Norman Conquest Encyclopedia

Dol

Dol-de-Bretagne controls the route from Normandy to Brittany along the coast of the English Channel inland of Mont St Michel. On the border of Normandy, at St James on the river Beuvron, south of Avranches, William the Bastard had built a stronghold which, in 1064, was supporting the activities of Breton rebels against Conan II, ruler of Brittany. When Conan began to get the better of them, the rebels called for and received help from William who forced the Breton lord to abandon his siege of Dol and retreat to Rennes to the south. William went on to take Dinan.