Anne of Brittany; The Story of a Duchess and Twice-Crowned Queen (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1917 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER n THE FATHER OF THE DUCHESS ANNE, THE LAST DUKE OF BRITTANY In our quest for the Duchess Anne we want to know something of her father, Francis II, the last duke of Brittany. He was the son of Richard, count of Etampes, the grandson of John IV, the conqueror, who was the Englishman, John of Montfort. At the age of twenty-three Francis II came to the dukedom, not through his father, but through his uncle, Arthur of Brittany, who had no children. February 3, 1458, with his widowed mother, Marguerite of Orleans, Francis journeyed to Rennes for his coronation. Clad in deep mourning, as was the custom, he entered the city by the Porte Mordelaise, and, on his knees, humbly demanded the keys of the town. The bishop then opened the gate and led the way to the cathedral, where the ceremony was performed. The crown placed upon the head of Francis was a closed one, like that of a king, and not the open circle of the French dukes. At that time Rennes was much smaller than it is to-day, and had narrow, winding streets, with houses almost meeting at the top. We passed under the old arch which the dukes once entered, but the narrow, out-of-the-way street and the arch itself, which we stopped to photograph, is now a tenement for the poor and no longer suggests pomp, power, or splendor. As the duke began his reign two years before that of Louis XI, he saw three sovereigns on the throne of France, --Charles VII, Louis XI, and Charles VIII. About three weeks after he was crowned Francis presented himself before Charles VII, king of France. As the duke did not make obeisance nor take off his arms and girdle, the master of ceremonies said, "Lord of Brittany, you must pay homage to your king and sovereign lord and promise to him faith and loyalty...".