Nominoe, Duke of Brittany
Nominoë (died
March 7 851), was count of
Vannes and the first
king of Brittany, from
846 to his death. His name in
Breton is
Nevenoe. To Breton nationalistes he is known as
Tad ar Vro, or "father of the country".
He was nominated by king
Louis I of France and
Holy Roman Emperor to rule
Brittany as his
vassal. Nominoe honoured the agreement and remained a faithful servant until
841, when Louis died and was succeeded by
Charles the Bald.
Apparently the relations between the Duke and Charles were not as amicable, because Nominoe refused to swear allegiance to the new king and rebelled, declaring Brittany an independent state. Charles of France hurried to crush the rebellion but, after some minor skirmishes, was utterly defeated in the
battle of Ballon. In
846, Charles was forced to recognise the independence of Brittany and Nominoe as its king.
Nominoe died undefeated in
Vendôme in 851, after conquering the counties of
Maine and
Anjou. After
duke Alan II, the title of king was abandoned and the rulers took the title of dukes of Brittany.
See also: Dukes of Brittany family tree
