Poher is an ancient principality that emerged in the Early Middle Ages in Cornouaille in west-central Brittany. Its capital was the Gallo-Roman city of Vorgium, capital of the Osismii, which became Carhaix after the fall of the Roman Empire. Archaeological excavations scheduled since 1999 show that, even if the city lost its function as capital after the 4th century, it was nonetheless a stronghold and major strategic crossroads.
Poher's name derives from Pou Kaer, Pou being a derivative of Latin pagus ("region," as in a Gallo-Roman district) and kaer being Old Breton for "fortified city."
In the Middle Ages, Carhaix was only a subdivision of the parish of Plouguer (Plou-Kaer = "parish of the city/castle"), having just one church dedicated to St. Trémeur. Plouguer, whose church is dedicated to St. Peter – circumstantial evidence of seniority – is the seat of the original parish which takes its name from the once-fortified site it encompasses. Having become communes after the French Revolution, Carhaix and Plouguer merged in 1956 under the name of Carhaix-Plouguer.
Its boundaries have been very fluid over the course of history, its land area tending to decrease over time. Hubert Guillotel has it coinciding with the Bishopric of Cornouaille. [1] André Chédeville goes even further, giving it a coastline on the English Channel: "It is likely that in the early centuries, this pagus was narrower in terms of longitude but extended further north, where, like other pagi, it had its coastline. When the diocesan boundaries were set in the Carolingian period, the pagus Castelli was cut into two parts, as ecclesiastical districts, expanded, one in the diocese of Quimper as we just mentioned, the other in that of Treguier." [1]
In a pouillé (ecclesiastical register) of the 14th century, Poher remains as one of the two archdeaconates in the Bishopric of Cornouaille, the other archdeaconate also being called Cornouaille. It only included the deaneries of Cap Sizun, Cap-Caval (future Bigouden) and Fouesnant (from Gourin to Clohars-Fouesnant).
From then on, Poher is associated with the bulk of the bishopric, which leads Joëlle Quaghebeur to consider that the Carolingian name Poher succeeds the name of Cornouaille. [2]
According to Viscount Frotier La Messelière, "occupying the high valleys of the Aulne and its tributaries, on the highest peaks of Lower Brittany, Poher extends, from east to west, about fifty kilometers, from the eastern borders of Glomel, Rostrenen, Kergrist-Moëlou and Maël-Pestivien in Côtes-du-Nord, to the western limits of Châteauneuf-du-Faou, [Plonévez-du-Faou], Loqueffret, Brennilis and Botmeur, in Finistère, and about thirty kilometers north to south, from the Monts d'Arrée to those of the Montagne Noir and the middle of the Aulne's course." [3] This author excludes any commune of the Morbihan from Poher; however, the commune of Le Faouët is considered part of Poher.
More recently, Christiane Kerboul-Vilhon assigned fairly similar limits; for her, it corresponds to the Bassin de Châteaulin. [4]
Poher was the seat of a powerful dynasty of counts in the Carolingian era, whose traces are scattered in very rare archives and in the Lives of the saints of Brittany.
Conomor (Kon Meur = "big dog"), denoted as Prince of Poher, is steeped in a legend which makes him the Bluebeard of sixth-century Brittany. He would have killed numerous women, one after another, not sparing the last, Saint Tryphine, and her young child, Saint Trémeur (Trec'h Meur = "great winner"), whom he would have decapitated. Saint Gildas having miraculously replaced the child's head, the child would come to taunt his father by throwing him a handful of dirt. Struck by divine vengeance, Conomor would have perished instantly.
Conomor's name is mentioned many times by Gregory of Tours as a Breton count who saved Macliauus from the vengeance of his brother, Chanao. He is also an enemy of the Franks who sided with Chram in his struggle against his brother King Chlothar II.
His also appears at different times on the other side of the Channel. The discovery at Castle Dore in Cornwall of an inscription which reads "Marcus Quonomorus Drustanus" has led some historians, including Christian Kerboul, to identify the king Mark of Cornwall, whose nephew is the legendary Tristan (Drustanus?), with the Conomor of legend. This hypothesis of a principality established astride the channel in the 6th century remains unverified.
In 871, while Salomon is still king of Brittany, Judicael is indicated as princeps Poucher without anyone knowing that a brand of such dignity was uncommon at the time.
A viscount of Poher, named Bernard, appears in the 11th century, and his lineage appears to have particular significance to the Sainte-Croix abbey of Quimperié, appearing to supplant the dynasty of Cornouaille which had assumed the ducal dignity since Hoel II in 1066.
Finistère is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.
Salomon was Count of Rennes and Nantes from 852 and Duke of Brittany from 857 until his assassination in 874. In 867, he was granted the counties of Avranches and Coutances, and he used the title King of Brittany intermittently after 868.
Cornouaille is a historical region on the west coast of Brittany in West France. The name is cognate with Cornwall in neighbouring Great Britain. This can be explained by the settlement of Cornouaille by migrant princes from Cornwall who created an independent principality founded by Rivelen Mor Marthou, and the founding of the Bishopric of Cornouaille by ancient saints from Cornwall. Celtic Britons and the settlers in Brittany spoke a common language, which later evolved into Breton, Welsh and Cornish.
Penmarch is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany, northwestern France. It lies 18 km south-west of Quimper by road.
The arrondissement of Châteaulin is an arrondissement of France in the Finistère department in the Brittany region. It has 57 communes. Its population is 82,403 (2016), and its area is 1,756.6 km2 (678.2 sq mi).
The Diocese of Quimper (–Cornouaille) and Léon is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. In 1853, the name was changed from the Diocese of Quimper (–Cornouaille) to the Diocese of Quimper (–Cornouaille) and Léon.
Carhaix-Plouguer, commonly known as just Carhaix, is a commune in the French department of Finistère, region of Brittany, France. The commune was created in 1957 by the merger of the former communes Carhaix and Plouguer.
The Nantes–Brest canal is a French canal which links the two seaports of Nantes and Brest through inland Brittany. It was built in the early 19th century, and its total length as built was 385 km with 238 locks.
Judicael or Judicaël (Welsh:Ithel), also spelled Judhael, was the King of Domnonée, part of Brittany, in the mid-7th century and later revered as a Roman Catholic saint.
The Viscounty or County of Léon was a feudal state in extreme western Brittany in the High Middle Ages. Though nominally a vassal of the sovereign duke of Brittany, Léon was functionally independent of any external controls until the viscounts came under attack by King Henry II of England. It thus became the focus of revolts and wars when Brittany was drawn into the Angevin empire.
Châteauneuf-du-Faou is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.
Spézet is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.
The Réseau Breton (RB) is a 1,435 mm, standard gauge, and former 1,000 mm, metre gauge, railway in Finistère, France, with a few kilometres of line in Côtes d'Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan. The hub of the system was Carhaix. The metre gauge lines were built with the capacity to be easily converted to standard gauge if necessary.
Conomor, also known as Conomerus or Conomor the Cursed, was an early medieval ruler of Brittany. His name, which has the Welsh cognate Cynfawr, means "Great Dog", but could also indicate "Sea Dog" in early Brythonic. Conomor was notorious for his cruelty, becoming a legendary villain in Breton culture. He is widely regarded as one of the probable sources for the myth of Bluebeard and possibly also of Tristan's uncle King Mark of Cornwall. The wife-beating giant Cormoran may also retain a garbled folk memory of the same character.
The Kingdom of Brittany was a short-lived vassal-state of the Frankish Empire that emerged during the Norse invasions. Its history begins in 851 with Erispoe's claim to kingship. In 856, Erispoe was murdered and succeeded by his cousin Salomon.
Mathuedoï I was a Count of Poher. He was the son - in - law of Alan I, King of Brittany, known as Alan the Great through his marriage to Hawise of Vannes. He obtained his countship at Alan's death circa 907. He is listed in several ecclesiastical records at Redon Abbey.
The canton of Carhaix-Plouguer is an administrative division of the Finistère department, northwestern France. Its borders were modified at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Carhaix-Plouguer.
Guihomar II de Léon was a Viscount of Léon. He is said to have succeeded his grandfather Guihomar I.
Guihomar I of Léon was one of the first Viscounts of Léon. He lived c. 970 - 1055.