During the Middle Ages, Vannes, located strategically at the sea played a central role in the history of Brittany. Summer 2016, a special exhibition tells the story
The history of Vannes in the Middle Ages begins with the fall of the Roman Empire at the end of the 5th century and the migrations of Britons following the Saxon invasion of the British Isles.
At that time the walled city covered 5 ha. Already in the mid 5th century, the council of Angers (AD 453) lists a bishop from Vannes. Other councils were held at Vannes in 465 (or 461). Although there is scant archaeological evidence from this period, linguistics and place-names tells a story of substantial migration of/ or contact between Cornwall, Wales and Brittany – then as now. Ker Gwened – the Breton name for Vannes – holds the Celtic (or Breton) word for village or hamlet: ker. In Cornish, the word car means rock formation or hill-fort.
During the next centuries a number of military confrontations are reported involving the Bretons and the Franks, each vying for supremacy over the region. In 753, Pepin led a expeditionary force to Vannes and conquered it. However, in the 9th century the Breton prince, Nominoe succeeded in gaining the upper hand and de facto establish Brittany as an independent region. Apart from the Viking raids and hostilities with the Normans in the next centuries, foundation had been laid for the independent Brittany, which lasted to the beginning of the 16th century.
This summer, a special exhibition in Vannes tells the story of the Middle Ages through a presentation of a number of important collections
- Pottery from Meudon from the 9th to the 10th centuries
- Finds from the excavations in the port of Vannes
- The construction and building of Late Medieval Vannes as it may be visited today – the ramparts, the houses, the gardens and back-yards and the cathedral.
The exhibition has been curated by Christophe le Pennec, who is also responsible for the edition of a introductory guide and catalogue, recently published
SOURCE:
Château Gaillard – Vannes au moyen Âge
READ MORE:
Vannes au Moyen Age. Une histoire de 1000 ans.
Catalogue d’exposition
Coédition Locus Solus / Musée de Vannes / Société polymathique du Morbihan, 2016