Anne of Brittany

"Anne de Bretagne"
French C1 writing exercise

Learn about the extraordinary woman who was crowned Queen of France twice.

In this biographical text, use Le Passé Simple when appropriate.

Pay attention to the hints!

Some vocabulary you may want to look up before or during this exercise: "an heir/heiress", "a Duchy", "Maximilian I of Austria", "by proxy", "to give one's approval", "to be crowned", "widowed", "a duchess", "to remarry", "to suffer (hardship)", "a miscarriage", "in infancy (death)", "a reign", "Francis I (France)".

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE
Last updated: 2023-01-20

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How the test works
You’ll practise: Le Passé Simple (Indicatif), Verbe irrégulier, Genre féminin

Here's a preview of the text for the writing challenge, when you're ready click the start button above:

Anne of Brittany had an extraordinary destiny. Last heiress of the Duchy of Brittany, which at the time wasn't part of the kingdom of France, Anne married Maximillian I of Austria by proxy in 1490, before this wedding was quickly cancelled by Charles VIII who, as King of France, had to give his approval beforehand. A few months later, Anne was crowned Queen of France for the first time, after Charles VIII himself made her his wife. Widowed in 1498, Anne went back to Brittany as Duchess, before remarrying Louis XII, heir to the crown of France. She therefore became Queen of France for the second time. Anne suffered many miscarriages and lost many children in infancy, until she gave birth to her daughter Claude who herself became Queen of France during her husband Francis I's reign.

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