[Note May 29, 2011: I suggest we make this project bilingual. Victar has some good examples of how to do this in his projects. I will also ask for the project name to be in French since only Geni can edit project names.]

Using Medlands (Charles Crawley's online database of Medieval Lands), this project will collect, correct and extend the profiles of noble lines of Brittany. [Note: Please add other sources to this paragraph and to the Sources tab below.]

Interesting Facts about Brittany (Bretagne)

Brittany remained separate from the rest of France from the time of Roman Gaul until 1514. It was the one of the last provinces to be brought under the rule of the French king.

Brittany (Bretagne in French) is inhabited by the Bretons, who descend from Celtic people who spoke a Celtic language, Brythonic, and who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in the 4th to 6th centuries. The traditional language of Brittany is Breton (Brezhoneg), a sister language to Cornish and Welsh, spoken today in Western Brittany. Breton is spoken by approximately 365,000 people.

In the Early Middle Ages, Brittany was divided into three kingdoms — Domnonia, Cornouaille (Kernev), and Bro Waroc'h (Broërec). The names of the first two kingdoms seem to derive from the homelands of the migrating tribes in Britain, Cornwall (Kernow) and Dumnonia. Bro Waroc'h ("land of Waroch") derives from the name of one of the first known Breton rulers, who dominated the region of Vannes (Gwened).

Bretons are also found in the New World. French Americans and French Canadians are of Breton descent, including Jack Kerouac.

Early Rulers of Britanny

• Budic II (early 6th c.)
• Waroch (late 6th c.)
• Judicael ap Hoel (early 7th c.)
• Morman (r.814–818)
• Wihomarc (r.822–825)

Dukes of Brittany (Ducs de Bretagne)

• Nominoë - Nevenoe (r.841–851), as a missus dominicus of the Emperor Louis the Pious, a count of Vannes (Gwened) and arguably a duke (dux) of Brittany
• Erispoe - Erispoë (r.851–857), as a duke, then as a king
• Salomon (or Salaun) (r.857–874), as a duke, then a king
• Pasquitan - Paskweten (r.874–877), ruling Brittany (southern part) with Gurvand
• Gaerwant - Gurvand (r.874–877), ruling Brittany (northern part) with Pasquitan
• Judicael (r.877–888), successor of Gurvand, ruled Brittany (north) with Alan the Great (south)
• Alain I le Grande (reigned from 877 to 888 with Judicaël, alone as a duke, then as a king up to 907)
• Gourmaelon, earl of Cornwall (reigned from 907 as a guardian of the kingdom)

Nominoë - Nevenoe Nominoe (English) or Nominoë (French) or Nevenoe(Breton) is a sort of Breton pater patriae and to Breton nationalists he is known as Tad ar Vro ("father of the country"). Wikipedia article

House of Nantes

• Alain II de Bretagne

Breton–Norman War

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breton%E2%80%93Norman_War

Sources

1. Medieval Lands Chapter on Brittany Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG).
2. Wikipedia article on Nominoe.
3. Wikipedia article on the Breton people.
4. Wikipedia article on Erispoe.
5. Wikipedia article on Gurvand
6. Brittany: A Concise History, Gwenno Piette. University of Wales Press. 2008.