"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]
The crown of the Royarch of Bretonnia
Royarch is the formal title given to the King of Bretonnia in the Bretonnian tongue, who must always be a mighty Grail Knight of the Lady of the Lake, and a holy warrior who embodies the very essence of justice and chivalry.
History[]
A Grail Banner of Bretonnia
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.
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, as it will increase tensions between the Bretonnian nobility and the crown. 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 accompanying lands.[4]
Notable Kings of Bretonnia[]
| Name | Reign (IC) | Duchy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilles le Breton | 1-19 (978-997 IC) | Bastonne | Founder and 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 | Baudoin slew the ferocious Dragon Mergaste. |
| Louis the Righteous | ca. 470 (1448 IC) | Aquitaine | Louis was the brother of the infamous Vampire 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 | King Jules was 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 Royarch of Bretonnia during the Affair of the False Grail. |
| Charlen | ca. 1440 (2418 IC) | Couronne | Charlen fought during the Siege of Couronne. |
| Theobald II | ca. 1492 (2470 IC) | Unknown | Theobald II was the 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 | Phillippe V ended King Charlen's Errantry War. |
| Feramand | ca. 1517 (2495 IC) | Unknown | King Feramand's reign was marked by continued efforts to suppress the Undead forces of the Lichemaster Heinrich Kemmler. |
| 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) | The founder and first King of Bretonnia, Gilles' identity had long been hidden behind the magical persona of the Green Knight, the greatest champion of the Lady of the Lake. His true 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 | Bellaume was forced to abdicate for an unknown failure by order of the Fay Enchantress. He is the only King of Bretonnia to have been dethroned. |
| Guillaume Barbenoire | Unknown | Unknown | King Guillaume first laid Bretonnian claims on the Westerland as the kingdom's "natural frontier."[4] |
| Charles VII | Unknown | Unknown | Charles VII ruled Bretonnia at the time of the Battle of Elfincourt.[1a] |
| Jean le Bon | Unknown | Unknown | King Jean hosted the great Tournament of Couronne, where the Fay Enchantress duelled with a male wizard. |
| Louis the Bold | Unknown | Unknown | Louis the Bold is knownfor his speech during the Battle of Death Pass. |
| Henri "L'unreadi" | Unknown | Unknown | King Henri failed in his efforts to invade the Wasteland and claim it for Bretonnia. |
| Unknown (Louen Leoncoeur's father) | Unknown | Couronne | King Louen Leoncoeur's father and predeccessor as king oversaw the heavy fortification of Couronne. He is never mentioned by name, though he may have been King Charlen. |
| Sun King | Unknown | Unknown | It is said that centuries ago the Bretonnian monarch called the "Sun King" exiled necromancers into the Borderlands.[9a] |
Pretenders to the Throne[]
| Name | Reign (IC) | Duchy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merovech | 1813 IC | Mousillon | Merovech was a Blood Knight Vampire who was also the Duke of Mousillon. He convinced his citizens that he had been crowned as ruler of all Bretonnia. |
| Maldred | 2297-2300 IC | Mousillon | Maldred was the Duke of Mousillon. He orchestrated the Affair of the False Grail in an attempt to seize the Bretonnian throne. |
Non-Canon Kings of Bretonnia (Pre-4th Edition Warhammer Fantasy Battles)[]
| Name | Reign (IC) | Duchy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles I | Unknown | Oisillon | Known as Charles L'enorm or Charles the Enormous, Charles I was the grandfather of Charles III.[8a] |
| Charles II | Unknown | Oisillon | Charles II was the father of Charles III.[8a] |
| Charles de la Tête d'Or III | 2512 IC | Oisillon | Oisillon was a ruler who was personally distant from the difficulties and sorrows of his people.[8a] |
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 following the introduction of the 4th Edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle.[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[]
- 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
- 8: Warhammer Fantasy Battles (3rd Edition)
- 8a: pp. 200-201
- 9 Trollslayer (Novel) by William King
- 9a: Ch. 2 "Wolf Riders"
- Warhammer Armies: Bretonnia (5th Edition), pp. 48, 78
- Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Knights of the Grail (RPG), pp. 30-31