Story
Celtic Armoric
(Armorique in French)
At the time of the
Gaul conquest by Rome, current Brittany bore the name of Armorique: in
Latin Aremorica or Armorica. Its inhabitants were the Armorican ones.
This Gallic name designates the people which live close (are) sea
(mor). For Jules César, Armorique also includes the current
Normandy: it is the area of the edge of sea, from the Loire to the
Seine.
The Gallic name gave:
- in French: Armor which one finds in the name of the department of the
Côtes d’Armor (Coasts of Armor). It replaces the name of Coasts
of North: north was not judged attracting for the tourists, one changed
the name...
- in Breton: arvor indicates the littoral and Arvorig, the Armorique.
West Harmoric was inhabited by five Gallic people. At the end of the
third century, the Armorican must face Saxon and frank raids. Then, the
cities are strengthened; Carhaix and Corseul lose their statute of
chief town, with the profit of Brest and Alet (close to Saint-Malo),
where one builds citadels for better defending the littoral. It is at
that time that the name of the chief towns takes those of their people.
Thus, Vannes, Nantes, Rennes and Corseul take their name from Gallic
people.
Harmonic becomes
Brittany
Brittany indicated at the Roman time, the current United Kingdom. And
the Breton designated the Celtic inhabitants of the island of Brittany.
In 410, Rome gives up Brittany; it needs all its resources to protect
the border from the Rhine. After the invasion, to the east, Angles and
the Saxon ones, Germanic people, in the island of Brittany, and also
the west, of the Irishmen, Breton (primarily of Cornwall and Wales)
crossed the English Channel to settle in Harmonic.
These Germanic invasions then modified the noun of the countries: -
Brittany becomes England (Earth - Land of the Angles), - Harmonic
becomes Brittany, - Gaul becomes France (it also invaded by Germanic
people, Franks). The Breton ones also settled in other areas. They did
not only give their name to Brittany, several places of France bear
their name: Bretteville (which one meets in Normandy) Brétigny,
Brétignolles, Brethenay, Bretonneux... Some even settled in
Galicia: a monastery bears the name of Santa Maria de Bretoña.
In Latin:
Britanni: Breton (Jules César) from which one
the name of the Britannia country to indicate Brittany. In medieval
Latin, one distinguished Britannia Minor (Small Brittany) from
Britannia Major (the United Kingdom). From where the adjective
britannicus which formed British.
However, the usual Latin shape is: Britto (singular) Brittones (plural)
evolution evolution tt -> th in the VIth century (cf old Welsh
Brython)
Brief I -> e in the Xth century
In Breton:
th -> z into Breton (except vannetais) Breiz
th -> h vannetais (very aspired) Breih
In old French, Bret indicates Breton (and Breton, in the
plural)
Brittany or
Létavie
The Breton also bore in the Middle Ages the name of Litavii then
Letavii, from which comes the name of the country Letavia
(Létaviens, Létavie). This name disappeared in the XIIth
century, but it is preserved in Welsh: Brittany bears the name of
Llydaw today. The Welsh have, at the same time abandoned the name of
Brython for that of Cymro (from kom-brogos, compatriot)
Tro Breiz: the Turn of
Brittany
With the arrival of the Celts from the other side of the channel,
Brittany also became Christian. In the Middle Ages, the great
pilgrimage of Breton, it is Tro Breiz (Turn of Brittany) in homage to
the 7 saints founders of Brittany. The most important pilgrimage is the
one of Sainte-Anne d' Auray. Anne, the mother of Marie and grandmother
of Jesus, is the holy owner of Brittany...
