Brittany

The peninsula of Brittany has more in common with the Island of Britain than with the continent. British blood has forged Brittany, and Breton blood has been poured out to save Britain. Ships sail back and forth between Brittany and Britain carrying settlers, warriors, poets, holy men, and kings. The waters separating Brittany from Cornwall are less a sea than a road, and the stretch of land joining Brittany to Soissons (northern France) is more a chasm than a bridge.

Over the tapestry of years, Britons have flocked to Brittany (sometimes called Armorica). Romano-British general Macsen Wledig led his followers from Britain to the continent to seize victory and power over Rome and, for a time, flew as high as the greatest of Roman eagles. Macsen Wledig gave the first land secured on the continent to his cousin-in-law, Conan Meriadoc. When Macsen Wledig was ultimately slain, his sons and followers found refuge with Conan in his new land: Vannetais, the oldest of Brittany’s kingdoms. Aldronius, Macsen’s son, became king when Conan died. News of the kingdom’s success spread, and Britons flocked to Brittany’s shores. Since then Fate has oft interwoven the threads of Brittany and Britain.

The verdant land of Brittany is fertile and productive. The waters lapping its shores serve as a defense, as well as a source of food and a means of commerce. Bretons are blessed with rich harvests from both field and sea. A knight of Brittany must be accomplished on the field of battle, even when the field is a heaving ship’s deck. Unlike many of their Cymric counterparts in other lands, Bretons do not look on the sea with fear, but with a weather eye on opportunity.

While Cymri largely populate Brittany, Brittany’s culture is not merely a copy of Britain’s. Due to Brittany’s proximity to the former Roman Empire, more of the Cymri of Brittany follow the Roman Christian faith than their British counterparts. Brittany has managed to stir into the energetic Cymric culture a seasoning of Continental flair, giving polish to its Cymric rough edges. But for all the Bretons’ sophistication, they have kept the practicality and industriousness of their island counterparts. A Breton knight is expected to manage his lands for his lord, play the harp in his lord’s hall, and fight at his lord’s command ~ all with equal skill and finesse. In fact, the finesse and beauty of some Bretons is the subject of whispers in other lands. Some claim that their long association with the sea has led to Breton dalliances with the Faerie folk rumored to live in the waves. Others say that whatever spirits dwell in the enchanted Brocéliande Forest have taken noble babes from their cradles and replaced them with Faerie changelings. Regardless, the blood of faeries is rumored to flow in the veins of many a Breton noble. For their part, Bretons rarely comment on such tongue-wagging and instead let their deeds on and off the battlefield speak for themselves.

## History

### 1st century prior era vulgaris

**58–50 BC:** Iulius Caesar campaigns in Gaul (France), although he diverts his efforts in 55–54 BC toward the island of Britain. In 52 BC, he wins the decisive Battle of Alesia against the Gauls, and then incorporates Gaul into the Roman Empire as a province.

### 3rd century era vulgaris

**c. 275 AD:** Roman civil wars have left Gaul weakly defended, and many fearful rich Gauls immigrate to Britain.

**c. 300:** Armorica is largely abandoned due to invasion by barbarians, rebellion by its citizens, and plague.

### 4th century era vulgaris

**c. 358:** Those barbarians who would later be called (Salian) Franks form an agreement with the Romans, allowing them to settle south of the Rhine delta.

**383–388:** A Romano-British general, Macsen Wledig (father of Constantin and grandfather to Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther), takes his legions and his Cymric followers into Gaul. Upon establishing a foothold on the continent in Armorica (hereafter called Brittany), Macsen grants the new land to his wife’s cousin, Conan Meriadoc. Macsen continues on his way through Gaul, subduing barbarians, bringing Roman armies to heel, and slaying the Western Roman Emperor Gratian. Macsen rules as Emperor until slain, in turn, by Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius. After Macsen’s death, his sons and followers settle with Conan in the Breton land of Vannetais. The “First Migration” of Britons to Brittany begins, inaugurated by an influx of Cornish women seeking to marry Macsen’s soldiers left in Brittany. Thus, the noble houses formed in Brittany have ties of blood to the Cornish nobility. During King Conan’s tenure in Brittany, he secures much of the remainder of the peninsula under his rule.

**395:** At the death of King Conan Meriadoc, the lands granted to him by his great friend and leader, Macsen Wledig, are returned to Macsen’s son, Aldronius, and ruled as the independent kingdom Vannetais.

### 5th century era vulgaris

**405:** Britain is stripped of its final legion, in order to defend Italy against barbarians.

**406:** Massive invasion of Alans, Suebi, and Vandals crosses the frozen Rhine at the start of the year, overwhelms the depleted garrisons, and ravages Gaul and Hispania. King Aldronius manages to defend Brittany against the barbarians. The attacks on Britain by Saxons, Picts, and the Irish start again, as the province is left defenseless by the Romans.

**410:** Ravaged by raids and invasions, Britain makes it clear that their allegiance is with the current Western Roman Emperor, Honorius, from whom it requests aid. Honorius responds, “Look to your own defense.” Many Britons flee to Brittany in hopes of better protection, while Britain descends into chaos.

**415:** When Britain’s Supreme Collegium searches for a strong leader to protect the island in the face of Rome’s abandonment, it reflects on the great generals of its past, and asks Macsen Wledig’s son, Aldronius, to serve as Britain’s High King. Aldronius, already king of Vannetais, cedes the honor to his younger brother Constantin. Having received British settlers for years, Brittany sent Britain a High King, together with an army of two thousand to help Constantin restore peace, which he did.

**423:** Constantin sires his first son, Constans, whom he entrusts to a monastery in the White City.

**433:** Constantin’s next son is born and named Aurelius Ambrosius for his distant relative St. Ambrose.

**436:** Constantin sires his last legitimate son, Uther. Guithelinus, Archbishop of Londinium, fosters both Ambrosius and Uther.

**436–438:** King Aldronius sends troops to help the Romans fight against the attempt by the Aquitainians to conquer Narbonne.

**439:** King Aldronius sends troops to help the Romans curb the Aquitainian aggression in Septimania. General Litorius battles the Aquitainians at the Battle of Toulouse, where he is captured and later dies. Aetius, magister militum (supreme commander) of the Western Roman Empire, takes an army to Aquitaine and defeats the Aquitainians in a battle.

King Rechila of Suebi invades Roman Lusitania and captures Merida. The Vandals sack Carthago.

**440:** Frisian raiders make it as far west as Brittany’s coast. Brittany is outraged when it receives news from Britain that one of High King Constantin’s own guards has murdered him. Rumors vary. The guard may have been a knight of Logres, or even a foreigner. King Aldronius mourns for his dead brother. Meanwhile, despite the bloodying they received at the Battle of Carlion, the Irish extend their holdings in Demetae (eventually known as Estregales) in southern Cambria and Dumnonia, in northern Cornwall.

**441:** King Aldronius decides to send a force of Breton knights to guard his young nephews (Constans, Aurelius and Uther) in Britain. Vortigern, a Cambrian king and brother-in-law of Aldronius, drags Constantin’s eldest son, Constans, from the monastery where he was raised, and urges the nobles of Logres to elect him as the king to follow his father’s footsteps. They do so, and Constans is crowned as the King of Logres.

King Rechila of the Suebi continues his expansionist policies in Hispania. He takes Seville.

**442:** The Huns led by Attila invade the Danube provinces of the Eastern Roman Empire. Count Aetius, who now controls the Western Roman Empire, settles Burgundian foederati in Switzerland. The Burgundians feud with the continental Saxons, which stirs up other tribes in the area.

In Britain, the Supreme Collegium convenes and, thanks to Vortigern’s persuasiveness, they elect Constans as the High King of Britain. Constans, a bookish youth, relies heavily on King Vortigern’s advice and dismisses his Breton bodyguards, replacing them with Picts. Aldronius, King of Brittany and Constans’ uncle, is troubled by these events, when his knights return and report

**443:** Brittany receives the terrible news that High King Constans of Britain has been murdered by his Pict bodyguards. Vortigern has the murderers executed swiftly without a trial, and the nobles of Logres elect Vortigern as the King of Logres. King Aldronius suffers a stroke at the news, but orders from his deathbed for Constantin’s other sons, Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther, to be spirited out of Britain to Brittany, as he fears Vortigern has designs on their lives. Budec, Aldronius’ son, becomes king. He welcomes his two cousins to Brittany when they arrive, just in time for Aldronius’ funeral, which is attended by many foreign dignitaries.

**444:** Merchants tell the story that in Frisia, King Finn kills several lords from a visiting Saxon delegation. A surviving Saxon warrior, Hengest, submits to Finn on behalf of the remaining Saxons. Emboldened Frisians raid on the Soissons and Breton coasts. In Britain, Picts retaliate against King Vortigern’s reprisals and raid as far south as the cities of Glevum (in Glevum) and St. Albans. Word comes back that the southern Picts in Jagent raid only locally and in response to raids in their areas.

**445:** In Britain, the Picts continue their sweeping raids from the north, and the Irish continue to raid in Cornwall. The foothold the Irish have gained in northern Cornwall has made it increasingly difficult for the King of Dumnonia, who asks King Budec for help.

In Frisia, Hengest kills King Finn in revenge for Finn’s ignominious murder of Saxons lords the previous year. Hengest vows to lead his followers to new lands. This throws the Frisians into confusion, giving the Bretons respite from the pirate raids. King Budec starts building up his own fleet and sends warriors to help the Dumnonii

**446:** Budec builds more ships, strengthens fortifications and increases coastal watches to ensure safety along the shores. He continues supporting the Dumnonii against the Irish, and many friendships are formed between the Dumnonii and Breton warriors. Romans send an army against the Suebi in Hispania, summoning troops from Brittany and Aquitaine to help. Roman commander Vitus suffers a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Suebi at Guadalquivir, and his army routs.

**447:** The Frisian pirates have recovered from their confusion and pirate fleets plague the British Sea again. Budec sends his ships against them to clear the trade routes. Although this mission is not completely successful, the pirates become less of a threat. The British celebrate. St. Germanus of Auxerre (a bishop, holy man, and miracle worker) makes his second trip to Britain, sent by Aetius to check how the British are doing. While there, he heals the crippled leg of the son of Elaphias, Praetor of the White City (Hantonne), and converts many to the True Faith (i.e., Roman Christianity). Afterwards he returns back to the continent, via Brittany.

**448:** Bacaudae revolt in Brittany put down with help from the Alans, a barbarian tribe, of Orleans. Prince Aurelius, now King Budec’s squire, witnesses just how powerful heavy cavalry is. St. Germanus, returning from Britain, pleads for the kings and the warriors to be merciful toward the defeated peasants.

**449:** News from Britain reports that High King Vortigern not only uses Saxons to fight his battles, but also is besotted with the Saxon chief Hengest’s daughter, Rowena. A few concerned British nobles seek to reaffirm ties with the lords in Brittany. On the continent, the Huns continue to defeat tribe after tribe. Some say these savages are half demon, half horse.

**450:** Aegidius is made magister militum of Gaul by Aetius. King Chlodio of the Franks dies. Aetius supports the claim of the younger son, Merovaeus, but Attila supports the older son, Childeric, and uses this as a pretext for an invasion of Gaul. A few British nobles successfully reestablish ties with Budec, leader of Brittany (and cousin to Constantin, the first High King).

The threat of the Frisian pirates increases once again. King Budec, tired of losing ships and goods, sends his fleet out in force. Although many ships are lost, the Frisian pirates are defeated and their ships and harbors are sacked. The threat of the pirates is gone.

In Britain, High King Vortigern is clearly just as impressed with the charms of Rowena, the Saxon chief Hengest’s daughter, as with the military prowess of Hengest’s Saxon warriors. Vortigern marries Rowena in a lavish celebration and gives Hengest the Cantiii Civitas (renamed Kent) as Rowena’s bride price. And because the trade routes are open, a delegation is sent to attend the wedding. While there, they become aware of the execution of the Cantii leader, and some nobles try to ascertain Brittany’s stance on Britain.

**451:** The Huns — led by their king, Attila — invade Gaul to pillage and plunder, scouring the land of its wealth and slaughtering as they go. The Roman commander in Gaul, Aetius, requests aid from all who will send it. Brittany sends all it can spare. King Budec sends Prince Aurelius, now a knight, along with the Breton contingent. The allied army meets the Huns at Chalons, where the Huns are defeated and driven from Gaul. Prince Aurelius gets separated and finds himself in the midst of the battle. He joins the nearest unit which happens to be Aquitainian, led by their King. Suddenly, a unit of Huns breaks through and attacks. Although King Theodoric dies, Aurelius manages to secure the king’s body to prevent its desecration. Aurelius is later invited to Prince Thorismund’s own tent for thanks.

**452:** Britain’s peace with Ireland is off, and Vortigern sends counter-raids into Irish lands in Britain, while his Saxons still battle the Picts in the North. The King of Dumnonii sends his son, Prince Riothamus, to request aid from King Budec. In Brittany, there is a time of quiet after the losses of last year, but also a grim satisfaction in the fact that the Huns have been defeated. King Budec sends back word to the Dumnonii that he will send help next year.

**453:** While the Irish continue raiding, Brittany sends its fleet to aid the Dumnonii against the Irish in Britain. The fleet is scattered by a storm as they are rounding the tip of Lyonesse, but the main force of the fleet manages to hold together and engage a fleet of the Irish warriors coming over from Ireland to raid the Dumnonii. The Irish reinforcements are defeated and flee back to Ireland, helping the Dumnonii to hold their own in Cornwall.

**454:** General Aetius returns to the Roman capital at Ravenna. Emperor Valentinian III accuses him of plotting to seize his throne and murders him during a meeting of the imperial council. After this assassination, the Western Roman Empire has no effective defender against its hostile barbarian neighbors.

In Britain, the Dumnonii are slowly pushing the Irish back, supported by other British and even Pictish reinforcements. As such, they do not need more Breton aid.

**455:** The news arrives to Brittany that the Vandals have sacked Rome, the center of the civilized world (even if no longer the capitol of either the Eastern or Western Empire). All are shocked to hear that barbarians have brought Rome low. The Roman emissary, Avitus, is hailed as the new emperor by the Aquitainians in Tolouse, and escorted back to Italy by an Aquitainian army.

**456:** The new Roman Emperor, Avitus, orders the Aquitainians to reconquer Hispania for the Western Empire. Prince Aurelius and some Breton warriors join the reconquest, which ends with the capture and execution of the Suebi King by the Aquitainians.

**457:** In Cornwall, where the concern of many Bretons lies, the Dumnonii use the distraction of the Eastern rebellion to try and oust the Cornovii. However, with the help of the Picts of Jagent, the Cornovii defeat the Dumnonii, killing their king, and take over the Kingdom of Dumnonia. They rename it the Kingdom of Cornwall and dispossess the remaining Dumnonii nobility. In Totnes, the Dumnonii commoners are also being displaced, and so they flee. The Dumnonii migrate en masse to Brittany under their Prince (now King) Riothamus. King Budec gives the newcomers the sparsely populated northern shore of Brittany, and the hand of his daughter in marriage to King Riothamus. Riothamus names the new kingdom as Domnonie. Riothamus and the Dumnonii warriors will participate in many of Aurelius’ campaigns. With the second kingdom established in Brittany, Budec’s kingdom becomes known as Vannetais, after its capitol city of Vannes. King Riothamus becomes friends with Prince Aurelius and introduces him to a rising Dumnonii nobleman named Gorlois. The three become close friends, often riding together to war.

Many disillusioned or displaced Britons arrive in Brittany to escape Vortigern’s rule, continuing the “Second Migration.” It is not long before raids occur, leading to skirmishes. King Budec, Prince Aurelius, and the rulers of Aquitaine step in and enforce the peace. The people of Domnonie, being exiled Britons themselves, are quite active in supporting Aurelius in his dream of rescuing Britain from the grip of Vortigern and his Saxons.

**458:** Many dissident British continue to leave the island, taking their families and possessions to Brittany. To accommodate the influx of people, Budec and Riothamus settle the various Britons throughout their kingdoms. The Western Roman Emperor Majorian builds a fleet in Italy and hires many mercenaries. He successfully arranges for King Budec to reinforce the Romans as King Theodoric II marches his army against Arles, a strategic city on the Rhône River. The Bretons led by Aurelius and Riothamus, Majorian’s army defeats the Aquitainians. In the aftermath, a humiliating new treaty with Rome requires Aquitaine to give up its recent Hispanian gains as well.

In Britain, word comes back that King Vortigern is continuing to reorganize the lands. A diplomatic group is sent to observe this and report back.

**459:** More exiled Britons come over from Britain and settle in Brittany. Aurelius journeys to Aquitaine and seeks permission to join them on their upcoming campaigns, as required under the treaty from last year. Gorlois, continues to prove himself a fearsome warrior in the battles this year

**460:** More refugees arrive from Britain and are settled throughout Brittany. The Roman-Aquitainian army under General Nepotianus and Sunieric defeats the Suebi in a battle. Aurelius continues backing the Romans and lends his forces for the campaign.

**461:** On his return to Italy, Emperor Majorian is deposed and killed by Ricimer, who then installs Libius Severus as a new Emperor. Only those inside Italy recognize his title. Aegidius rebels against Ricimer and Emperor Severus. Again, Ostrogoths invade Illyricum this year. Aegidius of Soissons visits Brittany to meet with its leaders to ensure that they will back him against the usurper Severus if necessary. King Budec, Prince Aurelius, and King Riothamus agree to ally with Aegidius

**462:** Aquitaine, although friendly along the common border, campaigns against Soissons. Even without the defensive alliance concluded last year, Kings Budec and Riothamus realize that if Soissons falls, Brittany will be next. They muster an army, led by Prince Aurelius and King Riothamus, to go and help Soissons stop Aquitaine’s expansion.

**463:** To bring an end to the bloodshed, High King Vortigern and King Hengest call for all British nobles to meet at a feast of peace on Salisbury Plain. Through treachery, the Saxons kill over three hundred of the ruling nobility in the “Night of Long Knives.” The Saxons then seize the High King as their prisoner. Having rendered the British people effectively leaderless, Saxons freely plunder and raid where they will. Even Brittany’s coasts are not safe from the ravages of these barbarians.

With the Western Roman Empire fatally weakened by internal bickering, civil war, and general chaos, Aquitaine feels the time is ripe to expand its borders even further. The king decides to move further north into Gaul. They meet a coalition of Romans, Franks, and Bretons at the Battle of Orleans. Prince Aurelius joins the battle.

A new wave of British immigrants flock to Brittany’s shores. Many remember Constantin’s sons and beseech Prince Aurelius to save Britain from the Saxon hordes and to reclaim his birthright.

**464:** In Britain, High King Vortigern escapes and retreats to Gomeret (in northern Cambria). The Cornovii refuse to give up Exe River and instead fight the Saxons. Meanwhile, the kings in Brittany find themselves arranging marriages for several of the British refugee knights. Unfortunately, heiresses with manors are not abundant. The Breton lords introduce the idea of giving lands to knights who do not have manors of their own, in return for that knight’s service and fealty to the lords. This will become known as vassalage.

Aegidius dies en route to a peace conference and his son, Syagrius, becomes the ruler of Soissons. With Aegidius out of the way, Theodoric II launches a new campaign on the Loire River, at Angers. However, the Romans and their Frankish and Breton allies are ready for them.

**465:** Aurelius Ambrosius, having heard the pleas of his father’s countrymen, and together with the aid of his brother and his Breton cousins, plans in earnest to return to Britain in force. Riothamus and Gorlois eagerly offer their support. Aurelius’ agents start traveling to other lands to plead his case and the need for a fleet. Prince Aurelius goes to Toulouse personally to hire mercenaries and ships for his invasion of Britain, to reclaim the High Kingship of Britain that belonged to his father and his older brother before the usurper Vortigern.

Gorlois, Aurelius’ trusted companion, sails to port towns in northern Gaul to seek help from Syagrius of Soissons and possibly the Franks, organizing a fleet for the next year. Alas, Gorlois and his ship with all aboard are thought lost in a storm in the British Sea.

**466:** Aurelius Ambrosius, son of the former High King Constantin and brother of High King Constans, collects his fleet from other locations. To the surprise of all, Gorlois returns and astonishes Aurelius with ships the likes of which he had never seen before, sailing effortlessly even against the waves. It takes some time to load all the troops and one of the last items loaded on Aurelius’ personal ship is a long rectangular box over twenty feet in length. They cross the British Sea from Brittany and land in Totnes, Cornwall, with an army of Bretons, Britons, and mercenaries from Aquitaine and other locations. There, Aurelius brings out the box and from it, unfurls a glorious battle standard that looks like a magnificent red dragon in flight as it flutters in the wind

## Places

* Vannetais (Cymru/British Christian)
* City of Rennes (Roman/Roman Christian)
* City of Nantes (Roman/Roman Christian)
* City of Vannes (Roman/Roman Christian)
* Domnonie (Cymru/British Christian)
* Cornouailles (Cymru/British Christian)