7 April 1381: Second Treaty of Guerande between Yann IV of Brittany and Charles VI of France recognized Breton independence.

The small town of Guerande, on the far southeast coast of Brittany, is an ancient Breton settlement, known since early times for its sea salt industry, whose coarse grey product is today prized by gourmets around the globe. But 625 years ago Guerande was known as the place where a defiant Breton nation forced a French king to guarantee Brittany's independence.

Riven by civil war in the mid-1300s and caught between the competing ambitions of England and France, Brittany had barely been able to retain its independence, and then only as a duchy rather than as a kingdom in its own right.

The second treaty of Guerande was based on the terms of the first treaty of Guerande. At Easter 1365 the young Yann de Montfort was confirmed as the rightful successor to his uncle, Duke Yann III, ending the bloody and ruinous competition between two branches of the ducal family. Part of the agreement that ended the Breton conflict stipulated that the new Duke Yann IV was to render homage to Charles V, king of France. In the Middle Ages homage was no mere figure of speech, but a formal expression of subordination. A man rendering homage knelt and had his hands clasped within those of his superior, pledging literally to be "his man." An expression of the feudal social structure, politically the rendering of homage was open to a degree of interpretation, and was often observed only as a token submission by a local ruler who otherwise enjoyed a wide degree of independence. Such was the case when Yann came to render his homage to France's Charles V. Issuing a statement that his homage was only pro forma, Yann indicated that he intended to rule his domain without surrendering any rights or perogatives to the king of France.

Charles let the matter rest for the moment, but in 1373 an invasion of French forces drove Yann into exile in England. Charles had every intention of annexing Brittany to France, but the Breton nobility put aside their differences and stood together to defy the French monarch. Joined by churchmen and prominent burghers of the towns, in 1379 they appealed to Yann to return to Brittany and resume his rule with their support.

The Constable of France, the Breton-born Bertrand du Guesclin, was one of the most effective field commanders of his day, but du Guesclin proved strangely inept in intercepting Yann's return, and the Breton duke was able to come ashore and link up with his supporters. Fate then intervened against the French when Charles V suddenly died, leaving the young and unstable Charles VI on the throne managed by a regency government. Abandoning the dead king's plans for annexing Brittany, the French government reopened negotiations, and on 6 April 1381 a second treaty of Guerande was concluded, recognizing Yann's possession of the duchy of Brittany on the same terms as before. In return Yann agreed to break off his alliance with Richard II of England and render his formal homage to the new French king.

Its independence secured by the second treaty of Guerande, Brittany would enjoy over a century of relative peace and prosperity under Yann IV and his successors, until the marriage of Duchess Anne in 1491 brought about the beginning of the end of Breton independence.

For more information on Brittany, see the Breton Nation Page.

The stories featured in This Month in Celtic History are drawn from the over 1000 anniversaries of people and events from the histories of the six Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, and the Isle of Mann in the 2006 Celtic Calendar, now available from the Celtic League American Branch.