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Column of the Trent of Guillac dans le Morbihan

Patrimoine classé
Monument
Colonne commémorative
Morbihan

Column of the Trent of Guillac

    Enclos de la Pyramide
    56800 Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Colonne des Trente de Guillac
Crédit photo : XIIIfromTOKYO - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1400
1800
1900
2000
27 mars 1351
Combat of the Thirty
11 juillet 1819
Laying the first stone
6 juillet 1823
Inauguration of the obelisk
15 mai 1933
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Column of the Thirty (Box ZI 15): inscription by order of 17 May 1933

Key figures

Jean de Beaumanoir - Captain of the Breton Knights Leader of the thirty fighters of the Blois party.
Charles de Blois - Pretending to the Duchy of Brittany Supported by knights honored by the monument.
Jean Froissart - Medieval columnist Described the battle of the Thirty in the 14th century.
Louis XVIII - King of France (1814-1824) Reigns during the construction of the obelisk.
Pierre Ferdinand de Bausset-Roquefort - Bishop of Vannes Bless the first stone in 1819.
Comte de Coutard - Lieutenant-General Placed the first stone of the monument.

Origin and history

The Column of Trent is a memorial located at the Pyramid site, in the commune of Guillac, Morbihan (British). Built between 1819 and 1823, this thirteen-metre-high granite obelisk pays tribute to the thirty Franco-Breton knights who fought in the Thirty on 27 March 1351. This duel opposed two camps of thirty men each, in the context of the War of Succession of Brittany, a conflict born in 1341 after the death of Duke John III. The knights, led by Jean de Beaumanoir for Charles de Blois' party, faced Anglo-Bretons allied to Jean de Montfort. The monument celebrates only the fighters of Blois' party, victors of this bloody joust where nine Englishmen found death.

The first stone was laid on 11 July 1819 during the reign of Louis XVIII, in the presence of dignitaries such as the Count of Coutard (Lieutenant General) and the Bishop of Vannes, Pierre Ferdinand de Bausset-Roquefort. Lobelisque, inaugurated on 6 July 1823, includes a copper plate engraved with the names of the thirty Breton knights and a royalist inscription: "Long live the King! Bourbons always!" A commemorative cross, erected in the 17th century at this site, had been destroyed in 1793 and then restored; Today it stands behind the obelisk. The site, located near the express RN 24 route between Rennes and Lorient, has been classified as a historical monument since 15 May 1933.

The battle of the Trent was immortalized by medieval chronicler Jean Froissart, who made an epic account of it. This duel, born of a challenge between captains, symbolizes the chivalrous honour and political divisions of 14th century Brittany. The Breton knights, presented as defenders "of the poor, of the plowman, of the artisan", embody a resistance against the "foreigners" (the Anglo Bretons), in a context where the crown of France supported Jeanne de Penthever against the Montforts, allied to England. The obelisk, commanded in the 19th century, reflects a desire to glorify this heroic past while affirming a monarchist anchor under the Restoration.

Architecturally, the monument consists of a granite obelisk surmounted by a pyramid, accompanied by the restored historical cross. The commemorative plaque details the names of the Breton fighters — including Robert de Beaumanoir, Jean's brother — as well as those of the personalities present at the inauguration of 1823. The site, owned by the Morbihan department, remains a major memory site for Brittany, celebrating both a medieval military episode and its political instrumentalization in the 19th century.

External links