Brittany.....the Castles

Brittany has a strong Celtic history, as the Celts being the first identifiable inhabitants of the area. They probably intermingled with the earlier peoples who built the great stone monuments (somewhat similar to Stonehenge in England). Later on the Romans moved in by 56 AD, and still later more Celts arrived from Britain.

There were many battles back and forth in the middle ages between the English and French with a few Norse ones also thrown in. Fortresses, castles, fortified areas were located in many places in Brittany as it was often the battle ground between the two countries. Fort La Latte was a 14th century fortified fort near Cap Frehal (on the shore).

In St Malo one can see many of the remains of the fortified areas, including the ramparts which may be walked around. There are a couple of forts on small islands near St Malo. If the invaders got by them, then there is a larger fortress on the mainland. At least one of the smaller forts can be walked to in low tide.

At Fougeres, its medieval fortress was build during the 1300’s by the Duchy of Brittany against the French aggression. Situated atop a granite ledge it is awesome even today. This fortress includes thirteen of the few “belfries” in Brittany. In the old definition of belfry, it is a defensive place of shelter…watch tower…. located in a high place. They did not include a bell.

There were defensive walls that included the higher part of town, but the citizens from the lower town had to retreat into the fortress during times of trouble. Around part of this was a moat that could be flooded by tidal waters in times of need. Part of the moat remains for us to see even today.

In Vitre, the first wooden castle was built about 1000AD. It was soon bequeathed to the Benedictine Monks, but after burning down it was rebuilt as a defensive site at the end of the 11th century. This castle also includes belfries which are visible today. Parliaments took refuge inside its walls during the plague.

. In the late 16th century the castle sheltered Protestants and was for a while a Huguenot stronghold. Later a prison, it is now a musee surrounded by the old half timbered houses of old Vitre.
We saw enumerable ruins of old ramparts and forts as we traveled around. It seems as though everybody was afraid of somebody in those olden days. And before the days of “weapons of mass destruction” what better way to protect yourself than to put up a wall. Ironic isn’t it?