5 MIN
OF HISTORY
1st CENTURY AD
As you know, all roads lead to Rome. And so, the Romans reached Nantes over a road. They called our city Portus Namnetum, meaning “harbour of the Namnets”, the local Celtic tribe.
843
After decades of robbery in the area, Vikings loved our climate and settled, until duke Alain Barbetorte defeated them in 937. Nantes joined the Duchy of Brittany after that.
15TH CENTURY
To find peace and agreements with the Kingdom of France, Anne, duchess of Brittany, married Charles VIII, king of France, and then his cousin, Louis XII. Badass girl, she was the only woman who was Queen of France twice. Nantes and Brittany became officially attached to France then.
18TH CENTURY
The city expanded as naval activities grew - Nantes is only 60km away from the Atlantic Ocean, sailing on the Loire river. Neptun favours the bold (so our motto says): Nantes took a major part to the Triangular Trade and became rich city by selling African slaves to plantations in America, to bring back exotic products like sugar, spice and rhum (everything you need to cook a Gateau Nantais uhm…). It ended in 1848 in France with the abolition of slavery.
NOWADAYS
Our city has always been rising up for justice and often faces a very repressive police force. Since the 60s, Nantes has been a land of struggles, but also a city of experimentation for police repression : first factory occupations by workers in May 1968, first flashball gun trials and first gouged out eye in a student protest, a 10-year struggle in the countryside of Notre-Dame-Des-Landes against an airport project, the drowning of a young dancer Steve during a police action on the Fête de la Musique (Music day) etc. This is also our identity, society changes are starting here. Do not worry, no problem will happen to you if you stay at the back of the crowd or away from the demonstrations.
