Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/599

* BRITTANY. 523 BBITTLE. on the north, the Bay of Biscay on the south, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. The boundaries on the land side are the old provinces of Nor- mandy, Maine, Anjou, and Poitou. The ancient duchy" was diagonally divided from northwest to southeast into the Haute and Basse Bretagne (Upper and Lower Brittany), the capitals of ■nhich were respectively Eennes and Vanpes. The coast generally rises in rugged and lofty cliffs, but is indented with numerous bays which atlord ample commercial advantages. Saint-Malo, Saint- Brieuc. Brest, Quimper, Lorient, and Xantes are important seaports. From the Montagues d'Ar- ree and the Montagues Nolres, masses of gran- ite in the northwest, the modem designation of Cutes-du-Xord — Northwest Hills — is derived. While not exceeding a height of 1280 feet, they give to the peninsula a bold and imposing appear- ance. The centre of the eountrj- is formed chiefly of clav slate. The scenery is varied and beauti- ful, and although the winter months are marked by foes and violent wind-storms, the climate gen- erally is dry, bracing, healthful, and favored with much sunshine. Large tracts of land lie uncultivated; but in the well-watered valleys, along the numerous rivers, and especially in" the northern parts, mod- ern methods yield abundant crops of all kinds, railway and steamboat transportation facilities giving" a great impetus to agriculture. In the west "'and southwest agriculture is still in a jirimitive state, and there the tenacity with which the Breton clings to the customs and be- liefs of his forefathers is especially apparent by his retention of the Celtic language rich in folk- lore and an individual literature, and by his (juaint, picturesque, and multi-colored costume of the Sixteenth Century, always in evidence on Sundays, and at festivals and fairs. The legends and traditions of the marvelous which still in- fluence the simple, superstitious native nature, are enhanced bv the stupendous megalithic monu- ments of the paleolithic age which abound on the plains of Carnac, at Locmariaquer, Dol, and other localities throughout the region — relics of the pagan religion which existed as late as the Seventeenth Century, ritual traces of which se- cretly suri'ive in remote parts. The Bretons are an Alpine or Celtic people, classed by Deniker, Kaces of Europe (1900), as dark, verj' brachy- cephalic, and short, and called by him the Western or Covenole race (cranial index, 82.7; height, 1.63 metres). They have brown or black hair, light or dark-brown eyes, rounded faces and thickset figures. Traversed by railroads and fine highwavs, Brittany is a great resort for tourists — cvclists and automobilists especially being attracted by the combination of beautiful scenery and the archaic atmosphere of ancient monuments, castles, cathedrals, churches, and picturesque, if not particularly clean, villages. HisTOBY. In ancient times Brittany, under the name of Aremorica (Armorica), was the seat of the confederated Armorican tribes, who were of Celtic and Kymric origin. Traces of them remain in the old Kymric dialect of the three most westerlv departments, and in the nu- merous so-called i)ruidical monuments already mentioned. Under the Romans, the country w^as made the Provincia Lui/duiiensis Tertia; and for two centuries was prosperous under the 'Roman peace.' But in the disorders of the Third Cen- turj' A.D. it suffered severely, and was reduced Vol.. III.— 34. almost to a wilderness. It was repeopled by nu- merous immigrations from Great Britain caused by the Anglo-Saxon invasions of the Fifth and Sixth centuries, and then its name was changed from Armorica to Brittany — Britannia Mi7wr. Monasteries . were built and settlements arose about them. Soon the Franks came into colli- sion with the Bretons, From the time of Clovis to the death of Charlemagne there were frequent wars in which the Bretons were usually defeated, but never subdued. They paid tribute only when compelled by an armed force. Louis the Pious placed a native chief, X'omenoe, over the country in 818, and under his rule it prospered. After the battle of Fontenay, 841, Xomenoe took advan- tage of the weakness of the Carolingian monarchs to establish his independence, which was recog- nized in 846. From this time the rulers claimed the title of 'Duke by the grace of God.' Brittany suffered severely from the invasion of the Xorth- men, but won a temporary respite by a brilliant victor}' in 891. when of 1.5,000 Xorthnien only 400 escaped. After 907, however, the Xorthmen renewed their attacks and reduced the country to the same desperate condition in which it had been in the Fourth Century, "Brittany destroyed,' in the words of the contemporaries. Alain of the Twisted Beard ( died 952 ) drove out many of the X'orthmen, but the country remained a prey to civil strife. In 992 Geoffrey, Count of Rennes, an ally of the Xormans, took the title of Duke, though the French King refused to ac- knowledge the legitimacy of the title till 1'213. After the Tenth Century Brittany was closely associated with Xormandy, and many Britons took part in the conquest of England. Under Henry II. of England, the Duke had to flee to England, and Henry took advantage of the op- portunity to make his son Geoffrey Duke of Brittany in 1169. Geoffrey soon became the ally of the King of France against his own father. His posthumous son, Arthur, was the unhappy prince whom Richard the Lion-Hearted declared his heir, and King John was suspected of mur- dering, in 1203. After that Brittany became a vassal State of France, and in spite of frequent revolts, remained so until about 1338. Then when war broke out between England and France, the French King was glad to secure the Duke's aid "as an ally, not as a subject.' Dur- ing the Hundred Years' War Brittany was the ally alternately of each party and suffered ex- ceedingly. The question whether Brittany was a vassal State of France remained undecided iind caused many wars. In 1491 the Duchess Anne, heiress of Brittany, married Charles VIII. of France and the duchy was united to France. In 1499, however, when Anne married Louis XII., the successor of Charles VIII., the independence of Brittany was again fully recognized. After long discussion and many treaties, the duchy was declared incorporated with France in 15.32 by Francis I. Brittany retained a local parliament until the outbreak of the Revolution. During the Revolution, Brittany, which was intensely loyal to the Bourbons, was the arena of sanguinary conflicts, and especially of the uprising of the Chouans (q.v. ), who reappeared as recently as 1832. BRITTLE, Baknaby. A character in Bet- tcrton's comedy The Anioroun Widou'. He i3 a commonplace, rather vulgar personage, who is deceived by his wife, the title character. The