Nantes

Nantes French city located in the département of Loire-Atlantique (southernmost portion of Brittany) near the mouth of the Loire River, at the confluence of the Sèvre and Erdre rivers, 30 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean. Settled originally by the ancient Romans because of its defensible site on a series of islets, Nantes nevertheless saw many subsequent invasions by Normans and Armoricans (Armorica: ancient name for Brittany). The 15th century saw the trial and execution of Nantes native…