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39-659: Conomor was king of 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. The name Conomor is mentioned in Cornish genealogies, and may have established himself in Brittany after

78-489: A British military leader who was guarding the English Channel from attacks by pirates, perhaps in alliance with Childebert I , son of Clovis I . In 1034, the term was used to designate the comté of Penthièvre said to be the preserve of Eudes, second son of Geoffrey I, Duke of Brittany . The name disappeared shortly after. Situated to the north east of Brittany, the earliest princes are mentioned in several Lives of

117-542: A date range of c. 510–530 AD. Gildas' relics were venerated in the abbey which he founded in Rhuys, until the 10th century, when they were removed to Berry . In the 18th century, they were said to be moved to the cathedral at Vannes and then hidden during the French Revolution . The various relics survived the revolution and have all since been returned to Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys where they are visible at various times of

156-509: 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 . At

195-544: A monastery known as Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys . Differing versions of the Life of Saint Gildas exist, but both agree that he was born in what is now Scotland on the banks of the River Clyde , and that he was the son of a royal family. These works were written in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and are regarded by scholars as unhistorical. He is now thought to have his origins farther south. In his own work, he claims to have been born

234-488: A religious life. After completing his studies under Illtud, Gildas went to Ireland where he was ordained as a priest. He returned to his native lands in northern Britain where he acted as a missionary, preaching to the pagan people and converting many of them to Christianity . He was then asked by Ainmericus, high king of Ireland ( Ainmuire mac Sétnai , 566–569), to restore order to the church in Ireland, which had altogether lost

273-531: A time. Hueil's enmity with Arthur is also mentioned in the Welsh prose tale Culhwch and Olwen , written around 1100. A tradition in north Wales places Hueil's execution at Ruthin , and the supposed execution stone, Maen Huail , is preserved in the town square. The Llancarfan life also contains the earliest surviving appearance of the abduction of the Guinevere episode, common in later Arthurian literature. Gildas secures

312-504: A vassal of Childebert: a praefectus, said the Chronicle of Saint Brieuc: "Comorus tyrannus, praefectus Francorum regis." Comonor appears to have been a Britto-Roman. The Life of St. Paul refers to "king Marc", or princeps Marc, or, in his full name, Marcus Quonomorius. The writer Jean Markale developed this argument, suggesting that the Tristan legend originated in Ireland, but that the names of

351-577: A youth in Cornwall, i.e. Dumnonia . He is mentioned in the Historia Francorum by Gregory of Tours as a mid-6th century Breton count involved in conflicts between the Breton count Chanao and his brother Macliau (in latin, Macliavus). According to Gregory, after Chanao killed his other brothers, Macliau fled to Conomor. Conomor "hid him in a box underground" which he claimed was Macliau's grave. When Chanao

390-679: Is a sermon in three parts condemning the acts of his contemporaries, both secular and religious. The first part consists of Gildas' explanation for his work and a brief narrative of Roman Britain from its conquest under the Principate to Gildas' time. He describes the doings of the Romans and the Groans of the Britons , in which the Britons make one last request for military aid from the departed Roman military. He excoriates his fellow Britons for their sins, while at

429-578: Is celebrated on 29 January. Gildas is credited with a hymn called the Lorica , or Breastplate , a prayer for deliverance from evil , which contains specimens of Hiberno-Latin . A proverb is also attributed to Gildas mab y Gaw in the Englynion y Clyweid in Llanstephan MS. 27. In Bonedd y Saint , Gildas is recorded as having three sons and a daughter. Gwynnog ap Gildas and Noethon ap Gildas are named in

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468-633: Is named for the former. It has been suggested that the story of Bluebeard derives from this myth. An inscription in Cornwall which – it has been suggested – includes the names of Conomor and Tristan has led to the suggestion that Conomor is the origin of the figure of King Mark in the Tristan legend. According to the archaeologist Ralegh Radford and the Arthurian specialist André de Mandach , it reads " Drustanus hic iacit cunomori filius " (here lies Tristan, son of Conomor). However, multiple earlier transcriptions fail to support this reading, and instead suggest

507-520: Is said to have been count of Carhaix and to have become king by murdering his predecessor Jonas. He married Jonas' widow, but she later fled from him to seek asylum in the Frankish court with her son Judael. He is later said to have come into conflict with Waroch I , count of Vannes , whose daughter Tryphine he had married after his first wife's death. In unclear circumstances he is said to have murdered Tryphine and later his son by her, Trémeur. Eventually

546-536: Is the only contemporary information about them, it is of particular interest to scholars of British history. Part three is a similar attack on the clergy of the time. The works of Gildas, including the Excidio , can be found in volume 69 of the Patrologia Latina . De Excidio was usually dated to the 540s, but the historian Guy Halsall inclines to an "early Gildas" c. 490. Cambridge historian Karen George offered

585-669: The Bretons...Now king Chlothar was raging against Chramn and marched with army into Brittany against him. Nor was Chramn afraid to come out against his father. And when both armies were gathered and encamped on the same plain and Chramn with the Bretons had marshaled his line against his father, night fell and they refrained from fighting. During the night Chonoober, count of the Bretons, said to Chramn: "I think it wrong for you to fight against your father; allow me tonight to rush upon him and destroy him with all his army." But Chramn would not allow this to be done... When they were fighting on equal terms

624-644: The Channel by some religious orders. For example, the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Beauport , before Henry VIII , had parishes on the coast of Goélo and in Devon. It has been suggested that the British and Breton branches were unified for a period. Conomor , who was killed fighting Clotaire I , king of the Franks, is referred to in stories from both Great Britain and Brittany. He would have been

663-611: The Christian faith. Gildas obeyed the king's summons and travelled all over the island, converting the inhabitants, building churches, and establishing monasteries. He then travelled to Rome and Ravenna where he performed many miracles, including slaying a dragon while in Rome. Intending to return to Britain, he instead settled on the Isle of Houat off Brittany where he led a solitary, austere life. At around this time, he also preached to Nonnita (Non) ,

702-752: The Saints. The three Armorican principalities were all subservient to the King of Brittany. Until the reign of Jonas, the rulers of Domnonia were titled princes. After that, they supply the Kings of the Bretons, and Domnonia itself was elevated as a result. Saint Gildas Gildas (English pronunciation: / ˈ ɡ ɪ l d ə s / , Breton : Gweltaz ; c.  450/500  – c.  570 ) — also known as Gildas Badonicus , Gildas fab Caw (in Middle Welsh texts and antiquarian works) and Gildas Sapiens (Gildas

741-621: The Wise) — was a 6th-century British monk best known for his scathing religious polemic De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae , 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

780-445: The boy killed. Those present in the assembly included Saint Hervé the blind poet and perhaps also Saint Samson of Dol, Saint Gildas, and Saint Teilo of Glamorgan. Against Conomor all those assembled launched an excommunication." Samson also prevailed on the Frankish king Childebert I to abandon his support for Conomor as protector of the English Channel and to release Judael. After Childebert's death his brother Chlothar I took over

819-438: The characters derive from actual people in Cornish history whose lives involved "the rivalry of a father and son for the same woman", the father being Conomor/Mark and the son Tristan. However, it has also been argued that this Cornish Conomor was probably the Breton leader's great grandfather. Domnon%C3%A9e Domnonée is the modern French form of Domnonia or Dumnonia ( Latin for " Devon "; Breton : Domnonea ),

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858-532: The count of the Bretons fled and was slain. The Cynfawr (Conomor) of medieval Welsh tradition is probably unrelated. An obscure figure with the epithet " Cadgaddug " ("Battle-winner"), he appears in the genealogies and one of the Welsh Triads as a descendant of Coel Hen from the Hen Ogledd . It is also unclear whether Cornish evidence points to the same individual as the Breton leader, or to an earlier relative with

897-455: The dead wives and gives birth in a forest. She hides her son before Conomor catches her and beheads her. However Saint Gildas finds her and miraculously restores her to life. She and her son both live lives of saintly retirement, but after Tréphine's death Conomor eventually finds Trémeur and kills him. Both Tréphine and her son Trémeur are deemed saints in Brittany, and there are many churches dedicated to them. The village of Sainte-Tréphine

936-607: The kingdom. Judael then joined an expedition led by Chlothar into Brittany and killed Conomor in a battle in the Monts d'Arrée near Le Relecq, Plounéour-Ménez , which is named from the relics of the victims. Gregory of Tours places these events in the context of conflicts between Chlothar and his rebellious son Chramm : Chramm presented himself before his father, but later he proved disloyal. And when he saw he could not escape punishment he fled to Brittany and there with his wife and daughters lived in concealment with Chonoober (sic) count of

975-458: The life of a hermit . However, his life of solitude was short-lived, and pupils soon sought him out and begged him to teach them. He eventually founded a monastery for these students at Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys in Brittany , where he wrote De Excidio Britanniae, criticising British rulers and exhorting them to put off their sins and embrace true Christian faith. He is thought to have died at Rhuys and

1014-400: The lives of her father's people. While Conomor is away Tréphine finds a secret room containing relics of the deceased wives. She prays for their souls, and their ghosts appear to her warning her that Conomor will kill her if she becomes pregnant, since a prophecy states that he will be killed by his own son. When he returns he discovers that she is pregnant. Tréphine escapes with magical aid from

1053-405: The local bishops were persuaded by Saint Samson to excommunicate Conomor. It is possible that the story of Tréphine and Trémeur is a garbled version of Conomor's attempts to kill Judael, his step-son. According to Lester K. Little, "Conomor was serving as regent for a nephew who was too young to take up the kingship he had inherited; the main grievance against him was his relentless campaign to have

1092-413: The monument was erected in memory of one "Clusius". The "Drustanus" interpretation requires the reading of what others have taken to be "CL," written in the same script as the remainder of the text, as a "D" written in uncial script or else as a normal upper-case D written backwards. The historian Léon Fleuriot argues that Conomor probably held sway in both Britain and Brittany: He is often presented as

1131-598: The mother of Saint David , while she was pregnant with the saint. He was eventually sought out by those who wished to study under him, and was entreated to establish a monastery in Brittany, which he did at a place now known as Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys . The second "Life" of Gildas was written by Caradoc of Llancarfan , a friend of Geoffrey of Monmouth and his Norman patrons. This is an entirely fictional account intended to associate Gildas with Glastonbury Abbey. It also associates him with King Arthur . Arthur kills Gildas's brother Hueil , which causes enmity between them for

1170-528: The newly created Brittany. Many kings, princes, clerics and other leaders came over from Great Britain. The sea was a unifying rather than divisive factor. In the traditions relating to the settlement of Brittany by the Bretons there are several kingdoms of this kind. A number of legends and lives of Breton saints contain references to the close political ties between religious communities in Wales and Brittany. The close proximity resulted in possessions on both sides of

1209-436: The release of Guinevere after she had been abducted by Melvas, king of the "Summer Country", preventing war between him and Arthur. Gildas is best known for his polemic De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae , which recounts the sub-Roman history of Britain, and which is the only substantial source for history of this period written by a near-contemporary, although it is not intended to be an objective chronicle. The work

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1248-519: The rest became monks. Gildas was sent as a child to the College of St. Illtud in Glamorgan , under the care of St Illtud , and was a companion of St Samson of Dol and St Paul Aurelian . His master Illtud loved him tenderly and taught him with special zeal. He was supposed to be educated in liberal arts and divine scripture, but elected to study only holy doctrine, and to forsake his noble birth in favour of

1287-447: The same name. Nor, though the link has repeatedly been made, is there evidence that a Cornish monument dating to roughly this period and dedicated to the son of a "Cunomorus" refers to the Conomor who ruled in Brittany. In legend Conomor's villainy is extended to include the murders of three wives before Tréphine. Tréphine refuses to marry him because of his reputation, but when he threatens to invade her father's lands she agrees, to spare

1326-541: The same time lauding heroes such as Ambrosius Aurelianus , whom he is the first to describe as a leader of the resistance to the Saxons . He mentions the victory at the Battle of Mons Badonicus , a feat attributed to King Arthur in later texts, though Gildas does not mention who led the battle. Part two consists of a condemnation of five British kings, Constantine , Aurelius Conanus , Vortiporius , Cuneglas , and Maelgwn . As it

1365-417: The same year as the Battle of Mount Badon . He was educated at a monastic centre, the College of St. Illtud, where he chose to forsake his royal heritage and embrace monasticism. He became a renowned teacher, converting many to Christianity and founding numerous churches and monasteries throughout Britain and Ireland. He is thought to have made a pilgrimage to Rome before emigrating to Brittany, where he took on

1404-595: 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

1443-441: The year at a dedicated "treasury" in the village. The body of Saint Gildas (minus the pieces incorporated into various reliquaries) is buried behind the altar in the church of Saint Gildas de Rhuys. The gold and silver covered relics of Saint Gildas include: The embroidered mitre supposedly worn by Gildas is also kept with these relics. Gildas is the patron saint of several churches and monasteries in Brittany, and his feast day

1482-558: Was buried there. The First Life of Gildas was written in the 9th century by an unnamed monk at the monastery which Gildas founded in Rhuys , Brittany. According to this tradition, Gildas is the son of Caunus , king of Alt Clud in the Hen Ogledd , the Brythonic -speaking region of northern Britain. He had four brothers; his brother Cuillum ascended to the throne on the death of his father, and

1521-405: Was satisfied he was dead, Macliau was secretly placed in a monastery. After Chanao's death he returned to take over his brother's realm. Conomor is listed as "prefectus du roi des Francs" in the life of Saint Tugdual and in the life of Saint Paul Aurelian he is called ruler of "different peoples of four languages", which may suggest that his territory included both Brittany and Cornwall. Conomor

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