The Early History of Bretonnia
Bretonnia gets it's name from the Bretonni, the strongest of the human tribes that settled there after the High Elves left. The Bretonni were in constant rivalry with the other tribes and lived in persistent fear of the orc and goblin hordes. Whilst the tribes of the Empire united together to fight the greenskin hordes, the Bretonni fought against each other. After a while the orcs and goblins infested the inhospitable areas, such as the forests and mountains, and the human tribes inhabited the valleys and plains.
In about the year
977 the orc and goblin tribes de
cided
to attack all of the Bretonni dukedoms at once, so that they could not go to
each others help. And sure enough, one by one, the dukedoms of the north fell
to the greenskins. One Duke, Gilles le Bastonne, was quicker to assemble his
army than any of the other dukes. Although his army fought bravely they were
outnumbered.
One night Gilles' army set up camp beside a small lake somewhere on the edge of the Forest of Chalons. The soldiers knew that although the remaining soldiers from the other Dukedoms had joined them, the forthcoming battle would be their last, for the orcish army was too great. When dawn came they saw that the lake, by which they had camped, was cloaked in a swirling mist. Slowly the mist formed into the shape of a beautiful maiden. Gilles and his knights were enthralled by the vision. Gilles approached the shore of the lake and drank from the pure water. As he did so, he was filled with new courage and hope, he held forward his tattered banner and asked her to bless it. He plunged the banner into the water, and when he raised it again, the assembled knights gasped, for the banner looked new and bore an image of the Lady of the Lake. As the rays of the sun began to warm the clear water the vision began to fade.
The other dukes asked Gilles if he would command them in their final battle, and so with new courage their assembled armies prepared for battle. Gilles marched towards the greenskin horde, holding the banner of the lady before him, and drove the greenskin hordes back into the mountains. The other dukes proclaimed Gilles "Leader of the Battle" at the same lake where the Lady of the lake had appeared to them, and which would be the origin of the Grail Knights and Bretonnia.
Soon after Gilles and his army freed the other dukedoms from the greenskins and also managed to kill the undead and chaos armies which had arisen. He led the Bretonnians into twelve great battles and so became known as "Le Breton" and for many years was the uncrowned king of Bretonnia. One unfortunate day, he was ambushed by an orcish patrol and mortally wounded. His men carried him to the lake where the mysterious maiden had first appeared and was lain in a boat, which vanished into the mists, never to be seen again. Legend says that he will return to Bretonnia when it is in need again.
After his death in around 1001 Louis le Bastonne was crowned king of Bretonnia. One of the first things that Louis did was to establish the code of chivalry that we know so well today, and during the next few centuries Bretonnia flourished as never before.
A map of Bretonnia
Heed
the arms of the valiant Knights of Bretonnia, worthiest of men and guardians
of a kingdom founded upon the principles of chivalry and the protection of the
weak. Mighty Knights, loyal Bowman and steadfast Men-at-arms do battle in the
name of the Lady of the Lake and for the glory of the King, crusading against
the forces of evil and smiting the unholy with righteous fury.
This
is Louen Leoncoeur, the king of Bretonnia. He has fought many great battles
earning the title "Leoncoeur" which means "Lionhearted".
Astride his mighty hippogrif he is a tremendous sight leading his troops to
battle. On the right is The Green Knight. He is well known in Bretonnian folk
tales and legends and protects the lakes, stone circles and other mysterious
places where the lady of the lake appears. They were both characters from 5th
edition.
The Grail knights are the best cavalry unit available to the Bretonnian general. The grail knights have succeeded in the grail quest and therefore have the grail virtue. The grail virtue makes them immune to psychology. They can fight in the lance formation and are a rare unit choice.
Questing knights are knights who are on the quest for the grail. When they succeed they will become grail knights. Questing knights have the questing virtue, and are a rare unit choice.
Knights errant must slay a terrible monster or beast, such as a dragon or wyvern, to prove that they are men. Once they have slain a monster or beast they usually become Knights of the Realm and will then display this beast on their heraldry. They are a core unit choice.
Knights of the Realm are knights who are fighting for their duke. They are the most common kind of knight in Bretonnia. They are a core unit choice.
The men-at-arms are armed with either spears, which allow them to fight in two ranks, or halberds, which give them 4 WS instead of the standard 3. Men-at-arms have many uses. They can be used as cannon fodder or to hold up enemy units until your knights arrive. They are also useful for attacking the flanks of enemy units already engaged in combat. They are core unit choice.
Bowmen are men-at-arms armed with longbows rather than spears or halberds. During 5th edition they were able to fight in the arrow formation, see picture, but unfortunately no rules have yet been released to allow this in 6th edition. They are a special unit choice.
Squires are skirmishers. They are armed with longbows like the bowmen. Many people prefer to take squires than bowmen because of their ability to skirmish, and are roughly the same points cost. Squires can be upgraded to foresters which makes them scouts.
Mounted squires are not able to skirmish as they are on horseback, but instead they are fast cavalry both squire units are special choices.
This page
was last updated on:
28-Jun-2003
Images Copyright
Games Workshop