The Lordship of Léon, later Principality of Léon was a former

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

located in the Léon province, in north-western

Brittany Brittany ( ) 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 Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

, which corresponds roughly to the French ''département''

Finistère Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.Viscounty of Léon The Viscounty or County of Léon () was a Feudalism, feudal state in extreme western Brittany in the High Middle Ages. Though nominally a vassal of the sovereign duke of Brittany, Léon was functionally independent of any external controls until th ...

was divided into a viscounty and the lordship at the end of the 12th century. The lordship of Léon was a large fief made of about sixty

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es and '. The estates of the lordship are located around the valley of the

Élorn The Élorn (; ) is a long river in Brittany, France. Its source is in the monts d'Arrée, north-northeast of Le Tuchenn Kador, and it then runs through several small towns such as Sizun and Landivisiau before flowing out into the roadstead of Br ...

river, the town of

Landerneau Landerneau (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. It lies at the mouth of the Elorn River which divides the Breton provinces of Cornouaille and Léon, east of Brest. The name is from Lan Ter ...

and the castle of

La Roche-Maurice La Roche-Maurice (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of La Roche-Maurice are called in French ''Rochois''. International relations La Roche Maurice's twin town is Bishopst ...

. The lordship was initially held by the junior branch of the Viscounts of Léon, which was founded by

Harvey I Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

. After Harvey VIII died without issue, the fief was inherited by the

Viscounts of Rohan A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is so ...

. In the middle of the 16th century the fief became known as "Principality of Léon".

Landivisiau Landivisiau (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in north-western France. The journalist Luc Le Vaillant, winner of the 1998 Albert Londres Prize w ...

Daoulas Daoulas (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Population Inhabitants of Daoulas are called in French ''Daoulasiens''. Breton language In 2008, 9.82% of primary-school children attended bilingua ...

Coat-Méal Coat-Méal (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Coat-Méal are called in French ''Coat-Méaliens''. See also *Communes of the Finistère department The following is a ...

, Penzé and

were the seats of the jurisdictions of this huge Breton lordship.

History

In the 12th century, the Viscounts of Léon rebelled against

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

in order to escape

Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet ( /plænˈtædʒənət/ ''plan-TAJ-ə-nət'') was a royal house which originated from the French county of Anjou. The name Plantagenet is used by modern historians to identify four distinct royal houses: the Angev ...

's domination in the

Duchy of Brittany The Duchy of Brittany (, ; ) was a medieval feudal state that existed between approximately 939 and 1547. Its territory covered the northwestern peninsula of France, bordered by the Bay of Biscay to the west, and the English Channel to the north. ...

. In 1179, after the death of Guihomar IV, who had submitted to the Ducal power not long before, Henry II of England confiscated the Léon estates. Following the confiscation of

Morlaix Morlaix (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. History The Battle of Morlaix, part of the Hundred Years' War, was fought near the town on 30 Septembe ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

Geoffrey Plantagenet, Guihomar IV's two sons Guihomar V et Harvey recovered their inheritance. Guihomar V got the castellanies of

Lesneven Lesneven (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It lies northeast of Brest, about from the English Channel in the middle of the Leon plateau. History Lesneven has its origins in the immigration f ...

, Brest,

Saint-Renan Saint-Renan (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. History The city is named after the Irish Saint Rónán who came in the 5th or 6th century to evangelize the area. While Brest was still a v ...

and

Le Conquet Le Conquet (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. This is the westernmost town of mainland France. Only three island towns—Ouessant, Île-Molène and Ile de Sein—are farther west. Maritime tran ...

as well as the title of

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

. Harvey got the estates of Landerneau and Daoudour, as well as the lordship of Coat-Méal. Being a ''juveigneur'', i.e. a younger son endowed with an estate, Hervé had to content himself with the title of Lord of Léon and founded the junior branch of the House of Léon, which managed to keep his fief of

for 8 generations (from

to Harvey VIII).

List of Lords and Princes of Léon

Lords of Léon

House of Léon

: younger son of

Guihomar IV, Viscount of Léon Guihomar, Guidomar, or Guyomar IV (c. 1130–1179) was the Viscount of Léon from 1168 until his death. He was the son and successor of Harvey II. His reign was spent in constant rebellion against his nominal lords in an effort to preserve his hi ...

and his wife Nobilis, died in July 1203. * Harvey II: his son, married Anne (?) of Hennebont. He died in 1218. * Harvey III: his son, married Margaret of Châteauneuf (younger daughter of Hugues IV de Châteauneuf, Lord of Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais and

Senonches Senonches () is a commune in Eure-et-Loir, Centre-Val de Loire, France. In 1973 it absorbed two former communes: Tardais and La Ville-aux-Nonains. Geography Senonches is located northwest of the department of Eure-et-Loir and the northeastern b ...

, and Eleanor of Dreux). He died c. 1241. * Harvey IV: his son, married c. 1260 Matilda of Poissy, Lady of Noyon-sur-Andelle,

Radepont Radepont () is a commune in the Eure department in Normandy, northern France. It is located 22 km south east of Rouen, on the river Andelle. History Radepont's monuments include the chateau de Radepont and the ruined Cistercian abbey of ...

, Hacqueville,

Acquigny Acquigny () is a commune in the Eure department in Normandy in northern France. The 16th century Château d'Acquigny is located here. Population See also *Communes of the Eure department The following is a list of the 585 communes of th ...

, died c. 1290 and was buried in the Abbey of Fontaine-Guérard. In September 1281 he exchanged all his estated in Châteauneuf and Senonches with King

Philip III the Bold Philip III (1 May 1245 – 5 October 1285), called the Bold (), was King of France from 1270 until his death in 1285. His father, Louis IX, died in Tunis during the Eighth Crusade. Philip, who was accompanying him, returned to France and was ...

. This part of the inheritance went to Louis of Valois, Count of Chartres, who had obtained the estate of Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais. When King Philip VI died childless in 1329, he gave his brother Charles II of Valois, Count of Alençon and Perche, a part of their brother's inheritance, and gave him in a charter dated May 1335 the lands of Châteauneuf-en-Thimerais, Senonches and

Champrond Champrond is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Sarthe department The following is a list of the 352 communes of the Sarthe department of France. The com ...

among others. *

Harvey V Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

: his son, died in 1304 * Harvey VI: his son, died in 1337, married Joan of Montmorency. * Harvey VII: his son, died in 1344, married Margaret of Avaugour; Lord of Noyon-sur-Andelle. * Harvey VIII: his son, born in 1341, died in 1363. His birth certificate has been conserved: "In the Lord's year 1341, the Sunday after the transfer of Saint Martin, during the night, about two hours before sunrise, was born in La Roche-Morice, Harvey of Léon from parents belonging of the highest nobility. His father was My Lord Harvey of Léon and his mother was My Lady Margaret of Avaugour (…)". During the

War of the Breton Succession The War of the Breton Succession (, ) or Breton Civil War was a conflict between the Counts of Blois and the Montfort of Brittany, Montforts of Brittany for control of the Duchy of Brittany, then a fief of the Kingdom of France. It was fou ...

which started in 1341, the Lords of Léon supported

Charles of Blois Charles of Blois-Châtillon (131929 September 1364), nicknamed "the Saint", was the legalist Duke of Brittany from 1341 until his death, via his marriage to Joan, Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Penthièvre, holding the title against the ...

partly because of their links with the House of Avaugour. Harvey VII of Léon was captured by the English in 1342 and spent two years imprisoned in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

. He died in 1344 soon after he was released. The fief of La Roche-Maurice was inherited by his son Harvey VIII of Léon, then aged 3. A note in the Lords of Léon's Bible indicates that Harvey VIII was born in La Roche-Maurice in 1341. During the War of the Breton Succession, the situation became confused. The last Lord of Léon died without issue in 1363. The fief was inherited by John I, Viscount of Rohan through his marriage with Joan of Léon, Harvey VIII's sister. In 1363, Harvey VIII died without issue: the Lordship of Léon was inherited by his sister Joan, wife of John I of Rohan.The Viscounts of Rohan sometimes styled themselves Viscounts of Léon The Lordship became part of the estates held by the Rohans. From this time up to 1517, the Rohans' eldest sons would live in the castle of La Roche-Maurice and style themselves Lord of Léon before becoming Viscounts of Rohan.

House of Rohan

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

, son of John I of Rohan, died without issue. * Alan IX, his nephew, son of Alan VIII, grandson of John I of Rohan, died in 1462 *

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

, his son, died in 1517 *

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

, his son, died in 1527 *

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

, his sister, died in 1529 * René I, her son, died in 1552, styled himself "Prince of Léon" towards 1530

Princes of Léon

The

, later

Dukes of Rohan Duke of Rohan is a title of French nobility, associated with the Breton region of Rohan, Morbihan, Rohan. Duke of Rohan House of Rohan House of Chabot House of Rohan-Chabot ''The title ''prince de Léon'' is used a courtesy title until the ...

styled themselves Prince of Léon in the early 16th century and the Lordship became

Principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

of Léon.

* René I of Rohan, died in 1552, styled himself Prince of Léon from c. 1530 * Henry I of Rohan, his son *

René II, Viscount of Rohan René II, Viscount of Rohan (1550–1586), was Prince of Leon, Count of Porhoët, seigneur of Pontivy and Frontenay, and a Huguenot nobleman. He was head of one of the oldest and most distinguished families in France, which was connected with ma ...

, his brother *

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

, his son, Viscount and later Duke of Rohan * Marguerite de Rohan, his daughter *

Henri de Chabot Henri Chabot (1616 – 27 February 1655) was a French nobleman and Duke of Rohan (first by marriage and then in his own right). His wife was the heiress Marguerite de Rohan, Duchess of Rohan, Marguerite de Rohan, daughter of Henri, Duke of Ro ...

Josselin de Rohan Josselin Charles Louis Jean Marie de Rohan-Chabot, 14th Duke of Rohan, CBE (born 5 June 1938), commonly known as Josselin de Rohan, is a French nobleman and retired politician. He is a former member of the Senate of France, where he represented the ...

, his son The heir apparent is the present Duke Josselin de Rohan's son, Alain Louis Marc de Rohan-Chabot (b. 1975)

Footnotes

{{Reflist

Sources

* Patrick Kernévez et Robert le Roy, ''La seigneurie de Léon aux XVe-XVIe siècles'', in Bulletin de la Société archéologique du Finistère, tome CXXXV, 2006
read online
p. 299-319.