Brittany

Région Bretagne
Rennes
Population  - Total  - Density	2 972 700 (2003) 107 /km²
Area	27 208 km²
Arrondissements	15
Cantons	201
Communes	1 268
President of the regional council	Jean-Yves Le Drian
Départements
Côtes-d'Armor (22) Ille-et-Vilaine (35) Morbihan (56) Finistère (29)
Location

For other uses of Brittany and Bretagne, see Brittany (disambiguation).

Brittany (French Bretagne, Breton Breizh, Gallo Bertaèyn) is a peninsula in north-west France, bordering the English Channel on the north and the Bay of Biscay on the south. It is also an administrative région of France. The historical capital was Nantes, but the modern capital of the region of Brittany is Rennes.

The département Loire-Atlantique (including the city of Nantes) was historically part of Brittany, but is now part of the Pays de la Loire region. A movement exists to transfer Loire-Atlantique back to the region of Brittany.

History

main article: History of Brittany

Human habitation in the area now called Brittany probably goes back to at least 8000 BC. Stone megaliths erected around the 5th millennium BC survive in some areas. Roman sources record a number of tribes, the Veneti, Armoricani, Osismii, Namnetes and Coriosolites as inhabiting the area in the iron age, though there is plenty of evidence of earlier settlement.

In 56 BC the area was conquered by the Romans under Julius Caesar. The Romans called the district Armorica (a Latinisation of a Celtic word meaning "coastal region"), or Gallia Lugdunensis. The modern département of Côtes-d'Armor has taken up the ancient name. The uprising of the Bagaudae in the 3rd century led to the destruction of villages and to depopulation.

Around 500 AD, the Roman troops were withdrawing, and Anglo-Saxons and Scoti invaded. These Britons gave the region its current name and contributed to the Breton language, Brezhoneg, a sister language to Welsh and Cornish. The name Brittany (from "Little Britain") derived to distinguish the region from "Great Britain" in this time.

In the early Middle Ages, Brittany was divided into three kingdoms - Domnonia, Cornouaille, and Bro Waroch - which eventually were incorporated into the Duchy of Brittany.

The Kingdom of France defeated the Breton army in 1488 and the last Duke of independent Brittany was forced to submit to a treaty giving the King of France the right to determine the marriage of the Duke's daughter, the heir to the Duchy. The Duchess Anne was the last independent ruler of the duchy as she was ultimately obliged to marry Louis XII of France. The duchy passed on her death to her daughter Claude, but Claude's husband François I incorporated the duchy into the Kingdom of France in 1532.

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.

Brittany is also known for the calvaires (calvaries), elaborately carved sculptures of crucifixion scenes, to be found in churchyards of villages and small towns, especially in Western Brittany.

Besides the two historic capitals, significant urban centres include:

• Brest
• Lorient
• Quimper
• Vannes
• Redon
• Saint-Brieuc
• Saint Nazaire (nowadays in Loire-Atlantique)

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. The town of Roscoff is served by ferry links with the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The island of Ushant (French Ouessant, Breton Enez Eusa) is the north-westernmost point in France, and marks the entrance of the English Channel. Besides Ushant, Brittany is encircled by other islands. The major ones are:

• Bréhat
• Batz
• Molène
• Sein
• Glénan islands
• Groix
• Belle-Ile
• Houat
• Hoëdic
• Ile-aux-Moines
• Ile-d'Arz

Culture

A Celtic language, Breton, is still spoken in some parts of Brittany - traditionally in the west. In the east, a langue d'oïl known as Gallo, which is still spoken, was the traditional language until the French language came to dominate. Gallo now 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 traditionally Gallo-speaking. The privately funded Diwan schools, where most classes are taught in Breton, play an important part in this revival. The issue of whether they should be funded by the State has long been and still remains controversial.

Since the 1970s Breton music has been revived and has become popular even outside the region. Alan Stivell revived the Celtic harp tradition, and folk rock groups such as Tri Yann, Sonerien Du and others paved the way for younger groups which now offer a range of Celtic-influenced rock, rap and dance music.

A popular tradition is the fest noz - best described as a Breton ceilidh. Large Celtic festivals are held in Summer in towns around the region - the biggest is the Festival Inter-Celtique of Lorient, whereas Quimper hosts the Festival de Cornouaille. There exist also numerous rock and pop festivals, the biggest being the Festival des Vieilles Charrues (held in late July in Carhaix, Finistère), the Route du Rock (mid-August, Saint-Malo) and the Transmusicales of Rennes, held in early December.

Inspired by the Scottish pipe band tradition, in the first half of the 20th century an analogous movement was founded in Brittany, and now the bagad (pipe band) with its bagpipes (called biniou), bombardes and drums are a common phenomenon at festivals and public occasions.

Also to be seen at festivals are the traditional coiffes - elaborate lace headresses worn by women. The traditional costume is black and white, which is one of the reasons for the choice of colours for the Breton flag (known as the gwenn ha du - the white and black).

The 19th century Pont-Aven school of Post-impressionist painting, included Paul Gauguin. The Surrealist Yves Tanguy was a Breton.

Traditionally the region is strongly Catholic. The proportion of students attending Catholic private schools is the highest in France. As in other Celtic countries, the legacy of Celtic Christianity has left a rich tradition of local saints and monastic communities, often commemorated in placenames beginning Lan, Lam or Loc. The patron saint of Brittany is Saint Anne.

Breton folklore includes the legend of King Arthur, the legend of Ys and sprites called korrigans.

As for eating and drinking, although some white wine is produced near the Loire, the traditional drinks of Brittany are cider, a sort of mead made from wild honey called chouchen, and apple brandy called lambic. Very thin, wide pancakes made from buckwheat flour and called galettes are eaten with ham, eggs and other savoury fillings. Crêpes made from wheat flour are eaten for dessert. Other pastries such as kouign amann ("butter cake" in Breton) made from bread dough, butter and sugar, or far, a sort of sweet Yorkshire pudding or clafoutis with prunes, are traditional.

Miscellaneous

The Breton anthem Bro Goz ma Zadoù is set to the same tune as the Welsh anthem.

A number of separatist groups exist, fighting for the independence of Brittany. However, they enjoy little support in elections.

The Onion Johnny from the Roscoff area of Brittany was, for the British, the image of the stereotypical Frenchman.