Battle of Jengland facts for kids

The Battle of Jengland was a very important fight that happened on August 22, 851. It was between the army of Charles the Bald, who was the King of West Francia (a part of what is now France), and the Breton army led by Erispoe, the Duke of Brittany. The Bretons won a big victory. This led to a special agreement called the Treaty of Angers in September 851. This treaty helped Brittany become independent and set its borders.

Why the Battle Happened

In 845, a few years before Jengland, another Breton leader named Nominoë had already beaten Charles the Bald at the Battle of Ballon. After that, there was a short break in fighting. But in 849, Nominoë started fighting the Franks again. He wanted to have full control over Brittany and make its territory bigger.

In 851, Frankish soldiers in the cities of Rennes and Nantes gave up to Nominoë. He then moved east, causing damage in Le Mans. Nominoë planned to go even further to Chartres, but he suddenly died near Vendôme.

His son, Erispoe, quickly took over as the leader of the Breton army. He continued the fight, working with Lambert II of Nantes. Lambert was a Frankish noble who had been removed from his lands by King Charles.

King Charles the Bald faced a big problem. He asked his brother, Louis the German, for help. Louis sent some Saxon soldiers to join Charles's army. Charles then marched to meet Erispoe. Erispoe's army went back towards the borders of Brittany. Both armies were not huge. Charles had about 4,000 soldiers, while Erispoe had around 1,000.

How the Battle Was Fought

In August, King Charles left Maine and entered Brittany. He used an old Roman road that went from Nantes to Corseul. The king set up his soldiers in two lines. At the back were the Frankish soldiers. In front were the Saxon hired fighters. Their job was to stop the Breton cavalry (soldiers on horseback), who were known for being very fast and tough.

At the start of the battle, the Bretons attacked with javelins (light spears). This attack forced the Saxons to fall back behind the Frankish soldiers. The Franks were surprised by this. Instead of fighting hand-to-hand, the Bretons kept their distance. They bothered the heavily armed Franks from far away. They used javelins, not arrows, but it was a bit like how the ancient Parthians fought.

The Bretons would charge forward quickly, pretend to attack, and then suddenly pull back. This made the Franks chase them, and then the Bretons would surround smaller groups of Frankish soldiers.

This kind of fighting went on for two days. The Franks lost many soldiers and horses, while the Bretons had very few losses. King Charles saw that his army was falling apart. He secretly left the battlefield during the night. When his soldiers realized he was gone the next morning, they panicked. The Bretons quickly attacked the Frankish camp, taking weapons and other valuable things. They also killed many Frankish soldiers who were trying to escape.

The Treaty of Angers

The Battle of Jengland completely changed how the Franks and Bretons got along. After the battle, Charles the Bald agreed to meet Erispoe in Angers. This city was now on the edge of Brittany's new, larger territory.

Erispoe Becomes a King

In September, Erispoe formally accepted Charles as his Emperor. In return, Charles gave Erispoe the title of "king." This meant Erispoe was now seen as a king in his own right, even though he was still connected to Charles.

An old record from that time, called the Annals of Saint-Bertin, says that Erispoe "submitted" to Charles in Angers. It also says he received the symbols of a king, which his father had used. Plus, Charles gave him control over the areas around Rennes, Nantes, and Pays de Retz. These areas used to be a border zone controlled by the Franks, called the "Breton March."

By this agreement, Erispoe was still technically under Charles the Bald. But he could now call himself "rex," which means king. Charles recognized that Breton rulers had power over these new lands. Erispoe's kingdom now included people who spoke Gallo-Roman and Romano-Frankish languages, not just Breton.

Setting the Borders

The Treaty of Angers officially set the borders for the medieval Duchy of Brittany. These borders were very similar to the later French province of Brittany. The treaty was a major turning point in the relationship between the Western Franks and Brittany. Later Breton dukes tried to make their territory even bigger, but they couldn't hold onto those new lands for long. The Treaty of Angers mostly defined the lasting shape of historic Brittany.

The peace that came from this agreement also gave the Bretons a chance to become stronger. This strength helped them defend themselves against later attacks from the Vikings.