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"So great must the king's stature be that when battle is joined it is always with the Lady of the Lake's blessing."

—Description of Bretonnia's warrior-kings in Total War: Warhammer.[2]
Bretonnia Grail Banner

A Grail Banner of Bretonnia

Royarch is the formal title given to the King of Bretonnia, who must always be a mighty Grail Knight of the Lady of the Lake, and a holy warrior who embodies the very pinnacle of justice and chivalry.

History[]

The royarch is chosen from either the senior-most hereditary successor to the original royal bloodline or from one of the dukes of the twelve dukedoms that comprise Bretonnia. The first royarch was the legendary warrior, unifier and founder of Bretonnia Gilles le Breton, who was crowned by the Fay Enchantress in 978 IC.

Over the years, the crown of Bretonnia has passed to many different families and dukedoms, but it has always been worn by one who has seen and communed with the Lady of the Lake herself. The current royarch, Louen Leoncoeur, was crowned in 2500 IC.

The reigning Bretonnian king always lives in the most sumptuous luxury imaginable. Their stables are filled with the finest warhorses, their weapons are encrusted with jewels, and their silk banners glitter with gold.

Corona Bretonia-0

The crown of the Royarch of Bretonnia

The Royarch or King of Bretonnia is sovereign, which means he is not bound by the law. He can make laws as he wishes, and anything he does is legal, purely because he does it. If the king were ever to be corrupt, Bretonnia would face serious problems under this system of absolute monarchy. However, the king is always also a Grail Knight, and is thus a shining example of chivalry and honour. The king's power serves as a check on abuses by the lesser Bretonnian nobility, even when those abuses technically abide by the letter of the law.

The king is also the only Bretonnian noble who has the power to declare an Errantry War, which summons most knights to fight and prove their virtue in a glorious campaign. A noble can be stripped of their land and title by order of the king, or the Fay Enchantress. This equally affects the hereditary rights of all of their descendants, so it is not done lightly. The king and Fay Enchantress can also raise a peasant to the nobility, but in this case, they must both agree.

It is common for the royarch to also hold the title and hereditary rights of a duke, especially if they held this rank prior to ascending to the throne. However, some Bretonnian kings have been known to grant this title to another noble, often a member of their own royal household. If such a duke perishes in battle or is somehow deposed, the king will re-inherit the title and its lands.[4]

Notable Kings of Bretonnia[]

Name Reign (IC) Duchy Notes
Gilles le Breton 1-19 (978-997 IC) Bastonne First King of Bretonnia
Louis the Rash ca. 23 (1001 IC) Bastonne Son of Gilles, the first Questing Knight
Guillaume ca. 164 (1142 IC) Possibly Bastonne Third King of Bretonnia; his many deeds were recorded in the Chanson of Guillaume.
Baudoin the Dragonslayer ca. 267 (1245 IC) Bastonne Slew the ferocious Dragon Mergaste.
Louis the Righteous ca. 470 (1448 IC) Aquitaine Brother of the infamous Red Duke, leader of the Great Crusades Against Araby.
Jules ca. 600, 610 (1578, 1588 IC) Unknown Took part in a great tourney against the Wood Elves of Athel Loren and defeated one of their lords in the joust.
Philippe the Strong ca. 657 (1635 IC) Possibly L'Anguille Defeated an army of raiders at the Battle of Castellet.
Louis the Brave ca. 1029 (2007 IC) Unknown Slain in battle by the Chaos Lord Akrim, leader of the Skulltakers warband.
Louis the Young ca. 1029 (2007 IC) Unknown Son of KIng Louis the Brave, Louis the Young knighted Repanse de Lyonesse and made her Duchess of Lyonesse.
Louen Orc-Slayer ca. 1223 (2201 IC) Bastonne Declared an Errantry War against the Orcs.
Jules the Just ca. 1319 (2297 IC) Gisoreux Slain by a Chaos Champion, whom he also killed. His death led to the Affair of the False Grail.
Gaston de Beau Geste ca. 1319 (2297 IC) Possibly Gisoreux Gaston was the monarch of Bretonnia during the Affair of the False Grail.
Charlen ca. 1440 (2418 IC) Couronne Fought during the Siege of Couronne.
Theobald II ca. 1492 (2470 IC) Unknown Enemy of the Lichemaster Heinrich Kemmler; Theobald II was slain destroying the Lichemaster's dark fortress.
Phillippe V ca. 1501, 1510 (2479, 2488 IC) Unknown Ended King Charlen's Errantry War.
Feramand ca. 1517 (2495 IC) Unknown Continued to suppress the Lichemaster.
Louen Leoncoeur 1522-1544 (2500-2522 IC) Couronne Ascended to godhood after his death during the End Times.
Gilles le Breton 1544 (2522 IC) Couronne (Unofficially) Long the Green Knight, his identity was revealed when he returned to Bretonnia during the End Times and took up the crown once more.

Kings of Bretonnia with Unspecified Reigns[]

Name Reign (IC) Duchy Notes
Bellaume the Brave Unknown Unknown Forced to abdicate for an unknown failure by order of the Fay Enchantress. The only King of Bretonnia to have been dethroned.
Guillaume Barbenoire Unknown Unknown Guillaume first laid Bretonnian claims on the Westerland as the kingdom's "natural frontier."[4]
Charles VII Unknown Unknown Ruler at the time of the Battle of Elfincourt.[1a]
Jean le Bon Unknown Unknown Hosted the great Tournament of Couronne, where the Fay Enchantress duelled with a male magic-user.
Louis the Bold Unknown Unknown Known for his speech during the Battle of Death Pass.
Henri "L'unreadi" Unknown Unknown Failed to invade the Wasteland.
Louen Leoncoeur's Father Unknown Couronne Oversaw the heavy fortification of Couronne. Never mentioned by name, though he may have been King Charlen.
The Sun King Unknown Unknown Exiled necromancers into the Borderlands.

Pretenders to the Throne[]

Name Reign (IC) Duchy Notes
Merovech 1813 IC Mousillon Blood Knight Vampire who was also the Duke of Mousillon. Convinced his citizens that he had been crowned as ruler of all Bretonnia.
Maldred 2297-2300 IC Mousillon Duke of Mousillon. Maldred orchestrated the Affair of the False Grail in an attempt to seize the Bretonnian throne.

Game History[]

Prior to Bretonnia's release as a full faction for Warhammer Fantasy Battle in 1996, the present-day King of Bretonnia was known as Charles de la Tête d'Or III, son of Charles II.[5a][6a][7] A cruel, vain and despotic ruler from Oisillon, Charles, along with most of Bretonnia's original lore, would eventually be removed from Warhammer canon and replaced with King Louen Leoncoeur.[5a][6a]

Trivia[]

The term "royarch" is a relatively new one, only coined for the first time in the Bretonnian section of the The End Times: Nagash book for the 8th Edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle.[6a]

"Royarch" appears to be a compound of the French Roi and the Greek archon, which both translate as "ruler."

Sources[]

  • Warhammer Armies: Bretonnia (5th Edition), pp. 48, 78
  • Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Knights of the Grail (RPG), pp. 30-31
  • 1: White Dwarf 233
    • 1a: pg. 48
  • 2: Total War: Warhammer (PC Game)
  • 3: Warhammer Rulebook (7th Edition), "Of Bretonnia"
  • 4: Warhammer: The Red Duke
  • 5: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Marienburg: Sold Down the River (RPG)
    • 5a: pp. 22-23
  • 6: The End Times Volume I: Nagash (8th Edition)
    • 5a: pp. 37-39
  • 6: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (RPG)
    • 6a: pg. 23
  • 7 The Way of the Witchfinder (Short Story) by Brian Craig
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