Viscounty of Léon
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The Viscounty or County of Léon () was a
feudal state Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
in extreme western
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 ...
in the
High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended around AD 150 ...
. Though nominally a vassal of the sovereign
duke of Brittany This is a list of rulers of the Duchy of Brittany. In different epochs the sovereigns of Brittany were kings, princes, and dukes. The Breton ruler was sometimes elected, sometimes attained the position by conquest or intrigue, or by hereditary r ...
, Léon was functionally independent of any external controls until the viscounts came under attack by King
Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
. It thus became the focus of revolts and wars when Brittany was drawn into the
Angevin empire The Angevin Empire (; french: Empire Plantagenêt) describes the possessions of the House of Plantagenet during the 12th and 13th centuries, when they ruled over an area covering roughly half of France, all of England, and parts of Ireland and W ...
. The history of Léon's early counts is obscure. The original viscounts of Léon were public officials appointed by the counts of
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 ...
, but by the mid-eleventh century they had usurped public authority in their province. Their ability to remain independent of both count and duke was likely due to their remoteness in the extremity of the
Armorica Armorica or Aremorica (Gaulish: ; br, Arvorig, ) is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic Coast ...
n peninsula. Unlike their Breton neighbours they did not participate in the Norman conquest of England in 1066.Everard, 16. Count Harvey II, however, did participate on the side of
Stephen of Blois Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne ''jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 unti ...
in the nineteen years of civil war in England called The Anarchy. The viscounts also fought with the duke of Brittany in attempts to maintain their independence. Henry II had ordered Duke
Conan IV of Brittany Conan IV ( 1138 – February 20, 1171), called the Young, was the Duke of Brittany from 1156 to 1166. He was the son of Bertha, Duchess of Brittany, and her first husband, Alan, Earl of Richmond. Conan IV was his father's heir as Earl of Richmon ...
to march against Léon. Conan IV's son-in-law and eventual successor, Henry II's son, Geoffrey II, went to war against Viscount Guihomar IV of Léon. In the course of these wars most of the castles of the viscounts of Léon were razed and Guihomar's lands—his source of revenue—were significantly reduced. These conflict over authority in Léon continued down to the reign of
John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...
. In 1235 the subvassals of Léon and Penthièvre brought a series of complaints, the ''Communes petitiones Britonum'', against the duke,
Peter of Dreux Peter I (french: Pierre; 1187 – 26 May 1250), also known as Peter Mauclerc, was Duke of Brittany ''jure uxoris'' from 1213 to 1221, and regent of the duchy for his minor son John I from 1221 to 1237. As duke he was also 1st Earl of Richmond fr ...
, to King Louis IX of France.Everard, 18. They claimed that the viscounts of Léon had never theretofore been subject to the custody of or relief from the duke nor had they been required to seek permission for the construction of fortresses. They had always had the right of wreck, that is, a monopoly on shipwrecks and their cargoes on the coasts. They had the right to draw up testaments and to dispense with alms and make arrangements for debt-payment freely. The duke, they said, did not have a right to exact oaths of homage from the viscount's men and the viscount had the right of ''placitum spade'' ("pleas of the sword"). The right of wreck alone yielded 100,000 ''
solidi The ''solidus'' (Latin 'solid';  ''solidi'') or nomisma ( grc-gre, νόμισμα, ''nómisma'',  'coin') was a highly pure gold coin issued in the Late Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire. Constantine introduced the coin, and its weig ...
'' per annum in revenues from a single rock on the treacherous coast, which an earlier viscount, Guihomar IV, had called his "most precious stone." The territory of Léon was preserved in the Bishopric of Léon. It is now part of the department of
Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.
. One place within the former viscounty that continues to preserve many examples of medieval architecture, such as the church of Notre Dame du Kreisker, is the town of
Saint-Pol-de-Léon Saint-Pol-de-Léon (; br, Kastell-Paol) is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in north-western France, located on the coast. It is noted for its 13th-c ...
.


List of viscounts

* Even, a semi-legendary nobleman who lived c. 900. * Maybe Alan I of Léon, father of Guihomar I. * Guihomar I (fl. c. 1021-1055). ** ''Morvan'' (fl. c. 1050). According to French historian Joëlle Quaghebeur, Morvan was not a viscount of Léon but a nobleman from Cornouaille. * Alan II of Léon, son of Guihomar ** ''Ehuarn'' (fl. c. 1066-1084), Morvan's son. Likewise, Joëlle Quaghebeur thinks Ehuarn was not a viscount of Léon but a nobleman from Cornouaille. * Guihomar II (died 1103), who is said to have been Guihomar I's grandson. *
Harvey I Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...
(died after 1128). * Guihomar III (died c. 1157). * Harvey II (died c. 1168). * Guihomar IV (died 1179). * Guihomar V (died after 1216) controlled only a small portion of Leon; fought on the side of Duchess
Constance Constance may refer to: Places *Konstanz, Germany, sometimes written as Constance in English *Constance Bay, Ottawa, Canada * Constance, Kentucky * Constance, Minnesota * Constance (Portugal) * Mount Constance, Washington State People * Consta ...
and Duke
Arthur I Arthur I ( br, Arzhur 1añ; french: link=no, Arthur 1er de Bretagne) (29 March 1187 – presumably 1203) was 4th Earl of Richmond and Duke of Brittany between 1196 and 1203. He was the posthumous son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and Constan ...
. * Conan I, (died before 1231) fought and was captured with Duke
Arthur I Arthur I ( br, Arzhur 1añ; french: link=no, Arthur 1er de Bretagne) (29 March 1187 – presumably 1203) was 4th Earl of Richmond and Duke of Brittany between 1196 and 1203. He was the posthumous son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and Constan ...
; later attacked by Duke
Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholico ...
. Lost the Battle of Chateaubriant in 1222, a rebellion of Breton nobles, which established the authority of Duchess
Alix ''Alix'', or ''The Adventures of Alix'', is a Franco-Belgian comics series drawn in the ligne claire style by Jacques Martin. The stories revolve around a young Gallo-Roman man named Alix in the late Roman Republic. Although the series is re ...
and Duke Peter I. * Guihomar VI (died c. 1239), rebelled against Duke John I in 1237 * Harvey III (c. 1239 - c. 1265), ceded the town, port and chateau of Brest to the duke of Brittany in 1240 * Harvey IV (c. 1271 - c. 1298), sold much of the remaining riches of the viscounty * Amé, daughter of Harvey IV, sold all her rights and definitively renounced them in 1298; the line of the viscounts of Leon becomes extinct * ''Large portions of Viscounty held in the domain of the duke of Brittany (1179 - 1269)'' * Peter of Brittany (1269-1312), son of Duke
John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...
granted the viscountship by his father- to settle his debts, Peter resold the viscountship to his brother Duke Arthur II of Brittany in 1293. The lordship (or "honour") of Leon passed to the House of Rohan in 1363.


References


Notes


Sources

*Everard, Judith A. ''Brittany and the Angevins: Province and Empire, 1158–1203''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Viscounty of Leon Medieval Brittany House of Léon