Erispoe, Duke of Brittany
Encyclopedia
Erispoe (died 2 or 12 November 857) was Duke of Brittany
from 851. After the death of his father Nominoe, he led a successful military campaign against the Franks, culminating in his victory at the Battle of Jengland
. He is subsequently referred to as "King of Brittany", but this indicates only that he received a gift of regalia and not that he was ever king by imperial grant or even in his own charters.
Erispoe's recorded titles include provinciæ Brittaniæ princeps, dux Brittonum, and rex tyrannicus Brittonum. The last means "tyrant [ie usurping] king of Brittany", but if Erispoe was usurping regality in Brittany at that time (857) it is not attested in other sources. It may imply continued Frankish resentment of the title. He is called rex Brittonum by Regino of Prüm
.
. In alliance with Lambert II of Nantes
, Erispoe took command of the Breton army while his father was ill. Lambert had been displaced as ruler of Nantes by Charles the Bald
, king of West Francia, who had installed Renaud d'Herbauges
in his place. Ambushed by Count Renaud, Erispoe and Lambert were badly defeated at the initial engagement at Messac
. However, they quickly rallied their troops and took the complacent Franks by surprise shortly later at the Battle of Blain
in 843, inflicting a serious defeat resulting in the death of Count Renaud.
Having gained control of Nantes and Rennes, Nominoe raided into Frankish territory, defeating the Franks at the Battle of Ballon
in 845. A truce followed, but after Charles regained control of Nantes, Nominoe and Erispoe renewed their offensive in 849. While on campaign, Nominoe died suddenly. Erispoe was proclaimed leader, but immediately after his father's death, his power was challenged by Charles the Bald, still his nominal suzerain. Charles crossed the river Vilaine
with an army. Erispoe defeated Charles in the decisive Battle of Jengland
on 22 August 851.
(possibly in secret) in the days following the battle and concluded a peace treaty in return for being invested with the counties of Rennes and Nantes. South of the Loire
, the Pays de Retz
was detached from the County of Poitou and granted to him as well. Charles and Erispoe also created a baptismal alliance, whereby Charles stood as godfather at the baptism of Erispoe's infant son Conan, but whether in 851 or 856 is unknown. Finally, in 851 Charles gave Erispoe royal regalia (robes at least) and Erispoe in turn pledged himself to Charles with the giving of hands and an oath of fidelity. Erispoe subsequently overate at the banquet given in his honour.
According to the Annales Bertiniani
, at Louviers
in February 856 Erispoe's daughter (unnamed in the sources) was betrothed to Charles's young son, Louis the Stammerer
, who was granted the ducatus Cenomannicus as subking of Neustria
with Le Mans
as his capital. With the consent of the Frankish magnates, Louis received the regnum Neustriae from Erispoe:
Erispoe was at peace with Charles for the whole of his reign after Jengland and he governed as a typical Carolingian
regional official might, with the added dignity of a consors regni (royal consort). Erispoe's use of a royal seal has led to the false belief that he was a king (rex), but in fact he probably received the right to use such a seal from Charles, who himself used an imperial seal.
, as his father had been; his power base lay in the Vannetais and southeast Brittany (even more easterly than his father). In 853 the town of Nantes was plundered by the Vikings. Erispoe launched a war against them but it came to an end when they departed a few years later.
In November 857 he was assassinated at the altar of a church, which was then considered a place of asylum, by his cousin and successor Salomon, aided by an obscure Almarchus (Almarus). He was buried at Redon Abbey. By his wife Marmohec (who predeceased him) he had at least two children, the aforementioned Conan and a girl, who eventually married Gurvand of Rennes.
Duke of Brittany
The Duchy of Brittany was a medieval tribal and feudal state covering the northwestern peninsula of Europe,bordered by the Alantic Ocean on the west and the English Channel to the north with less definitive borders of the Loire River to the south and Normandy to the east...
from 851. After the death of his father Nominoe, he led a successful military campaign against the Franks, culminating in his victory at the Battle of Jengland
Battle of Jengland
The Battle of Jengland took place on 22 August 851, between the Frankish army of Charles the Bald and the Breton army of Erispoe, Duke of Brittany...
. He is subsequently referred to as "King of Brittany", but this indicates only that he received a gift of regalia and not that he was ever king by imperial grant or even in his own charters.
Erispoe's recorded titles include provinciæ Brittaniæ princeps, dux Brittonum, and rex tyrannicus Brittonum. The last means "tyrant [ie usurping] king of Brittany", but if Erispoe was usurping regality in Brittany at that time (857) it is not attested in other sources. It may imply continued Frankish resentment of the title. He is called rex Brittonum by Regino of Prüm
Regino of Prüm
Reginon or Regino of Prüm was a Benedictine abbot and medieval chronicler.-Biography:According to the statements of a later era, Regino was the son of noble parents and was born at the stronghold of Altrip on the Rhine near Speyer at an unknown date...
.
War with the Franks
Erispoe was born to Nominoe's wife Argentaela, but the date of his birth is not known. He was involved in his father's campaigns to take control of the Frankish counties of Rennes and NantesCounty of Nantes
The counts of Nantes were originally the Frankish rulers of the Nantais under the Carolingians. Their county served as a march against the Bretons of the Vannetais...
. In alliance with Lambert II of Nantes
Lambert II of Nantes
Lambert II was the Count of Nantes and Prefect of the Breton March between 843 and 851. Lambert ruled the county in opposition to Amaury, the puppet count installed by Charles the Bald, King of West Francia. At his death, the county was effectively in Breton control...
, Erispoe took command of the Breton army while his father was ill. Lambert had been displaced as ruler of Nantes by Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
, king of West Francia, who had installed Renaud d'Herbauges
Renaud d'Herbauges
Renaud was Frankish Count of Herbauges, Count of Poitiers and Count of Nantes. His name is also spelled Rainaldus or Ragenold, and he is sometimes known as Reginald in English...
in his place. Ambushed by Count Renaud, Erispoe and Lambert were badly defeated at the initial engagement at Messac
Messac, Ille-et-Vilaine
Messac is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Bretagne in north-western France.-Demographics:Inhabitants of Messac are called Messacois.-References:* ;* -External links:*...
. However, they quickly rallied their troops and took the complacent Franks by surprise shortly later at the Battle of Blain
Battle of Blain
The Battle of Blain, also called the Battle of Messac, was fought on 24 May 843 by the forces of Lambert II of Nantes allied to Erispoe, prince of Brittany, against Renaud, Frankish Count of Nantes. It arose from Breton resistance to Frankish power within Brittany and disputes over control of the...
in 843, inflicting a serious defeat resulting in the death of Count Renaud.
Having gained control of Nantes and Rennes, Nominoe raided into Frankish territory, defeating the Franks at the Battle of Ballon
Battle of Ballon
The Battle of Ballon took place on 22 November 845 between the forces of Charles the Bald, king of West Francia, and Nominoë Duke of Brittany. Nominoë was appropriating border territory and opposing Charles' attempt to impose Frankish authority...
in 845. A truce followed, but after Charles regained control of Nantes, Nominoe and Erispoe renewed their offensive in 849. While on campaign, Nominoe died suddenly. Erispoe was proclaimed leader, but immediately after his father's death, his power was challenged by Charles the Bald, still his nominal suzerain. Charles crossed the river Vilaine
Vilaine
The Vilaine is a river in Brittany, in the west of France. The river's source is in the Mayenne département , and flows out in the Atlantic Ocean at Pénestin in the Morbihan département . It is 218 km long...
with an army. Erispoe defeated Charles in the decisive Battle of Jengland
Battle of Jengland
The Battle of Jengland took place on 22 August 851, between the Frankish army of Charles the Bald and the Breton army of Erispoe, Duke of Brittany...
on 22 August 851.
Treaty of Angers
Erispoe met Charles in AngersAngers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
(possibly in secret) in the days following the battle and concluded a peace treaty in return for being invested with the counties of Rennes and Nantes. South of the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
, the Pays de Retz
Pays de Retz
The Pays de Retz is a historical region of France that currently forms part of the Loire-Atlantique department, but which previously formed part of the Duchy of Brittany....
was detached from the County of Poitou and granted to him as well. Charles and Erispoe also created a baptismal alliance, whereby Charles stood as godfather at the baptism of Erispoe's infant son Conan, but whether in 851 or 856 is unknown. Finally, in 851 Charles gave Erispoe royal regalia (robes at least) and Erispoe in turn pledged himself to Charles with the giving of hands and an oath of fidelity. Erispoe subsequently overate at the banquet given in his honour.
According to the Annales Bertiniani
Annales Bertiniani
Annales Bertiniani, or The Annals of St. Bertin, are late Carolingian, Frankish annals that were found in the monastery of St. Bertin, after which they are named. Their account is taken to cover the period 830-82, thus continuing the Royal Frankish Annals , from which, however, it has circulated...
, at Louviers
Louviers
Louviers is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.Louviers is from Paris and from Rouen.-Population:-Sights:Its church, Notre Dame, has parts which date from the thirteenth century...
in February 856 Erispoe's daughter (unnamed in the sources) was betrothed to Charles's young son, Louis the Stammerer
Louis the Stammerer
Louis the Stammerer was the King of Aquitaine and later King of West Francia. He was the eldest son of Charles the Bald and Ermentrude of Orléans. He succeeded his younger brother in Aquitaine in 866 and his father in West Francia in 877, though he was never crowned Emperor...
, who was granted the ducatus Cenomannicus as subking of Neustria
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
with Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
as his capital. With the consent of the Frankish magnates, Louis received the regnum Neustriae from Erispoe:
Karlus rex cum Respogio Brittone paciscens, filiam eius filio suo Ludoico despondet, dato illi ducatu Cenomannico usque ad viam quae a Lotitia Parisiorum Cesaredunum Turonum ducit.
King Charles, making peace with Erispoe of Brittany, the daughter of whom was betrothed to his son Louis, gave the duchy of Maine as far as the road from Paris to Tours as duke.
Erispoe was at peace with Charles for the whole of his reign after Jengland and he governed as a typical Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
regional official might, with the added dignity of a consors regni (royal consort). Erispoe's use of a royal seal has led to the false belief that he was a king (rex), but in fact he probably received the right to use such a seal from Charles, who himself used an imperial seal.
Later life
Erispoe was a benefactor of the abbey of RedonRedon Abbey
Redon Abbey, or Abbey of Saint-Sauveur, Redon , in Redon in the present Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, France, is a former Benedictine abbey founded in 832 by Saint Conwoïon, at the point where the Oust flows into the Vilaine, on the border between Neustria and Brittany.-History:In 832 Ratwili, a local...
, as his father had been; his power base lay in the Vannetais and southeast Brittany (even more easterly than his father). In 853 the town of Nantes was plundered by the Vikings. Erispoe launched a war against them but it came to an end when they departed a few years later.
In November 857 he was assassinated at the altar of a church, which was then considered a place of asylum, by his cousin and successor Salomon, aided by an obscure Almarchus (Almarus). He was buried at Redon Abbey. By his wife Marmohec (who predeceased him) he had at least two children, the aforementioned Conan and a girl, who eventually married Gurvand of Rennes.