Description: How did Brittany get its name and its British-Celtic language in the centuries after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire? Beginning in the ninth century, scholars have proposed a succession of theories about Breton origins, influenced by the changing relationships between Brittany, its Continental neighbours, and the 'Atlantic Archipelago' during and after the Viking age and the Norman Conquest. However, due to limited records, the history of medieval Brittany remains a relatively neglected area of research. In this new volume, the authors draw on specialised research in the history of language and literature, archaeology, and the cult of saints, to tease apart the layers of myth and historical record. Brittany retained a distinctive character within the typical 'medieval' forces of kingship, lordship, and ecclesiastical hierarchy. The early history of Brittany is richly fascinating, and this new investigation offers a fresh perspective on the region and early medieval Europe in general.
Brief description: Caroline Brett is Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at the University of Cambridge. She was Research Associate on the Leverhulme-funded project 'Brittany and the Atlantic Archipelago' and has previously published an edition of two saints' lives from Brittany.
Review Quotes: 'This welcome, authoritative study synthesizes the history and archaeology of early medieval Brittany, framed comparatively in terms of its wider west European, Atlantic connections. Not only students of the European early middle ages but anyone fascinated by the Breton landscape and its history will read it with profit and pleasure.' Marios Costambeys, University of Liverpool