Encyclopedia
- This article is about the historical kingdom, duchy and French province, as well as one of the Celtic nations. For the current French administrative région of Bretagne, see Bretagne. For other meanings, see Brittany .
Brittany is a former independent kingdom and duchy, then
province of France and, at the same time, one of the six
Celtic Nations . It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the old province and independent duchy.
The historical province of Brittany was split between two modern-day
régions of
France. 80% of Brittany has become the
région of
Bretagne, while the remaining 20% of Brittany has been grouped with other historical provinces to create the
région of Pays-de-la-Loire . For the reasons behind the splitting-up of Brittany, and the current debate around a reunification, see the
Bretagne.
Brittany occupies a large
peninsula in the northwest of France, lying between the
English Channel to the north and the
Bay of Biscay to the south. Its land area is 34,034 km² .
In 2004 the population of Brittany is estimated at 4,198,500 inhabitants. 72% of these live in the Bretagne
région, while 28% of these live in the Pays-de-la-Loire
région. At the 1999 census, the largest metropolitan areas were
Nantes ,
Rennes , and
Brest .
History
- Main articles: History of Brittany and Prehistory of Brittany.
Human habitation in the area now called Brittany goes back to the late Paleolithic, or Epi-Palaeolithic, period. Megaliths erected in the 5th millennium BC in
Carnac are the best known
Neolithic remains. Roman sources record the Armoricani tribes of the Veneti, Osismii, Namneti, Coriosoliti and Riedoni as inhabiting the area in the
iron age.
In 56 BC the area was conquered by the
Romans under
Julius Caesar. The Romans called the district
Armorica , within the larger province of
Gallia Lugdunensis. The modern
département of Côtes-d'Armor has taken up the ancient name.
With the collapse of the Roman empire, Britton troups from across the Channel moved to people Armorica, defending it from the Francs who never invaded the peninsula. From then on, the region became know as Bretagne. The three early kingdoms of Brittany caused problems for the Francs until
Charlemagne conquered the province. His son, Louis le Pieux had trouble with the Breton folk until he sent Nominoe, a Breton, to be his emissary in the area, in the process granting him power over the Marches of Nantes and Rennes. At the emperor's death, he was crowned king and his decendants ruled Brittany until the Viking Invasions..
The Normans took over Brittany of Europe, but were fought off by Barbetorte, a relative of the old kings taking refuge in Cornwall, and his coalition of Breton warriors. Barbetorte became the first Duke of Brittany, and officially a vassal of the French King.
The uprising of
Duchess Anne was the last independent ruler of the duchy and tried to resist to the French threat marrying the archiduke Maximilian in 1490. The answer of the king
Charles VIII of France was to invade Brittany, besiege the duchess-queen and force her to marry him, despite the fact that she was his mother-in-law. After his death, Anne married the former minister and ally of her father, the Duke of Orléans who had been crowned king of France
Louis XII. The duchy passed on her death to her daughter
Claude, but Claude's widower, king François I incorporated the duchy into the Kingdom of France in 1532. The duchy kept specific laws and taxes until 1790, when the French revolutionaries withdrew all the "privilèges" . However, since the 1970s toll is not collected in the roads of Brittany due to the revival of these old laws.
Since the mid-20th century, Brittany's culture has revived in a surprising way, with the bagadoù, especially after the early '70s
Alan Stivell concerts.
Sights
Brittany is famous for its
megalithic monuments, which are scattered over the
peninsula, the largest alignments are near
Carnac. The purpose of these monuments is still unknown, and many local people are reluctant to entertain speculation on the subject. The words
dolmen and
menhir come from the Breton language, even though they are hardly used in Breton.
Brittany is also known for its
calvaries, elaborately carved sculptures of crucifixion scenes, to be found in churchyards of villages and small towns, especially in Western Brittany.
Significant urban centres include:
The walled city of
Saint-Malo , a popular tourist attraction, is also an important
port linking Brittany with the
United Kingdom and the
Channel Islands. It also was the birthplace of the acclaimed author
Chateaubriand and explorer
Jacques Cartier. The town of
Roscoff is served by
ferry links with the United Kingdom and the
Republic of Ireland.
The island of Ushant is the north-westernmost point of France, and marks the entrance of the English Channel. Other islands off the coast of Brittany include:
- Bréhat / enez Vriad
- Batz / enez Vaz
- Molène / Molenez
- Sein / enez Sun
- Glénan islands / inizi Glenan
- Groix / enez Groe
- Belle Île / ar Gerveur
- Houat / Houad
- Hoëdic / Edig
- Île-aux-Moines / Enizenac'h
- Île d'Arz / an Arzh
Language
French, the only official language of the French Republic, is today spoken throughout Brittany. The two regional languages have no official status with regards to the state, although they are supported by the regional authorities within the strict constitutional limits:
Breton, strongest in the west but to be seen all over Brittany, is a
Celtic language related to
Welsh, and
Gallo, which is spoken in the east, is one of the Oïl languages.
From the very beginning of its history and despite the end of the independence of Brittany, Breton remained the language of the entire population of western Brittany, if not bishops and French administrators or officers. French laws and economic pressure lead people to abandon their language to the one of the ruler, but until the 1960s, Breton was spoken and understood by the majority of the western inhabitants. Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been very efficiently fought by the French administration and educational system in the process of promoting
French as the sole language of the country.
Breton was traditionally spoken in the west , and Gallo in the east . The dividing line stretched from Plouha on the north coast to a point to the south-west of Vannes. French had, however, long been the main language of the towns. The Breton-speaking area formerly covered territory much further east than its current distribution.
In the Middle Ages, Gallo expanded into formerly Breton-speaking areas. Now restricted to a much reduced territory in the east of Brittany, Gallo finds itself under pressure not only from the dominant Francophone culture, but also from the Breton language revival which is gaining ground in territory that was never part of the main Breton-speaking area.
Privately funded
Diwan schools, where classes are taught in Breton by the immersion method, play an important part in the revival of the Breton language. The issue of whether they should be funded by the State has long been, and remains, controversial. Some bilingual classes are also provided in ordinary schools.
Despite the resistance of French administration, bilingual road signs may be seen in some areas, especially in the traditional Breton-speaking area. Signage in Gallo is much rarer.
A large influx of English-speaking immigrants and
second-home owners in some villages sometimes adds to linguistic diversity.
Music
Some of the musicians for which Brittany is known are: the most famous,
Alan Stivell, but also
Denez Prigent, les frères Guichen, Carré Manchot, Ar Re Yaouank, Sonerien Du, Loened Fall,
Yann Tiersen, etc.
Religion
The first Christian missionaries came to the region from
Ireland and
Great Britain. With more than 300 "
saints" , the region is strongly
Catholic. Since the nineteenth century at least, Brittany has been known as one of the most devoutly Catholic regions in France, in contrast to many other more secularised areas. The proportion of students attending Catholic private schools is the highest in France. As in other Celtic regions, the legacy of Celtic Christianity has left a rich tradition of local saints and monastic communities, often commemorated in placenames beginning
Lan,
Lam,
Plou or
Lok. The patron saint of Brittany is Santez Anna Saint Anne, the Virgin's mother. But the most famous saint is Saint
Ivo of Kermartin , a
13th-century priest who devoted his life to the poor.
Once a year, believers go on a "pardon", the saint's feast day of the parish. It often begins with a procession followed by a mass in honour of the saint. There is always a pagan side, with some food and craft stalls. The three most famous pardons are :
- from Sainte-Anne d'Auray/Santez-Anna-Wened, where a poor farmer in the 17th century assured the saint give him the order to build a chapel in her honour.
- from Tréguier/Landreger, in honour of St Yves, the patron saint of the judges, advocates, and any profession involved in justice.
- from Locronan/Lokorn, in honour of St Ronan, with a troménie and numerous people in traditional costume,
In Brittany, there is a very old
pilgrimage called the
Tro Breizh , where the pilgrims walk around Brittany from the grave of one founder saint to another. The seven founder saints of Brittany are:
- St Pol Aurelian, at Saint-Pol-de-Leon/Kastell-Paol,
- St Tudual , at Tréguier/Landreger,
- St Brieuc, at Saint-Brieuc/S-Brieg,
- St Malo, at Saint-Malo/S-Maloù,
- St Samson of Dol, at Dol,
- St Patern, at Vannes/Gwened
- St Corentin , at Quimper/Kemper
Historically, the pilgrimage was made in one go . Nowadays, however, pilgrims complete the circuit over the course of several years. In 2002, the Tro-Breizh included a special pilgrimage to
Wales, symbolically making the reverse journey of the Welshmen Sant Paol, Sant Brieg, and Sant Samzun. Whoever does not make the pilgrimage at least once in his lifetime will be condemned to make it after his death, advancing only by the length of his coffin each 7 year.
Some old pagan traditions and customs from the old Celtic religion have also been preserved in Brittany. The most powerful folk figure is the Ankou or the "Reaper of Death" because even
Jesus and the
Virgin Mary obey him. He is a skeleton wrapped in a shroud with the Breton flat hat. He makes his journeys by night carrying an upturned scythe which he throws before him to reap his harvest. Sometimes he is on foot but mostly he travels in a cart, the Karrig an Ankou, drawn by two oxen and a lean horse. Two servants dressed in the same shroud and hat as the Ankou pile the dead into the cart, and to hear it creaking at night means you have little time left to live.
Gastronomy
Although some white
wine is produced near the Loire, the traditional drinks of Brittany are:
- cider - Brittany is the second largest cider-producing region in France;
- a sort of mead made from wild honey called chouchen;
- an apple eau-de-vie called lambig.
Some
beers are also now produced. Historically Britany was a beer producing region, however due to import of wine from other regions of France, beer drinking and production slowly came to an end in the early to mid 20th century. In the 1970's due to a regional comeback, new beer brewries started to open. Around twenty brewries are now open.
Whisky is also being produced, and there are a small handful of distilleries that produce excellent whiskies. Another recent drink is the
kir Breton which may be served as an apéritif.
Very thin, wide
pancakes made from
buckwheat flour are eaten with ham, eggs and other savoury fillings. They are usually called
galettes , except in the western parts of Brittany where they are called
crêpes . Thin
crêpes made from wheat flour are eaten for
dessert. Other
pastries such as
kouign amann made from bread dough, butter and sugar, or
far, a sort of sweet Yorkshire
pudding or
clafoutis with prunes, are traditional.
Surrounded by the sea, Brittany offers a wide range of fresh sea food and fish, especially
mussels and
oysters. Among the sea food specialities is cotriade.
Climate
Since Brittany is on the west coast of France, it has a warm temperate climate. Rainfall occurs regularly - which has helped keep its countryside green and wooded - but sunny, cloudless days are also common.
In the summer months, Brittany can reach temperatures of about 30 degrees
Celsius, but is still comfortable compared to parts of France south of the
Loire River. It generally has a moderate climate during both and , and rain is not uncomfortably common.
The most popular summer resorts are on the south coast although the wilder and more exposed north coast also attracts summer tourists.
Miscellaneous
- The Breton national anthem Bro Gozh ma Zadoù is set to the same tune as the Welsh and Cornish anthems.
- A number of independence groups exist and they enjoy increasing, but minority, support in elections.
- The Onion Johnny from the area around Roscoff in Brittany was the image of the stereotypical Frenchman for British people.
- Asterix and the other Gauls of his village live in Brittany, according to the comics.
- Another famous Breton is the girl Bécassine
- Legendary road bicycle racer Bernard Hinault was born in the town of Yffiniac in Brittany.
See also
External links
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