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| Battle of Brissarthe | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Frankish–Viking battles and Franco-Breton wars | |||||||
 Death of Robert the Strong at the combat of Brissarthe, 25 July 866 byHenri Lehmann, 1837 | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| West Francia | Kingdom of Brittany DanishVikings | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Robert the Strong † Ranulf I of Aquitaine † Gauzfrid of Maine Hervé of Maine | Salomon Hastein | ||||||
TheBattle of Brissarthe was fought on 2 July 866, between theWest Franks and a jointBreton-Viking army nearBrissarthe,Neustria. It was marked by the death ofRobert the Strong, the Neustrianmargrave, andRanulf I, theduke of Aquitaine, and an ancestor of all the kings of France from 987 to 1848.
In 866,Salomon, Duke of Brittany, allied withHastein (Hasting), aDanish chieftain, for an expedition intoAnjou,Maine, andTouraine. In the course of the campaign,Le Mans was sacked. Robert, commander of the afflicted regions, assembled a large army to expel them. He was joined by Ranulf of the region ofPoitou and byGauzfrid andHervé of Maine.
The Frankish army succeeded in intercepting the Danes before they reached their boats on the riverLoire. The Danes attempted to take refuge in a church, but the Franks besieged them. During the night, the Danes attempted to escape. During the ensuing battle, Robert was killed, Ranulf mortally wounded by an arrow, and Hervé injured. With the loss of their leaders, the Franks had to retreat.
In 867,Charles the Bald entered negotiations with Salomon and recognised him asKing of Brittany.[citation needed] He conceded theCotentin and possibly theAvranchin to the Bretons. Hastein continued to ravage theLoire Valley for many more years. He and his forces attackedBourges in 867,Orléans in 868, andAngers in 872. Charles appealed for assistance to Salomon.
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