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

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…

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,…

Carnliath, chambered cairn 650m SE of Rahoy

Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~8.5 mi

Carnliath is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated 650 metres south-east of Rahoy in Argyllshire, Scotland. The monument lies on Proterozoic III quartzite bedrock, formed during the Neoproterozoic period, with surrounding metamorphic rocks including mica schist and migmatite. This hard, weather-re…

Sgeir Fhada,fort 100m NNW of

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~8.9 mi

Sgeir Fhada is an Iron Age fort situated in Argyllshire, Scotland, positioned approximately 100 metres north-north-west of a larger fortified site. The monument occupies a landscape underlain by Proterozoic III quartzite, a hard metamorphic bedrock formed during the Neoproterozoic era over 600 mi…

C Michael Hogan / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Bourblaige,settlement

Scheduled monument · ~9.1 mi

Bourblaige is a settlement situated in Argyllshire, Scotland, protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6178. The site lies upon bedrock of the Morar Group, a Neoproterozoic formation of psammite that shapes the underlying geology of this part of western…

Branault,standing stones 120m NW of

Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~9.2 mi

Branault is a Bronze Age standing stone monument located in Argyllshire, Scotland, situated 120 metres north-west of the settlement. The stone rises from bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lava and mafic tuff—which form the underlying geology of this Highland landscape. This vol…

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• Battle of Blain · Wikipedia