The story follows the historical events that made her the last Duchess of independent Brittany and twice-crowned queen of France.

In 2007, Alan Simon visited an exhibition about Anne of Brittany at the Château des ducs de Bretagne.

He got the idea to write an opera about Anne after seeing the reliquary of her heart; he then spent months researching her life.

He wanted to write an opera connected to Brittany, and decided on Anne because "in spite of the hundreds of streets, hotels and schools that carried her name, no one knew her story".

On 5–11 November 2010, a folk rock version of Anne de Bretagne was performed in Ploemeur, Nantes, Quimper and Rennes.