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Course begins January 6, 2026
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Course includes weekly sessions with the instructor from 2:00 to 3:30pm Eastern U.S. time.
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All sessions are recorded so you can watch them at your convenience.
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The course is introductory, so no prior knowledge or background in the subject is required.
Session 1
Inheritors of Rome
The first session introduces the course by examining the roots of the emergent cultural identity of Brittany and the Bretons, spanning from the withdrawal of Rome from Britain up to the late 8th century as a separate ‘nation’ resisting Frankish occupation.
Session 2
The Breton March and the Indominable Celts
Next, we examine the Frankish conquest of Brittany under Charlemagne and the subsequent challenges the Franks faced in maintaining order along the otherwise unruly frontier known as the Breton March, ending with the defeat of Wihomarc in the 820 rebellion.
Session 3
Nominoë, king of the Bretons!
This session examines the celebrated figure of Nominoë, a ‘duke’ of Brittany and ‘fidelis’ to the emperor Louis, who played an astute game of politics to begin to pull Brittany away from the Carolingian Empire to gain his people’s freedom.
Session 4
Diwall, Breizh!
Watch out Brittany! No sooner did the Bretons gain their full independence when a new threat emerged: the Vikings. Starting with the sack of Nantes in 843, we will explore the ramping up of Viking activity in and around Brittany.
Session 5
Under the Viking Yoke
This session examines the Viking occupation of Brittany, which lasted nearly three decades, and its impact on the region’s power, wealth, and eventual decline as an independent polity. The session will end with the reconquest by Alain Barbetorte and the mystery of a derelict Nantes.
Session 6
Reconstruction and Rapprochement
Our final session examines the consolidation of power in Brittany following Viking occupation, the key figures involved, and the gradual progression of Breton lands toward the emerging feudal order and its participation in that system as a vassal to lords of competing interests, setting the stage for Brittany in the High Middle Ages.
Meet Your Instructor
C.J. Adrien
C.J. Adrien is a French-American history teacher and award-winning author of historical fiction, currently based in France. His academic and literary work focuses primarily on the Viking Age and early medieval Brittany. His interest in that area developed out of an earlier and continued fascination with chivalry and the evolution of the knightly class, themes that continue to inform his research and writing. His novels, grounded in historical sources, aim to bridge the gap between scholarly insight and accessible narrative. In addition to his fiction, he has contributed to public history through lectures, courses, conferences, and as co-host of the podcast Vikingology.