ABSTRACT
The westernmost part of the peninsula of Brittany on the western coast of France has long been bilingual, with the majority of the popular classes speaking the Celtic language of Breton. The best-known Breton uprising, the revolt of 1675, was a response to the introduction of new indirect taxes, including one on paper, which is why it is known as 'la revolte du papier timbre'. The song known in French as Les gars de Plouye, and in Breton as Paotred Plouieo is recorded in La Villemarque's unpublished second notebook. In terms of the historical context of the song, both a chancellery document and the town accounts confirm that Quimper was seized at the start of the summer in 1490. The date of the songs encourages a comparison with the style and content of the Chant du Rosemont associated with the revolt of the Bundschuh 35 years later in 1525, in the southern Vosges.
