Brittany History

Brittany is called Bretagne in French. It was a province and duchy and only later on became a region.

Rennes, former provincial capital, is the chief city.

In ancient times the region was part of Armorica. Julius Caesar invaded the country in 56 bc and it thus became the Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis.

After the withdrawal of the Romans many Britons fleeing the Teutonic invaders took refuge in the northwestern part of Armorica. They gave the region its present name. The Britons (later called Bretons) gradually converted the Armorican Celts to Christianity.

In 922, Geoffrey, count of Rennes, proclaimed himself duke of Brittany. It became through marriage a possession of Geoffrey Plantagenet, son of Henry II, king of England, in 1171.

It came back to a line of French dukes at Rennes during the 13th century. The union with France became permanent by treaty in 1532 during the reign of the French king Francis I.