Saint Malo, home of the Duchess Anne de Bretogne (Brittany)
Although this card was never mailed it is technically a used
card as it has a type written description on the reverse: “This is the home of the duchess Ann of
Brittany in the 15th century.”
The card has a divided back. Under the photograph is: “178
SAINT-MALO—Maison de la Duchesse Anne de Bretagne Fille de Francois II,
duc de Bretagne, temme de Charles VIII, puss de Louis XII, elle donna la
Bretagne à la France (1476-1514) Artaud
et Nozals, Nantes. [“178 Saint Malo – Home of the duchess Anne of
Brittany, daughter of Francois II, duke of Brittany. Under Charles VIII and Louis XII, she gave
Brittany to France.”] The publisher/photographer
is identified as Artaud et Nozals, Nantes.
At the top of the picture is: “Côte
d’Emeraude” or Emerald Coast.
The colors of the sea and shore were the inspiration for the
name, Emerald Coast. It is located on
the English Channel coast of eastern Brittany near Normandy, France. Saint-Malo is a walled city along this
coastline.
Anne of Brittany was born on the 25 or 26 of January 1477,
the daughter of Francis II, the Duke of Brittany. He was the last male heir of the House of
Montfort. When he died in 1488, Anne,
who only 11 years old, became the duchess regnant of Brittany, countess of
Jantes, Montfort, and Richmond and viscountess of Limoges. Because Brittany was a strategic position, Anne
had several suitors. When she was 12 she
married Maximilian I of Austria by proxy, but was later forced to renounce that
marriage by Charles VIII of France who saw that union as a threat. She eventually married Charles VIII in 1491
when she was 14. None of their children
survived to adulthood. Charles died in
1498 and the throne passed to his cousin, Louis XII. Anne had to marry the new king. Louis XII loved her and she was able to
reassert the independence of her duchy. Anne
and Louis had two daughters.
It is thought that Anne learned to read and write in French
and perhaps knew some Latin. She was
raised by a governess and had several tutors as well as a butler and a court
poet. Anne had a congenital displacement
of her hips and as a result a limp. She had
special heeled shoes to aid in walking more smoothly. She is said to have learned how to dance,
sing and some music. Anne was a highly
intelligent woman who spent much of her time administering the affairs of
Brittany. She died at age 36 in 1514.
For additional information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Brittany
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant-Malo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te_d%27%C3%89meraude