Brittany Breton Breizh Brezhoneg Celtic 132 Celtic Civilization

Brittany & Breton Breizh & Brezhoneg Celtic 132 – Celtic Civilization II

Brittany & Breton • • • I Breton Nation II Treaty of 1532 III French Revolution IV Revival V WWII VI Breton Nationalism VII Education VIII Statistics IX National anthem X Breton Music Menhir Dolmen

I A Breton Nation • In the Middle Ages Brittany was a prosperous and powerful country • Repeated attempts by French & English at annexation • French defeated Breton forces in 1488 • Brittany became a duchy of French kingdom • French monarchy incorporated the Breton monarchy through intermarriage • Brittany kept its parliament however Historical Regions of Brittany ca 14 th c.

II Treaty of 1532 • 1532 Treaty between Breton Parliament and the French • Kings of France would be the Dukes of Brittany • Crown agreed to respect political & administrative rights of Bretons • No tax without approval of the Breton Parl’t • Only Bretons appointed to public office • Bretons not forced to serve as soldiers outside Brittany • In essence Brittany was an autonomous state

• French kings consolidated their power, became more centralist • Bretons went to war several times to defend treaty of 1532 • 1601 Louis XIV tried to tax without app’l of Breton Parl’t, caused a revolt • Again in 1675

III French Revolution • • • Republican movement in the 18 th c. in France French Revolution 1789 -99 Had supporters in Brittany New Nat’l Assembly worse than the monarchy Even more centralist Dissolved the Breton Parl’t Repudiated the Treaty of 1532 Forcibly annexed the country All Frenchmen were declared equal & entire territory of France was to be unified under same laws • But Brittany was not French!

IV Revival • By 19 th c. a bit of a revival in Breton culture • Poetry, history, folklore & music collections, linguistic studies, inter-Celtic relations fostered, esp. with Wales • 1843, first stirrings of the modern Breton Movement with creation of Association Bretonne • Suppressed by French gov’t in 1858 • Repeated requests for education denied by French gov’t

V WWII • 2 camps of Breton Nationalists • A. Regionalists – not opposed to French sovereignty, but wanted reform and greater Breton cultural autonomy • B. Seperatists – wanted complete independence for Brittany • 1911 Breton National Party (BNP) was formed • During WWII 2 of its leaders encouraged Breton neutrality in war with Germany • Made an agreement with Germans to create a separate Breton state. • The Germans did not do this. • Most Bretons and BNP members did not support the Nazis and repudiated their leaders for doing so.

• French Maquis (resistance guerillas) also led an anti-Breton campaign • Suspicious and resentful of Breton neutrality and nationalism • Saw concessions for Breton education given by the French Vichy gov’t (puppet of the occupying Germans) as collaboration • Maquis saw them as pro-Nazi • Led attacks on Bretons Maquis

• A Breton combat unit formed (Bezen Perrot) • Issued German uniforms • “A Breton unit, to be engaged in Brittany in conjunction with the German forces, against the common enemies of Brittany & Germany” • Essentially fought the French Maquis in Brittany • Also helped allied forces escape the Germans • After the war many arrests, beatings, & executions • Gov’t’s campaign was ostensibly against collaborationists, but essentially was against Breton nationalists • Many Bretons sought political asylum in Ireland

VI Breton Nationalism • All Breton Nationalist movements banned • As well as teaching of language, lit. , hist. , folklore, etc. • Bretons continued to form their groups • 1960 s FLB (Front for the liberation of Brittany) led bomb attacks on police barracks, power plants, tax offices, etc. • 1969 French authorities arrested 60 alleged members of FLB • Resistance continued • 1963 Union Democratique Bretonne (UDB) • Politically active with members elected to various levels of gov’t • Allied with the French Left Alliance

VII Education • Continued reluctance on part of French Gov’t to provide for Breton education • Independent schools formed in 1905 despite laws against it. • By 1937 more than 400 municipal councils adopted a motion demanding the French gov’t allow the teaching of Breton • Commission for Education in the French Chamber of Deputies unanimously recommended that the gov’t acceded. • Gov’t ignored it.

Education cont’d • In 1970 s French gov’t nominally allowed for some Breton education • Diwan (“Seed”) schools formed in 1977 as Breton immersion nursery schools • Started as 1 class with 5 students • By 1983 20 schools with 28 classes, 6 primary schools and 39 full-time teachers • Small subsidy from gov’t, but 80% financed by volunteer support • In 2009, 13, 077 students (about 1. 45% of all students in Brittany) attended Diwan, Div Yezh and Dihun schools, a number which is rapidly growing yearly.

VIII Statistics • Up until recently the French gov’t has never allowed a language question on the census • Therefore had to be done privately in Brittany • 1914 – est’d 1. 5 million Breton speakers • 1946 – 1 million out of pop’n of 3 million • 1997 – 240, 000 speakers in W. Brittany out of 1. 6 million (most above 50 yrs old), 125, 000 with some understanding of it. • Today about 500, 000 speakers & semi-speakers of the language in all of Brittany • The most recent census (2001) shows about 270, 000 speakers, with a yearly decline of about 10, 000 speakers. The website oui au breton estimates about 200, 000 current speakers.

Numbers of Breton Speakers 1886 -1999

Regional Statistics of Breton Speakers, 2004

Breton Dialects Ofis ar Brezhoneg, the Breton language agency, was set up in 1999 by the Brittany region to promote and develop the use of Breton. TV Brittany http: //www. tvbreizh. fr/

IX National anthem “Bro Goz Va Zadoù” • http: //www. catholicon. net/gradlon /mp 3 • Ni, Breizhiz a galon, karomp hon gwir Vro! Brudet eo an Arvor dre ar bed tro -do. Dispont kreiz ar brezel, hon tadoù ken mat, A skuilhas eviti o gwad. Chorus – O Breizh, ma Bro, me 'gar ma Bro. – Tra ma vo mor 'vel mur en he zro. – Ra vezo digabestr ma Bro!

X Breton Music • • • Kan ha diskan (call and response) Most common traditional singing in Brittany Often used to accompany dancing The Bagad Breton Pipe Band Biniou Braz (Highland pipes) Bombardes Snare drums Bagad Saint Nazaire • Biniou Koz