Battle of Blain

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of Blain, also called the Battle of Messac, was fought on 24 May 843 by the forces of Lambert II of Nantes and Erispoe, prince of Brittany, against Renaud, Frankish Count of Nantes. It arose from Breton resistance to Frankish power within Brittany and disputes over control of the County of Nantes. The defeat of the Franks led to a period of Breton expansionism.

Following the break-up of the Carolingian Empire, Nominoe, Duke of Brittany, rebelled against the authority of Charles the Bald and attempted to expand into Frankish territory. When Charles placed Renaud in command of the Frankish border zone as Count of Nantes, he incurred the enmity of Lambert II of Nantes, who believed that he was the rightful heir to the County. Lambert and Nominoe intended to join forces. While Nominoe prepared an army to attack Nantes, Renaud organised the defence of the city. However, when Renaud heard that Nominoe was incapacitated due to an illness he decided to strike first against the Bretons, who were now under the command of Nominoe's son Erispoe. Frankish forces advanced from Nantes to the river Vilaine, hoping to take the Bretons by surprise. Erispoe's troops had arrived at Messac and were in the process of crossing the Vilaine when Renaud launched his surprise attack. Erispoe's advance force was completely routed, and his main army dangerously weakened.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Blain lies on Morar Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Blain

The Torr, fort, dun and enclosure, Shielfoot

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~1 mi

The Torr, fort, dun and enclosure, Shielfoot is an Iron Age defensive settlement located in Argyllshire, Scotland. The monument comprises multiple concentric earthwork defences characteristic of dun construction, a form of fortified residence typical of the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles du…

Castle Tioram & Eilean Tirim

Scheduled monument · ~2.1 mi

Castle Tioram is a ruined medieval castle located on an island in Loch Moidart in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The castle was built in the thirteenth century and served as a stronghold of Clan MacDonald, particularly important to the Lords of the Isles who controlled much of the western Scottish Hi…

Eorna Cottage, cairn 551m WNW of

Scheduled monument · ~3.5 mi

Eorna Cottage Cairn is a prehistoric mound monument situated on open moorland in Argyllshire, Scotland, approximately 551 metres west-north-west of Eorna Cottage. The cairn occupies ground underlain by pelitic bedrock of the Glenfinnan Group, rocks formed during the Neoproterozoic era when the ar…

Resipole, dun 300m SW of

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~4.3 mi

Resipole dun is an Iron Age fortified settlement situated 300 metres south-west of Resipole in Argyllshire, Scotland. The monument consists of the earthworks and stone remains characteristic of a dun, a small defensive structure typical of Iron Age communities in the Scottish Highlands and island…

Eilean Fhianain, St Finnan's church and stone crosses

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~4.8 mi

Eilean Fhianain is a medieval ecclesiastical site comprising the remains of St Finnan's church and associated stone crosses, situated in Inverness-shire. The monument occupies an island location, a setting typical of early Christian and medieval religious establishments in the Scottish Highlands,…

Ballnaselich, cairn 200m N of

Scheduled monument · ~7.3 mi

Ballnaselich is a cairn located 200 metres north of Ballnaselich in Argyllshire, Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock formed from psammite of the Glenfinnan Group, a Neoproterozoic metamorphic rock that underlies much of this region of the Scottish Highlands. The psammite's resistant characte…

Other Early Medieval Battles

Battles near Battle of Blain

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• Battle of Blain · Wikipedia