Brittany
Modern region of northwest France and former province, on the Breton peninsula between the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel; area 27,208 sq km/10,505 sq mi; population (1999 est) 2,906,200. It includes the départements of Côtes-d'Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Morbihan. The administrative centre is Rennes, and other towns include Brest, Lorient, Nantes, St-Brieuc, Vannes, and Quimper. One of the major occupations is animal husbandry, and the region is the country's leading milk producer.
History
Brittany was the Gallo-Roman province of Armorica after being conquered by Julius Caesar in 56
BC. It was never fully Romanized, and was devastated by Norsemen after the Roman withdrawal. Established under the name of Brittany in the 5th century
AD by Celts fleeing the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain, it became a strong, expansionist state that maintained its cultural and political independence, despite pressure from the Carolingians, Normans, and Capetians. By the 9th century Brittany was converted to Christianity, and in the 10th century it became an independent duchy.
In 1171 it was inherited by Geoffrey, son of Henry II of England, and remained in the Angevin dynasty's possession until 1203, when Geoffrey's son Arthur was murdered by King John, and the title passed to the Capetian Peter of Dreux. Under the Angevins feudalism was introduced
and French influence increased under the Capetians. During the Hundred Years' War it sided alternately with England and France, causing it to be a frequent matter of dispute. It was finally united with France by the marriage of Duchess Anne and Charles VIII of France in 1491, and incorporated into France by François I in 1532. During the French Revolution Brittany supported the ruling Bourbons.
Physical The region consists of a western hilly terrain with a rocky coastline and a wider, more gently rolling interior eastern territory. The densely populated coastal region with its numerous capes, inlets, and islands is known as Amor (after the ancient Amorican Massif that forms its underlying bedrock) and is important for fishing and tourism, while the eastern territory, known as Argoat, has many cattle pastures, hog and poultry farms, and grain fields. |
Culture Although the Breton language (which is of Celtic origin) was banned in education in the 16th century, this and many distinctive traditions and aspects of Breton culture have survived into the 20th century, and have been encouraged in the region. Breton nationalism grew during the 19th century, and during World War II the separatist movement resisted collaboration with the Germans. After the war a nationalist and separatist movement was established, with subsequent guerrilla activity. |
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