The history is goes back thousands of years, when ancient tribes left their mark by arranging huge stones in geometric patterns. Appartently stone hauling was a booming business way back when.
Next come the Romans with their straight Roman roads. In 56 BC, Julius Ceasar conquered the area and it became known as Armorica (the Celtic word for "coastal region"). The Romans eventually left and the early Middle Ages started. During this time period, people from England started arriving, in order to flee the invading Saxons. It took a little while to settle down but in the end Armorica became Breton. It had its own language, traditions and in 895 AD, Niminoe became the first king of the Bretons.
While Breton had its own regency, it was known as the Duchy of Bretagne. Over the next few hundred years things went on as things do. There was a line of succesion, assassinations, revolts, Hundred Years' War, and so on.
After more than 500 years of independant rule, Bretagne hit a snag. In 1488 the last Duke of Bretagne was pressured, by the French army and a few thousand mercenaries, into giving the French king the power to marry off his oldest daughter, heir to the duchy. Duchess Anne was married off first to the very old King of France at the age of 16. He died soon afterwards, leaving no heirs. So, following tradition, Anne marries the next king of France.
She is the last independent rule of Britagne. After her death, her daughter marries in the next line of French kings with the duchy as a wedding dowery. What a gift. After this Britagne becomes a part of France, though there have been movements in the middle of the century to change this.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for stories and pictures from Fest Noz tomorrow night.
Ciao et bises!
1 comment:
Hi Katy, I followed your link on Fest Noz and saw a reference to the honey drink, Chouchenn. Have you had that yet? It sounds very similiar to the cyser that I make, about the same alcohol content, still, not sparkling, and made with cider and honey.
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