Brittany/Breizh

St Yves

To all our Breton friends Happy St Yves Day on 19th May. St Yves Day is widely celebrated in Brittany and around the Breton world. Our best wishes to everyone in Brittany and around the world who are celebrating Saint Yves Day. This includes BZH New York who will be holding St Yves Fest Noz on Saturday May 19th at Connolly's Times Square 3rd floor (121 W45 Street) from 7pm to 2am.

Saint Yves was born on 17th October 1253 at Kermartin in Brittany. He graduated in civil law and became a lawyer and judge who was famous for defending the poor without taking payment. Saint Yves was ordained in 1284 and when he retired from law in 1287 became a preacher. The feast day marks the date of his death on 19th May 1303 at Louannec, Brittany.

History of Brittany

Brittany received its modern name when it was settled in approximately 500 AD by Britons. Breton history is one of struggle for independence. Initially from the Franks 5th-9th century, the Counts of Anjou and the Dukes of Normandy in 10th-12th century, and finally from England and France. The Breton people maintain a fierce sense of independence, as displayed by their local customs and traditions. In common with other Celtic Nations in the past several years a resurgence of this identity has happened. Breton art, music and culture are an integral part of this.

The people of Brittany speak French with many speaking the Breton language. While France initially tried to discourage the use of Breton, through the efforts of the Bretons and their DIWAN (Breton language schools) children are being taught in their native language while they learn a standard curriculum. The DIWAN schools are supported by various groups, including the International Committee for the Defence of the Breton Language. The language one of the Celtic languages more closely linked to Welsh and Cornish rather than Irish, Manx and Scottish Gaelic.

An example of Breton dance:

Historical Periods of Brittany

Palaeolithic

Palaeolithic Brittany is thought to have supported few if any people prior to the end of the last glaciation. A few Palaeolithic sites are known such as the rock shelter of Perros-Guirec near Rochworn and the cave site Roc'h Toul in a sandstone promontory near Guiclan in Finstere. The cave contained about 200 artefacts.

Mesolithic

Well known Mesolithic sites from Brittany are the cemeteries on the islands of Hoedic with 10 graves and Teviec with 9 graves in Morbihan. Funeral gift'flint tools, engraved bones, shell ornaments and are found on the sites.

Neolithic

The Kerloas Menhir, near Plouarzel. This menhir at a height of about nine and a half metres is the tallest standing menhir in Bretagne. Prior to severe weather damage it was thought to stand at over ten metres.

Early long mounds date back to the middle of the fifth millennium as in Barnenez. Early passage graves can date to between 4000 and 3000 bc, followed by evolved passage graves between 3000-2500 bc. In the later part of the Neolithic, allee couvertes and simple dolmens became the main type of burial monument. Passage graves that are decorated include Gavrinis. Middle Neolithic settlements include La Motte, La Butte-aux-Pierres and Lannic. They are mainly in the Coastal areas.

Bronze Age

Early Bronze Age culture is believed by many to have grown out of Beaker roots. In the early Bronze Age, individual graves are found under barrows. The Breton barrows have been divided into two series by Cogné and Guiot, the first dating from 1900-1600 bc, the second to 1600-1400 bc. The barrows of the first series can six metres high and fifty in diameter. Found in Western Brittany, along the coast, the Blavet river and at the southern border of the Monts d'Arree, other examples have been found in Normandy. The barrows contain a small cairn over a stone cist, wooden coffin or dry stone structure containing the burial. The chambers can be covered by stone slabs. Roofed mortuary houses have been found such as St. Jude en Bourbriac.

The barrows of the second series are smaller and mostly inland. They contain numerous pottery vessels. The later part of the early Bronze Age saw the beginning of the exploitation of the Armorican tin deposits. Discovered hoards contain tools and weapons such as the Tréboul-group of hoard. The hoard from Bignan (Morbihan) contained bronze jewellery only. The Museum of Pre-History at Carnac has significant quantities of Late Bronze Age bronze and copper artifacts from the Atlantic Bronze Age. This maritime trading culture that included Brittany, France and the other Celtic Nations.

Iron Age, Roman Rule and into the Middle Ages

Roman sources point to a number of tribes such as the Venti, Armoricani, Osismii, Namnettes and Coriosolites. In 56 BC the area was conquered by the Romans under Julius Caesar. The Romans called the district Armorica an interpretation of the Celtic word meaning "coastal region" (Gallia Lugdunensis). The present département of Côtes-d'Armor is a continuation of that name. By the 4th century AD British tribes started to settle. The continued immigrant ion of Britons (during and after the withdrawal of Roman forces from Britain and the need to escape the invading Anglo Saxons) contributed to the Breton language, Brezhoneg, which is linked to the languages of Welsh and Cornish. The name Brittany from "Little Britain" also developed at this time. The early Middle Ages saw Brittany divided into the three kingdoms of Domnonia, Cornouaille (Kernev) and Bro Waroc'h. These were eventually incorporated into the Duchy of Brittany.

Frankish Rule

After a long period of continual resistance (which included alliances with Vikings) to Frankish designs on 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. 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. The duchy kept specific laws and taxes until 1790, when the French revolutionaries withdrew all the "privilèges".