Administrative Detachment of the Loire-Atlantique

The administrative detachment of the Loire-Atlantique indicates the not-fastening of this department to the administrative area Brittany, whereas its territory formerly formed part of the province of Brittany, to be attached to the area of the Pays of the Loire. This detachment remains a polemical subject in this department and in Brittany. Elected officials of Loire-Atlantique and departments Breton, political movements and regional associations preach the administrative fastening of the Loire-Atlantique to the Brittany area.

Nevertheless, this situation knew some precedents one millenium before. After the Breton emigration in Armorique, is peninsula is more slightly impacted by the waves of immigration. The Breton-speaking small islands are rarer. The Gallo-Roman zones of Valves, Rennes and Nantes are originally under franque sovereignty and are the subject of conflicts between Breton and frank during the Life in IXe century, before being finally built-in with the kingdom then Duché of Brittany. Following the Norman raids and the quarrels of succession of the end of IXe century and especially of the beginning of Xe century, the authority of kings de Bretagne is largely weakened and Brittany is submerged by the Norman ones. After a short restoration of the ducal capacity, the quarrels of succession begin again of more beautiful between the Houses of Cornouailles, Rennes and Nantes. These conflicts see the intervention of the frank counts of Chartres, Blois and Anjou which try to extend their influence. The account Foulque III of Anjou, especially, tries to extend its authority on extends by the force its authority Maine, Touraine and part of Brittany. It supports the claims of the counts de Nantes on the ducal throne. After the advent of the empire angevin, Plantagenêts extend their seizure on Brittany. Following various heurs, Henri II Plantagenêt benefits from it to take into hand-clean the county of Nantes during more than 30 years (1156-1189) before taking the duchy of entire Brittany under its cut. It Marie her son Geoffroy II of Brittany to Constancy of Brittany in order to ensure its seizure.

History

Kingdom, duchy and province of Brittany until the French revolution

The Breton conquest (IXesiècle)

The franques cities of Nantes and Rennes are conquered by the Breton ones by the Traité of Angers in 851, under the reign of Nominoë. This treaty steals in glare as of 863 by the resumption of the war by Solomon of Brittany. This last pushes its troops to the doors of Orleans in the East and in the Norman territories in North.

In 863, by the Treated of Entrammes (limit of the Anjou and the County of Maine), it acquires on the Francs the Maine and part of the Anjou.

In 868, the Traité of Compiegne concedes to him the Cotentin, the Avranchin as well as the Channel Islands. Brittany reaches its maximum geographical extension then.

Brittany reaches its maximum geographical extension then. But the duchy of Brittany is destabilized by the occupations and the incursions of the Viking S at the beginning of the 10th century like by the counter-attacks of the royal armed forces.

Alliances with the Anjou (Xesiècle)

At the beginning of Xesiècle, the county of Nantes will be closely related to the counts d' Anjou, then, later, with the dynasty angevine of the Plantagenêts until the beginning of XIIIesiècle.

In 909, following the death of Alain Large the, Foulque Ier of Anjou receives the Comté of Nantes. It is charged to fight against the Normands and the Bretons. In spite of the resistance of the Nantes guard and angevine escort of Foulque, Nantes is taken by the Vikings in 919. The city is plundered and the burnt cathedral. The notable Nantes ones as well as the clergy of Nantes and the clerks flee towards Angers. In 920, the Vikings attack Angers which they plunder, then Tours and threatens Orleans which offers a strong ransom to avoid plundering. The Nantes ones and Angevins will find refuge in Burgundy. The Vikings go down again the large river until their Nantes stronghold. Foulque reconstitutes, in Angers, a troop the Nantes one and of Angevins to release the city of Nantes. In spite of the assistance of the franques troops of Robert Ier de France, the counter-attack in 921, is a failure. Nevertheless, the count of Anjou, Foulque Ier will preserve the title of count de Nantes, but this title was definitively recognized only in 930, when its suzerain Hugues Large the qualified it like such in one of his charters. Foulque Ier passed the remainder of its life to fight the Vikings. It loses one of its sons, Ingelger, during a confrontation against the Norman ones. The Vikings invade the Brittany. In front of their military successes, the Breton lords and the notable ones flee and embark to take refuge in England. Among the runaways, an young man, named Alain Barbetorte who will prepare his revenge.

It is Alain Barbetorte, unloaded on the northern coast of Brittany in 936 of return of exile of England, which will undertake with Breton troops the war with the Norman ones. In 937, Alain Barbetorte is recognized duke of Brittany. He pousuit his combat against the Norman ones and seizes Nantes the same year. The Norman ones return several times to the load along the Loire. It is only in 939, with the victory of Trans over the Norman ones, that Nantes will be definitively with the shelter of the Vikings. In 952 the duke Alain II Bores-Torte dies. He will be buried in collegial Notre-Dame in Nantes. He leaves the duchy to the young heir, Drogon. The widow of Alain II Bores-Torte remarie with Foulques the Good, count d' Anjou and wire of Foulque Ist.

Drogon of Brittany count de Nantes and duke of Brittany of 952 with 958. Drogon (or Dreux), only legitimate son of Alain Barbetorte succeeds his father at the two years age. Its supervision was ensured by his/her uncle Thibaut Ier of Blois, which remarie very quickly his/her sister with the count Foulque II of Anjou. The capacity on Brittany is then shared: Foulque II receives the county of Nantes and the guard of the young duke Drogon, Thibaut preserving suzerainty on the north of Brittany.

Dice 975 Hoël Ier enters in conflict with the count de Rennes Conan the Wrong, vassal of Thibaut Ier of Blois, which controls the north of Brittany and is regarded as its suzerain. The armies Nantes supported by the troops of Geoffroy I {{er}} of Anjou and of Rennes supported by Blois, meet on the battle fields with Conquereuil; and Geoffroy Ier beats the troops of Conan. This victory angevine does not regulate the conflict.

In 981, Hoël is assassinated on the order of Conan. As soon as prevented, his/her brother, Guérech leave his load of future bishop of Turns, before his dedication, and are made elect count de Nantes. Guérech continues the combat initiated by his/her brother against the count de Rennes Conan the Wrong. Guérech signs a treaty with the count Guillaume IV of Poitiers who confirms the Nantes possessions in the south of the Loire - the pagi of Herbauges, of Tiffauges and of Mauges - obtained by his father Alain II of Brittany in 942.

Guérech then goes in 983 to the court of the king of Francie Occidentale Lothaire to lend homage to him, and stops, on the way of the return, in the count Geoffroy Ier of Anjou. Already silent partner of the assassination of Hoël Ier, Conan the Wrong, fearing, rightly, this alliance between the counts of Nantes and Anjou against him, would have convinced the doctor of Guérech, Héroicus, also abbot of the Abbaye Saint-Saver of Redon to poison the duke. Guérech dies like his/her brother prematurely, in 988. In 990, after the dispariton of the count Guérech of Nantes, Conan Ier of Brittany tries to put to the hand on the county of Nantes after the untimely death of its young heir the count Alain.

New the count d' Anjou (Foulques Nerra) worrying about the claims of Conan and its political ascendance, proclaims the defender of the interests of the house of Nantes and it delivers combat to him. Conan Ier is killed in the defeat, at the time of the second Bataille of Conquereuil on June 27th 992.

Judicaël of Nantes count of Nantes of 992 with 1004. Supported by Foulque III of Anjou, takes possession of the county of Nantes after the defeat and the death of Conan Ier of Brittany at the second Bataille of Conquereuil. Taking into account his young age the count of Anjou places it under the supervision of his vassal Viscount Aimery III of Thouars which will carry the title of count de Nantes of 992 to 994. Judicaël dies prematurely in 1004 assassinated by treason.

Budic of Nantes count de Nantes, wire of the count Judicaël of Nantes, succeeded his/her father and reigned until worms 1010. Budic made profitable a pilgrimage of the bishop of Rennes in Holy Land to seize the episcopal goods and to destroy the castle of the prelate in Nantes. Of return of Palestine, the bishop asked for the intervention of the count de Rennes and Budic had to require the assistant of the count Foulque III of Anjou what involved the loss of part of the Nantes territories, in particular of the south of the Loire.

The annexation in Anjou (XIesiècle)

In 1156, the Comté of Nantes is detached, during one period of internal divisions of Brittany, and is annexed to the Anjou. Indeed, whereas Conan IV is proclaimed duke of Brittany, the Nantes ones drive out his/her uncle Hoël count de Nantes and choose for count the younger brother of Henri II, Geoffroy Plantagenêt, already count of Maine and Anjou since 1156. The county of Nantes leaves the duchy. In died of Geoffroy, in 1158, Conan believes capacity to take again the Nantes country, but must restore it with Henri II Plantagenêt which will preserve it in its hand during more than 30 years (1156-1189).

Conan IV must abdicate in 1166 and Henri II Plantagenêt is recognized guard duchy by the Breton barons while waiting for that his/her son Geoffroy II Plantagenêt, been engaged to the grand-daughter of Conan III, Constance of Brittany, reaches the majority. As husband of Constancy, Geoffroy Plantagenêt is proclaimed duke of Brittany under the name of Geoffroy II of Brittany in 1181, but he dies prematurely following wounds received during a tournament organized on August 19th 1186 in Paris by the king of France, Philippe Auguste. Of this first marriage, Constance has two children: in particular Arthur, which will succeed to him.

Return in Brittany under the domination angevine of Plantagenêts (fine XIIesiècle)

In 1196, Arthur was proclaimed Duc of Brittany by the large aristocrats of Brittany. It was high with the court of Philippe Auguste, which protected it from covetousnesses of Richard Lion-hearted. With died of this last, Arthur, being the only son of Geoffroy Plantagenêt, puîné brother of Richard Lion-hearted, the heritage of " asserted; the Empire Plantagenêt " (England, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Poitou, Aquitaine) which was to him raid by his/her uncle Jean without Ground (the youngest brother of Richard) with the support of his/her grandmother, the old queen Aliénor of Aquitaine. He became the nominal chief of the Breton barons who tended to independence. Overcome, him and his/her sister is made prisoners in 1202 with Mirebeau (close to Loudun) by Guillaume de Broase, lord Norman with the pay of Jean without Ground. He dies in 1203 in prison with Rouen, perhaps at the request of his uncle

Nantes and Rennes capitals of Brittany

The capital of the duchy of Brittany was Nantes, under the Old Mode, the two big cities Breton sharing the roles: Political Rennes capital with the Parliament of Brittany, and Nantes economic capital with the port activities and the outlet of the Loire. Until the French revolution, the duchy of Brittany, if he knows different political regimes (vassal of Normandy, then of France and England, interlude of quasi-independence to the Early middle ages, union with the kingdom of France), remains in the same borders. Its territory moves little, corresponding about to those of the current Brittany area and the department of the Loire-Atlantique. The province was then divided into counties (Cornwall, Leon, Broërec, Tréguier, Penthièvre, Porhoët, Nantais, Rennais…) then in eight baillies which will evolve/move into four présidiaux but also in nine évêchés .

The French revolution (XVIIIesiècle)

With the French revolution, the provinces are removed and Brittany ceases existing as an administrative entity. Its privileges and its autonomy are abolished with the Abolition of the privileges. Into 1790, it is divided, as the remainder of France, in departments. The old province is found burst in 5 entities:

Coast-of-North (become Coast-in Armor in 1990),
Finistere,
Ille-et-Vilaine,
Loire-Inférieure (become Loire-Atlantique in 1957),
Morbihan.

First projects of regrouping of the years 1910-1920

In 1848, the five Breton departments are joined together under the authority of the Nantes Michel Rocher, police chief general of Brittany, which chapeaute the other police chiefs (prefects) Breton.

In 1917 is born a creation project from economic areas known as “economic grouping regional” or “areas Clémentel”. The areas will be created in April 1919, but these regroupings will fail in the Années 1920 to remain only in the form of more or less loose union of Chambers of commerce.

For Brittany, the first project envisaged the creation of an area called IIIe area (or area of Rennes), gathering four departments of the north and the west of Brittany, while the Loire-Inférieure would have joined IVe area (or area of Angers) with the Mayenne, the the Sarthe, the Maine-et-Loire, the the Vendée and the Indre-et-Loire. The realization of the Clémentel areas intervened starting from April 1919. The area of Rennes finally called VIe area included/understood the Ille-et-Vilaine, the Coast-of-North and the Finistere. Large Ve area or area of Nantes was seen allotting the Mayenne, the the Sarthe, the Indre-et-Loire, the Maine-et-Loire, the the Vendée, the Loire-Inférieure and the Morbihan. The principle had been to group around a big city the departments of its economic basin. For this reason, he had been strongly discussed of the membership in Nantes or Rennes of the Finistere, which it would have been necessary to divide into two southern and northern entities.

In September 1919, the federations of tourist offices start they to organize “tourist areas” on a a little different model. The nature of cutting being this tourist, geographical and ethnographic time, these tourist areas will not coincide with the economic areas: an area called “Brittany” extended on the Morbihan, the Finistere, the Coast-of-North and the Ille-et-Vilaine; the Loire-Inférieure is attached to an area called “the Loire Valley”.

For more precise details to see the article Brittany

Under the mode of Vichy

In spring 1941, the marshal Pétain load the National council to create a commission of the provinces with for objective drawing the limits of the future areas which would be founded once the finished war.

Lucien Romier, of country origin, is named with the head of this strong commission of 21 members. The May 6th 1941, the very first meeting is held with Vichy. Eight other working sessions will follow. The May 15th, a chart is traced: it arbitrarily divides France into 16 provinces (and either in 20 as Pétain wished it). Rennes is there the capital of a unit gathering Brittany, the Anjou and the Maine. The May 20th 1941, the commission suspends its work. It must meet in August again. Meanwhile, the provinces concerned had wind of the intentions of Vichy: certain elected officials protest against a cutting which they regard as completely arbitrary.

While at the same time work of the commission are not finished, the decree of the June 30th 1941 is promulgated, seems it in the urgency: it institutes inter alia an area of Rennes, made up of four departments, and an area of Angers to which the Loire-Inférieure (old name of the Loire-Atlantique) is attached.

The reasons of the fastening of the Loire-Inférieure to the Loire area are at the same time economic and political. The Vichy government decides in 1941 to create economic areas in order to facilitate the supply of each one of them. Nantes being located at less than 100 km of Angers and the routes transportation between the two cities being well structured, the Loire-Inférieure is attached to the Loire area. The Vichy government east against a rebirth of the provinces of Old Mode, and wishes to maintain a capacity centralized extremely.

In its book Brittany under the Vichy government , Herve Boterf quotes the remarks of Louis-Dominique Girard, chief of the civil cabinet of Pétain: “ the marshal did not have no desire to detach the Loire-Inférieure of the remainder of Brittany. It was constrained there for economic reasons ”. The difficulties of the supply would thus have led Vichy to create economic areas - with the image of those of the IIIe République - while being based on the reality of the means of transport of the time.

Herve Boterf develops this idea: “ Under the terms of this principle, the Loire-Inférieure was attached to the metropolis angevine. Not only to compensate for by its industrial supremacy the numerical inferiority of the four other departments of the area, but especially because the town of Nantes was with less than 100 km of Angers ”.

The areas of the mode of Vichy did not survive its fall a long time: they were removed as of 1945.

Under IVe and Ve Républiques

Town and country planning under the IV {{E}} République however resulted in reconsidering with supra-departmental groupings. The November 28th 1956 was promulgated a delimiting decree of the areas of programs. Jean Vergeot, general police chief associated in the Plan, had been charged to define contours of them. Among the 22 areas which it created in metropolis, it includes the Loire-Inférieure in that of the Pays of the Loire. This inclusion was, seems it, difficult to him to decide, but it was based on economic considerations (telephone exchanges, transport, etc) to carry out a project which was at the time purely of internal use of the administration. They were indeed then administrative cuttings and not having an other vocation: on the basis of there, the technical considerations took precedence over the history and the Loire-Inférieure was attached to the Countries of the Loire.

With the wire of time, these areas were invested increasingly large competences: creation of the regional prefects in 1964, of the regional public corporations with the law of regionalization of 1972 and of the areas with the law of decentralization in 1982 ratified this cutting and legitimacy and decision-making power in much of fields gave him. For this same period, the Breton identity was affirmed and the position of the Loire-Atlantique in the Countries of the Loire was disputed more and more (the general advice of the department voted in 1972 its wish to be attached to Brittany, for example).

It is thus with the departure an administrative cutting for technical reasons then a progressive regionalization taking again the limits of this cutting which led the Loire-Atlantique does not make belong to the area of which it was however historically one of the centers.

This administrative detachment relates to however only certain levels (administrative and different):

Covering five departments exists entities Breton maritime, economic, cultural, legal (Court of Appeal and orders professional), tourist, environmental, associative, co-operations inter-communities, official signs of AOC-IGP-label red quality of agricultural produce, structures of co-operation between Brittany area and Loire-Atlantique, etc
the administrative area with four departments is taken as district by the decentralized prefectoral administrations and the decentralized institutions, the organizations consular, part of the trade-union organizations, employers' or associative.

Other cuttings (station, defense…) recover neither one nor the other of these cuttings.

Moreover, the Loire-Atlantique joins the Breton departments on the cultural level. For example, the five departments as well as the district council belong to the mixed trade-union of the Maison from Brittany in Paris.

Current locations

State of the opinion

Recurring surveys for several years have indicated that the public opinion of the Loire-Atlantique and that of the four Breton departments would be very largely and increasingly favorable to a fastening of the department to the area Brittany (Crea surveys for FR3 Nantes of 1986, Sofres for the Pèlerin Magazine of 1998, for Ouest-France Sunday of 1999, SCUMS for Press-Ocean of the 4 September 5th, 2000, Ifop for Ouest-France of 2001, second Ifop survey for Ouest-France of July 1st, 2002). But a survey ordered by the general advice of Loire-Atlantique (TNS Sofres 2002) and a recent survey of TSO Areas, in 2006, different in the put questions, moderated this opinion, seeming more to show one indifference of the opinion to the question of the area and the geographical disparities in the department, results which the partisans of fastening dispute (see below, in external bonds, results of survey TSO and its dispute). The last survey goes back (November 2006), carried out by the general advice, gives 67 to it; % of characters favorable to the reunification.

Partisans of fastening in Brittany

Of many regional movements militates for the reunification of the Loire-Atlantique in Brittany, like Brittany Réunie, in the past CUAB, Comité for the administrative unification of Brittany.
Of the political movements of different horizons: Emgann, UDB, the Breton Left, the Greens, Alternate the, LCR, the UDF (Breton elected officials and UDF main road - project Young people UDF 2007 and declaration of Francois Bayrou, UDF candidate with presidential deciding in January 2007 for the reunification via a referendum - but not the UDF of Loire-Atlantique as such) and FN.

Of the elected officials: nearly 4.200 of them, of any political edges signed since the 2001, Charte of the elected officials for the reunification , proposed by Brittany Unie/CUAB.

the General advice of the Loire-Atlantique and the District council of Brittany. It should be noted that in 1972, before the vote of the law of regionalization, the general advice of Loire-Atlantique officially required so that the department be attached to the Brittany area, but this request was not taken into account. In June 2001, the general advice of Loire-Atlantique and the district council of Brittany voted a wish favorable to the reunification (the district council of Brittany renewed it by a resolution in October 2004) and created together a Joint Committee of co-operation.

Of the companies with, for example, association Produces in Brittany which gathers the Breton companies of the five departments.

For its partisans, the fastening of the Loire-Atlantique to the administrative area Brittany is justified fully, as well for historical reasons, as geographical or to make the weight in Europe of the areas (the administrative area Brittany with the Loire-Atlantique would have then more than 4.200.000 inhabitants).

Opposition to fastening in Brittany

This opposition is structured and less frontal than the partisans of fastening. Nevertheless certain voices are make hear against or unfavorable to fastening:

Certain gaullists or republican souverainists were thus opposed there by fear of a rise of the regionalism or Irrédentisme and of a " domino" effect; on other areas or departments: called into question of the legitimacy of the area the Rhone-Alps and bursting of the latter, detachment of the Hautes-Alpes (historically from the Dauphine) of the area Provence-Alp-Coast of Azure, wish of autonomy of the Roussillon, bursting of the department of the Yrénées-Atlantiques in a department Basque and another Béarn board, detachment To combine it area Auvergne, etc

the federation of the PCF of Loire-Atlantique has also several times expressed its refusal of such a fastening (Gilles Bomtemps at the district council in 1999, Jean-Louis Corre at the general advice in 2001) preferring an increase in the regional co-operations and fearing an economic competition between areas.

Francois Fillon then president of the area of the Countries of the Loire after the publication of the survey of 2000 of the inhabitants of Loire-Atlantique on fastening in Brittany: " We will have thus to reconsider our administrative structure while coordinating, to see while amalgamating, the departments and the areas " … " This co-operation (between Brittany and Pays-de-la-Loire) is more promising than all the projects of recutting or separatist. "

For many actors policy of the area of the Countries of the Loire like Andre Lardeux (senator of Maine-et-Loire), Philippe de Villiers (president of the general advice of the the Vendée), Jean Arthuis (senator of the Mayenne), Jean-Marc Ayrault (mayor of Nantes) or Roland of Luart (senator of the the Sarthe and vice-president of the Senate), the administrative detachment of the Loire-Atlantique of the remainder of the Countries of the Loire would amount breaking the interdépartementaux bonds of the area and would be a source of imbalance. For them the question is elsewhere: they preach creation a great area Western formed of the Brittany, Pays of the Loire and Poitou-Charentes.

Positions of the candidates to the presidential election of 2007

Brittany Réunie had raised to the candidates this question: " You who are one (E) democratic, do you engage, once elected (E), to support the application, with the case of Brittany, the law which authorizes the modifications of regional limits? " . Francois Bayrou, Dominique Voynet, Jose Bove and Olivier Besancenot had answered fastening favorably. the other candidates had not given an answer. Started again before the second turn of the election, Ségolène Royal had decided for a referendum after consultation of the elected officials, Nicolas Sarkozy had not answered.

Other positions

Several private organizations do not attach the Loire-Atlantique to Brittany:

the Foundation of France included in a regional management Country of the Loire widened (with the Indre-et-Loire and Two-Sevres;
the Foundation Mutual credit has a Brittany delegation, a PC-Vendée delegation and a Loire-Atlantique delegation;

Various scenarios

A possible fastening of the Loire-Atlantique in Brittany, in addition to the question of a distribution of the roles between the two great Breton agglomerations of Nantes and Rennes, raises the question of becoming Pays area of the Loire and overall of the organization of the Large-West French.

Several scenarios are possible:

Reunification of Brittany and status quo for the other departments of the area Country of the Loire. That has the advantage of being an immediately functional solution but lack of geographical and economic coherence with a department of the Vendée isolated from the remainder of the area and without real synergy with it.
Reunification of Brittany, creation of an area " Large Poitou" with the fastening of the Vendée to the area Poitou-Charentes and the creation of a new area Maine - Anjou. This would gather the 3 remaining departments of the old Pays area of the Loire, the Mayenne, the Maine-et-Loire and the the Sarthe. This scenario has for him a certain coherence historical with the return of historical provinces or overall. It also reinforces the Poitou-Charentes area, but presents the defects of a weak economic coherence with the Vendée more turned towards Nantes (economy/transport) and the creation of a " small région" Maine-Anjou.
Reunification of Brittany, creation of an area " Large Poitou" with the fastening of the Vendée to the area Poitou-Charentes and the creation of a new area " Valley of Loire" , regrouping of the Région Centers and of the 3 departments of the Mayenne, Maine-et-Loire and the the Sarthe. This scenario, in which the fusion of the 2 Normandies could fit, privileges the party of larger areas and stronger, with the image of the German länders or the autonomous Communautés Spanish but poses problem of a geographical and historical coherence and absence of feeling of regional membership of the populations of the new area, left Région Centers widened, absence of feeling of membership which this last meeting already. That would make of more than this news " super-région" , the greatest French area many departments (9) is one moreover than the areas Île-de-France, the Midday-Pyrenees or the Rhone-Alps and by creating an imbalance would raise the general question of the size of the other areas in France.

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