Lower Brittany ( br, Breizh-Izel; french: Basse-Bretagne) denotes the parts of
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
west of
Ploërmel
Church Saint-Armel
Ploërmel (; ; Gallo language: ''Pieurmè'') is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, the former commune Monterrein was merged into Ploërmel.
Character of the town
The ...
, where the
Breton language has been traditionally spoken, and where the culture associated with this language is most prolific. The name is in distinction to
Upper Brittany
Upper Brittany (french: Haute-Bretagne; br, Breizh-Uhel; Gallo: ''Haùtt-Bertaèyn'') is the eastern part of Brittany, France, which is predominantly of a Romance culture and is associated with the Gallo language. The name is in counterpoint to ...
, the eastern part of Brittany, which is of a predominantly
Romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
culture.
History
Naming
The words "upper" and "lower" in the names of Upper and Lower Brittany refer to the relative positions of the capital. In the case of Brittany,
Nantes and
Rennes have both been the capital of the ancient province called
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
. Other French regions are also divided into Lower (''Bas'' or ''Basse'') and Upper (''Haut'' or ''Haute'') parts - for example
Lower Normandy
Lower Normandy (french: Basse-Normandie, ; nrf, Basse-Normaundie) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Lower and Upper Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy.
Geography
The region included three departme ...
, Basse-
Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...
, and Bas-
Poitou
Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe.
Geography
The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...
. However, the French word "bas" is often understood as carrying negative connotations, implying "inferior in status". The
Breton name of Lower Brittany, "Breizh Izel", is used in many Breton songs sung in French of the 19th and 20th centuries, perhaps because the Breton word "Izel" has no such negative connotations.
Line between Upper and Lower Brittany
Having been based on linguistic areas, the dividing line corresponds very roughly to administrative borders. It had already been established by the 14th century and has changed only slightly since, hand in hand with the pushing back of the Breton language.
In 1588, the
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
Bertrand d'Argentré defined the border as running from the outskirts of
Binic southwards down to
Guérande
Guérande (; br, Gwenrann, ; french: label= Gallo, Geraundd) is a medieval town located in the department of Loire-Atlantique, and the region of Pays de la Loire, Western France.
The inhabitants are referred to as ''Guérandais'' (masculine), ...
, leaving the communes of
Loudéac,
Josselin
Josselin (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.
History
St Meriadek is said to have founded a chapel there during the 4th century. Much later Josselin became a stronghold of the House of Rohan.
An ...
, and
Malestroit
Malestroit (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western Francebr>INSEE commune fileThe town is on the river Oust and part of the Nantes-Brest canal. It has several half-timbered houses.
Twinning
Malestroit, whose i ...
in Upper Brittany. In 1886,
Paul Sébillot moved the frontier deeper into what had been Breton speaking territory, the line then running from
Plouha
Plouha (; ; Gallo: ''Plóha'') is a town and commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Population
Inhabitants of Plouha are called ''plouhatins'' in French.
Twin towns
Plouha is twinned with:
* Killorglin ...
to
Batz-sur-Mer
Batz-sur-Mer (, literally ''Batz on Sea''; br, Bourc'h-Baz) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.
The commune is situated on a former island that, until around the 9th century, was separate from the mainland at Gu ...
. Maps in the 17th century favour the latter.
See also
*
Bro Gwened
Gwened, Bro-Gwened (Standard br, Bro-Wened) or Vannetais (french: Pays Vannetais) is a historic realm and county of Brittany in France. It is considered part of Lower Brittany."AM""Gwened (Vannes/Vannetais)" in ''Celtic Culture: A Historical E ...
(Vennetais)
*
Cornouaille
Cornouaille (; br, Kernev, Kerne) is a historical region on the west coast of Brittany in West France. The name is cognate with Cornwall in neighbouring Great Britain. This can be explained by the settlement of Cornouaille by migrant princ ...
*
Culture of France
The culture of France has been shaped by geography, by historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. France, and in particular Paris, has played an important role as a center of high culture since the 17th century and fro ...
*
Enclos paroissial
Parish close is a translation of the French term ''enclos paroissial''. It refers to a number of locations in Brittany, mainly though not exclusively in the historic diocese of Léon, corresponding roughly to the northern half of the department ...
*
French architecture
French architecture consists of numerous architectural styles that either originated in France or elsewhere and were developed within the territories of France.
History
Gallo-Roman
The architecture of Ancient Rome at first adopted the ext ...
*
History of France
The first written records for the history of France appeared in the Iron Age. What is now France made up the bulk of the region known to the Romans as Gaul. The first writings on indigenous populations mainly start in the first century BC. Gree ...
*
Religion in France
Religion in France is diverse, with Christianity being the most widely professed faith. France can attribute its diversity to the country's adherence to secularism, freedom of religion and freedom of thought, as guaranteed by the 1789 Declaratio ...
References
External links
''In
French''
Carte de 1695, présentant la limitePrésentation du livre de
Fañch Broudic
{{Authority control
Geography of Brittany
Breton culture
History of Brittany
Breton language
Brittany region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia