The Breton Regionalist Union (Union Régionaliste Bretonne or URB) was a

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 ...

cultural and political organisation created August 16, 1898. It was a broadly conservative grouping dedicated to preserving Breton cultural identity and regional independence. It expressed the ideology of mainly middle-class and aristocratic groups to secure continuity in local administration and Breton culture.

Origins

The Union was created in August 1898, in

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 ...

, following festivals devoted to Breton culture. It was chaired by

Anatole Le Braz Anatole le Braz, the "Bard of Brittany" (2 April 1859 – 20 March 1926), was a Breton poet, folklore collector, and translator. He was highly regarded amongst both European and American scholars, and was known for his warmth and charm. Biograph ...

, with the Marquis de Estourbeillon.

François Vallée François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 1 ...

was named president of the section dedicated to

Breton language Breton (, , ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic languages, Celtic language group spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albei ...

and literature, with

François Jaffrenou François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; ...

as secretary. Other important figures were the writers

Alphonse de Chateaubriant Alphonse may refer to: * Alphonse (given name) * Alphonse (surname) * Alphonse Atoll, one of two atolls in the Seychelles' Alphonse Group *Alphonso (mango), a mango-cultivar from India See also *Alphons *Alfonso (disambiguation) Alfonso (and vari ...

Louis Tiercelin Louis Tiercelin (Rennes, 1846 - Paramé, 1915), was a French writer, poet and playwright associated with the Breton cultural renaissance of the early 20th century. He debuted at the age of 18 with two plays performed at the theatre of Rennes. He ...

and Charles Le Goffic. The photographer and publisher

Émile Hamonic Émile Eugène Louis Hamonic (1861–1943) was a French photographer and publisher, associated with the picture-postcard boom of the early 20th century. He established himself as a publisher of picture postcards in Saint-Brieuc in 1893, becoming ...

was also a member. Sympathisers, if not supporters, included the politician

Albert de Mun Adrien Albert Marie, Comte de Mun (, 28 February 18416 October 1914), was a French political figure, nobleman, journalist, and social reformer of the nineteenth century. Born into a noble family de Mun joined the French army at a young age serv ...

, the poet and art critic Jean Le Fustec, the linguist and grammarian François Vallée, the composer Louis Bourgault-Ducoudray, the singer

Théodore Botrel Jean-Baptiste-Théodore-Marie Botrel (14 September 1868 – 28 July 1925) was a French singer-songwriter, poet and playwright. He is best known for his popular songs about his native Brittany, of which the most famous is ''La Paimpolaise''. Dur ...

, the scholar Rene de Kerviler, the composer

Guy Ropartz Joseph Guy Marie Ropartz (; 15 June 1864 – 22 November 1955) was a French composer and conductor. His compositions included five symphonies, three violin sonatas, cello sonatas, six string quartets, a piano trio and string trio (both in A min ...

and many others. The prominent position held by the nobility and the clergy quickly alienated some of the more radical members and led to the foundation of the alternative Association des bleus de Bretagne (Blues of Brittany) in 1899, which had a more liberal-progressive agenda. Nevertheless, the two groups were never in open conflict. Le Braz was a member of both. The URB declared socialism to be its enemy. Jean-Marie Déguignet, in his ''Memoirs of a Breton Peasant'', wrote that the group was dominated by 'nobles and clerics' who wanted no input from the lower classes about their own culture.

Gorsedd

As a result of the group's work, the Gorsedd of Brittany was created August 31, 1900 in

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 7,115 as of 2020, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Guin ...

, following a meeting of the URB. Following Welsh examples, the group sought to revive Celtic bardic traditions. Each participant adopted a pseudonym and the title of bard. The members of Gorsedd promoted Breton culture either in the sections of the URB, or in the Gorsedd itself. This produced the ''Ti Kaniri breiz'' (House of Breton Song).

Later activities

In 1912,

Maurice Duhamel Maurice Duhamel (23 February 1884 – 5 February 1940) was the pen-name of Maurice Bourgeaux, a Breton musician, writer and activist who was a leading figure in Breton nationalism and federalist politics in the years before World War II. Early lif ...

left the URB with Emile Masson,

Camille Le Mercier d'Erm Camille may refer to: Fictional entities * a Power Rangers Jungle Fury character * Camille Wallaby, a character in Alfred Hedgehog * a character from ''League of Legends'' video game voiced by Emily O'Brien Films *'' Camille (1912 film)'', a s ...

, François Vallée and Loeiz Herrieu to create the Breton Regionalist Federation. Le Mercier d'Erm and Masson went on to found the

Breton Nationalist Party The Breton Nationalist Party (''Parti nationaliste breton'', or PNB) was a French political party that advocated independence for Brittany. It existed from 1911 to 1914. Origins It was founded in October 1911 under the patronage of a committee o ...

Yann Fouéré Yann Fouéré (26 July 1910 – 20 October 2011) was a French essayist, theorist of Breton nationalism, and political activist. Over his lifetime, he was a propagandist, high-ranking civil servant, newspaper editor, essayist, and founder of pol ...

was its vice-president from 1939 to 1945. After 1940, several of its members took part in " Sao Breiz", the Breton section of de Gaulle's

Free French Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

forces. A bulletin edited by the Marquis of Estourbillon appeared from 1902 to 1943. It did not appear during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the majority of the contributors being at the front.

Bibliography

Almanak kevredigez broadus breiz. Simon - Rennes. 1910. BRETON ASSOCIATION AND BRETON REGIONALISTIC UNION. Reports, official reports, memories. Congress of the 150th birthday in Rennes, 1993. Rennes, 1994. {{Authority control Politics of Brittany Inter-Celtic organisations Breton nationalism