In the twelfth century, Morlaix began a long series of vicissitudes. In
1187 Henry II. of England laid siege to it, and it gave in after a
resistance of nine weeks. It was then in possession of the Dukes of
Brittany, who built the ancient walls of the town, traces of which yet
exist, and are amongst the town's most interesting remains.

The occupation of the English being distasteful to the Bretons, they
continually rebelled against it; though, as far as can be known, the
English were no hard task-masters, forcing them, as the Egyptians did
the Israelites, to make bricks without straw.

In 1372 the English were turned out of their occupation, and the Dukes
of Brittany once more reigned. It was an unhappy change for the
discontented people, as they soon found. John IV., Duke of Brittany, was
guilty of every species of tyranny and cruelty, and many of the
inhabitants were sacrificed.

Time went on and Morlaix had no periods of great repose. Every now and
then the English attacked it, and in the reign of Francis I. they
pillaged and burnt it, destroying antiquities that perhaps to-day would
have been worth many a king's ransom. This was in the year 1532.

[Illustration: GATEWAY OF THE OLD MONASTERY, MORLAIX.]

In 1548, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, a child of five years only,
disembarked at the wonderfully quaint little town of Roscoff to marry
the Dauphin of France, who afterwards reigned as Francis II. She made a
triumphal entry into Morlaix, was lodged at the Jacobin convent, and
took part in the Te Deum that was celebrated in her honour in Notre Dame