved and divided into five départnements
which survive until the present day. In 1982 the former duchy of Brittany
was restored as a political entitity as the Region de Bretagne, comprising the five départements of 1790 |
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Early
numismatic evidence shows that in pre-christian times the ruler was
represented by his imago in the
form of his bust or portrait. This was often combined with a representation
of a horse being an important attribute of the ruler
which was associated with him throughout the middle ages until far into
modern times. The
image of the ruler was maintained in roman times but was combined with other
symbols then. In the early middle ages some coins show us
eagles, griffins and in a unique case a lion which belong to the common
repertory of heraldic symbols and may have been the emblems of the rulers of
Gaul, of a province or of lesser officials. It is, however not
possible to attribute these emblems to certain officials. A
collection of coins from Brittany is in the Musée
de Bretagne in Rennes. |
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Conan
II |
1040-1066 |
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Conan II faced numerous threats posed by the pro-Norman faction in Brittany,
including revolts sponsored by William, Duke of Normandy for whom Conan's
father had served as Guardian. This rivalry led to war between Normandy and
Brittany (1064–1065) In this war the
Battle of Dinan occurred in 1065. The combined armies of Harold of England
and William of Normandy chased Conan from Dol-de-Bretagne to Rennes, and he
finally surrendered at Château de Dinan, Brittany. The battle is recalled in
the Bayeux Tapestry on which the
handing over of the keys of the city by Conan II is represented. This is done
with a spear with a pennon of three lappets and a white rectangle on a blue
(or green?) field. |
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Surrender of Dinan Castle on the Bayeux Tapestry
Also
shields can be seen of the common norman shape decorated
with a kind of crosses patée wavy
of different colours which can also be seen on other parts of the tapestry. |
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House of
Anjou |
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Constance ¥ 1 Geoffrey II ¥ 2 Ranulf de Blondeville ¥ 3 Guy of Thouars |
*1161-†1201 1166-1186 1181-1186 1188-1198 1199 |
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I Geoffrey II |
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Seal of Geoffrey II L.: X
GAVFRIE HENRCICI REGIS FILIVS DVX BRITANIE S. |
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II Ranulf de Blundeville, |
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Duke
of Brittanny, Earl of Richmond, Earl of Lincoln, custody of the honours of
Richmond, Leicester and Huntingdon (†1232)
Seal of Ranulf de Blondeville R.
was (tit.) duke of Brittany after the murder of Arthur I (1203) being the
second husband of Con- stance (1170-1201), the widow of Geoffrey (r. 1181-1186). |
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III Guy of Thouars |
†1213 |
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Guy of Thouars
(†12 April 1213) was the third husband of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, whom
he married in 1199 in Angiers. He was
an Occitan noble, a member of the House of Thouars. Guy and
Constance had two daughters, Alix of Thouars and Katherine, Dame of Vitre, in
1201. Constance died in childbirth. Between 1198
and the time of her death delivering twin daughters, Constance acted as
regent for her young son Arthur I, Duke of Brittany. Constance had abdicated
her ducal throne in Arthur's favour in 1194. Once Duke Arthur I died in 1203,
he was succeeded by his infant maternal sister, Alix of Thouars. Guy served
as Regent of Brittany for his infant daughter Alix, Duchess of Brittany from
1203 to 1206. In 1206 Philip
II took the regency of Brittany himself, much to the consternation of the
Breton nobles. Guy of Thouars
died in 1213 in Chemillé in the county of Maine, and was buried with
Constance at Villeneuve Abbey in Les Sorinières outside of Nantes. At the end of the 13th century the arms of Thouars were: Arms: Or, semée of fleurs de lis Azure, a canton
Gules. [1] |
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Arthur I |
1187-1203 |
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1199
Arthur: Arms: Nil. L.:
dvx brittannie et aquitanie comes andegravensis et
cenomanensis.
D.: 1199 & 1202. [2] |
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Alix Guy of Thouars Peter I of
Dreux, Mauclerc |
1203-1221 regent
1203-1206 1213-1221 |
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King
Philip August of France made Brittany a royal fief and appointed Peter I of
Dreux its duke. The arms of the House of Dreux, a younger branch of the House
of Capet, were chequy Or and Azure. As the youngest son of Robert II of Dreux
Peter added a canton ermine as a mark of cadency on
29 January 1213. [3] These
arms are on the seal of his wife Alix and also on his seal of 1220.
Seal and counterseal of Alix Seal: The duchess crowned with a
mantle lined vair, a falcon on her left hand. L.: X S. AALIS DVCISSE BRITANIE COIT
RICHEMONTIS Counter
Seal: Arms: Chequy 6´7 and a canton
[Ermine]. L.: X SECRETVM
MEVM |
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Pierre de Dreux, Mauclerc |
*1187ca-†1250 Duke jure uxoris of Bretagne 1213-1221 Regent of Bretagne
1221-1237 Count of Braine
1237-1250 |
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Equestrian
Seal of Pierre Mauclerc: Arms: Chequy 6´6,
and a canton Ermine. L.: sig petri dvcis brittannie et comitis richemondis.
Counter seal: Arms: As before. L.: secretvm
mevm After his son
John I had done homage to the king of France on 16 November 1237 Peter
Mauclerc chaged his name into ‘Pierre de Braine’. Braine was his property as a younger
member of the House of Dreux. He participated to the crusade of 1239 and
again to the crusade of Louis IX in 1248-’50. He died on his return and was
enterred in the mausoleum of the House of Dreux in the Abbey church Saint-Yved
in Braine.[ His
tomb in Notre-Dame de Braine (formerly St Yved Abbey, Aisne, Picardie): |
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The
arms of Peter on this tomb are only natural when we interpret the narrow
bordure to be merely the edge of the shield (as on the version of Beaubois). The
colours of the arms of the county of Braine are given by 13th
century rolls of arms: In Walford’s Roll
(1273): C. 25: Le countee
de Abrenes, chequy d’or et ed’azure un border gulez Cd. 26: Le counte
de brenes eschekeré d’or e d’azur a une bordure dew goule. Cl.43: Le conte de
Brenes, eschalker d’or e azur a bourdure de gules [5] |
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House of Dreux |
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John I, the Red Peter I of
Dreux, Mauclerc |
*1218-†1286 1221-1286 Regent
1221-1237 |
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John
I inherited the arms of his father.
Arms: Chequy 6´7,
a canton Ermine. L.: S : IOHANNIS : DVCIS : BRIT [...] OMITIS : R[...........].
[6]
Arms of John I according to the “Turnier von Nantes” The apparently oldest
blasoning of the arms of the counts,
viz. dukes of Brittany can be found in the poem Turnier von Nantes, (Der
Turnei von Nantheiz), written by Konrad von Würzburg (1230-’87) It describes a tournament
held at Nantes (!) between German knights under King Richard of England and
French knights under their own king. Much authentic detail is devoted to
coats of arms, weapons, and procedure. The date of the poem is the subject of
controversy. ‘King Richard’ is thought to be Richard of Cornwall, who was a
German King (1257-’72). According to this view it is a political poem of this
period and an early work of Konrad's. |
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der
einer grâveschefte wielt, 595 wart sin glanzer schild gesehen |
A
lord of Brittany were seen on his shining shield |
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.....which
makes the arms: Chequy Gules and Argent, a canton
ermine.
2nd Equestrian seal of John I the Red, 1263 Arms: Chequy,
a canton Ermine. L.: All
later sources however give the arms: Chequy Azure and Or, a bordure Gules and
a canton ermine. |
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As a
son of John I John II added a bordure Gules to the arms of his father (and
changed te colours). It can be found on a window in the south transept of
Chartres Cathedral, probably made at the occasion of his wedding with
Beatrice of England in 1260.
Arms of the Duke of Brittany on a lancet window of the south transept of Chartres
Cathedral John
II and Beatrice of England are dressed in such a coat of arms on other
windows of the south transept of Chartres Cathedral
Beatrice of England in Chartres [7] These
arms are confirmed by some 13th century rolls of
arms: Walfords
Roll, 1273.: Le contee de Bretaigne, chequy d'or et d'azure un
canton d'ermin un border gulez. [8] Wijnbergen
fol. 26r n° 921: Chequy 5Í6 Or and Azure a bordure Gules and a canton ermine. Wijnbergen
fol 27v° n° 1017: Chequy 6Í6 Azure and Or a bordure Gules
and a canton ermine.[9]
Seal and counter seal of John II Seal: Knight
on horseback with coat of arms and shield: Chequy [Or and Azure] a bordure
[Gules] and a cantron ermine. L.: X S IOHANNIS [........] RICHEMONDIE Counterseal: Arms: as before. L.: X CONTSIG [....] DVCIS BRITANIE CONT RICHEM Date: 1302 [10] His
recumbent statue shows him with the shield chequy with bordure and canton:
In
1821 his recumbent statue was united with the recumbent statue of his son
John III
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John III the Good |
1312-1341 |
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The
arms Ermine plain appears in 1316 on a counterseal on a confession of a debt
of £ 300 written by the duke for the Lord of Avaugour and again in 1318 (in
the archives of Morbihan). [11]
Breton
War of Succession 1341-1364 John III's half-brother, John of
Montfort, claimed the title of Duke, but his claim was rejected by
the King of France who favored the competing claims of Joan of Penthièvre, and her husband Charles of Blois, who also claimed the
Ducal title. John III's brother Guy de Penthièvre had predeceased him and
left his daughter, Joan as a claimant to the Ducal Crown. In 1337 Joan
married Charles de Blois.
The Breton War of Succession between the claimants ensued when John of
Montfort refused to cede his own rights in their favor. The Breton War of
Succession was fought from 1341 to 1364 between these two Breton houses, the House of Blois and the House of Montfort. |
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*1295-†1345 |
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John de Montfort claimed the title John
IV, Duke of Brittany, but was largely unable to enforce his claim for more
than a brief period. Because his claim to the title was disputed, he has been
referred to as simply "John de Montfort" (Jean de Montfort).
The
arms of John (IV) de Montfort are in Bellenville Armorial fol 1v° n°15:
mōfort: Quarterly Ermine plain and
Gules a lion queue fourchée Argent. |
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Charles of Blois |
1341-1364 |
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Arms of
the Duke of Bretagne In the Bellenville Armorial fol 23v° [12] These arms are thought to have been of Charles of Blois,
because its crest is different from the crests of his predecessors and
successors. [13] 1345 Charles de Blois. A.: D'ermines plein. L.: SIG KAROLI DVCIS BRITANIE. D.: 18 Sept. 1345. [14] |
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House of
Montfort |
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John IV, the Conqueror |
*1339-†1399 1364-1399 Knight of the
Garter n° 54, 1375 |
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Having achieved
victory in the Breton War of Succession with English support (and having
married into the English royal family), John was constrained to confirm several
English barons in positions of power within Brittany, which gave the English
military access to the peninsula and which took revenue from Brittany to the
English crown. This English powerbase in Brittany was resented by the Breton
aristocrats and the French monarchy, as was John's use of English advisors.
However, John V declared himself a vassal to king Charles V of France, not to
Edward III of England. This gesture did not placate his critics, who saw the
presence of rogue English troops and lords as destabilizing. Faced with the
defiance of the Breton nobility, John was unable to muster military support
against Charles V, who took the opportunity to exert pressure over Brittany.
Without local support, in 1373 John was forced into exile once more in
England. However,
Charles V made the mistake of attempting to completely annex the duchy to
France by force of arms in 1378. The barons revolted against the annexation
and invited John V back from exile in 1379. He landed in Dinard and took
control of the duchy once more with the support of local barons. An English
army under Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester was landed at Calais
and marched towards Nantes to take control of the city. However, John
reconciled with the new French king Charles VI and paid off the English
troops to avoid a confrontation. He ruled his duchy thereafter in peace with
the French and English crowns for over a decade, maintaining contact with
both, but minimising open links to England. He also managed to extricate
Brest from English control in 1397 using diplomatic pressure and financial
inducements (Wikipedia) His
arms are in Gelre Armorial:
1365
ca Arms: Ermine. Crest: A ducal
hat with a lion statant between two trunks of the arms. (Gelre fol. 71 v° ) In chief the banners of Richmond and Montfort the two other possessions
of John |
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John V |
1399-1442 30th Knight of the Fleece St. Omaars 1440 |
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1407:
Emblem: A lion with a mantlet ermine. D.:
24.07.1407. (Douët d'Arcq n° 555)
Mannequin of “le duc de bretaigne”
From the
“Grand Armorial Equestre de la Toison d’Or.” Bibliothèque
de l’Arsenal, MS. 4790 The
crest is a-typical and has to be a lion statant instead of a swan issuant. In
Bergshammer Armorial (1440 ca) the arms are emblasoned on fol. 167 r°, n° 2557: Armoiries: de herm plein, C.: un chapeau de gu.
rebrassé d’herm. sommé d’un lion arrêté d’or entre 2 cornes d’herm., cap de
gu. [19]
Arms of John V , Knight
of the Fleece
Arms: Ermine plain (7th Chap. Gent. 1445: Messire Jean Duc de Bretagne Comte de
Montfort. Trepassé). |
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Francis I |
1442-1450 |
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Equestrian seal of Francis I, 1442 |
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Peter II |
1450-1457 |
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Arms of Brittany in the Armorial LeBlanc, 1456 |
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Arthur II of Richmond |
1457-1458 |
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Francis II |
1458-1488 |
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The
Duke of Brittany in tournament From: Le Livre des tournois ("tournament
book"; Traicte de la Forme de Devis d'un Tournoi) by René d'Anjou
of ca. 1460. Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris (MS Fr 2695) fol.45v.
Arms of the Duke of Brittany From: Livro do Armeiro Mor (1509) |
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Anne
¥ 1 Charles VIII of France |
*25.01.1477-†09.01.1514 1488-1514 1491-1498 1499-1515 |
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Anne of Brittany's first marriage to Maximillian was declared illegal with
the argument that the French King had not approved it under the terms of the
Treaty of Verger. Anne was married to Charles VIII of France in a ceremony
that was validated by Pope Innocent III. Once they were married, Charles
would not allow Anne to use the title Duchess of Brittany. However, upon his
death of 7 April 1498, Anne returned to Brittany and took steps to return the
Duchy to independent rule under herself as Duchess. The children of Charles
and Anne did not reach adulthood and this presented a new Breton succession
problem as well as one for France. Both succession issues were solved upon
Anne's marriage to Louis XII of
France (†1515) but at the cost of restoring and furthering the
independence of Brittany.
The crowned arms of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany in
alliance Supported by an angel and
between their cyphers Chateau de Blois
Arms of Louis XII and Anne and of Francis I and Claude
of Brittany On the left base is the porcupine-emblem of Louis XII and on the right
the salamander-emblem of Francis I. The motto of Duchess Anne was POTIUS MORI QUAM FŒDARI (Rather Die than be
Dishonoured (soiled)). It was adopted, according to a legend, by Anne when, at
a hunt, an ermine in winter coat faced its pursuers rather than to take
flight through a muddy pool. The motto can be found in Langeais Castle where the wedding of Anne and
Charles VIII took place in 1491. |
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Claude ¥ Francis I of
France |
1514-1524 08.05.1514 |
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Seal of Claude
of Brittany Arms:
PP.: 1. France; 2. ¼ France and Brittany. Crown: Of
five large and four small fleurs de lys The arms are surrounded by two Wake and Ormond
knots
Cypher of Francis I and Claude of Brittany The birth of Claude's sons Francis (who became Francis III, Duke of
Brittany, as well as the Dauphin of France) and Henry II of France
represented a resolution to these contrasting succession issues but
accelerated the loss of independence of Brittany and the eventual
disappearance of the Ducal title as an independent sovereign Ducal crown. |
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François, Dauphin |
*1517-†1536 1524-1536 |
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Union
with France 4 August 1532 |
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Henry II |
*1519-†1559 Duke of
Bretagne 1536-1547 King of France
1547-1559 |
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After Henry II,
the title Duke of Brittany was not used for over 200 years. The title Duke of
Brittany reappeared when a great-grandson of Louis XIV was named Louis,
Duke of Brittany; He was the last holder of the title prior to the
French Revolution and in any event did not live to inherit the French throne.
At his death the title effectively became defunct. From about the
annexation of Brittany until the French revolution the royal arms for
Brittany were a quarterly of France and Brittany which were the arms of Henry
II as a duke of Brittany. It is on the attendance fees of the States of
Brittany. |
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Attendance fee of the States of Brittany, 1651 On the reverse the badge of
Brittany on a field ermine Motto: POTIUS MORI QUAM FOEDARI
(Rather Die than be Dishonoured) |
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Counter seal of John VI, 1369 (Arch.
Depts. de la Loire Atlantique H 46) Arms: Ermine plain Supporters: Two birds respecting L.: s iohis ducis [....]
itanie comitis [....] ortis [20] |
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Signet of John V Arms: Ermine plain. Crest: A lion statant between two
trunks of the arms Supporters: Two lions with mantlets of
the arms L.: S.SECRETU IOHIS DUC BRTANNIE COITIS
MONTIS FORTIS |
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Seal of Richard de Bretagne (*1395-†1438), count
of Etampes Arms.: Ermine. Crest: A ducal hat with a lion
between two trunks. Supporters: Two ermines. D.: 1427.09.08.
[23] Richard was a son of John IV. |
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Fragment
of counter seal: Ermine
with remains of two lions as supporters. Date: 1461. [24]
Seal of Francis I Arms: Ermine plain. Crest: A lion statant Or between
two trunks of the arms. Supporters: Two lions. Date: 05.11.1475. [25]. |
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Achievement of the Duke of Bretagne From : Alain Bouchard:
Grandes Chroniques de Bretagne These chronicles were composed over a couple of years and were encouraged
by duchess Anne who gave the author accession to the ducal archives. She,
however, died about ten months before the publication of the work. |
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Achievement
of the dukes of Brittany Side entry, Castle of the dukes of Brittany, Nantes 1489 ca Arms: Ermine plain Crown: 5 & 4 (ducal crown). Supporters: Two lions reguardant Motto: a ma vie (malo au riche
duc). On the counter seal of Anne is about the same
achievement: Arms: Ermine plain Crown: a ducal crown Supporters: Two lions Date: 19.05.1489
[26]
Achievement of the duchess of Brittany Tour de la Boulangerie, Castle of the dukes of
Brittany, Nantes. The arms supported by ermines with mantlets of the arms |
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Achievement of the duchess of Bretagne On the seal of Claude is also an achievement: Arms:
PP. 1. France; 2. ¼ France and Brittany. Crown: Of
five large and four small fleurs de lys |
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Achievement for the Duchy of Brittany By the
french heraldist Robert
Louis (1902-’65), 20th cent. |
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Arms of Brittany with the knots of Duchess Anne From the
Tour Tanguy, Brest. (Coll. Musée
Départemental Breton, Quimper) |
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Arms
of Brittany In a German Armorial, 1580 |
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Photo J.C.
Even Arms of Brittany on a vault in Nantes Cathedral
16th cent (?) |
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Arms of Brittany surrounded by the collar of the
Order of the Spike On a map of
Brittany, 1588 |
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Arms of Brittany, surrounded by the collars of
the Orders of the Ermine and the Spike On the
frontispiece of Morice, Pierre Hyacinthe: Histoire Ecclesiastique et Civile
de Bretagne, Paris, 1750 |
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Shortly before the French Revolution the leaders of the Parliament of
Brittany issued Remonstrances to Louis XVI,
in part to remind the King of his duties as Duke and to preserve the
privileges of the Breton people under the Treaty of Union. The Remontrances
were delivered to the King by Members of the Breton Parliament led by the
Comte de Saisy de Kerampuil, and others. The King's response was to close the
Breton Parliament. On 26 February 1790 the province of Bretagne was abolished
and its territory was divided into four new départements:
Côtes-d'Armor,
Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan. As
no territory of Brittany existed any more, the arms of the former province
became obsolete. Nevertheless the famous arms ermine plain were very often
used inofficially. |
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Arms of Bretagne By Alfred de
Courcy: Le Breton, 1842, p. 72 |
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Arms of Brittany in St. Malo, end 19th cent.. Motto:
Potius Mori Quam Foedari |
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Arms of Brittany on a stamp,
1943 Arms
for the departments were proposed by the french heraldist Robert
Louis. His proposal for Morbihan is used. Finistère uses a coat of arms
adopted in 1975. |
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Côte d’Armor |
Finistère |
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Ille et Vilaine |
Morbihan |
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In 1982 the Region
of Brittany was created. In 1986 the first elections were held. The region
consists of the départements
Côtes-d'Armor,
Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan, its capital is Rennes.
Logo of the Region of Brittany 1988-2005 A
new logo was adopted in 2005. Æ See illustration in the head of this essay |
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Gendarmerie |
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Heraldry of the World