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Conomor
Conomor ( ), also known as Conomerus or Conomor the Cursed, was an early medieval ruler of Brittany. His name, which has the Welsh (language), Welsh cognate Cynfawr, means "Great Dog", but could also indicate "Sea Dog" in early Brythonic languages, Brythonic. Conomor was notorious for his cruelty, becoming a legendary villain in Breton culture. He is widely regarded as one of the probable sources for the myth of Bluebeard and possibly also of Tristan's uncle King Mark of Cornwall. The wife-beating giant Cormoran may also retain a garbled folk memory of the same character. Conomor was king of Domnonée, Dumnonia and Prince of Poher. Dumnonia was, at this time, expanding to claim control over all Brythonic territory in Armorica (Brittany). It is difficult to disentangle the Conomor of legend from the historical ruler. As with other early Breton rulers most written information about him comes from the lives of Breton saints. Historical record The name Conomor is mentioned in Cornish g ...
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Saint Tryphine
Saint Tryphine (also spelled Trifine, Triphine and Tréphine) is a semi-legendary Breton saint whose life is often considered to be the basis of the story of Bluebeard. In Brittany she is widely revered as a patron saint of sick children and those whose birth is overdue. The legend of Saint Tryphine probably derives from a historical individual who was the wife of the early Breton ruler Conomor. Historical background Conomor is said to have married Tryphine, the daughter of his ally Waroch I, but seems later to have violently abused and then murdered her. Conomor was later killed in battle with a rival, and became a legendary villain in Breton history. Tryphine was elevated to the position of a martyred saint, along with her son Tremeur, and there are many churches dedicated to them. The village of Sainte-Tréphine is named for the former. Myth of Tryphine and Tremeur In later legend Conomor's villainy is extended to include the murders of three wives before Tryphine. Tryphine ...
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Waroch I
Waroch I (; modern ; ) was an early ruler of the Bro Wened (Vannetais) in southern Brittany. It is unclear whether he or his grandson Waroch II is the namesake of the region. Life Waroch controlled the hinterland of the region formerly held by the Veneti Gauls, without actually gaining control of Darioritum itself. The settlement became a Gallo-Frankish enclave before later being conquered as the Breton city Gwened. It forms the core of Vannes in modern France. He seems to have been granted the formal title of "count". According to some authors, the name Waroch I and the other names with which he's historically known are eponymous of Bro-erec. After the early twenty years of 6th century, during which he consolidated his control on a large part of Gallic areas, Waroch/Gwereg could conquer large parts of low Loire, until Nantes. A lot of courtesy romance spoke of Waroch I's ''gesta'' making confusion with the legendary character of Erec by Chrétien de Troyes and it coul ...
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Bluebeard
"Bluebeard" ( ) is a French Folklore, folktale, the most famous surviving version of which was written by Charles Perrault and first published by Barbin in Paris in 1697 in . The tale is about a wealthy man in the habit of murdering his wives and the attempts of the present one to avoid the fate of her predecessors. "The White Dove (French fairy tale), The White Dove", "The Robber Bridegroom (fairy tale), The Robber Bridegroom", and "Fitcher's Bird" (also called "Fowler's Fowl") are tales similar to "Bluebeard". The notoriety of the tale is such that Merriam-Webster gives the word ''Bluebeard'' the definition of "a man who marries and kills one wife after another". The verb ''bluebearding'' has even appeared as a way to describe the crime of either killing a series of women, or seducing and abandoning a series of women. Plot In one version of the story, Bluebeard is a wealthy and powerful nobleman who has been married six times to beautiful women who have all mysteriously vanis ...
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Poher
Poher is an ancient principality that emerged in the Early Middle Ages in Cornouaille in west-central Brittany. Its capital was the Gallo-Roman city of Vorgium, capital of the Osismii, which became Carhaix after the fall of the Roman Empire. Archaeological excavations scheduled since 1999 show that, even if the city lost its function as capital after the 4th century, it was nonetheless a stronghold and major strategic crossroads. Origins Poher's name derives from ''Pou Kaer'', ''Pou'' being a derivative of Latin ''pagus'' ("region," as in a Gallo-Roman district) and ''kaer'' being Old Breton for "fortified city." In the Middle Ages, Carhaix was only a subdivision of the parish of Plouguer (''Plou-Kaer'' = "parish of the city/castle"), having just one church dedicated to St. Trémeur. Plouguer, whose church is dedicated to St. Peter – circumstantial evidence of seniority – is the seat of the original parish which takes its name from the once-fortified site it encompasses. Ha ...
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Chlothar I
Chlothar I, sometime called "the Old" (French: le Vieux), (died December 561) also anglicised as Clotaire from the original French version, was a king of the Franks of the Merovingian dynasty and one of the four sons of Clovis I. With his eldest brother Theuderic I, Theuderic (c. 485 – 533/34) being the son of Clovis I and his first wife, Chlothar followed his two elder brothers Chlodomer (495–524) and Childebert I (496–558) as third surviving son of Clovis I and his second wife Queen Clotilde, lastly followed by their sister Clotilde (died 531), Clotilde (500–531). The name 'Chlothar' means "glory". In 511, Clothar I and his three brothers Theuderic, Chlodomer and Childebert inherited their shares of their father's kingdom. Chlothar spent most of his life in a campaign to expand his territories at the expense of his relatives and neighbouring realms in all directions. His brothers avoided outright war by cooperating with Chlothar's attacks on neighbouring lands in conc ...
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King Mark
Mark of Cornwall (, , , ) was a sixth-century King of Kernow (Cornwall), possibly identical with King Conomor. As Mark or Marc (''Marc'h''), he is best known for his appearance in Arthurian legend as the uncle of Tristan and the husband of Iseult, who engages with Tristan in a secret liaison, giving Mark the epithet "Cuckold King". King Mark In Old Welsh records, Mark is recorded as "March son of Meirchion" of Kernow (Cornwall). He is associated with governing portions of Gwynedd and Glamorgan in Wales. The distance of these areas from modern day Cornwall may indicate that Mark was in fact a ruler of the eponymous Cornovii. Mark has been identified with Conomor, a king of Domnonea and Kernev (Domnonée and Cornouaille) in Armorica. In his ''Life of St. Pol de Leon'', Wrmonoc of Landévennec refers to a "King Marc whose other name is Quonomorus". Also rendered as ''Cunomorus'', the name means "Hound-of-the-sea".Thomas, Charles (1986). ''Celtic Britain''. London: Thames ...
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Domnonée
Domnonée is the modern French form of Domnonia or Dumnonia (Latin for "Devon"; ), a historic kingdom in northern Armorica ( Brittany) founded by British immigrants from Dumnonia ( Sub-Roman Devon) fleeing the Saxon invasions of Britain in the early Middle Ages. Headed by the same ruling family, it was variously separated from or united with its motherland, and its Latin name was used for both indiscriminately. The mainland territory of Domnonée included Trégor, Dol-de-Bretagne through to Goélo, and Penthièvre. History At the time of the Roman conquest of Gaul, the rough area of later Domnonée was held by the pagan Curiosolite Gauls. Domnonée is said to have been founded in the 4th century by Christian Briton immigrants; it greatly expanded in the wake of subsequent waves of refugees from the Saxon invasions of Britain. Domnonée retained close political links between the Celtic territories in Great Britain (Wales, Cornwall, Devon), and the newly created ...
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Chanao
Chanao I or Canao was king of Bro-Ereg, Vannetais in Brittany, France, in 550–560. Chanao was the son of king Waroch I and he claimed power over the whole south of Breton Armorica, using political assassination to achieve his ends. Biography Chanao was the brother of Macliau, bishop of Vannes. He killed three of his brothers to ensure complete control of the throne. Macliau, the last survivor, was the prisoner of his brother, who wanted to kill him as well. Felix of Nantes, Felix, bishop of Nantes, was able to release him on the condition that he swear allegiance. Chanao, learning that his brother wanted to break his oath, pursued him again. Macliau fled to Conomor, another regional count, who gave him protection. It is believed that Conomor was married to Macliau and Chanao's sister, Tryphine. Canao and his ally Chram, a Frankish prince, took part in the first attack against the Frankish king Clotaire I on the Armorican Bretons (559); he and Chramme were killed during this batt ...
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Samson Of Dol
Samson of Dol (also Samsun; born late 5th century) was a Welsh saint, who is also counted among the Brittany#Religion, seven founder saints of Brittany with Paul Aurelian, Pol Aurelian, Saint Tudwal, Tugdual or Tudwal, Brieuc, Saint Malo (saint), Malo, Saint Patern, Patern (Paternus) and Saint Corentin, Corentin. Born in southern Wales, he died in Dol-de-Bretagne, a small town in north Brittany, and was the nephew of Athrwys ap Meurig. Life The primary source for his biography is the ''Vita Sancti Samsonis'', written sometime between 610 and 820 and clearly based on earlier materials. It gives useful details of contacts between churchmen in Britain, Ireland and Brittany. Samson was the son of Amon of Kingdom of Dyfed, Demetia and Anna of Kingdom of Gwent, Gwent. His father's brother married his mother's sister so that their son Magloire, Maglor was Samson's cousin twice over. Due to a prophecy concerning his birth his parents placed him under the care of Illtud, Abbot of Llantw ...
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Saint Gildas
Gildas (English pronunciation: , Breton: ''Gweltaz''; ) — also known as Gildas Badonicus, Gildas fab Caw (in Middle Welsh texts and antiquarian works) and ''Gildas Sapiens'' (Gildas the Wise) — was a 6th-century British monk best known for his religious polemic , which recounts the history of the Britons before and during the coming of the Saxons. He is one of the best-documented figures of the Christian church in the British Isles during the sub-Roman period, and was renowned for his Biblical knowledge and literary style. In his later life, he emigrated to Brittany, where he founded a monastery known as Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys. Hagiography Birthplace Differing versions of the ''Life of Saint Gildas'' exist, but both agree that he was born at a place called ''Arecluta'' which is described by the author as taking its name from a "certain river called the Clut, by which that district is, for the most part, watered." This was long taken by historians to mean that Gildas was ...
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Saint Hervé
Saint Hervé ( 521 – 575 AD), also known as Harvey, Herveus, or Houarniaule, was a sixth-century Breton saint. Along with Saint Ives, he is one of the most popular of the Breton saints. He was born in Guimiliau (Gwimilio). Legend Hervé was the son of a Welsh bard named Hyvarnion, who had studied under Cadoc. Hyvarnion became a minstrel at the court of Childebert I. His mother was Rivanone, a woman of surpassing beauty who knew the properties of plants and herbs. Hervé was the nephew of the hermit Saint Urfold. Hervé was born blind. His father died when Hervé was still quite young. He inherited his father's harp. His mother became an anchoress and entrusted the seven-year-old boy to the care of his uncles who placed him with a learned hermit who lived in the forest. At about fourteen years of age, he went to study at the monasastic school at Plouvien, where his maternal uncle, Gourvoyed was abbot. Hervé grew up to become a teacher and minstrel.
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Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duchy of Brittany, duchy before being Union of Brittany and France, united with the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a provinces of France, province governed as a separate nation under the crown. Brittany is the traditional homeland of the Breton people and is one of the six Celtic nations, retaining Culture of Brittany, a distinct cultural identity that reflects History of Brittany, its history. Brittany has also been referred to as Little Britain (as opposed to Great Britain, with which it shares an etymology). It is bordered by the English Channel to the north, Normandy to the northeast, eastern Pays de la Loire to the southeast, the Bay of Biscay to the south, and the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its land area is 34,023  ...
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