119-458: Montoir-de-Bretagne ( French pronunciation: [mɔ̃twaʁ də bʁətaɲ] , literally Montoir of Brittany ; Gallo : Montoér or Montouèrr , Breton : Mouster-al-Loc'h ) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France . The population data given in the table below refer to the commune of Montoir-de-Bretagne in its geography at the given years. In 1913
238-557: A bourgeois city rooted in private enterprise. On 18 July 1789, locals seized the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany in an imitation of the storming of the Bastille . Rural western France, Catholic and conservative, strongly opposed the abolition of the monarchy and the submission of the clergy . A rebellion in the neighbouring Vendée began in 1793, quickly spreading to surrounding regions. Nantes
357-469: A canning industry during the 1820s, but canning was eclipsed by sugar imported from Réunion in the 1840s and 1850s. Nantes tradesmen received a tax rebate on Réunion sugar, which was lucrative until disease devastated the cane plantations in 1863. By the mid-19th century, Le Havre and Marseille were the two main French ports; the former traded with America and the latter with Asia . They had embraced
476-573: A theatre or an amphitheatre , the city had sewers, public baths and a temple dedicated to Mars Mullo . After an attack by German tribes in 275, Nantes's inhabitants built a wall; this defense also became common in surrounding Gaulish towns. The wall in Nantes, enclosing 16 hectares (40 acres), was one of the largest in Gaul. Christianity was introduced during the third century. The first local martyrs ( Donatian and Rogatian ) were executed in 288–290, and
595-572: A Breton artistic revival but its ties with Nazism and the collaborationism of the Breton National Party during World War II weakened Breton nationalism in the post-war period. Brittany lost 240,000 men during the First World War . The Second World War was also catastrophic for the region. It was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940 and freed after Operation Cobra in August 1944. However,
714-525: A cathedral was built during the fourth century. Like much of the region, Nantes was part of the Roman Empire during the early Middle Ages. Although many parts of Brittany experienced significant Breton immigration (loosening ties to Rome), Nantes remained allied with the empire until its collapse in the fifth century. Around 490, the Franks under Clovis I captured the city (alongside eastern Brittany) from
833-523: A city in dire need of repair after the wars of succession and a series of storms and fires between 1387 and 1415. Many buildings were built or rebuilt (including the cathedral and the castle), and the University of Nantes , the first in Brittany, was founded in 1460. The marriage of Anne of Brittany to Charles VIII of France in 1491 began the unification of the duchy of Brittany with the French crown which
952-517: A different person. Brythonic (British Celtic) settlement increased during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries to seek refuge from the Anglo-Saxon invaders. It is from this event that Brittany derives its name. Scholars such as Léon Fleuriot have suggested a two-wave model of migration from Britain which saw the emergence of an independent Breton people and established
1071-652: A financial role with its Chamber of Accounts. During the French Wars of Religion from 1562 to 1598, the city was a Catholic League stronghold. The Duke of Mercœur , governor of Brittany, strongly opposed the succession of the Protestant Henry IV of France to the throne of France in 1589. The Duke created an independent government in Nantes, allying with Spain and pressing for independence from France. Despite initial successes with Spanish aid, in 1598 he submitted to Henry IV (who had by then converted to Catholicism);
1190-588: A former duchy and province , and its omission from the modern administrative region of Brittany is controversial. Nantes was identified during classical antiquity as a port on the Loire. It was the seat of a bishopric at the end of the Roman era before it was captured by the Bretons in 851 with the help of Lambert II of Nantes . Although Nantes was the primary residence of the 15th-century dukes of Brittany , Rennes became
1309-477: A life of hunting and gathering, to become settled farmers. Agriculture was introduced during the 5th millennium BC by migrants from the south and east. However, the Neolithic Revolution in Brittany did not happen due to a radical change of population, but by slow immigration and exchange of skills. Neolithic Brittany is characterised by important megalithic production and sites such as Quelfénnec , it
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#17330855530401428-717: A major industrial city during the second half of the 19th century with the aid of several families who invested in successful businesses. In 1900, the city's two main industries were food processing and shipbuilding. The former, primarily the canning industry, included the biscuit manufacturer LU and the latter was represented by three shipyards which were among the largest in France. These industries helped maintain port activity and facilitated agriculture, sugar imports, fertilizer production, machinery and metallurgy, which employed 12,000 people in Nantes and its surrounding area in 1914. Because large, modern ships had increased difficulty traversing
1547-646: A military presence in Bourges in central Gaul, but was betrayed by Arvandus , the Praetorian Prefect of Gaul, and subsequently ambushed by Euric's army. After a long battle, the Armorican survivors escaped to Avallon in Burgundy , after which they are lost to history. According to Breton king-lists, Riotham survived and reigned as Prince of Domnonia until his death sometime between 500 and 520, though this may have been
1666-479: A population of 320,732 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabitants (2020). With Saint-Nazaire , a seaport on the Loire estuary, Nantes forms one of the main north-western French metropolitan agglomerations. It is the administrative seat of the Loire-Atlantique department and the Pays de la Loire region , one of 18 regions of France. Nantes belongs historically and culturally to Brittany ,
1785-668: A reference to the many quays and river channels in the old town before they were filled in during the 1920s and 1930s. The city is commonly known as la Cité des Ducs "the City of the Dukes [of Brittany] " for its castle and former role as a ducal residence. The first inhabitants of what is now Nantes settled during the Bronze Age , later than in the surrounding regions (which have Neolithic monuments absent from Nantes). Its first inhabitants were apparently attracted by small iron and tin deposits in
1904-725: A result of the Mad War , the Duke Francis II could not have his daughter Anne married without the king of France's consent. Nonetheless, she married the Holy Roman Emperor in 1490, leading to a crisis with France. Charles VIII of France besieged Rennes and had the marriage cancelled. He eventually married Anne of Brittany . After he died childless, the duchess had to marry his heir and cousin Louis XII . Anne unsuccessfully tried to preserve Breton independence, but she died in 1514, and
2023-406: A revolutionary tribunal notorious for cruelty and ruthlessness. Between 12,000 and 13,000 people (including women and children) were arrested, and 8,000 to 11,000 died of typhus or were executed by the guillotine , shooting or drowning. The Drownings at Nantes were intended to kill large numbers of people simultaneously, and Carrier called the Loire "the national bathtub". The French Revolution
2142-461: A rich cultural life, advertising itself as a creative place near the ocean. Institutions and facilities (such as its airport) were re-branded as "Nantes Atlantique" to highlight this proximity. Local authorities have commemorated the legacy of the slave trade, promoting dialogue with other cultures. Nantes has been noted in recent years for its climate of social unrest, marked by frequent and often violent clashes between protesters and police. Tear gas
2261-671: A threat to the Republic. During the 19th century, the Breton language started to decline precipitously, mainly because of the Francization policy conducted under the Third Republic . On one hand, children were not allowed to speak Breton at school, and were punished by teachers if they did. Famously, signs in schools read: "It is forbidden to speak Breton and to spit on the floor" ("Il est interdit de parler Breton et de cracher par terre"). At
2380-415: Is 60 kilometres (37 miles) in length. The river's bed and banks have changed considerably over a period of centuries. In Nantes the Loire had divided into a number of channels, creating a dozen islands and sand ridges. They facilitated crossing the river, contributing to the city's growth. Most of the islands were protected with levees during the modern era , and they disappeared in the 1920s and 1930s when
2499-512: Is a peninsula , historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France , covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul . It became an independent kingdom and then a duchy before being united with the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province governed as a separate nation under the crown. Brittany is the traditional homeland of the Breton people and
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#17330855530402618-501: Is frequently deployed during protests. The city has a significant ultra-left radical scene, owing in part to the proximity of the ZAD de Notre-Dame-des-Landes . Masked rioters have repeatedly ransacked shops, offices and public transport infrastructure. The death of Steve Maia Caniço in June 2019 has led to accusations of police brutality and cover-ups. Nantes is in northwestern France, near
2737-502: Is one of the six Celtic nations , retaining a distinct cultural identity that reflects its history . Brittany has also been referred to as Little Britain (as opposed to Great Britain , with which it shares an etymology). It is bordered by the English Channel to the north, Normandy to the northeast, eastern Pays de la Loire to the southeast, the Bay of Biscay to the south, and
2856-467: Is primarily a student neighbourhood, with many bars and small shops. The eastern extension (behind Nantes Cathedral ) was traditionally inhabited by the aristocracy , and the larger western extension along the Loire was built for the bourgeoisie . It is Nantes's most-expensive area, with wide avenues, squares such as the Place Saint-Pierre and hôtels particuliers . The area was extended towards
2975-566: Is sometimes designated as the "core area" of megalithic culture. The oldest monuments, cairns , were followed by princely tombs and stone rows . The Morbihan département , on the southern coast, comprises a large share of these structures, including the Carnac stones and the Broken Menhir of Er Grah in the Locmariaquer megaliths , the largest single stone erected by Neolithic people. During
3094-431: Is suitable for growing a variety of plants, from temperate vegetables to exotic trees and flowers imported during the colonial era. Nantes's layout is typical of French towns and cities. It has a historical centre with old monuments, administrative buildings and small shops, surrounded by 19th-century faubourgs surrounded by newer suburban houses and public housing . The city centre has a medieval core (corresponding to
3213-620: Is the traditional homeland of the Breton people and is one of the six Celtic nations , retaining a distinct cultural identity that reflects its history . A nationalist movement seeks greater autonomy within the French Republic, or independence from it. The reunification of Brittany is supported by half of the inhabitants of Brittany and of Loire-Atlantique, and is considered a prerequisite to further autonomy. The word Brittany , along with its French , Breton and Gallo equivalents Bretagne , Breizh and Bertaèyn , derive from
3332-592: Is why the Breton language is more closely related to recorded Cornish. The history behind such an establishment is unclear, but medieval Breton, Angevin and Welsh sources connect it to a figure known as Conan Meriadoc . Welsh literary sources assert that Conan came to Armorica on the orders of the Roman usurper Magnus Maximus , who sent some of his British troops to Gaul to enforce his claims and settled them in Armorica. This account
3451-636: The American War of Independence . These included many sailors such as Armand de Kersaint and soldiers such as Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouërie . The Duchy was legally abolished with the French Revolution that began in 1789 – and in 1790 the province of Brittany was divided into five departments : Côtes-du-Nord (later Côtes-d'Armor ), Finistère , Ille-et-Vilaine , Loire-Inférieure (later Loire-Atlantique ) and Morbihan . Brittany essentially lost all its special privileges that existed under
3570-511: The Atlantic Ocean and 340 kilometres (210 miles) southwest of Paris . Bordeaux , the other major metropolis of western France, is 275 kilometres (171 miles) south. Nantes and Bordeaux share positions at the mouth of an estuary, and Nantes is on the Loire estuary. The city is at a natural crossroads between the ocean in the west, the centre of France (towards Orléans ) in the east, Brittany in
3689-586: The Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its land area is 34,023 km (13,136 sq mi) . Brittany is the site of some of the world's oldest standing architecture, home to the Cairn of Barnenez , the Tumulus Saint-Michel and others, which date to the early 5th millennium BC. Today, the historical province of Brittany is split among five French departments: Finistère in the west, Côtes-d'Armor in
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3808-513: The Edict of Nantes (legalising Protestantism in France) was signed in the town, concluding the French wars of religion. Nonetheless, the town remained fervently Catholic (by contrast to nearby La Rochelle ), and the local Protestant community did not number more than 1,000. Coastal navigation and the export of locally produced goods (salt, wine and fabrics) dominated the local economy around 1600. During
3927-533: The European Green Capital Award in 2013. The European Commission noted the city's efforts to reduce air pollution and CO 2 emissions, its high-quality and well-managed public transport system and its biodiversity , with 3,366 hectares (8,320 acres) of green space and several protected Natura 2000 areas. Nantes is named after a tribe of Gaul , the Namnetes , who established a settlement between
4046-621: The Garonne estuary. This term probably comes from a Gallic word, aremorica , which means "close to the sea". Another name, Letauia (in English " Litavis "), was used until the 12th century. It possibly means "wide and flat" or "to expand" and it gave the Welsh name for Brittany: Llydaw . After the fall of the Western Roman Empire , many Cornish Britons settled in western Armorica to escape
4165-508: The Gaulish word condate 'confluence'. The Namnete root of the city's name was introduced at the end of the Roman period, when it became known as Portus Namnetum "port of the Namnetes" and civitas Namnetum 'city of the Namnetes'. Like other cities in the region (including Paris ), its name was replaced during the fourth century with a Gaulish one: Lutetia became Paris (city of
4284-454: The House of Plantagenet ). During the 14th century, Brittany experienced a war of succession which ended with the accession of the House of Montfort to the ducal throne. The Montforts, seeking emancipation from the suzerainty of the French kings, reinforced Breton institutions. They chose Nantes, the largest town in Brittany (with a population of over 10,000), as their main residence and made it
4403-545: The Industrial Revolution , thanks to Parisian investments; Nantes lagged behind, struggling to find profitable activities. Nostalgic for the pre-revolutionary golden age, the local elite had been suspicious of political and technological progress during the first half of the 19th century. In 1851, after much debate and opposition, Nantes was connected to Paris by the Tours–Saint-Nazaire railway . Nantes became
4522-635: The Latin Britannia , which means "land of the Britons ". This word had been used by the Romans since the 1st century to refer to Great Britain, and more specifically the Roman province of Britain . This word derives from a Greek word, Πρεττανική (Prettanikḗ) or Βρεττανίαι (Brettaníai), used by Pytheas , an explorer from Massalia who visited the British Isles around 320 BC. The Greek word itself comes from
4641-520: The Parisii ), and Darioritum became Vannes (city of the Veneti ). Nantes's name continued to evolve, becoming Nanetiæ and Namnetis during the fifth century and Nantes after the sixth, via syncope (suppression of the middle syllable). Nantes is pronounced [nɑ̃t] , and the city's inhabitants are known as Nantais [nɑ̃tɛ] . In Gallo , the oïl language traditionally spoken in
4760-727: The Visigoths after a sixty-day siege; it was used as a stronghold against the Bretons . Under Charlemagne in the eighth century the town was the capital of the Breton March , a buffer zone protecting the Carolingian Empire from Breton invasion. The first governor of the Breton March was Roland , whose feats were mythologized in the body of literature known as the Matter of France . After Charlemagne's death in 814, Breton armies invaded
4879-1009: The protohistorical period , Brittany was inhabited by five Celtic tribes: Those people had strong economic ties to the Insular Celts , especially for the tin trade . Several tribes also belonged to an "Armorican confederation " which, according to Julius Caesar , gathered the Curiosolitae , the Redones , the Osismii , the Unelli , the Caletes , the Lemovices and the Ambibarii. The Unelli, Caletes, and Lemovices were respectively located in Cotentin (Lower-Normandy), pays de Caux (Upper-Normandy), and Limousin (Aquitaine);
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4998-471: The 15th to the 18th century, Brittany reached an economic golden age. The region was located on the seaways near Spain, England and the Netherlands and it greatly benefited from the creation of a French colonial empire . Local seaports like Brest and Saint-Brieuc quickly expanded, and Lorient , first spelled "L'Orient", was founded in the 17th century. Saint-Malo then was known for its corsairs , Brest
5117-542: The 9th century. The unification of Brittany was carried out by Nominoe , king between 845 and 851 and considered as the Breton Pater Patriae . Among the immigrant Britons, there were some clergymen who helped the evangelisation of the region, which was still pagan, particularly in rural areas. His son Erispoe secured the independence of the new kingdom of Brittany and won the Battle of Jengland against Charles
5236-532: The Atlantic dominate, and north and north-west winds are also common. Slight variations in elevation make fog common in valleys, and slopes oriented south and south-west have good insolation . Winters are cool and rainy, with an average temperature of 6 °C (43 °F); snow is rare. Summers are warm, with an average temperature of 20 °C (68 °F). Rain is abundant throughout the year, with an annual average of 820 millimetres (32 inches). The climate in Nantes
5355-564: The Bald . The Bretons won another war in 867, and the kingdom reached then its maximum extent: It received parts of Normandy , Maine and Anjou and the Channel Islands . Brittany was heavily attacked by the Vikings at the beginning of the 10th century. The kingdom lost its eastern territories, including Normandy and Anjou , and the county of Nantes was given to Fulk I of Anjou in 909. Nantes
5474-434: The Breton speaking area. Nantes Nantes ( / n ɒ̃ t / , US also / n ɑː n t ( s )/ ; French: [nɑ̃t] ; Gallo : Naunnt or Nantt [nɑ̃(ː)t] ; Breton : Naoned [ˈnãunət] ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire , 50 km (31 mi) from the Atlantic coast . The city is the sixth largest in France , with
5593-637: The Duchy. Three years later, the area became a centre of royalist and Catholic resistance to the Revolution during the Chouannerie . During the 19th century, Brittany remained in economic recession, and many Bretons emigrated to other French regions, particularly to Paris. This trend remained strong until the beginning of the 20th century. Nonetheless, the region was also modernising, with new roads and railways being built, and some places being industrialised. Nantes specialised in shipbuilding and food processing (sugar, exotic fruits and vegetables, fish...), Fougères in glass and shoe production, and metallurgy
5712-404: The Dukes were usually independent, but they often contracted alliances with England or France depending on who was threatening them at that point. Their support for each nation became very important during the 14th century because the English kings had started to claim the French throne. The Breton War of Succession , a local episode of the Hundred Years' War , saw the House of Blois , backed by
5831-409: The French side during the deciding stages of the war (including the battles of Patay , Formigny and Castillon and the Treaty of Arras ). Brittany importantly lost the Mad War against France in 1488, mostly because of its internal divisions that were exacerbated by the corruption at the court of Francis II, Duke of Brittany . Indeed, some rebel Breton lords were fighting on the French side. As
5950-478: The French, fighting with the House of Montfort , backed by the English. The Montforts won in 1364 and enjoyed a period of total independence until the end of the Hundred Years' War, because France was weakened and stopped sending royal envoys to the Court of Brittany. English diplomatic failures led to the Breton cavalry commanders Arthur, Comte de Richemont (later to become Arthur III, Duke of Brittany ) and his nephew Peter II, Duke of Brittany playing key roles on
6069-410: The Huns' front lines during the main battle and thwarted Attila's night assault on the Roman camp with a hail of arrows "like rain". After the battle was won, Aetius sent the Alans to Armorica and Galicia. The late 5th century Brittonic leader Riothamus received correspondence from the eminent Roman jurist Sidonius Apollinaris and was called "King of the Britons" by Jordanes . Some suggest that he
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#17330855530406188-464: The Interior and the U.S. Army. The postwar years were a period of strikes and protests in Nantes. A strike organised by the city's 17,500 metallurgists during the summer of 1955 to protest salary disparities between Paris and the rest of France deeply impacted the French political scene, and their action was echoed in other cities. Nantes saw other large strikes and demonstrations during the May 1968 events , when marches drew about 20,000 people into
6307-495: The Loire but near the city centre) and north-bank communes including Saint-Herblain , Orvault and Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire . The 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8 sq mi) Isle of Nantes is divided between former shipyards on the west, an old faubourg in its centre and modern housing estates on the east. Since the 2000s, it has been subject to the conversion of former industrial areas into office space, housing and leisure facilities. Local authorities intend to make it an extension of
6426-419: The Loire to reach Nantes, a new port in Saint-Nazaire had been established at the mouth of the estuary in 1835. Saint-Nazaire, primarily developed for goods to be transhipped before being sent to Nantes, also built rival shipyards. Saint-Nazaire surpassed Nantes in port traffic for the first time in 1868. Reacting to the growth of the rival port, Nantes built a 15-kilometre-long (9.3 mi) canal parallel to
6545-520: The Loire to remain accessible to large ships. The canal, completed in 1892, was abandoned in 1910 because of the efficient dredging of the Loire between 1903 and 1914. At the beginning of the 20th century, the river channels flowing through Nantes were increasingly perceived as hampering the city's comfort and economic development. Sand siltation required dredging, which weakened the quays; one quay collapsed in 1924. Embankments were overcrowded with railways, roads and tramways. Between 1926 and 1946, most of
6664-401: The Loire were filled, the Erdre was diverted in central Nantes and its confluence with the Loire was moved further east. The Erdre includes Versailles Island, which became a Japanese garden during the 1980s. It was created in the 19th century with fill from construction of the Nantes–Brest canal . Nantes is built on the Armorican Massif , a range of weathered mountains which may be considered
6783-430: The March and fought the Franks. Nominoe (a Breton) became the first duke of Brittany, seizing Nantes in 850. Discord marked the first decades of Breton rule in Nantes as Breton lords fought among themselves, making the city vulnerable to Viking incursions. The most spectacular Viking attack in Nantes occurred in 843, when Viking warriors killed the bishop but did not settle in the city at that time. Nantes became part of
6902-430: The Parc de Procé during the 19th century. The other faubourgs were built along the main boulevards and the plateaus, turning the valleys into parks. Outside central Nantes several villages, including Chantenay, Doulon, L'Eraudière and Saint-Joseph-de-Porterie, were absorbed by urbanisation. After World War II , several housing projects were built to accommodate Nantes's growing population. The oldest, Les Dervallières,
7021-446: The Roman gods. Only a small number of statues depicting Roman gods were found in Brittany, and most of the time they combine Celtic elements. During the 3rd century AD, the region was attacked several times by Franks , Alamanni and pirates. At the same time, the local economy collapsed and many farming estates were abandoned. To face the invasions, many towns and cities were fortified, like Nantes , Rennes and Vannes . This area
7140-468: The Saxons and the region started to be called Britannia , although this name only replaced Armorica in the sixth century or perhaps by the end of the fifth. Breton-speaking people may pronounce the word Breizh in two different ways, according to their region of origin. Breton can be divided into two main dialects: the KLT ( Kerne -Leon- Trégor ) and the dialect of Vannes . KLT speakers pronounce it [brɛjs] and would write it Breiz , while
7259-420: The Vannetais speakers pronounce it [brɛχ] and would write it Breih . The official spelling is a compromise between both variants, with a z and an h together. In 1941, efforts to unify the dialects led to the creation of the so-called Breton zh , a standard which has never been widely accepted. On its side, Gallo has never had a widely accepted writing system and several ones coexist. For instance,
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#17330855530407378-421: The Viking realm in 919, but the Norse were expelled from the town in 937 by Alan II, Duke of Brittany . Feudalism took hold in France during the 10th and 11th centuries, and Nantes was the seat of a county founded in the ninth century. Until the beginning of the 13th century, it was the subject of succession crises which saw the town pass several times from the Dukes of Brittany to the counts of Anjou (of
7497-463: The area south of the Loire in the city of Ratiatum (present-day Rezé ) until the end of the second century AD. Ratiatum, founded under Augustus , developed more quickly than Nantes and was a major port in the region. Nantes began to grow when Ratiatum collapsed after the Germanic invasions . Because tradesmen favoured inland roads rather than Atlantic routes, Nantes never became a large city under Roman occupation. Although it lacked amenities such as
7616-401: The areas around Saint-Nazaire and Lorient only surrendered on 10 and 11 May 1945, several days after the German capitulation. The two port towns had been virtually destroyed by Allied air raids, like Brest and Saint-Malo , and other towns, such as Nantes and Rennes , had also suffered. In 1956, Brittany was legally reconstituted as the Region of Brittany , although the region excluded
7735-404: The backbone of Brittany. The mountains, stretching from the end of the Breton peninsula to the outskirts of the sedimentary Paris Basin , are composed of several parallel ridges of Ordovician and Cadomian rocks. Nantes is where one of these ridges, the Sillon de Bretagne, meets the Loire. It passes through the western end of the old town, forming a series of cliffs above the quays. The end of
7854-465: The capitals of the local civitates . They all had a grid plan and a forum , and sometimes a temple, a basilica , thermae or an aqueduct , like Carhaix . The Romans also built three major roads through the region. However, most of the population remained rural. The free peasants lived in small huts, whereas the landowners and their employees lived in proper villae rusticae . The Gallic deities continued to be worshiped, and were often assimilated to
7973-402: The channels were filled in and their water diverted. Large thoroughfares replaced the channels, altering the urban landscape. Feydeau and Gloriette Islands in the old town were attached to the north bank, and the other islands in the Loire were formed into the Isle of Nantes . When the land reclamation was almost complete, Nantes was shaken by the air raids of the Second World War . The city
8092-404: The city centre and its surrounding area were destroyed by American bombs. About 20,000 people were left homeless by the 1943 raids, and 70,000 subsequently left the city. Allied raids killed 1,732 people and destroyed 2,000 buildings in Nantes, leaving a further 6,000 buildings unusable. The Germans abandoned the city on 12 August 1944, and it was recaptured without a fight by the French Forces of
8211-455: The city centre. Further development is also planned on the north bank along an axis linking the train station and the Loire. Nantes has 100 public parks, gardens and squares covering 218 hectares (540 acres). The oldest is the Jardin des Plantes , a botanical garden created in 1807. It has a large collection of exotic plants, including a 200-year-old Magnolia grandiflora and the national collection of camellia . Other large parks include
8330-424: The common Brythonic ethnonym reconstructed as *Pritanī , itself from Proto-Celtic *kʷritanoi (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷer- 'to cut, make'). In Roman times, Armorica included what is now Brittany. This was an indefinite region that extended along the English Channel coast from the Seine estuary, then along the Atlantic coast to the Loire estuary and, according to several sources, maybe to
8449-544: The commune of Trignac was created from part of Montoir-de-Bretagne, in 1925 Saint-Malo-de-Guersac was created from part of Montoir-de-Bretagne. This Loire-Atlantique geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Brittany Brittany ( / ˈ b r ɪ t ən i / BRIT -ən-ee ; French: Bretagne , pronounced [bʁətaɲ] ; Breton : Breizh , pronounced [bʁɛjs, bʁɛx] ; Gallo : Bertaèyn or Bertègn , pronounced [bəʁtaɛɲ] )
8568-408: The details remain confused, these colonies consisted of related and intermarried dynasties which repeatedly unified (as by the 7th-century Saint Judicaël ) before splintering again according to Celtic inheritance practices. At the beginning of the medieval era, Brittany was divided among three kingdoms, Domnonea , Cornouaille and Broërec . These realms eventually merged into a single state during
8687-486: The dominance of the Brythonic Breton language in Armorica. Their petty kingdoms are now known by the names of the counties that succeeded them— Domnonée ( Devon ), Cornouaille ( Cornwall ), Léon ( Caerleon ); but these names in Breton and Latin are in most cases identical to their British homelands. (In Breton and French, however, Gwened or Vannetais continued the name of the indigenous Veneti .) Although
8806-525: The ducal capital of Nantes and the surrounding area . Nevertheless, Brittany retained its cultural distinctiveness, and a new cultural revival emerged during the 1960s and 1970s. Bilingual schools were opened, singers started to write songs in Breton, and ecological catastrophes such as the Amoco Cadiz oil spill or the Erika oil spill and water pollution from intensive pig farming favoured new movements to protect
8925-507: The end of the second century and the beginning of the first century BC on the north bank of the Loire near its confluence with the Erdre . The origin of the name Namnetes is uncertain, but is thought to come from the Gaulish root * nant- 'river, stream' (from the pre-Celtic root *nanto 'valley') or from Amnites , another tribal name possibly meaning 'men of the river'. Its first recorded name
9044-489: The former walled town) and 18th-century extensions running west and east. The northern extension, Marchix, was considered squalid and nearly disappeared during the 20th century. The old town did not extend south before the 19th century, since it would have meant building on the unsteady islands in the Loire. The medieval core has narrow streets and a mixture of half-timbered buildings, more recent sandstone buildings, post- World War II reconstruction and modern redevelopment. It
9163-462: The home of their council, their treasury and their chancery . Port traffic, insignificant during the Middle Ages , became the city's main activity. Nantes began to trade with foreign countries, exporting salt from Bourgneuf , wine, fabrics and hemp (usually to the British Isles ). The 15th century is considered Nantes's first golden age. The reign of Francis II saw many improvements to
9282-499: The latter to restrain its trade, and the Breton economy went into recession during the 18th century. Two significant revolts occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries: the Revolt of the papier timbré (1675) and the Pontcallec conspiracy (1719). Both arose from attempts to resist centralisation and assert Breton constitutional exceptions to tax. Many Bretons crossed the Atlantic to support
9401-879: The location of the Ambibarii is unknown. The Caletes are sometimes also considered Belgians, and Lemovices is probably a mistake for Lexovii (Lower-Normandy). During the Gallic Wars , the Veneti were defeated in the Battle of Morbihan off the coast of Brittany. At the conclusion of the Gallic Wars, the region became part of the Roman Republic in 51 BC. It was included in the province of Gallia Lugdunensis in 13 BC. Gallic towns and villages were redeveloped according to Roman standards, and several cities were created. These cities are Condate ( Rennes ), Vorgium ( Carhaix ), Darioritum ( Vannes ) and Condevincum or Condevicnum ( Nantes ). Together with Fanum Martis ( Corseul ), they were
9520-480: The main producers of French printed cotton fabric during the 18th century, and the Netherlands was the city's largest client for exotic goods. Although trade brought wealth to Nantes, the city was confined by its walls; their removal during the 18th century allowed it to expand. Neoclassical squares and public buildings were constructed, and wealthy merchants built sumptuous hôtels particuliers . The French Revolution initially received some support in Nantes,
9639-462: The market). In 1664 Nantes was France's eighth-largest port, and it was the largest by 1700. Plantations in the colonies needed labour to produce sugar, rum, tobacco, indigo dye, coffee and cocoa, and Nantes shipowners began trading African slaves in 1706. The port was part of the triangular trade : ships went to West Africa to buy slaves, slaves were sold in the French West Indies, and
9758-430: The mid-17th century, the siltation of local salterns and a fall in wine exports compelled Nantes to find other activities. Local shipowners began importing sugar from the French West Indies ( Martinique , Guadeloupe and Saint-Domingue ) in the 1640s, which became very profitable after protectionist reforms implemented by Jean-Baptiste Colbert prevented the import of sugar from Spanish colonies (which had dominated
9877-564: The name of the region in that language can be written Bertaèyn in ELG script, or Bertègn in MOGA , and a couple of other scripts also exist. Brittany has been inhabited by humans since the Lower Palaeolithic . This population was scarce and very similar to the other Neanderthals found in the whole of Western Europe. Their only original feature was a distinct culture, called "Colombanian". One of
9996-543: The natural heritage. Brittany as a political entity disappeared in 1790, when it was divided into five départements . The Breton départements more or less correspond to the nine Catholic dioceses that appeared at the beginning of the Middle Ages. They were often called "pays" or "bro" ("country" in French and Breton ) and they also served as fiscal and military districts. Brittany is also divided between Lower Brittany ("Basse Bretagne" and "Breizh Izel"), corresponding to
10115-409: The north and Vendée (on the way to Bordeaux) in the south. It is an architectural junction; northern French houses with slate roofs are north of the Loire, and Mediterranean dwellings with low terracotta roofs dominate the south bank. The Loire is also the northern limit of grape culture. Land north of Nantes is dominated by bocage and dedicated to polyculture and animal husbandry , and
10234-532: The north, Ille-et-Vilaine in the northeast, Morbihan in the south and Loire-Atlantique in the southeast. Loire-Atlantique now belongs to the Pays de la Loire region while the other four departments make up the Brittany region . At the 2010 census, the population of historic Brittany was estimated to be 4,475,295. In 2017, the largest metropolitan areas were Nantes (934,165 inhabitants), Rennes (733,320 inhabitants), and Brest (321,364 inhabitants). Brittany
10353-696: The oldest hearths in the world has been found in Plouhinec, Finistère . Homo sapiens settled in Brittany around 35,000 years ago. They replaced or absorbed the Neanderthals and developed local industries , similar to the Châtelperronian or to the Magdalenian . After the last glacial period , the warmer climate allowed the area to become heavily wooded. At that time, Brittany was populated by relatively large communities who started to change their lifestyles from
10472-521: The provincial capital after the 1532 union of Brittany and France . During the 17th century, after the establishment of the French colonial empire , Nantes gradually became the largest port in France and was responsible for nearly half of the 18th-century French Atlantic slave trade . The French Revolution resulted in an economic decline, but Nantes developed robust industries after 1850 (chiefly in shipbuilding and food processing). Deindustrialization in
10591-488: The region around Nantes, the city is spelled Naunnt or Nantt and pronounced identically to French, although northern speakers use a long [ ɑ̃ ] . In Breton , Nantes is known as Naoned or an Naoned , the latter of which is less common and reflects the more-frequent use of articles in Breton toponyms than in French ones. Nantes's historical nickname was "Venice of the West" (French: la Venise de l'Ouest ),
10710-545: The region's subsoil. The area exported tin, mined in Abbaretz and Piriac , as far as Ireland . After about 1,000 years of trading, local industry appeared around 900 BC; remnants of smithies dated to the eighth and seventh centuries BC have been found in the city. Nantes may have been the major Gaulish settlement of Corbilo, on the Loire estuary, which was mentioned by the Greek historians Strabo and Polybius . Its history from
10829-574: The ridge, the Butte Sainte-Anne, is a natural landmark 38 metres (125 feet) above sea level ; its foothills are at an elevation of 15 metres (49 feet). The Sillon de Bretagne is composed of granite ; the rest of the region is a series of low plateaus covered with silt and clay , with mica schist and sediments found in lower areas. Much of the old town and all of the Isle of Nantes consist of backfill. Elevations in Nantes are generally higher in
10948-587: The same time, the Celtic Revival led to the foundation of the Breton Regionalist Union (URB) and later to independence movements linked to Irish, Welsh, and Scottish and Cornish independence parties in the UK, and to pan-Celticism . However, the audience of these movements remained very low and their ideas did not reach a large public until the 20th century. The Seiz Breur movement, created in 1923, permitted
11067-700: The same year as Alan II) and thus Brittany ceased to be a kingdom and became a duchy. Several Breton lords helped William the Conqueror to invade England and the Bretons formed over a third of the landing force in 1066. They received large estates there (e.g. William's double-second cousin Alan Rufus and the latter's brother Brian of Brittany ). The Bretons helped to liberate the Cornish, replacing Anglo-Saxon land owners. Some of these lords were powerful rivals. Medieval Brittany
11186-481: The second half of the 20th century spurred the city to adopt a service economy . In 2020, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network ranked Nantes as a Gamma world city . It is the third-highest-ranking city in France, after Paris and Lyon . The Gamma category includes cities such as Algiers , Orlando , Porto , Turin and Leipzig . Nantes has been praised for its quality of life , and it received
11305-468: The seventh century to the Roman conquest in the first century BC is poorly documented, and there is no evidence of a city in the area before the reign of Tiberius in the first century AD. During the Gaulish period it was the capital of the Namnetes people, who were allied with the Veneti in a territory extending to the northern bank of the Loire. Rivals in the area included the Pictones , who controlled
11424-493: The ships returned to Nantes with sugar and other exotic goods. From 1707 to 1793, Nantes was responsible for 42 percent of the French slave trade; its merchants sold about 450,000 African slaves in the West Indies. Manufactured goods were more lucrative than raw materials during the 18th century. There were about fifteen sugar refineries in the city around 1750 and nine cotton mills in 1786. Nantes and its surrounding area were
11543-444: The slave trade re-established itself as Nantes's major source of income in the first decades of the 19th century. It was the last French port to conduct the illegal Atlantic trade, continuing it until about 1827. The 19th-century slave trade may have been as extensive as that of the previous century, with about 400,000 slaves deported to the colonies. Businessmen took advantage of local vegetable production and Breton fishing to develop
11662-459: The smallest waterways were filled in. The Loire in Nantes now has only two branches, one on either side of the Isle of Nantes. The river is tidal in the city, and tides are observed about 30 kilometres (19 miles) further east. The tidal range can reach 6 metres (20 feet) in Nantes, larger than at the mouth of the estuary. This is the result of 20th-century dredging to make Nantes accessible by large ships; tides were originally much weaker. Nantes
11781-407: The south is renowned for its Muscadet vineyards and market gardens. The city is near the geographical centre of the land hemisphere , identified in 1945 by Samuel Boggs as near the main railway station (around 47°13′N 1°32′W / 47.217°N 1.533°W / 47.217; -1.533 ). The Loire is about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) long and its estuary, beginning in Nantes,
11900-520: The streets. The 1970s global recession brought a large wave of deindustrialisation to France, and Nantes saw the closure of many factories and the city's shipyards. The 1970s and 1980s were primarily a period of economic stagnation for Nantes. During the 1980s and 1990s its economy became service-oriented and it experienced economic growth under Jean-Marc Ayrault , the city's mayor from 1989 to 2012. Under Ayrault's administration, Nantes used its quality of life to attract service firms. The city developed
12019-493: The union between the two crowns was formally carried out by Francis I in 1532. He granted several privileges to Brittany, such as exemption from the gabelle , a tax on salt that was very unpopular in France. Under the Ancien Régime , Brittany and France were governed as separate countries but under the same crown, so Breton aristocrats in the French royal court were classed as Princes étrangers (foreign princes). From
12138-456: The western half, where Breton is traditionally spoken, and Upper Brittany ("Haute Bretagne" and "Breizh Uhel"), corresponding to the eastern half, where Gallo is traditionally spoken. The historical Breton dioceses were: During the French Revolution , four dioceses were suppressed and the five remaining ones were modified to have the same administrative borders as the départements . Brittany has several historical capital cities. When it
12257-498: The western neighbourhoods on the Sillon, reaching 52 metres (171 feet) in the north-west. The Erdre flows through a slate fault. Eastern Nantes is flatter, with a few hills reaching 30 metres (98 feet). The city's lowest points, along the Loire, are 2 metres (6.6 feet) above sea level. Nantes has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ) influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean . West winds produced by cyclonic depressions in
12376-615: Was a Breton, though others believe that he was from Britain, pointing to the passage that he arrived in the land of the Biturges "by way of Ocean", which would hardly have been efficient or required for a Breton. Both historians describe Riothamus's losing battle against King Euric of the Visigoths at Déols around the year 470. In response to a plea from the Roman Emperor Anthemius , Riothamus had led twelve thousand men to establish
12495-508: Was a major base for the French Navy and Nantes flourished with the Atlantic slave trade . On its side, the inland provided hemp ropes and canvas and linen sheets. However, Colbertism , which encouraged the creation of many factories, did not favour the Breton industry because most of the royal factories were opened in other provinces. Moreover, several conflicts between France and England led
12614-558: Was also affected by the Bagaudae (also spelled bacaudae) during this period, which were groups of peasant insurgents. The Bagaudae achieved some temporary and scattered successes under the leadership of peasants as well as former members of local ruling elites. Toward the end of the 4th century, the Britons of Domnonée (modern Devon and Cornwall ) on the South-Western peninsula of Great Britain began to emigrate to Armorica , which
12733-418: Was an important Republican garrison on the Loire en route to England . On 29 June 1793, 30,000 Royalist troops from Vendée attacked the city on their way to Normandy (where they hoped to receive British support). Twelve thousand Republican soldiers resisted and the Battle of Nantes resulted in the death of Royalist leader Jacques Cathelineau . Three years later another Royalist leader, François de Charette ,
12852-719: Was an independent duchy, the Estates of Brittany , which can be compared to a parliament, met in various towns: Dinan , Ploërmel , Redon , Rennes , Vitré , Guérande , and, most of all, Vannes , where they met 19 times, and Nantes , 17 times. The Court and the government were also very mobile, and each dynasty favoured its own castles and estates. The dukes mostly lived in Nantes , Vannes , Redon , Rennes , Fougères , Dol-de-Bretagne , Dinan and Guérande . All these towns except Vannes and Guérande are located in Upper Brittany , thus not in
12971-470: Was at the point where the river current and the tides cancelled each other out, resulting in siltation and the formation of the original islands. The city is at the confluence of two tributaries. The Erdre flows into the Loire from its north bank, and the Sèvre Nantaise flows into the Loire from its south bank. These two rivers initially provided natural links with the hinterland. When the channels of
13090-522: Was by the Greek writer Ptolemy , who referred to the settlement as Κονδηούινκον ( Kondēoúinkon ) and Κονδιούινκον ( Kondioúinkon ) —which might be read as Κονδηούικον ( Kondēoúikon )—in his treatise, Geography . The name was Latinised during the Gallo-Roman period as Condevincum (the most common form), Condevicnum , Condivicnum and Condivincum . Although its origins are unclear, Condevincum seems to be related to
13209-529: Was captured by Nazi Germany on 18 June 1940, during the Battle of France . Forty-eight civilians were executed in Nantes in 1941 in retaliation for the assassination of German officer Karl Hotz . They are remembered as "the 50 hostages" because the Germans initially planned to kill 50 people. British bombs first hit the city in August 1941 and May 1942. The main attacks occurred on 16 and 23 September 1943, when most of Nantes's industrial facilities and portions of
13328-467: Was developed in 1956 and was followed by Bellevue in 1959 and Le Breil and Malakoff in 1971. Once areas of poverty, they are experiencing regeneration since the 2000s. The northern outskirts of the city, along the Erdre , include the main campus of the University of Nantes and other institutes of higher education. During the second half of the 20th century, Nantes expanded south into the communes of Rezé , Vertou and Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire (across
13447-466: Was disastrous for the local economy. The slave trade nearly disappeared because of the abolition of slavery and the independence of Saint-Domingue , and Napoleon's Continental Blockade decimated trade with other European countries. Nantes never fully recovered its 18th-century wealth; the port handled 43,242 tons of goods in 1807, down from 237,716 tons in 1790. Outlawed by the French Revolution,
13566-627: Was executed in Nantes. After the Battle of Nantes, the National Convention (which had founded the First French Republic ) decided to purge the city of its anti-revolutionary elements. Nantes was seen by the convention as a corrupt merchant city; the local elite was less supportive of the French Revolution, since its growing centralisation reduced their influence. From October 1793 to February 1794, deputy Jean-Baptiste Carrier presided over
13685-462: Was far from being a united nation. The French king maintained envoys in Brittany, alliances contracted by local lords often overlapped and there was no specific Breton unity. For example, Brittany replaced Latin with French as its official language in the 13th century, 300 years before France did so, and the Breton language did not have formal status. The foreign policy of the Duchy changed many times;
13804-535: Was practised in small towns such as Châteaubriant and Lochrist , known for its labour movements . The region remained deeply Catholic, and during the Second Empire , the conservative values were strongly reasserted. When the Republic was re-established in 1871, there were rumours that Breton troops were mistrusted and mistreated at Camp Conlie during the Franco-Prussian War because of fears that they were
13923-440: Was ratified by Francis I of France in 1532. The union ended a long feudal conflict between France and Brittany, reasserting the king's suzerainty over the Bretons. In return for surrendering its independence, Brittany retained its privileges. Although most Breton institutions were maintained, the unification favoured Rennes (the site of ducal coronations). Rennes received most legal and administrative institutions, and Nantes kept
14042-491: Was seized by the Vikings in 914. At this time Brittany was also called Lydwiccum. Nantes was eventually liberated by Alan II of Brittany in 937 with the support of his godbrother King Æthelstan of England. Alan II totally expelled the Vikings from Brittany and recreated a strong Breton state. For aiding in removing the problem, Alan paid homage to Louis IV of France (who was Æthelstan's nephew and had returned from England in
14161-631: Was supported by the Counts of Anjou, who claimed descent from a Roman soldier expelled from Lower Brittany by Conan on Magnus's orders. The army recruited for Flavius Aetius to combat Attila the Hun at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains included Romans, Visigoths, Franks, Alans and Armoricans, amongst others. The Alans were placed front and centre, opposite the Huns. The Armoricans supplied archers who attacked
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