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| The Brittany Rebellion |
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The red and mauve
5c and 15c values
produced for 'Home
Rule' propaganda |
The current news often features the latest cause and effect of the Republicans and Nationalists in Northern Ireland. However, there is a much older 'Home Rule' contest that features Britons, and that is in the region and former province of Brittany in North-West France.
Brittany is a peninsula between the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay. Its history dates back to the period 3500 to 1800 BC when early inhabitants built stone monuments at Carnac and other sites. The region was later settled by Celts who were defeated by Julius Caesar in 56 BC. It took its current form during the period of the Anglo-Saxon invasions of Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries. This invasion forced Celtic refugees to settle in Brittany, and thus gave the region its name. The ancient Breton language also dates from this time and is a mixture of Welsh and Cornish -the name of Brittany is Breiz in Breton.
In the 9th century Brittany was united, winning independence from Carolingian rule, under the leadership of Nomenoe, and in the 10th century it became a Duchy with its capital at Rennes. Whilst for four centuries it maintained its independence from both France and Britain, with difficulty, in the 15th century the Duchy became closely linked to France with the marriage of Anne of Brittany to two successive Kings of France. In 1532 the region was formally incorporated into France.
So, where does philately come into the picture? The 'Federation Regionliste de Bretagne' held annual congresses to encourage the case for the independence of Brittany from France. At its 1903 Congress it issued 'Home Rule' essays, or poster stamps, for propaganda purposes. There were two values - 5(c) and 15(c) - issued in red and mauve, carrying the legend 'Breiz' and 'Unvaniez'. We would suggest that this latter word is an indicator of where the Congress was held that year |
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| Unknown Arrows |
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| A 1903 cover to Paris tied with the 15c propaganda label |
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The design in the centre of the stamps is a 'Welsh' harp and two 'arrow' type symbols - we don't ' know the significance of these 'arrows'. These stamps were applied to outgoing mail and we have in our collections one tied to a French stamp on a cover addressed to Monsieur le Mis UEstourbeillon, a Deputy in the French Parliament. The postmark is also of interest as it is a NantesParis TPO cancellation of November 18, 1903.
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The 1904 issue from the
congress at Gourin
featuring the blink Saint
Herve - a patron Saint
of Brittany - and wolf
guidedog |
The stamps can also be found on a yellow and red larger vignette that carries the words 'Breiz da Virviken Bretagne'. We can not find out the meaning of the word 'Virviken' as the only Breton-English dictionary we could find on the internet is limited currently to about 500 words! In 1904 a further Congress was held at Gourin and a new stamp was issued. The stamp bears a picture of Saint Herve. Under 'Gourin' at the foot of the stamp, there is the date 1904 in small print. We have a 15(c) stamp in red with a black centre, but there could be a second stamp in different colours, as per 1903. The centre design shows Saint Herve being guided by a wolf. Saint Herve (521 to 566 AD, or possibly later) was born blind and, when his father died whilst he was an infant, his mother gave him into the care of a renowned holy man. |
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