In response to a plea from the Roman Emperor Anthemius, Riothamus had led twelve thousand men to establish 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. [c] 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 a different person. 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 the Duchy. Three years later, the area became a centre of royalist and Catholic resistance to the Revolution during the Chouannerie. South of the cathedral, in the former Bishop's Palace, is the Musée Départemental Breton (Breton Museum) with a collection of archaeological objects, folk costumes, ceramics, and artworks, which reveal Brittany's rich cultural heritage. There is also a collection of landscape paintings that depict Brittany's Finistère region.

Dinard enjoys a splendid natural setting (across from Saint-Malo) along the Rance estuary. Mimosas and camellias flourish here under the influence of the Gulf Stream. East of Rennes on the left bank of the Vilaine River, the town of Vitré has a magical old-world ambience complete with ancient town walls and towers. In 1999, Vitré was awarded France's title of " Ville d'Art et d'Histoire" ("Town of Art and History") because it is one of the few medieval towns in Europe that has remained so well intact. After touring the Château des Ducs de Bretagne, visitors should continue west of the castle to the historic quarter of Nantes known as the Bouffay district. In this medieval quarter of half-timbered houses, tourists may wander through the maze of winding streets and shop at the enticing boutiques. 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 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.At the mouth of the Moros River, Concarneau is France's third largest fishing port. This historic fortified town is a called a " ville close" ("closed city") because it was a 14th-century stronghold entirely enclosed by sturdy granite walls and towers. The defenses were enlarged by Vauban in the 17th century. For those who would like to learn about oyster production, one of the best places to visit is the La Ferme Marine de Cancale. Located in a protected marine environment, this working oyster farm offers guided tours. The Château de Fougères presides over the charming town of Fougères (50 kilometers northeast of Rennes), nestled in a tranquil landscape of forests and agricultural land. With the appearance of a fairy-tale castle, this formidable château has 13 towers around a circuit of fortifications. Brittany, apart from some areas such as Lorient, Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, has never been heavily industrialised. Today, fishing and agriculture remain important activities. Brittany has more than 40,000 farms, mostly oriented towards cattle, pig and poultry breeding, as well as cereal and vegetable production. The number of farms tends to diminish, but as a result, they are merged into very large estates. Brittany is the first producer in France for vegetables ( green beans, onions, artichokes, potatoes, tomatoes...). Cereals are mostly grown for cattle feeding. Wine, especially muscadet, is made in a small region south of Nantes. Brittany is the first region in France for fishing. The activity employs around 15,000 people, and more than 2500 firms work in fish and seafood processing. [54] [55] A fishing trawler from Le Guilvinec As 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 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. [32] 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).

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, many Cornish Britons settled in western Armorica to escape 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. [16]Many of the motorways have tolls. To avoid them you can program your navigator to avoid tolls and you can also use www.autoroutes.frto plan your trip and find out the costs of tolls etc. Visitors can begin a walking tour at the Place de la Mairie to admire the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall), built in 1734. West of the Place de la Mairie is the Eglise Saint-Sauveur, a lovely church built from the 17th to the 18th centuries. East of the Town Hall is the Place du Parlement de Bretagne encircled by 18th-century houses.