PRKT 



BRIAN 





Mr Walter Manny landed 

 r3^ Ibree, and having borMd the machine, 



nun I lii " Whoem then MW the eoontaet, 



-MM dw from the oaetle and UM flhr Walter 



at the head of tbe 

 of tb. besiegers, 

 " My FroiMut, 

 Manny and hi- 



oae after the other two or three times, might well My 

 Ihel'she was a valiaat kdy." The siege was forthwith raised. 



A Mean* attack opon Hennebno marked tbe year 1341 Before 

 Ike ed of the year the eonatose of Montfort aroMsil tbe esa into 

 ffnrttnil o hex further eoeeoun, and WM returning with a fleet of 40 

 YnearOaeriMy.be fell in with a Frenoh fleet oftt great 

 1 with llenueis sesiiien. and having on board 1000 men 

 rlbeordwofChariMdeBlo.,himelf. The battle was 

 i by a tempest which Mparated the fleet*, bat four English 

 , taken. The muitlee. boded with her reinforcement*, and 

 Mmg, of Ragtaod and France arrived in Bretagne with hostile 

 M.;lmt early in tbe year 1348 a .uspension of arms between the 

 rotate* WM agreed on, and the Breton, alone, with some nu-r- 

 , were left to oarry on tbe war. In 1344 the Montfort party 

 WM strengthened by the everity of tbe king of France, who, without 

 form of trial, pat to death a Breton lord, Olivier de Clisson, on a 

 Him I of trails-way farming an alliance with England. The widow 

 laf nhii. on hearing of this, gathered some troopa, surprised a castle 

 held by the (Head* of Charles de Bloia, and distinguUhed herself by 

 her exploite in a war in which, more than in any other, women 

 easnlslsd tk warlike fame and courage of men. 



In 1841 Jean de Montfort managed to escape from the Louvre, after 

 mfllluMMit. of three years. He landed in England, did homage to 

 Edward a. hi. muerain, obtained aid and returned to Bretagne. He 

 died however shortly after, and the rights of his son, a mere child, 

 were bravely soMamed by tbe Countess Jeanne. 



In 1847 Charles de Bloia, who had besieged Roche Derrien near 

 Treraier, WM surprised and taken prisoner by an inferior body of 



, 



troopa. Hi wife, Jeanne de Penthievre, sustained his cause 

 with a ralour equal to that of the Countem of Montfort, and the hatred 

 of the Bntana for the Knglinh induced many of them to embrace her 

 party. In 1SS6 Charlea recovered bin liberty by ransom, and renewed 

 Ike war. which waa carried on for seven yean longer, during which 

 no decUire action took place. In 1303 tbe young count de Montfort 

 attained hi* majority, and did homage for the duchy of Bretagne to 

 hw powerful protector tbe king of England. In 1 388 Charles de Blow 

 and Jean de Montfort signed a treaty by which Bretagne was to be 

 divided into two parU, having Rennes and Nantes for their respective 

 capitals ; bat tbe reproaches of his wife, Jeanne of Penthievro, who 

 told him that ah. had married him to defend her inheritance, not to 

 yield ap half of it, determined Charles to break it The following 

 year wituiasij tbe decisive battle of Aurai, in which Montfort, 

 Cbaadoe, and Olivier de Clisson overthrew the army of Charles de 

 Bloia, though ha was aided by tbe bravery and skill of the celebrated 

 Bartraad da Gaeeclin. Charlea de Bloia himself fell in the action, 



MX! the trsaty of Ooerande in 1885 Moored the duchy of Bretagne to 



x. 



Although Jean de Montfort (Jean IV.) had no competitor for the 

 ooby. his poesaselon of it WM neither quiet nor uninterrupted. His 

 ~d repose. Tbe course pointed out to 



nt*ej*<vMM WOJBMM *v f 



doohy. bis poMsssion of it 







by Uw gratitude doe to 



for past services and his present 



doty of Adetity to France WM neutrality ; but the duke went beyond 

 this ; be formed an alliance with the English, which necessarily drew 

 down upon him the hostility of France, while his liberality to the 

 ' Individually dugnsted the barons, and the admission of 

 garrison, alienated tbe tow 



towns of his duchy. He quarrelled 

 for that of the French 



. who eoon after left hi. service . 



A French army under Da Oaeealin, now constable of France, 

 If a Breton, entered Bretagn. in 1370. and the duke abandoned 

 by his wbieete WM obliged to take refuge in England. In 1373 he 

 MlM-Biil. Utnottodhn any support again retired to England. The 



' ; 



bat a violation of the hide 

 jpt to eaUbliah the ' gabelle,' 

 Ike reoal of tbe duke in 1880, and after a di- - 

 to which hi* quarr*! with Oliviw de Clieson forms a proniin.-nt 

 - JSM de Xeejtfort dUd in 13M. 



liv ,i minor. He 

 the Krenrli kin?, 

 involved in that 

 tbe reign of the 



Tfcqa* ft*yly changing side, in the unhappy 

 he iirawrieil Brstacne from war until the 



Jean T.. eon of the late doU, came to th. due 

 had hm merrM while yet a child to a daughter of 

 Chart- Tt, end upon attaining his majority WM 

 of ittetiuta.s which marked 



ITT the 

 ] ! in 

 In the year 1442 



hy hi* mm, FnncoU t, and he by Pierre II. 

 few point* of uteresL Pierre 



Jea. T. WM 



Mjd Aftor lit., ~^a* m~mm~ 1 1 tmmmi t*w yuuite m DnsTSM. 

 It beMtkedehy(roa1iSOol4S7: Art.tr III. from 1457 to 



The Ant part of the long ducal reign of Francois It (1458-1488) 

 coincided with the reign of the astute Louis XI.. whose desire of 

 niproeiing the enormous power of the great feudal nobles led him 

 into frequent disputes and contests. In 14U5 Francois entered in!.. 

 the confederacy of the nobles against the king, known I y the title ,( 

 ' The League of the Public Good.' The Bretons were too slow in 

 their movements to take part in the battle of M.mtlhery, but they 

 Misted in tbe blockade ot Paris and took Pontoise and Evreux. In 

 1488 Francois allied himself with Maximilian, king of the Romans, 

 who had married the heiress (since dead) of tho late Duke of Bour- 

 gogne; with the king and queen of Navarre ; tbe dukes of Lorraine, 

 Orleans (heir presumptive to the throne of France, and afterwards 

 Louis XII.), Foix, and others, for mutual protect ..|,,,i-t 



against the court of France, which was now directed by Anne, lady 

 of Beaujeu, daughter of Louis XI., and guardian of h--r young 

 brother the king Charles VIII. This led in 1487 to the inva- 

 Hretagne by tbe French. Henry VII. of England, who hod in hi* 

 adversity resided for some time in Bretagne, did not iin.-ri.-r.- in 

 time : the occasion seemed favourable for annexing Bretagne to 

 France, the king of which country laid claim to the duchy by virtue 

 of the rights of the house of Blois, which Louis XI. hod long since 

 purchased. Nantes was attacked ; but the invaders were repulsed. 

 In 1488 a battle was fought at St.-Aubin de Cormier between th" 

 French army under La Tremouille and the Bretons and their allies, 

 English, Germans, Gascons, and Spaniards : the latter were defeated 

 with loss, and the Duke of Orleans was taken prisoner on the field. 

 A treaty was however agreed upon, and Francois died just after ite 

 conclusion, the 7th or 9th of September, 1488. 



Anne, daughter of the late duke, succeeded to the duchy. Her 

 situation was embarrassing and painful. The Marechal de Rieux, her 

 guardian, and other powerful persons at the court wished 1 

 marry the Sire d'Albret, a Gascon noble to whom she was exceedingly 

 averse. Some English and Spanish auxiliaries arrived to defend her 

 against the hostile designs of France, but she feared that 

 would make themselves masters of her person and roni]>el ! 

 marry the Sire d'Albret To put an end to these intrigues and 

 annoyances, she gave her hand to the Archduke Maximilian, to wh. .111 

 she was married by proxy in 1489. The French wished to dissolve 

 the marriage, which indeed was never consummated ; and in the year 

 1490 hostilities recommenced between France and Bretagne. Tbe 

 duchess was besieged in Rennes, and reduced to the necessity of nego- 

 tiating. During the negotiations a proposal was made on the part of 

 the French, listened to by the Breton leaders, and finally carrie 



hat the duchess and the young king of France, Chflrlr VIM.. 

 should reconcile their discordant claims by marrying. This marriage 

 took place in 1491 ; and by the terms of it the rights of wlii- 

 party died first were to go to the survivor in default of lawful 

 The duchess WM bound also, if she survived, to many only the futuro 

 king of France or the heir presumptive, so that the final union of the 

 duchy with the crown was apparently secured. 



In 1498 Charles VIII. died without children; and in 1499, nine 

 mouths after his decease, Anne married his successor, Louis XII. 

 The articles of marriage between Anne and the new king were 

 designed to separate the crown of France from the ducal coron.-t ..f 

 Bretagne, by providing that the latter should descend to the .-. 

 son, or in default of a second son to a daughter, so as to give 

 province a sovereign of its own. The duchess Anne died in l.'.l i. 

 aged 37 years. Her daughter Claude was married a few months after 

 to the Duke d'Ang..uletne, heir presumptive n.-h throne. 



which he ascended upon tho death of Louis XII. in 151.1 un.i 

 title of Francois I. ; and shortly afterwards Claude <-. 

 husband her rights over Bretagne during her lifetime. It was not 

 however till several years after her death, which was in 15*24, that 

 Bretagne was formally united to Franco : this union took place in 



IV. MI this time the history of Bretagne ceases to possess any 

 imp.'rt:inc. It became completely a province of France, and the 

 traces of its separate existence (except always the prevalence of the 

 Breton language), which diminished during the nv.nmvhy, have been 

 quite obliterated in tho new arrangements induced by the French 



Uon. 

 mi, /futoire de Rretagne.) 



UKKToN. I'Al'K. JCM-I liitrroN.] 



I'd ;K\V< >OI>. [STAFFORDSHIIIK.J 



HIM A NCOS, tho capital of an arrondiiwement in the department 

 of Hnutra-AlpcK, in France, the seat of a tribunal of first, instance and 

 of a college, is situated on a round-topped eminence at a little di 

 west of the Col de Oenovrc, and at the junction of the Cui-amie and 

 tho Clare* (which here unite and form tbe Durance 

 from Gap, and has a population of 343.1. including the whole commune. 

 The town which stands 4384 feet above the !< -a, consists 



chiefly of one eteep street tolerably well built and traversed 

 bnx.k ; in the centre is a square space in whieh the market is held. 

 The rest of the town is ill built and disuml looking. ( ine of the most 

 remarkable houses is one of three stories, which is still 

 Temple from its having been a Protestant chapel ; it I .ears the date 1574. 

 An a town Briancon is a poor place, but as a fortress it ranks very high. 

 commanding as it does one of the great posses orer the Alps. The 



