# Timeline of Brest, France

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Brest, France.

## Prior to 20th century

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Ancient Prehistory   Greek colonies 600 BC – 49 BC Celtic Gaul   until 50 BC Roman Gaul 50 BC – 486 AD :
Middle Ages Francia and the Frankish settlement   Merovingians 481–751 Carolingians 751–987     West Francia 843–987 Kingdom of France 987–1792     Direct Capetians 987–1328     Valois 1328–1498 :
Early modernAncien Régime
Valois-Orléans kings 1498–1515 Valois-Angoulême kings 1515–1589 Bourbon kings 1589–1792 :
Long 19th century French Revolution 1789–1799 Kingdom of France 1791–1792 First Republic 1792–1804 First Empire 1804–1814 Restoration 1814–1830 July Monarchy 1830–1848 Second Republic 1848–1852 Second Empire 1852–1870 Third Republic 1870–1940     Belle Époque 1871–1914 :
20th century Third Republic 1870–1940     Interwar period 1919–1939         Années folles 1920–1929 Free FranceVichy France 1940–1944 Provisional Republic 1944–1946 Fourth Republic 1946–1958 Fifth Republic 1958–present :
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* 1060s – Moat dug around the Château de Brest (approximate date).
* 1240 - Ceded by a count of Léon to John I, Duke of Brittany
* 14th C. – Tour Tanguy built (approximate date).
* 1342 – 18 August: Battle of Brest (1342).
* 1386 - Siege of Brest (1386)
* 16th C. Château de Brest construction concluded.
* 1512 – 10 August: Naval Battle of Saint-Mathieu occurs offshore.
* 1631 - Richelieu constructed a harbour with wooden wharves.
* 1680/88 - Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban fortified the harbour.
* 1694 - (18 June) Battle of Camaret, an English squadron under John Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley of Stratton, was miserably defeated.
* 1702 – Saint-Louis de Brest Church consecrated.
* 1749 – Saint-Sauveur Church built in Recouvrance.
* 1751 – Brest Prison built.
* 1752 – Académie de Marine founded.
* 1783 – Questel Fort built.
* 1784 – Fort Montbarey built.
* 1793
** 2 January: Childers Incident occurs in the Goulet de Brest.
** Population: 24,180.
* 1794 - French fleet, under Villaret de Joyeuse, was beaten by the English Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
* 1805 – Prison de Pontaniou [fr] built.
* 1848
** Phare du Petit Minou and Phare du Portzic (lighthouses) built.
** Lycée de Brest [fr] (school) founded.
* 1851 – Chamber of Commerce established.
* 1858
** Nantes-Brest canal begins operating.
** Société académique de Brest [fr] founded.
* 1861 – Pont National (swing-bridge) built.
* 1865 – Paris–Brest railway begins operating.
* 1876 – Population: 66,828.
* 1882 – Société de géographie de Brest founded.
* 1886
** La Dépêche de Brest newspaper begins publication.
** Population: 70,778.
* 1898 – Brest tramway begins operating.

## 20th century

* 1903 – Tramways Électrique du Finistère begins operating.
* 1905 – AS Brestoise [fr] football club formed.
* 1911 – Population: 90,540.
* 1930 – Plougastel Bridge built near city.
* 1932 – Gare de Brest built.
* 1939 – Augustin-Morvan Hospital [fr] built.
* 1940
** World War II [fr] begins.
** Gegen Engeland German-language newspaper begins publication.
* 1942 – Brest submarine base [fr] built in the Arsenal.
* 1944
** August: Battle for Brest begins.
** 9 September: Sadi-Carnot explosion [fr].
** 18 September: Germans ousted by Allied forces.
* 1947
** 28 July: Ocean Liberty explosion [fr].
** Brest trolleybus [fr] begins operating.
* 1951 – Pont de l'Harteloire (bridge) built.
* 1954
** Pont de Recouvrance (bridge) built.
** Société d'études de Brest et du Léon [fr] founded.
* 1957 – Bibus [fr] regional transit network created.
* 1958 – St. Louis Church, Brest [fr] rebuilt.
* 1959 – Georges Lombard [fr] becomes mayor.
* 1961 – Hôtel de Ville completed.
* 1970 – University of Western Brittany founded.
* 1973 - Rïnkla Stadium built.
* 1974 - Urban Community of Brest established.
* 1975 - Population: 166,826.
* 1976 – Dialogues (bookshop) [fr] in business.
* 1982
** Pierre Maille becomes mayor.
** Brest becomes part of the Brittany (administrative region).
* 1986 – Brest European Short Film Festival begins.
* 1997 – Socialist Party national congress held in Brest.

## 21st century

* 2001 – François Cuillandre [fr] becomes mayor.
* 2012
** Brest tramway begins operating.
** Population: 141,315.
* 2014 – Brest Arena built.
* 2016 – Brest aerial tram [fr] begins operating.
* 2017 – Les Ateliers des Capucins [fr], a mall and cultural venue, opens.