Bretonnia

"....Thou shalt give unto thine glorius liege the taxes that he requires....Thou shalt labour all but feast day's.....And no more than a tenth-share shall you keep for kith and kin....Rejoice! For a Knight of Bretonnia provides your shield"

- Vow's of the Peasants unto their Bretonnian Lord



Bretonnia is a country located west of the Empire, between the Grey Mountains and the Great Ocean in the lands that were once part of the domain of the Elves. Bretonnia is second only in size, and military to that of the Empire, and more often then not, the two related nations would often have conflicts with each other, during the cource of history. Once in a few instances was Bretonnia ever allied with the Empire, and it was during the Great Crusades against Sultan Jaffar's invasion of Estalia, and the recent Storm of Chaos where they stood side-by-side.



The Land of Bretonnia haven't really existed during the time of Sigmar and the eariler days of the birth of the Empire. Indeed it had been many centuries past, before a great Leader united the tribes of the Briton's in the same way Sigmar had many centuries before. The earliest days of Bretonnian history are not well known, though it has been implied that, as with most of the world, it was once ruled by the cold-blooded Lizardmen. After the first defeat of Chaos, however, the land that would become Bretonnia was settled by the High Elves of Ulthuan, during the reign of Bel Shanaar the Explorer. Elven colonies dotted the coast, of which the most famous was Tor Alessi (later L'Anguille). These colonies survived the wars with Malekith and the Sundering relatively unscathed, but soon faced the full wrath of the dwarfs in the War of the Beard. Bretonnia was the primary battleground of the war, which raged for centuries. The war finally ended with the death of the Phoenix King Caledor II and the theft of the Phoenix Crown. However, the war had so weakened the High Elves that the next Phoenix King, Caradryel, ordered the withdrawal of all elves back to Ulthuan, leaving the elven colonies in ruins. The few elves that refused his command retreated to the forests of Loren and over the centuries degenerated into the feral Wood Elves.

History
It was at this time that the first human settlers of Bretonnia appeared, circa fifteen hundred years before the time of Sigmar, and almost two thousand five hundred years before the rise of le Breton. These settlers migrated from the east, originally from the World's Edge Mountains, and after settling the lands of the Empire, crossed the Grey Mountains and entered Bretonnia. These primitive tribes had little knowledge of metalwork or agriculture and were poor warriors. They worshipped a primordial earth goddess and erected great stone circles in her honour, which remain symbols of the Old Faith to this day. Presumably it was around this time too that greenskins, both orc and goblin, entered the lands of Bretonnia, where they were to become a consistent plague. Approximately five hundred years later, one thousand years before the time of Sigmar, a second wave of human migrations crossed the World's Edge Mountains. These new tribes were warlike and fierce, and fought greenskin and indigenous human population alike. While most of these tribes settled in the Empire and eventually became the Empire, one far ranging tribe crossed the Grey Mountains. This tribe, the Bretonni, was to give its name to the land they found. Like their kin, they fought Greenskins and earth-worshipper and soon became dominant. The Bretonni were master horsemen and possessed of a proud martial bearing. They settled and farmed Bretonnia, splintering into smaller groups and making war on each other with much gusto as well. They would remain in this state for almost two thousand years.

The Founding of the Kingdom: Unification of Bretonnia (978 to 1447 IC)
When Sigmar founded the Empire, he extended an invitation to the tribes of the Bretonni to join him in his new confederation. Despite Sigmar's goal of pan-human unity, though, the cultural differences were apparently too large and this offer was quickly rebuffed. While the Empire experienced its growing pains in the first millennium of its existence, the Bretonni remained divided. It would be foolish to say that they did not advance, though, and the dukedoms of Bretonnia began to appear in something close to their modern state. The greenskins had lived in Bretonnia alongside the Bretonni for all this time, though, and as is normal for the creatures, eventually their population reached saturation point and they began to overrun the Bretonni. The dukedoms of Cuileux and Glanborielle were destroyed in this multiplication of orcs and goblins, and most found themselves battling to survive. One of them, Duke Gilles of Bastonne, fought the greenskins until backed into a corner. Highly respected for slaying the dragon Smearghus early in his reign, Gilles had rallied Duke Thierulf of Lyonesse and Duke Landuin of Mousillon to his side, but the three of them and their armies found themselves outfought and facing almost certain annihilation. The Bretonni army encamped beside a lake to face their certain doom on the morrow. That morning, a miracle occurred. A heavenly, ethereal woman arose from the mists of the lake, witnessed by the entire army. Of the dumbstruck Bretonni, Gilles was the first to move. He raised the bloodstained and tattered banner of Bastonne high, inspired by some genius or madness he knew not what, and cried "Lady, bless my banner!"

He dipped the banner into the lake, at the lady's feet, and when it rose again it was fully restored, blazing with the icon of a grail. Other knights scrambled to follow, asking this lady to bless their sword, lance, or warhorse. Finally the lady held forth a chalice overflowing with light, and Gilles, Thierulf, and Landuin drank. These three were the first Grail Knights, and behind the banner of the Lady of the Lake, the Bretonni won their first great victory against the greenskins. Gilles led his army across all Bretonnia, fighting twelve great battles against its enemies and offering the grail to every other duke. The twelve dukes, or Companions as they became known, inflicted a massive defeat on the greenskins, and when peace had been won, agreed that so too would there be peace among their dukedoms. Gilles was dubbed 'le Breton' and 'Uniter', and with the Lady's blessing became the first King of Bretonnia.

With the tragic death of Gilles in the year 17 (995 IC) there are much lamentation throughout the lands as all of Bretonnia mourned. Gilles's only son Louis, who was born under mysterious circumstances, some say he was the child of the Lady herself, became the duke of Bastonne. However, the question of whether he should also become ruler of Bretonnia was much debated. Many advocated that Landium of Moussilon should take the position, while other's believed that Landuin's rival, Thierulf of Lyonesse, or the wise Marcus of Bordeleaux, would make a suitable ruler. The majority of the dukes eventually agreed that Louis should take the role, but that posed another problem, for he has not drunk from the Grail of the Lady of the Lake, as had his father and all the other dukes. And no knight, it was decreed, no matter of birth, should be able to become Lord of Bretonnia without first having the blessing of the goddess. So it was that Louis left court and set out immediately on his quest to find the Lady and prove his worth before her, earning himself the title "The Rash". Thus was the tradition of the Questing Knight's born. For year's Louis the Rash travelled the lenght and breadth of Bretonnia, righting wrong's and doing great deed's. In his absense, Theirulf of Lyonesse acted as steward of Bretonnia, much to the chargin of Mousillon so it is said.

Year's later, Louis entered his ancestral castle astride a mighty purebreed charger, his golden hair shining and his eyes aglow with noble power. None could doubt that the Lady has blessed him, and his subjects fell to their knee's before him. So it was that he as crowned as King of Bretonnia, and the golden Crown of Bretonnia, a gift of the lady herself was placed upon his broow by the Fay Enchantress, she who had borne away the fatally wounded Gilles who was the sacred representation of the Lady of the Lake herself. All of Bretonnia rejoiced in their new monarch. His first act as king was to formalise the code of honour that his father and the Companions lived by. The original vows of chivalric knighthood still exist within the halls of Bastonne, crumbling partchment decorated with the elaborate scripts that detail the duties of hte knights. All over Bretonnia, the knights embraced their vows, and many noble warriors gave up their castles and wealth to embark on the path of the Questing Knight. A wave of faith swept through Bretonnia, and the lady of the lake became the primary deity of the nobles. The dukes continued to push back the evil from their border's, and Bretonnia flourished. The great port cities grew large and sprawling with renewed trade, Grail chapels were built in place of holy significance, and the Fay Enchantress guided the Bretonnian's in the worship of the Lady. Hundreds of years, Bretonnia continued to grow in strenght and influence. When their lands were threatened, they crushed their foe's. King Gulliaume defeated the Orc tribes of the Massif Orcal highlands, spareing none. Lord Lamorte smashed the fleets of the undead at Savage Point. The hated beast of hte forest were pushed deeper and deeper into their darkened realms, expelled from the open lands of Duke Theodremund of Artios.

The Crusades and the War's of Errantry: Invasion of Jaffar and Araby (1448 to 1883 IC)


In the year 470 (1448 IC) the souther realm of Estalia was invaded by Jaffar during The Great Crusades. Diplomatic envoy's pleaded with Bretonnia to send aid, and the king sent out his call to war. Throughout all the dukedom's this call to war was heard, and countless knight's pledge their lance to the cause. In his noble wisdom, King Louis the Righteous gave permission for warriors of the Empire to cross Bretonnia on their journey to Estalia, for they too had pledged their aid, despite the lack of unification during the reign of the three emperors. The innumerable armies of jaffar could not stand before the might of Bretonnia, and thousands fell beneath the charge of noble knights. Retreating back to Araby, Jaffar's armies were hounded by the Bretonnians who persued them tirelessly. Not even the harsh desert condition's could perturb the knights, and their fevour slowly took their toll on Jaffar's warriors. As the war's entered their third year, Jaffar's armies began to disband, for many of the tribes of Araby grew weary of the despot's tyranny. After frustrating months of minor skirmishes, the Bretonnians faced Jaffar at the Battle of El Haikk. Elemental spirits of the deep deserts were summoned to fight alongside Jaffar's armies yet, despite being vastly outnumbered, a great victory was won by the Bretonnian and Empire knights and the despot's force scattered. Disliking the harsh, dry lands, for it proved too vast and hostle to be completely conquer, the Bretonnians sailed back home, with their cargo of exotic goods and treasures, while the Empire Knightly Order's remained behind to hunt down the remants of Jaffar's army, and would eventualy lead to the creation of several more Knightly Orders.

Meanwhile, a second great crusading force, led by Baron Tybalt, had left Bretonnia and was travelling the long road overland towards Araby. Hearing of the great victory, his force did not press on the desert kingdom's, and though many of the knights smarted not to have shared the glory, and the great many of them still wished to enter the lands of the hated Desert Kings. Nevertheless, under Tybalt's leadership they pushed into lands that had not yet been conquered by any civilised race. Seeking glory and honour, they south out the armies of Greenskin's that plauged these lands for centuries, and many great victory were won. The hardy Dwarves that dwelled in the mountains around these lands rejoiced, for the Bretonnians had dealt a serious blow to their ancient enemy, the Greenskin's, and they bestowed much praise and honour upon the Knights. Rare it was these day's for the reclusive Dwarf's to contact with the other nation's of men, other then the Empire. Yet these victories bestowed a bond between Bretonnia and the Dwarves of Karaz Ankor.

Overview
The Land of Bretonnia is a feudal, traditional society where the peasants serve the knights in return for protection, while the knights are bound to militarily serve their lords in return for certain rights and titles. At the top of this feudal hierarchy is the King. Beneath the Kings are the Dukes. Beneath them is another layer of nobility, the Marquesses, the Earls, the Viscounts, and the Barons in descending order.

The King, Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts, and Barons are also each the lord of a number of Knights, who are the lesser nobles. Each Knight (including the higher nobles) has his own force of Men-at-Arms chosen from the most physically able peasants. In return for serving his knightly lord, each peasant is given a small tract of land for his family and can be expected to be called upon for service in times of war. The Knights' forces typically consist of the stronger Men-at-Arms and the more lowly Bowmen levies. The lands of Bretonnia are also ruled by spiritual and mystical leaders, the Fay Enchantress, her Damsels, and the Grail Knights, who are all faithful servants to the Lady of the Lake. The Lady of the Lake gets her servants by stealing all children with magical ability by the age of three. The girls become wizards in service to the Lady, her damsels. The males are never seen again. For reasons of religious devotion parents allow this awful custom.

The Knights of Bretonnia are divided into four categories. Knights Errant are young sons of nobles who must prove themselves in battle. If successful, they become Knights of the Realm, are granted their own small plot of land to govern, and are obliged to defend Bretonnia should they be called. Questing Knights are brave individuals who renounce their titles and worldly possessions and journey to faraway lands in hopes of being deemed worthy by the Lady (of the Lake) to become Grail Knights. Grail Knights are the most powerful and revered individuals in all of Bretonnia, second only to the Lady. They are living saints who represent the fearsome power of Bretonnia and answer only to the Lady herself.

The Kingdom of Bretonnia is made up of 14 dukedoms: Couronne, L'Anguille, Artois, Lyonesse, Mousillon, Gisoreaux, Montfort, Bastonne, Bordeleaux, Aquitaine, Parravon, Brionne, Quenelles, and Carcassonne. Each of these, with the exception of Mousillon (see below), is ruled by its own Duke, who in turn has various nobles and knights who serve under him. The great castle of the King is in the fortified city of Couronne, traditionally the capital. The Forest of Loren is within the borders of Bretonnia, but is considered to be the forbidden realm of the Wood Elves.

The lands are notorious for their oppression of the commoners and peasants, which some say are more strict and harsh then those of other Old World nations. This dark side of Bretonnian is put out where, the nobles and nobility are above the peasants in many way's, often have all the say in any matters, and the peasants are often living in far worst conditions then those in the Empire.

The peasants have nearly no rights at all, and are illiterate and uneducated. They are considered property, and must surrender 9/10ths of their crops to their feudal lord. As a result most of them will remain extremely poor throughout their entire lives. They may also not leave their home province unless allowed; as a result a certain degree of inbreeding is quite common. Many peasants are afflicted by clubfeet, extra fingers, lazy eyes, or similar defects. Bretonnian justice is harsh and any peasant who is caught stealing or poaching is usually hanged. An even harsher punishment is dealt to a peasant who attacks a noble. He and his family will be tortured and slowly dismembered, while all his friends and acquaintances will be crippled. Such is the price of rebellion.

The nobles largely worship the Lady of the Lake, considered the national patron deity of chivalry. However the other deities of the Old World are respected and presumably worshipped on occasion. The main priestess of the Lady of Lake is the Fay Enchantress who is respected throughout Bretonnia. Other 'minor' Prophetesses and Damsels roam the kingdom, advising noble families, and occasionally aid Bretonnian armies in battle through their magical abilities. The peasants are not considered worthy enough to worship the Lady of the Lake directly. While they certainly respect and fear her, they usually worship the other deities of the Old World.

Places of Interest
There are no cities in Bretonnia. Most nobles live in mighty castles in the countryside surrounded by a village and only the castles of a handful of dukes protect developed towns, which sport the same name as the respective provinces. The people of Bretonnia consider the life in towns to be somewhat unnatural, fit only for the most desperate and poor. The largest towns are seaports, centres of trade and harbours of the Bretonnian fleets.

Mousillon
The Dukedom of Mousillon is the cursed dukedom of Bretonnia. The first Duke, Landuin, is reputed to be the finest knight of the Companions of Gilles le Breton and presumably the finest Knight ever. However after his untimely death the land fell into darkness and the name is now associated with evil, a refuge for vile men, dishonoured knights and creatures of evil. The first major incident to tarnish the name of Mousillon involved the Duke Merovech in the Imperial year 1813, during a victory banquet held to celebrate the defeat of an invasion of Bretonnia by the Skaven. But the knights and nobles who attended were disgusted to see his halls decorated with impaled criminals and the meals served by shambling servants who more resembled the undead than living men. In a drunken fury, Merovech accused the other nobles of insulting his hospitality, causing the King to challenge him. In the inevitable duel that followed, Merovech ripped the King's throat out and drank his blood from a goblet. (There is no evidence to suggest he was a Vampire, however). The rest of Bretonnia denounced the duke, and invaded Mousillon. Many of his own knights renounced their feudal oaths to him and swore allegiance to Lyonesse. After a bloody final battle, Merovech was slain.

Five hundred years later Mousillon was involved in the Affair of the False Grail in which the Lord and Lady of Mousillon perished during a siege of their castle, and a new duke has never been appointed. However in recent years rumours of a self-appointed Duke have begun to circulate, a black-armoured knight who is assembling the evil men and creatures that dwell there. It has been rumored that the current King, Louen Leoncoeur, is planning to lead a fresh invasion of Mousillon. It is no secret that many Bretonnians would love to see Mousillon burned to the ground and destroyed once and for all.

Brionne
Brionne, one of the smaller duchies of Bretonnia, is nevertheless famed for its priavteers. The merchants and sea captains of Marienburg insist that Brionnese privateers are the scourge of their trade.

Couronne
The King of Bretonnia's personal fief, the Duchy of Couronne is where he keeps court. The King's personal castle is built upon Elven ruins. Additionally, there is a temple of Shallya in Couronne that is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the entire Old World.

Bordeleaux
The Duchy of Bordeleaux is justly famed for the quality of its wine.