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Dukes & Duchesses of Brittany (1485 – 1559)

The Dukes and Duchesses of Brittany between 1485 to 1559 were also kings and queens of France from the time France conquered Brittany to the death of King François II of France. Anne of Brittany, the last truly independent Duchess of Brittany, fought her whole life to keep her duchy separate from France. She had …

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Le Château des Ducs de Bretagnes à Nantes

Anne of Brittany among the Chateaux of Brittany and France

As befitted her role as Queen of France, Anne of Brittany passed her life travelling among the royal chateaux of Brittany and France. It could easily not have happened. When her father died shortly after the disastrous the battle of St. Aubin de Cormier in July 1488, Anne was not yet 12. She became ruler …

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Claude de France’s Prayer Book

Claude de France’s prayer book is an example of the exquisite manuscript art of the French Renaissance. This example demonstrates that Anne of Brittany passed on her passion for religion, beauty and books to her daughter Claude. Queen Anne, Duchess of Brittany bore her elder daughter, Claude de France, in October 1499, 10 months after …

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Digitizing Manuscripts for the World

Making Manuscripts Available Worldwide By digitizing thousands of pre-16th century manuscripts, researchers around the world can now study where they are. What a blessing this is. For researchers. Also for their family and workplaces. For the preservation of the precious manuscripts. And to protect our even more precious world. [Not that travel isn’t worthwhile, but …

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The issue of religion affected court poets

Like everyone else at court in France in the mid-1500s, the issue of religion affected court poets. The rhétoriqueurs were poets who combined stilted language with a fondness for the allegorical manner of the 15th century and the most complicated and artificial forms of the ballade and the rondeau. Their work has not lasted. The …

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The Regent, Louise of Savoy

On 1 January 1515 Louise of Savoy’s son became king and by July, François I was at war in Italy, leaving the Regent, Louise de Savoy in charge. He was away until early in 1516. Her contemporaries, among them Pope Leo X, acknowledged and appreciated her status as a powerful mater regis. Charles Brandon, the Duke …

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The Great Hours of Anne of Brittany

Queen Anne’s Library and Books of Hours Queen Anne’s library, duchess of Brittany, included several Books of Hours. France considers her Great Hours one of its national treasures. Master Jean Bourdichon, who painted it was one of the great painters of the early French Renaissance. Anne’s library is a famous collection. Some she inherited from her …

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