Bretons
The Bretons are an ethnic group native to Brittany, north-western France. Originally, the demonym designated groups of Brittonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain, particularly Cornwall and Devon, mostly during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. They migrated in waves from the 3rd to 9th century to the west of Armorica. That western part of Armorica was subsequently named after them, as were the inhabitants.
The main traditional language of Brittany is Breton, spoken in Lower Brittany. Breton is spoken by around 206,000 people as of 2013. The other principal minority language of Brittany is Gallo, a Romance language; Gallo is spoken only in Upper Brittany, where Breton used to be spoken as well but it has seen a decline and has been less dominant in Upper Brittany since around the year 900. Currently, most Bretons' native language is standard French.
Historically, Brittany and its people have been counted as one of the six Celtic nations. The actual number of Bretons in Brittany and France as a whole is difficult to assess as the government of France does not collect statistics on ethnicity. The population of Brittany, based on a January 2007 estimate, was 4,365,500. There is reason to believe that this number includes the department of Loire-Atlantique, which the Vichy government separated from historical Brittany in 1941.
It is said that, in 1914, over one million people spoke Breton west of the boundary between the Breton and Gallo-speaking region—roughly 90% of the population of the western half of Brittany. In 1945, Breton speakers consisted about 75% of the population. In 2018, a study commissioned by the administrative region of Brittany revealed that 5.5% of Bretons considered that they spoke the language. In 2024, according to a new study, 2.7% of people surveyed said they spoke Breton very well or fairly well. However, the average age of Breton speakers has fallen from 70 in 2018, to 58.5 in 2024.
A strong historical emigration has created a Breton diaspora within the French borders and in the overseas departments and territories of France; it is mainly established in the Paris area, where more than one million people claim Breton heritage. Many Breton families have also migrated to the Americas, predominantly to Canada and the United States. The only places outside Brittany that still retain significant Breton customs are in Île-de-France, Le Havre and Îles des Saintes, where a group of Breton families settled in the mid-17th century.
History
Late Roman era
In the late fourth century, large numbers of British auxiliary troops in the Roman army may have been stationed in Armorica; Armorica corresponds with the current Brittany and most of Normandy. The ninth-century Historia Brittonum states that the emperor Magnus Maximus, who withdrew Roman forces from Britain, settled his troops in Armorica.Nennius and Gildas mention a second wave of Britons settling in Armorica in the following century to escape the invading Anglo-Saxons and Scoti. Modern archaeology also supports a two-wave migration.
It is generally accepted that the Brittonic speakers who arrived gave the west of Armorica its current name as well as the Breton language, Brezhoneg, a sister language to Welsh and Cornish.
There are numerous records of Celtic Christian missionaries migrating from Britain during the second wave of Breton colonisation, especially the legendary seven founder-saints of Brittany as well as Gildas.
As in Cornwall, many Breton towns are named after these early saints. The Irish saint Columbanus was also active in Brittany and is commemorated at Saint-Columban in Carnac.
Early Middle Ages
In the Early Middle Ages, Brittany was divided into three kingdoms—Domnonée, Cornouaille, and Bro Waroc'h —which eventually were incorporated into the Duchy of Brittany. The first two kingdoms seem to derive their names from the homelands of the migrating tribes in Britain, Cornwall and Devon. Bro Waroc'h derives from the name of one of the first known Breton rulers, who dominated the region of Vannes. The rulers of Domnonée, such as Conomor, sought to expand their territory, claiming overlordship over all Bretons, though there was constant tension between local lords.Breton participation in the Norman Conquest of England
Bretons were the most prominent of the non-Norman forces in the Norman conquest of England. A number of Breton families were of the highest rank in the new society and were tied to the Normans by marriage.The Scottish Clan Stewart and the royal House of Stuart have Breton origins. Alan Rufus, also known as Alan the Red, was both a cousin and knight in the retinue of William the Conqueror. Following his service at Hastings, he was rewarded with large estates in Yorkshire. At the time of his death, he was by far the richest noble in England. His manorial holding at Richmond ensured a Breton presence in northern England. The Earldom of Richmond later became an appanage of the Dukes of Brittany.
Modern Breton identity
Many people throughout France claim Breton ethnicity, including a few French celebrities such as Marion Cotillard, Suliane Brahim, Malik Zidi, Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, Yoann Gourcuff, Nolwenn Leroy and Yann Tiersen.After 15 years of disputes in the French courts, the European Court of Justice recognized Breton Nationality for the six children of Jean-Jacques and Mireille Manrot-Le Goarnig; they are "European Citizens of Breton Nationality". In 2015, Jonathan Le Bris started a legal battle against the French administration to claim this status.
Diaspora
The Breton community outside Brittany includes groups of Bretons in France and in others countries. According to data from the administrative region of Brittany, around 400 000 Bretons live in a country other than France, most notably in Canada and the United States.In France
The Breton community outside Brittany includes groups of Bretons in the Greater Paris area, Le Havre, and Toulon.In Paris, Bretons used to settle in the neighborhood around the Montparnasse train station, which is also the terminus of the Paris-Brest railway. The Paris Metro construction was co-directed by a Breton, Fulgence Bienvenüe. On 30 June 1933, the "Avenue du Maine" station on the Metro was renamed "Bienvenüe" in his honor. Connected by a corridor to the Montparnasse metro station, located beneath the Montparnasse railway station, Bienvenüe station finally merged with Montparnasse station in 1942 to become Montparnasse - Bienvenüe metro station.
In the United States
Famous Breton Americans and Americans of Breton descent include John James Audubon, Jack Kerouac, Sylvester Stallone and Joseph-Yves Limantour.From 1885 to 1970, several thousand Bretons migrated to the United States, many of them leaving the Black Mountains of Morbihan. In June 2020, a replica of the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in Gourin, Morbihan, to celebrate the legacy of these emigrants.
In China
Bretons have also emigrated to China. A Breton association regularly organises the ‘Fest-noz de Pékin’.In Chile
At the same time as the French emigrated to Chile in the 19th century, many Bretons also emigrated to Chile. Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is a notable descendant from a Breton immigrant from Lamballe.Culture
Religion
The Breton people are predominantly members of the Catholic Church, with minorities in the Reformed Church of France and non-religious people. Brittany was one of the most staunchly Catholic regions in all of France. Attendance at Sunday mass dropped during the 1970s and the 1980s; however, other religious practices, such as pilgrimages, have experienced a revival. This includes the Tro Breizh, which takes place in the shrines of the seven founding saints of Breton Christianity. The Christian tradition is widely respected by both believers and nonbelievers, who see it as a symbol of Breton heritage and culture.Image:Bretagne Finistere StJeanTrolimon 11032.jpg|thumb|Sculpted calvaries can be found in many villages
Breton religious tradition places great emphasis on the "Seven Founder Saints":
- Paul Aurelian, at Saint-Pol-de-Léon,
- Tudwal, at Tréguier,
- Brioc, at Saint-Brieuc,
- Malo, at Saint-Malo,
- Samson of Dol, at Dol-de-Bretagne,
- Padarn, at Vannes,
- Corentin, at Quimper.
Pardons
The three most famous pardons are:
- Sainte-Anne d'Auray/Santez-Anna-Wened
- Tréguier/Landreger, in honour of St Yves
- Locronan/Lokorn, in honour of St Ronan, with a troménie and numerous people in traditional costumes
Tro Breizh
Folklore and traditional belief
Some pagan customs from the old pre-Christian tradition remain the folklore of Brittany. The most powerful folk figure is the Ankou or the "Reaper of Death".Language
There are four main Breton dialects: Gwenedeg, Kerneveg, Leoneg and Tregerieg, which have varying degrees of mutual intelligibility. In 1908, a standard orthography was devised. The fourth dialect, Gwenedeg, was not included in this reform, but was included in the later orthographic reform of 1941.The Breton language is a very important part of Breton identity. Breton itself is one of the Brittonic languages and is closely related to Cornish and more distantly to Welsh. Breton is thus an Insular Celtic language and is more distantly related to the long-extinct Continental Celtic languages, such as Gaulish, that were formerly spoken on the European mainland, including the areas colonised by the ancestors of the Bretons.
In eastern Brittany, a regional langue d'oïl, Gallo, developed. Gallo shares certain areal features such as points of vocabulary, idiom, and pronunciation with Breton, but is a Romance language. Neither language has official status under French law; however, some still use Breton as an everyday language. As of the 1980s, bilingual roadsides have been placed around the department as a way to regain a sense of cultural heritage.
From 1880 to the mid-20th century, Breton was banned from the French school system and children were punished for speaking it. This was similar to Britain's enforcement of English, not Welsh, being used in Welsh schools during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The situation changed in 1951 with the Deixonne Law. This law allowed Breton language and culture to be taught 1–3 hours a week in the public school system on the provision that a teacher was both able and prepared to do so. In modern times, a number of schools and colleges have emerged with the aim of providing Breton-medium education or bilingual Breton/French education.