The History of Brittany - by Wayne

As you can see from our many photos published in earlier blogs, Brittany is a land of rocky headlands inter-dispersed by sandy bays with golden sand.

 Evidence suggests that the Celts settled in Brittany as early as 1000 BC.  You can still see the evidence of these early Celts by the presence of ancient megaliths and dolmens.  A megaliths—Breton word 'Menhir'—are standing stones, often arranged in rows and aligned by the Celts to match the movements of the sun and moon—just like the stones at Stonehenge.  This Celtic influence on their culture also remains through their unique music and dance—which we not only experienced, but wrote about in an earlier blog.  

Brittany was independent from France until 1532.  Brittany had endured years of war with France until 1491 when Anne of Brittany prostituted herself by agreeing to marry the King of France, Charles 8^th.  Thinking she was onto a good thing, Anne prostituted her daughter a few years later by arranging her to marry another French King, Francois 1^st: a final act that ended Brittany’s independence.  The Briton’s were never happy with this pattern of prostitution, and would revolt against French rule for the next 350 years. 

Since AD 800 things have not been easy for the average Frenchman.  The French have been in a state of war with either the English—their arch enemy, or with their other blood brothers: their European neighbours.  In-between these times, and to create some variety, they were at war with both at the same time.  

The French wanted a monarchy, but were never satisfied with the one they had.  They changed their Kings and Queens like we change our underwear.  If French Kings and Queens were not being beheaded by their enemy during times of war, they were being beheaded by their family members during times of family feuds.  And if they were not being headed by family members, then they were being beheaded by their subjects during revolutions.  It turned out that being a French King or Queen was a hazardous occupation.

As Terry Deary said in his book ‘Horrible Histories - France’, “Some people in history have been revolting.  They revolt against anything.  They revolt against their rulers, they revolt against paying taxes, they revolt against paying too much for food.”

It turns out that the French are experts at revolting and decided to show the rest of the world how good they were in 1789.  The French were not going to do it half-heartedly. Not at all.  They not only chopped off the heads of their King and Queen, and their children, but royal sympathises and wealthy landowners—no one was speared.  So revolting was this revolution that Kings or Queens in other parts of Europe took steps to prevent this ‘revolting’ disease spreading beyond France’s borders. 

The real problem with revolutions is not whether they are necessary, all too often they become essential to bring about needed change.  This was certainly the case in France where the monarchy, and a few nobility, lived in absolute wealth while the remaining masses remained in absolute poverty: poverty that was caused by the heavy taxes collected by the monarchy to pay for their lavish lifestyle.  Unlike today, there was no middle class.

The real problem with the French revolution was what to replace the monarchy with.  The French would be subject to years of unstable democracies and dictatorships.  Perhaps what is most surprising is that after chopping off so many royal heads and after experimenting with so many alternative forms of governance, the French decided to go back to a Monarchy.  And what is even more surprising, given the fact that the French are so good at revolting, is that a relative of the beheaded King and Queen (who had managed to avoid the beheading in 1789), was even willing to take on the job.  Was he mad?  Did he endure?  You guessed it!  Not likely.  

Example of a dolmens.
Ancient Celtic burial site. 

Example of a Megaliths or 'Menhir'
 Ancient Celtic stones used for religious ceremonies.