Charles V. entered the duchy, with the intention of confiscating
it to the crown of France, the Bretons all united to defend their
nationality against the ambition of the French King, and recalled their
Sovereign. So great was the enthusiasm on his arrival at St. Malo, that
the nobles plunged into the water to approach his ship; and even the widow
of his rival, Charles of Blois, went to welcome him. His cowardly attempt
against the Constable Clisson again compromised his reputation, and was
disgracefully avenged upon his son by the implacable daughter of Clisson.

The old ducal castle still rises on the left bank of the river. It was
here Anne of Brittany was born, and here she married, 1499, her old
admirer, the chivalrous Duke of Orleans, then King Louis XII., according
to her stipulation, that the King, "viendra l'espouser en sa maison de
Nantes." Left at the age of eleven, by the death of her father, a prey to
claimants to her hand, which carried with it the powerful duchy of
Brittany, Anne was a prize worth a king's seeking, even at a time when
there were so many other rich heiresses undisposed of--Mary of Burgundy,
Elizabeth of York, Isabella of Castille, and Catherine de Foix. Anne is
described as handsome, but slightly lame, generous, and gentle, but grave
and proud in her demeanour. Louis XII. called her his "fiere Bretonne,"
and allowed her the uncontrolled government of Brittany, "tout ainsi que
si elle n'estoit point sa femme."

Though the wife of two Kings of France, Anne never forgot the interests of
her duchy, whose nationality she always strove to maintain with the
pertinacity of a true Breton, and showed herself, by her spirit and
independence, to be the most worthy of all her race to wear the ducal
crown. Jean Marot addresses her as "Royne incomparable, deux fois
devinement sacree, Anne Duchesse de Bretagne."

Like most of the ladies of her age, Anne was an accomplished linguist. She
understood Latin and Greek, and most of the European languages. She
corresponded with her husband in Latin verse. Her letters, still extant,
breathe the most tender affection. One, written to him (1499) during the
Italian wars, begins, "Une epouse tendre et cherie ecrit a son epoux
encore plus cheri, l'objet a la fois de ses regrets et de son estime,
conduit par la gloire loin de sa patrie. Amante infortunee, il n'est pour
elle aucun instant sans alarmes. Quel malheur affreux que celui d'etre
prive d'un Prince que l'on ai