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- historical region in today's France
- former County of Toulouse
- former Governorate of Languedoc
• Flag
• Meaning/Origin of the Flag
• Coat of Arms
• Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms
• Map of the historical Regions in France
• Explanations about the Regions
• History
• Origin of the Country's Name
Flag of Languedoc
– drapeau de Languedoc,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN)
The flag of Languedoc shows the image of the arms of the House of Toulouse, who owned the county from the 9th to the 13th century. The between 1960 and 2016 existing Region of "Languedoc-Roussillon", to which Languedoc mostly belonged, used that model as an unofficial flag.
Source:
Volker Preuß
855–1241,
Raimundiner,
Coat of arms of the House of Toulouse,
Source, by:
Wikipedia (D)
1209–1229,
Montfort,
Coat of arms of the House of Montfort,
Source, by:
Wikipedia (D)
1241–1271,
Coat of arms of Alfons von Poitiers,
Source, by:
Wikipedia (D)
That coat of arms, which is considered today as the coat of arms of Languedoc, is the coat of arms of the House of Toulouse, who owned the County of Toulouse from the 9th to the 13th century. The associated Heraldry showes a golden up-broken key cross on red ground. Between the years 1209 and 1229 the House of Montfort was during the Albigensian Crusade heavily engaged to usurp the County of Toulouse. The Montforts were even enfeoffed with the county by the pope, they but could not prevail. The coat of arms of the house of Montfort shows a silvery lion on a red background. Another well-known coat of arms dates back to Alphons of Poitiers, who was born in 1220. He was the son of the French King Louis VIII. and his wife Blanche of Castile. Therefore, the heraldry of France and Castile was joined in his coat of arms. The shield is divided and one hand shows the golden lilies of the Capetians on blue, and on the other hand golden castles on red. Alphons became Count of Toulouse in 1241 and died in 1271 without leaving any descendants. The coat of arms of the Capetians showed three golden lilies on blue, but originally was the coat of arms sprinkled with lilies. From 1365 (by others sources 1376), the number of lilies was reduced to three. The lily-symbol is very old, already the Germanic tribe of the Franks has used it. The House of the Capetians has provided the kings of France between 987 and 1328. It goes back to Hugo Capet, son of Hugo the Great, who was electet to the King of France, in 987, after the death of King Ludwig V. from the House of the Carolingians. The Capetians brought out three branch lines which became the Kings of France: Valois 1328–1589, Bourbon 1589–1792 and 1814–1830, and Orléans 1830–1848.
Source:
Wikipedia (D),
Volker Preuß
The historical, French Regions:
in black: governorate and province in 1776,
in red: former county, province oder governorate
Map: Volker Preuß
The provinces (or governorates) that existed until the French Revolution were historically grown entities that had often developed from former fiefdoms of the French crown, historical counties and duchies, often existed for hundreds of years and had preserved regional characteristics (cultural peculiarities and regional languages). Such phenomena were naturally undesirable to the French Revolution, and in the context of its bloody and violent egalitarianism, all regional references were eradicated. Shortly after the Revolution, the provinces were dissolved and France was divided into many small départements, which were to be approximately the same size and have the same status, controlled by prefects of the central administration in Paris. The departments were named after rivers or mountains so as not to use the names of any of the old provinces. However, it was not possible to sever the ties between the inhabitants of France and their respective historically grown regions, so that in 1960 regions were created again. There can hardly be said to be any real autonomy. The regions are only supposed to promote the economic, social, health, cultural and scientific development of the region, keep an eye on housing and living conditions, and provide support in some areas, e.g. urban development policy, urban regeneration, regional planning, preservation of regional identity and promotion of regional languages. When the regions were formed, departments located in a particular historical province were administratively grouped together into a region that often had the same historical name. The resulting entities only roughly corresponded to the boundaries of historical provinces. In strictly centralised France, however, any form of responsible regionalism is avoided. The regions do not even have their own seals with which to mark their own legally binding decisions, because there are no plans to introduce such a thing. Therefore, anything to do with coats of arms or flags is completely irrelevant. The logos of the regions are used generally, sometimes with the colours reversed and placed arbitrarily on flags or banners. There are no rules, as they are not official symbols. The logos and flags of the regions therefore often look like company logos: Unloving, unhistorical, technocratic and modernistic. That is why most of these regions have a kind of unofficial heraldic flag, which is intended to recall historical heraldic models. However, these are merely decorative in nature and are not a symbol of sovereign functions. The regions created in 1960 were even called into question in 2014, and a territorial reform was decided – centrally from Paris – which reduced the number of regions by almost half through mergers. The regions and their institutions were not even consulted on this matter.
Wikipedia Link to the regions of France:
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FOTW Link to the regions of France:
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Source: Flags of the World,
Wikipedia (D),
Volker Preuß
antiquity · settlement by Celtic tribes, especially by the tribes of the Helvii, Vocontii, Arecomici, Volcae and Tectosages, in coastal areas colonies of the Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans
52 B.C. · Roman conquest, later forming the province of Gallia Narbonensis in the south of Gaul
440 A.D. · the Alans be settled as federates, the majority of today's Languedoc is within their sphere of influence
5th century A.D. · conquest of Gaul by the Franks (under King Clovis) to 507 conquest of Aquitaine, expansion of the empire to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pyrenees and the Alps
511 · death of King Clovis, division of the Frankish Empire by Salic law of succession among his four sons (residences in Paris, Soissons, Orléans, Reims)
ca. 550 · administrative division of the empire into the kingdoms of Austrasia and Neustria, and the Duchy of Aquitaine and the Kingdom of Burgundy
639 · death of King Dagobert I., the power goes over to the Mayors of the Palace (maior domus) of Austrasia (House of the Carolingians)
687 · Pepin II. asserts itself as Mayor of the Palace throughout the Frankish Empire
751 · Pepin the Short (III., grandson of Pepin II.) eliminates the Merovingian monarchy and let hisself elect to the king from the Franks
8th century · battles in the south of the Frankish Empire against the Arabs, Charlemagne founds the county of Toulouse as a part of the Duchy of Aquitaine, later (after Charles' death) battles between the dukes of Aquitaine and the Frankish kings, the Counts of Toulouse frequently switch between the Houses of the Gellones, Unruochingans and Gerhardins, from 849 ultimately prevail the Counts from the House of the Raimundinians (later House of Toulouse) with Count Fredelo in Toulouse, and enforce finally from 885, in the following years they won in power and influence through extensive acquisitions of territory, so the Counties of Rouergue, Quercy, Albi, Béziers, Narbonne and Nimes, and fiefdoms over the Counties of Foix, Carcassonne and Razès
843 · division of the Frankish Empire (Treaty of Verdun), there arise the West Frankish Kingdom of Charles II. (the Bald), the Middle Frankish Kingdom of Lothar (Lotharingia), and the East Frankish Kingdom of Louis II., the County of Toulouse comes to the Empire of Charles the Bald
870 · at the division of the Frankish Empire (Treaty of Meersen) arises the West Frankish Kingdom, the East Frankish Kingdom, and the Frankish Kingdom of Italy
877 · Ludwig ascends the West Frankish throne
880 · by the division of the Frankish Empire (Treaties of Verdun and Ribbemont) arises the West Frankish Kingdom (later France), the East Frankish Kingdom (later German Empire), the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of Upper Burgundy (under Rudolf the Welf) and the Kingdom of Lower Burgundy persists, the County of Toulouse comes to the West Frankish Kingdom
898 · Odo, Count of Paris and Duke of Francia, is elected to the king of the West Frankish Empire
987 · death of the childless West Frankish King Louis V. (House of Carolingians), his heir and uncle Charles of Lower Lorraine could not prevail, the nobility elects Hugh Capet (House of Capet) to the king, the Capetians are the Kings of France to 1328 - the Count of Toulouse (he is also Duke of Narbonne) refuses the following to Hugh Capet, the County of Toulouse becomes thus quasi-independently, and in the following years it became more and more powerful, resulting in the 12th century in an competition and enmity to the Duchy of Aquitaine, that meanwhile became a part of the Angevin Empire of the powerful noble House of Plantagenet
1102 · Count Raymond of Toulouse, participant and leader of the First Crusade, founds in the Levant the County of Tipolis
1187 · the Principality of Antioch inherits the County of Tipolis
12th century · spread of the Cathars (Albigensians) in the Languedoc
1209–1229 · Albigensian Crusade under Simon IV. de Montfort, who wanted to seize the power in Toulouse, he is in 1215 enfeoffed with the Languedoc by the pope, but can not maintain itself against the rightful earls, to 1224 the Crusaders were pushed out of the land by the Counts of Toulouse
1226 · crusade of King Louis VIII. of France against the Albigensians, the Counts of Toulouse have to submit to the King of France in 1229, Joan (Johanna) the Pious, heiress of the County of Toulouse, becomes engaged with Alphonse of Poitiers, the brother of the French King Louis IX.
1241 · Marriage between Joan and Alfons, the marriage remains childless
1271 · death of Joan, the inheritance falls to the crown of France, the County of Toulouse becomes incorporated into the royal domain, but the country could retain some special rights to the year 1779 (French Revolution), in this way it is equipped with some special rights of a estates state, what could be an own estates assembly (a kind of parliament) or may even mean an own tax jurisdiction towards the king
1328 · death of King Charles IV. (the Fair), extinction of the direct Capetian line, according to Salic Law Count Philip of Valois (Son of Prince Charles of Valois, first cousin of King Charles IV.) came on the French throne (as King Philip VI .), the English king Edward III. lays claim to the throne as a maternal nephew of Charles IV., reason for the "Hundred Years War" (Anglo-French War, 1338–1453), out of the House of Valois came all kings of France from 1328 to 1589
1589 · death of Henry III., King of France, Henry III. had no descendants, extinction of the line of Valois, Henry III. determined Henry of Navarre (House of Bourbon) as his successor, which is as Henry IV., the Good, Henri le Bon, the new King of France
1681 · King Louis XIV. of France gives to his illegitimate son, Louis Alexandre, the title of the Count of Toulouse
1776 · the already in the 14th century created governorates of the civil administration of the kingdom of France become committed to a number of 39, and correspond in this way to the number of provinces, in previous years could any provinces be summarized in one governorate, the County of Toulouse was until now almost forgotten, since long time ago the area was known and called as Languedoc
1789 · French Revolution, the governorates and provinces become abolished, Languedoc is divided into departments (essentially: Ardeche, Lozere, Gard, Herault, Aude, Tarn, the west of Haute-Gronne and the south of Haute-Loire)
1960 · reintroduction of regions in France, forming the Region of Languedoc-Roussillon (capital Montpellier), to which the Languedoc in this way largely belongs, but not within the historic boundaries, just by integrating of the the Departments of Lozere, Gard, Herault, Aude and Pyrenees-Orientales (Roussillon)
2016 · the Languedoc-Roussillon region merges with the Midi-Pyrénées region in the new larger region of Occitanie (Occitanie)
Source:
Wikipedia (D),
Meyers Konversationslexikon
The name "Languedoc" is an indication for the spoken here Occitan language. The word consists of two parts: 1st) "langue" and 2nd) "oc". Translated means Languedoc "Language of Oc". "Yes" is in Occitan "oc", in French is it "oui". In this way they defined the territory of the Occitan language against the French language.
Source:
Wikipedia (D),
Volker Preuß
