Bretonnia

Bretonnia, land of chivalry

Bretonnia is a kingdom located in the Old World, west of the Grey Mountains andthe Empire. Its
current king is Louen Leoncoeur. Carefully protected by its brave and honourable knights regarded as
the greatest in the old world. Bretonnia is a land of chivalry and honour. However this must be
balanced against the poverty and oppression of its peasantry.

Government and Organisation

Bretonnia is ruled by a king, and the throne is usually passed from father to eldest son. A new king is
crowned by the Fay Enchantress and (technically at least) she outranks him. The kingdom is further
organized into 14 dukedoms, each ruled by its own Duke.
Provinces and Towns

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 their 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.

1. Couronne
2. L'Anguille
3. Lyonesse
4. Artois
5. Gisoreux
6. Mousilion, seaport - considered currently lost to the kingdom
7. Bordeleaux, seaport
8. Bastonne
9. Montfort
10. Aquitaine
11. Brionne
12. Quenelles
13. Parravon
14. Carcassone

The Marches of Couronne is not a dukedom but may eventually become one.

The Forest of Loren is officially part of Bretonnia; however, as homeland of the Wood Elves it isde
facto an independent kingdom.

Society and Culture

The society of Bretonnia is formed into two classes, the nobility and the peasantry.

Nobility

The noble class is ruled by the king and is composed of dukes, marquises, earls, barons, and knights.
Bretonnian society is patriarchal but noblewomen seem to be respected. All fit male nobles are knights
and follow a code of chivalry, holding noblesse oblige and honour in high regard. While using bows to
hunt during peacetime, they refuse to use any ranged weaponry in war, considering it dishonourable.

Peasantry
 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.

Religion

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.

Magic

When a Bretonnian child is gifted with magical abilities, he or she is usually taken by a servant of the
Lady of the Lake. Some the female children eventually return as Prophetesses and Damselsof the
Lady, but the fate of the male children is unknown as they are never seen again.

Some of the wealthiest families send their children to the Colleges of Magic in the Empireinstead,
where they will be taught and trained as wizards and magicians.

Military

Knights are the backbone of the Bretonnian army. Forming lances, V-shaped formations, they are
expected to punch through the enemy lines disrupting their unity and fighting spirit.

 Knights Errant are young and eager to prove themselves.

 Knights of the Realm are experienced and hardened warriors.
 Pegasus Knights Elite knights who ride into battle atop a Pegasus, diving from the skies to bring
destruction upon the enemy.
 Paladins are mighty knights who act as champions and a source of inspiration for Bretonnian armies.
 A Questing Knight is a former Knight of the Realm who gave up his social position to follow a
spiritual quest. Always searching for the Grail he will slay monsters and evil foes. If he succeeds,
proving his faith, purity, and honour he may sip from the Grail, becoming a Grail Knight.
 A Grail Knight is a legendary saint and hero, among the mightiest warriors in the world. They are
blessed with eternal youth and a might beyond that of mortal men.

Only the most fit and able peasants will be recruited into the military. They are allowed to use bows as
they "evidently" have no honour to defend and uphold. In the dukedom of Bastonne every able peasant
boy is obliged by law to train himself in the use of a longbow. However this ducal law is rarely upheld
and few peasants have the means to buy or the skill to craft a bow, and even fewer have the strength to
draw one. Presumably similar laws exist in the other dukedoms with similar results. Crossbows and
gunpowder weapons are all but unknown in Bretonnia.

 Mounted Yeomen (light cavalry)

 Men-at-arms (foot militia)
 Longbowmen
 Battle Pilgrims (fanatic guards of Grail Knights)
Famous Bretonnians

 Louen Leoncoeur, King of Bretonnia

 Calard of Garamont, Famed Grail Knight
 Morgiana le Fay, the Fay Enchantress
 The Green Knight, Gilles le Breton in his form as Avatar of the Lady.
 Duke Armand of Aquitaine
 Duke Bohemond Beastslayer of Bastonne
 Tancred Duke of Quenelles, famed Grail Knight and ruler, defeated Heinrich Kemmler at La
Maisontaal.
 Duke Jerrod of Quenelles, successor to Tancred II and Hero of the End Times.
 Duke Theodoric of Brionne
 Jasperre le Beau, Slayer of Malgrimace
 Reynard le Chasseur
 Roland le Marechal
 Tristan le Troubadour and Jules le Jongleur
 Mallobaude, the Black Knight of Mousillon
 Fastric Ghoulslayer famed Pegasus Knight renowned for slaying undead.

Historical Figures
 Gilles le Breton, founder and first king of Bretonnia
 Landuin, Lord of Mousillon and one of the Grail Companions
 Thierulf, brother-in-law of Gilles le Breton and one of the Grail Companions
 Maldred of Mousillon
 Merovech of Mousillon, powerful Vampire, destroyed by Calard during his invasion of Bretonnia.
 Baron Odo d'Outremer
 Repanse de Lyonesse
 The Red Duke a former Duke and brother of the King, he would become one of the greatestBlood
Knights in existence.
Notes

When originally introduced into the Warhammer fantasy setting, Bretonnia was quite similar in its
atmosphere and depth to the Empire. Its ruling class were uncaring, the least caring being the King
himself (Charles de la Tête d'Or III). While corruption in every form was everywhere, the nobility
(themselves sordidly decadent) were wilfully blind to it, preferring to hide their fear and corruption
behind extravagance. (See: Bretonnia (outdated).

While this concept of Bretonnia lived on in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying, Games

Workshopcompletely abandoned it with the 4th edition.

Bretonnia was ret-conned as a high-fantasy and resplendent legendary Arthurian kingdom; a bright
land of plenty and goodwill for all.

A nobler king was introduced, and the Bretonnian army lost its cannons, taking on its Arthurian
character with special rules to protect its knights from unchivalrous guns. The knights are champions of
virtue and live by a code of chivalry.

Most telling, many knights embark on quests for the Grail and the goddess of the country is the Lady of
the Lake. Gilles le Breton, who unified the tribes of Bretonnia into a single nation, fought 12 battles
against the Orcs - mirroring King Arthur's 12 battles against the Anglo-Saxons. Another of the
legendary figures of Bretonnia is the Green Knight, based in many ways on the character encountered
by Sir Gawain.

This image of goodness and light acquired a slight tarnish with the advent of the 6th edition. The
chivalric knights and the special rules survived, but the background has grown somewhat darker as the
poverty and oppression of the peasantry is brought more into focus.