Lordship of Léon

The Lordship of Léon, later Principality of Léon was a former Breton fief located in the Léon province, in north-western Brittany, which corresponds roughly to the French département Finistère. This lordship was created after the Viscounty of Léon was divided into a viscounty and the lordship at the end of the 12th century. The lordship of Léon was a large fief made of about sixty parishes and trèves. The estates of the lordship are located around the valley of the Élorn river, the town of Landerneau and the castle of La Roche-Maurice. The lordship was initially held by the junior branch of the Viscounts of Léon, which was founded by Harvey I. After Harvey VIII died without issue, the fief was inherited by the Viscounts of Rohan. In the middle of the 16th century the fief became known as "Pincipality of Léon". Landerneau, Landivisiau, Daoulas, Coat-Méal, Penzé and La Roche-Maurice were the seats of the jurisdictions of this huge Breton lordship.

In the 12th century, the Viscounts of Léon rebelled against Henry II of England in order to escape Plantagenet’s domination in the Duchy of Brittany. In 1179, after the death of Guihomar IV, who had submitted to the Ducal power not long before, Henry II of England confiscated the Léon estates. Following the confiscation of Morlaix by Duke Geoffrey Plantagenet, Guihomar IV’s two sons Guihomar V et Harvey recovered their inheritance. Guihomar V got the castellanies of Lesneven, Brest, Saint-Renan and Le Conquet as well as the title of Viscount. Harvey got the estates of Landerneau and Daoudour, as well as the lordship of Coat-Méal. Being a juveigneur, i.e. a younger son endowed with an estate, Hervé had to content himself with the title of Lord of Léon and founded the junior branch of the House of Léon, which managed to keep his fief of La Roche-Maurice for 8 generations (from Harvey I to Harvey VIII).

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