Breton War (1076-1077)

The reason for the conflict between Philip I and William the Conqueror was the Norman intervention in the internecine war in Brittany. Normans have traditionally regarded the neighboring duchy as an object of expansion. In 1064, William Bastard led a successful campaign against Conan of Breton . After the death of the latter in December 1066, his son-in-law Joel II , Earl of Cornwall, became the ruler of Brittany, combining in his hands the counties of Cornwall , Rennes , Nantes and the ducal domain, which amounted to approximately 5/6 of all Brittany ^[1] . Against such power was a coalition of feudal lords led by the second most important lord, Ed I de Pantiervre , ruler of the Panteuvre appartment . He was joined by Geoffrey Grenonate , the illegitimate son of Alain III , who received from Count Conan in lifelong appanage a significant part of the county of Rennes ^[2] .

Outside of Brittany, Joel established friendly relations with the Anjou Earl Fulk Reshen , to whom he returned the territories conquered in his time by Conan. In 1073-1074, Hoel supported Fulk in an unsuccessful war with William and participated in the siege of La Fléchey ^[3] .

The impetus for the uprising was the arrival in Brittany of Ralph de Gael , Earl of Norfolk, a member of the Baron conspiracy against William the Conqueror. After the failure of the conspiracy, Ralph managed to escape to the continent (1075). In Brittany, he owned the vast barony of Gael, which included more than forty parishes. Ralph became one of the leaders of the conspirators. The rebellion was also joined by the son of Ed de Pantière, Geoffrey Botterel , Viscount Ed de Poroe , many of the lords of Cornuay, possibly Count de Leon , and in Upper Brittany besides Ralph de Gael, sira de Gombourg, d'Anseny and others. Ed de Pantievre hoped to seize power in the duchy, and Geoffrey Grenonate wanted his possessions to become hereditary ^{[4] [5]} .

In 1076, Geoffrey Grenonate and Ralph de Gael captured the Dole and strengthened in this city. Joel, not hoping to return the fortress on his own, turned for help to William, who was at that time in Normandy. He took the opportunity to punish the traitor, and at the same time extend his influence to Brittany. In September, Hoel and William besieged the city. King Philip I, who until then had no opportunity to openly oppose the Anglo-Normans, found the moment suitable, and went to the aid of the besieged. He was accompanied by Fulk, the elected bishop of Amiens , Count Odeber II de La March and Guillaume I de Nevers . Not having sufficient strength, Philip arrived on October 7 in Poitiers , where he requested the help of the Duke of Aquitaine Guy Geoffrey . Attaching the Puatevin detachments to his army, the king in the middle of October came north, and by the end of the month arrived in Brittany ^{[4] [6]} .

The appearance of the French in early November under the walls of Dole was a complete surprise for William. Having lost many people, siege machines and the entire convoy, he fled to Normandy. According to Orderik Vitaly , on this expedition Wilhelm lost 15 thousand pounds. The following year, he signed with Philippe a world whose conditions are unknown, but it is assumed that the French king was able to acquire Vexen without interference from the Normans. This significantly strengthened his position ^{[7] [8]} .

William suffered a sensitive defeat, the first in twenty years, and his positions on the continent were shaken. Intervention in the Breton affairs had to be abandoned, and at the end of 1076 or the beginning of 1077, Fulk Reshen, possibly having received the help of the Bretons, again attacked La Flash. William hastened to the rescue of the besieged fortress. Fulk was wounded in battle and retreated; in the same year or early next he also made peace with William ^[9] .

In Brittany itself, the rebellion continued. In 1077, Hoel was captured by the rebels, but 11 days later released by his son Alain Fergant , who blocked the main enemy forces in a narrow defile and forced to surrender. One of the main strongholds of the rebels, Anseni , was taken in the same year. The rebels laid down their arms; only old Ed de Pantyevre, until his death in 1079, refused to recognize the power of the duke ^[10] .

• Fliche A. Le règne de Philippe Ier, roi de France (1060-1108). - P. , 1912.
• Le Moyne de La Borderie A. Histoire de Bretagne. T. III. - Rennes, 1899.
• Douglas D. William the Conqueror. Viking on the English throne. - M .: Centerpolygraph, 2005. - ISBN 5-9524-1736-1 .