King Morvan, imaginary or real?
But who is this king, virtually unknown to everyone? Did he even exist? Of course he did!
The Bretons and the Franks before Morvan
Nothing was simple between the Bretons and the Franks...
Following a treaty signed with Clovis in 497, the Bretons of Armorica accepted the supremacy of the Franks, invaders from Germania. Their princes even renounced the title of king.
But the peace was not definitive. The Bretons could not resign themselves to accepting the borders that had been defined, nor to submitting to the domination of these Barbarians.
There were major clashes between the two peoples in the 6th and 7th centuries.
Around 630-635, a treaty ensured that the Bretons submitted to the control of the Frankish kings. But 50 years after this peace, it seems thatthe Bretons once again withdrew from this control.
Wishing to re-establish the authority of the Franks, Pepin Le Bref decided to lead his army into Brittany in 753.
Charlemagne also had to send his troops in 786 and 799. The Franks thought they had finally put an end to the indecent behaviour of the Bretons.
The battle of Morvan
However, less than 20 years after Charlemagne's last victory, his son, Louis the Pious, learned that the Bretons were once again rising up, forgetting all their promises of obedience and even giving the title of king to one of their own: Morvan !
At first, Louis the Pious sent an ambassador to negotiate to restore peace, but the attempt failed.
Tired of this insubordination, he gathered troops from all over and marched against Brittany. Second embassy for peace, second failure. Morvan did not recognise the rights of the king of the Franks and refused to pay taxes. If the Franks wanted to wage war against him, he was ready to respond. So it was time to fight...
The war lasted several months. Morvan lost his life while attacking the enemy camp. This battle was fought between Priziac and Langonnet.
The Bretons and the Franks after Morvan
Although King Morvan was killed in this confrontation with Emperor Louis the Pious, the Bretons only lost one battle. For a few years only, the Franks once again imposed their law and the duty of loyalty, but on the Bretons' side, the torch of freedom passed into the hands of Wiomarc'h, Nominoë and then Erispoë. Erispoë defeated Charles the Bald in 851, forcing the Carolingians to finally treat the Breton chiefs as kings.
For the Bretons, King Morvan remains a fervent defender of freedom, the one who resisted the Empire. They call him Lez Breizh, literally "the hip" or "the loins" of Brittany, in other words, the support of the Bretons.
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Inspirations and great experiences!
