Two original diplomatic acts from 1490, preserved at the British National Archives, have recently been the subject of new digital acquisitions by Bretaigne DAO. They allow for a direct study of Anne of Brittany's negotiations with Henry VII of England, as well as the financial and territorial commitments related to the English intervention.
Brittany in European Archives — Bretaigne DAO
Original Documents at the Heart of the Breton Crisis
The archival research conducted by Bretaigne DAO has reached a new milestone with the receipt, on October 15, 2026, of digital reproductions of two documents held at The National Archives in Kew, near London.
These documents, dated February 15 and July 26, 1490, belong to a particularly important diplomatic sequence during the reign of Anne of Brittany.
At that time, the duchy was undergoing a major crisis. Following the defeat at Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier in 1488 and the death of Duke Francis II, Anne had to defend her rights and seek support from several European powers.
The two acts now reproduced shed light on the relationships established with King Henry VII of England. The catalogue of the British National Archives indicates that these two pieces have already been printed in Rymer's Foedera. The contribution of this work lies in the acquisition of reproductions and the connection of identified sources; it does not involve the discovery of unpublished documents.
February 15, 1490: Anne of Brittany Grants Power to Negotiate
The first document is preserved under the reference:
The National Archives — E 30/596
According to the notice from the British National Archives, this is a power of attorney issued in Rennes on February 15, 1490, by Anne of Brittany to her chancellor Philippe de Montauban and five other representatives, in order to negotiate a new treaty with Henry VII.
The title of the duchess, the writing, and the validation formulas are all elements to be examined in the reproductions. The archival notice mentions a seal; a detailed study of it, as well as of the subscriptions, remains to be conducted. No attribution of handwriting or autograph signature is proposed here.
The significance of the document is considerable for diplomatic history: it constitutes a direct testimony of the exercise of ducal prerogatives by Anne and the organization of her negotiations with England.
July 26, 1490: The Financial Commitments of the Alliance
The second act is preserved under the reference:
The National Archives — E 30/598
Dated London, July 26, 1490, it concerns the commitments made by Philippe de Montauban and other ambassadors of Anne of Brittany to Henry VII.
According to the archival identification, these commitments notably pertain to the reimbursement of expenses for an English expedition intended to support Anne against the King of France.
The notice specifies that the towns and castles of Morlaix and Concarneau must remain in the hands of Henry VII as guarantees for this reimbursement.
The study of the text, the subscriptions, and any potential mentions on the verso remains to be deepened based on the reproductions.
This piece shows that diplomatic alliances were not limited to political declarations: they were also based on material, financial, and territorial commitments.
However, one essential question remains open: what was the exact legal scope of the guarantees granted?
A complete transcription, compared with other acts from July 1490 and their context, will clarify the significance of these provisions. The mention of guarantees alone is not sufficient to establish a definitive cession of sovereignty.
A Comparison with the French National Archives
The research also invites a documentary comparison to be verified.
The French National Archives hold under the reference AE/II/525, formerly T//189/6, a power of attorney given by Anne of Brittany to her chancellor Philippe de Montauban, also dated February 15, 1490, in Rennes.
The description provided by the National Archives with the French reproduction indicates a signature from Anne and a red wax seal. This catalog entry does not constitute independent paleographic expertise.
Its reproduction has been made publicly accessible by the National Archives, notably thanks to their cooperation with Wikimedia France.
Thus, we have two archival witnesses, preserved respectively in France and the United Kingdom, linked to the same date and a comparable diplomatic operation.
It remains to be established, through text comparison, whether these are two copies of the same act or distinct documents belonging to the same negotiation.
Reconstructing Diplomatic Relations of 1490
These new reproductions are part of a broader research project focusing on Brittany's relations with European powers in the 14th and 15th centuries.
The analysis of other British diplomatic documents should allow for the placement of these two pieces within the overall context of negotiations, financial commitments, and alliances of this period.
The goal is to gradually reconstruct a chronology based on the acts themselves: diplomatic powers, negotiations, financial commitments, guarantees, ratifications, and execution of agreements.
This work allows for moving beyond mere historiographical narratives by returning to contemporary texts, their signatures, their seals, and their archival references.
Research Intended to Be Shared
Bretaigne DAO continues the identification and study of historical Breton documents preserved in numerous European repositories, notably in London, Nantes, Paris, Simancas, Rome, and Turin.
The work also feeds into Linked Brittany, a digital documentation project aimed at connecting people, places, institutions, events, and dispersed archival sources.
The two acts of 1490 will join the corpus dedicated to Anne of Brittany and the diplomacy of the duchy, as part of the preparation for a historical work accompanied by verifiable references.
Archives do not replace historical interpretation: they allow for its verification, clarification, and, when necessary, correction.
Documentary Sources
- The National Archives, Kew, E 30/596, February 15, 1490, digital reproduction obtained on October 15, 2026. Official notice E 30/596
- The National Archives, Kew, E 30/598, July 26, 1490, digital reproduction obtained on October 15, 2026. Official notice E 30/598
- National Archives of France, AE/II/525, former reference T//189/6, power of attorney from Anne of Brittany dated February 15, 1490.
- Reproduction of AE/II/525 made available on Wikimedia Commons
Bretaigne DAO — Historical and Archival Research
Illustration
Power of attorney from Anne of Brittany for an alliance with England, Rennes, February 15, 1490. Document preserved at the National Archives of France, AE/II/525 (former reference T//189/6). Reproduction: National Archives (France), via Wikimedia Commons — public domain, Public Domain Mark 1.0.
