EVENTS |
Period |
| A few hunters from the Paleolithic age hunt mammoth and deer. |
PALEOLITHIC AGE
8000 BC |
| Agriculture and breeding. The dawn of the megaliths, menhirs, cairns,
dolmen. |
Between 3000 and 1800 BC |
| Armorica is born, along with Germania, Scandinavia and Iberia. Axes,
swords, jewelry... |
BRONZE AGE
1800 TO 600 BC |
| The Celts arrive in Armorica (Europe has already been invaded). Iron,
precious metals |
IRON AGE (for the west)
500 BC |
| Roman Armorica is very prosperous. Many mines (lead, silver...) |
2nd century BC to 3rd century AD |
| Caesar beats Venetia. Naval battle at the gulf of Morbihan. |
56 BC |
| BEGINNING OF INVASIONS that would last until the 9th century AD |
3rd century AD |
| Many immigrants from the British Isles.
The term "Bretagne" is used for the first time by Grégoire de
Tour et Fortunat (a the end of the 6th century).
Late-coming conversion to Christianity by way of Irish monachism.. |
"AGE BRETON"
5th and 6th centuries |
| Dark period of history.
( Carolingians ) |
5th to 10th centuries |
| Raid by Pépin le Bref |
753 |
| Raids by Charlemagne |
786, 798, 801 |
| Raids by Louis le Pieu |
818, 824, 837 |
| Nominoë becomes the "Princeps Veneticae civitatis" |
831 |
| VIKING INVASION(s) |
835 |
| Brittany is independent.
Nominoë crushes the Franks near Redon |
845 |
| Erispoë (son o Nominoë) beats the Franks again.
Cotentin becomes Breton. |
| Nantes is the capitol of Brittany.
Beginning of the feudal system.
Alain Barbetorte beats the Normans (938 at Trans) and moves to Nantes. |
937 |
| Breton is now being spoken east of Dol, Montfort, Donges and Pornic. |
Episcopal Dynasties.
XIth century. |
| Beginning of a period of civil unrest and revolt. The candidates for
Dukedom kill each other! |
| Flag of Brittany  |
1188 |
| Marriage of Alix de Bretagne and Pierre I of Dreux . Ermines (Capetians)
make their appearance on the Breton flag. |
1213 |
|
1214 |
| 
flag of the city of Nantes
|
1339 |
| Jean de Montfort obtains the assistance of Edward the 3rd of England. |
1341 |
|
1342 |
|
1345 |
| Charles de Blois is captured by the English. |
1347 |
| Charles V (king of France) recognizes Jean de Montfort's rule (JeanIV).
But soon after he forms an alliance with the English. |
1365 |
| The Bay of Bourgneuf (Breton is spoken there) and the presqu'île of
Guérande are the meeting places of sailors from the North (Hanse...)
Many natural disasters and then three centuries of plague epidemics |
15th century |
| End of Franco-Breton conflict. |
1381 |
| Peak of Breton civilization.
The reign of Jean V |
1399 to 1442 |
|
1420 |
|
1434 |
| Total reconstruction of the Chateau at Nantes which becomes the Palace
for the Dukes of Brittany under François II. |
1436 |
| Death of François II. The Bretons are beaten by the Royal Army at
St Aubin-du-Cormier.
Anne de Bretagne (daughter of François II) marries Maximilien de Habsbourg. |
1488 |
| Charles VIII, king of France, unhappy with Brittany's alliance with
Austria, conquers a number of Breton cities. Anne, trapped in Rennes under
siege, accepts to marry the king o |
1491 |
| At the end of the ducal period, Nantes loses its political supremacy.
The Parliament, intendancy and States all move to Rennes. The only official
official body remaining in Nantes is the House of the treasury. |
| Anne de Bretagne, marries Louis XII d'Orléans, the new king of France.
(1498, death of Charles VIII) |
1499 |
| Arrival of Spanish merchants. |
1450 |
| First fishing expeditions to New-foundland. |
16th century |
| Flag of Brittany |
1532 |
| Brittany becomes French.
Claude, Anne's daughter gives Brittany to François I in her dowry. |
September 21st, 1532 |
| Because it is closer to Paris, Rennes becomes the seat for the Parliament
of Brittany (1561) and not Nantes. |
| RELIGIOUS WARS, 1588-1598
Mercoeur, the governor of Brittany, rallies in favor of the cause of the
league against Henri IV. |
April 13th, 1598 (though more likely April 30th!)
Henri IV signs the Edict of Nantes putting an end to the wars, in the
Chateau of the Dukes. |
| 1675, "tamped paper" revolts in Northernn Brittany and "Red Bonnet"
revolts in southern Brittany.
Repression: Colbert forbids the sale of canvas to England. |
Reign of LOUIS XIV |
| Italian, then Spanish, Portuguese, (15th century) then Flemish, Dutch,
and Irish merchants, set up business in ports such as St-Malo, Bordeaux,
Nantes. |
18th century |
| Maritime trade is flourishing. Nantes controls 4/5 of the French slave
trade. |
| 
Flag of Nantes
|
1766 |
| 3 dead during the parliamentary sessions in Rennes. Conflict between
the Bourgeois and Nobles. |
January 26th and 27, 1789. |
| 90% of the population (peasants) is uneasy about the motives of the
Bourgeoisie. Obligating clergy to take a civil oath and obligatory conscription
set off the first riots on March 2nd 1793 in Cholet. |
End of the 18th century |
| Uprising of the Breton "chouannerie", counter revolutionary
group. Especially in Gallo Brittany and certain counties in
Morbihan and Côtes-du-Nord. |
.Vendée uprising.
June 17th, 1893, the Vendéans are defeated at the gates of Nantes |
The Empire |
| 1884 - Legalization of the right to strike: violent strikes. First
regionalist leanings, Emzav, creation of the U.R.B., Gorsedd, Bluen-Brug,
Breton National Party... All of which disappeared in 1914 |
| 200,000 dead |
1914 |
| Rebirth of Emzav.
Foundation of Breiz Atao by Morvan Marchal (pacifist federalist) creator
of the current flag. |
| Flag of Brittany  |
20th century |
| Hundreds of young people join DeGaulle's forces or join the resistance.
Others collaborate openly with the nazis, in hopes of satisfying their
nationalistic tendencies. |
1940 |
| The Vichy regime separates the lower Loire valley from Brittany.
On October 22nd, 50 hostages are executed by the Nazis. |
1941 |
France :