Breton–Norman war
Breton–Norman War | |||||||
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Part of the Middle Ages | |||||||
"Here the knights of Duke William fight against the men of Dinan; and Conan passed out the keys". Two successive scenes from the contemporary Bayeux Tapestry (c.1066) depicting the Battle of Dinan, one of the decisive battles of the war. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
| Duchy of Brittany | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Breton–Norman War | ||||||
The Breton–Norman War of 1064–1066 was fought between the sovereign Duchy of Brittany and the Duchy of Normandy.
Brittany, an independent Celtic duchy, had a traditional rivalry with neighboring Normandy.
Neighboring rivals
From a historical perspective, the Bretons had steadily lost lands to the Norman's ancestors, the Seine River Vikings.
The 1064–1065 animosity between Brittany and Normandy was sparked after
In 1065, the year before his invasion of
Loss of Breton lands
Duke William's army therefore set out to appease the Breton threat. While outside the monastery of
Battle of Dinan
The Battle of Dinan occurred in 1065. Harold fought on the side of Duke William, whose army had chased Duke Conan from Dol-de-Bretagne to Rennes. Duke Conan finally surrendered at Château de Dinan, Brittany. The battle is recalled in the Bayeux Tapestry (see illustration).[3]
Death of the Breton lord
During Duke Conan's 1066 campaign against Anjou, he took Pouancé and Segré, and arrived in Château-Gontier. There he was found dead on 11 December after donning poisoned riding gloves. Duke William was widely suspected.[4]
Aftermath
Duke Conan II was succeeded by his sister, Hawise, whose marriage to Hoel of Cornwall may have been a political move to consolidate and stabilize the east and west regions of the duchy.
Bretons would eventually invade England with the Normans in 1066 mainly as cavalry, which they specialized in.
References
- ^ "Brittany Genealogy"
- ^ Howarth 2008.
- ^ Note: In the Bayeux Tapestry, Duke Conan is pictured surrendering by giving Duke William the keys to Dinan via a lance.
- ^ Howarth 2008, pp. 98–99.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-1-4395-1242-5.