Editing Brittany (section)

===Union with the French Crown and modern period===
{{main|Union of Brittany and France}}

[[File:Anne de bretagne.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Anne of Brittany]] is regarded in Brittany as a conscientious ruler who defended the duchy against France.]]

As a result of the [[Mad War]], the Duke [[Francis II of Brittany|Francis II]] could not have his daughter [[Anne of Brittany|Anne]] married without the king of France's consent. Nonetheless, she married the [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Holy Roman Emperor]] in 1490, leading to a crisis with France. [[Charles VIII of France]] besieged [[Rennes]] and had the marriage cancelled. He eventually married [[Anne of Brittany|Anne]]. After he died childless, Anne had to marry his heir and cousin [[Louis XII]]. Anne unsuccessfully tried to preserve Breton independence, but she died in 1514, and the union between the two crowns was formally carried out by [[Francis I of France|Francis I]] in 1532. He granted several privileges to Brittany, such as exemption from the [[gabelle]], a tax on salt that was very unpopular in France.<ref>Constance De La Warr, ''A Twice Crowned Queen: Anne of Brittany'', Peter Owen, 2005</ref> Under the [[Ancien Régime]], Brittany and France were governed as separate countries but under the same crown, so Breton aristocrats in the French [[royal court]] were classed as {{lang|fr|[[Princes étrangers]]}} (foreign princes).

From the 15th to the 18th century, Brittany reached an economic golden age.{{efn|Brittany was proverbially wealthy throughout much of its history: it prospered from trade before and during Roman rule, mid-ninth century legal documents reveal peasant landowners suing lords for trespass. The [[House of Penthièvre]] was wealthy, Breton dowries raised impoverished nobles such as [[Jean II de Brosse]] to riches, and Duchess Anne's fortune contributed to the [[French Renaissance]], to palaces such as [[Palace of Fontainebleau|Fontainebleau]] and to the [[Châteaux of the Loire Valley]]}} The region was located on the seaways near Spain, England and the [[Dutch Republic]] and it greatly benefited from the creation of the [[French colonial empire]]. Local seaports like [[Brest, France|Brest]] and [[Saint-Brieuc]] quickly expanded, and [[Lorient]], first spelt "L'Orient", was founded in the 17th century. [[Saint-Malo]] was then known for its [[French corsairs|corsairs]], Brest was a major base for the French Navy and [[Nantes]] flourished with the [[Atlantic slave trade]]. On its side, the inland provided [[hemp]] ropes and canvas and [[linen]] sheets. However, [[Colbertism]], which encouraged the creation of many factories, did not favour the Breton industry because most of the royal factories were opened in other provinces. Moreover, several conflicts between France and Britain during the 18th century resulted in British blockades which weakened the Breton economy, leading it to go into recession.

====The centralisation problem====
Two significant revolts occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries: the [[Revolt of the papier timbré]] (1675) and the [[Pontcallec conspiracy]] (1719). Both arose from attempts to resist centralisation and assert Breton constitutional exceptions to tax.<ref>Joël Cornette, Le marquis et le Régent. Une conspiration bretonne à l'aube des Lumières, Paris, Tallandier, 2008.</ref>

====Breton exodus====
Many Bretons crossed the Atlantic to support the [[American War of Independence]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Breton American History|url=http://www.breizh-amerika.com/breton-american-history.html|access-date=26 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226113452/http://www.breizh-amerika.com/breton-american-history.html|archive-date=26 February 2015}}</ref> These included naval officers such as [[Armand de Kersaint]] and soldiers such as [[Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouërie]].