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57-545: It is the birthplace of Blaise Francois Pagan (1603-1665), a French soldier and military engineer . His work, Les Fortifications , was the dominant text of its era on military fortifications and a significant influence on Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban . The village is located near Mont Ventoux , often used as a stage on the Tour de France . It is one of the toughest climbs in professional cycling, and British cyclist Tom Simpson died here in 1967. Other tourist attractions include

114-521: A caravan site. This Vaucluse geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Blaise Francois Pagan Blaise François Pagan (1603–1665) was a French soldier and military engineer who served in the army of Louis XIII . His military career ended in 1642 when he lost his sight and in 1645, he published Les Fortifications; this became the dominant text of its era on military fortifications and significantly influenced Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban . During

171-453: A ceremony that normally took place several months later. His father Claude was descended from a Neapolitan family that moved to France in 1552 and was a cadet branch of the d'Albert family, headed by the duc de Luynes . Pagan never married and died childless. The 1590 Edict of Nantes ended the French Wars of Religion but the assassination of Henry IV in 1610 once again destabilised

228-470: A large campus devoted to cancer research and bio-tech R&D will be opened on the site. Elsewhere in the region industries are small and in decline, in particular around the formerly mining areas of Alès and Carmaux in the interior of the region. Services are the largest sector of the economy in the region. In particular, government services employ a significant part of the workforce, especially in small towns. Key administrations have been relocated to

285-621: A power struggle between the French nobility and the Royalist party, headed by Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin . During the 1650-1653 Fronde des nobles in 1652, he allegedly claimed 'he would make the King (Louis XIV) die by magic.' Combined with his connections to Montmorency and Louis' uncle Gaston, duc d'Orléans , this resulted in a sentence of eight years imprisonment in the Bastille ; Mazarin offered him

342-521: A short pause following the 1622 Treaty of Montpellier , fighting restarted in 1624. Among other actions, Pagan took part in the 1627/1628 Siege of La Rochelle , whose loss resulted in the 1629 Peace of Alès , ending Huguenot self-government within France. Richelieu's policies were driven not by religion but to increase Royal authority over the often autonomous French nobility and reduce the power of Spain . As part of this anti-Spanish policy, France supported

399-662: A source of fish and shellfish. Aerospace ( Airbus , CNES , etc.), electronics ( Freescale , etc.), and bio-tech industries in Toulouse ; high-tech, electronics, and computer ( IBM ) industries in Montpellier ; pharmaceutical industry ( Pierre Fabre Group ) in Castres . There is also a significant chemical sector in Toulouse , which has been quite battered since the terrible explosion of AZF on 21 September 2001. It has been decided that chemical industries would be moved out of Toulouse , and

456-599: Is a former province of France . Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France . Its capital city was Toulouse . It had an area of approximately 42,700 square kilometers (16,500 square miles). The Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis fell to the Visigothic Kingdom from the 5th to the 8th centuries . Occupied briefly by the Emirate of Córdoba between 719 and 759, it

513-465: Is a significant producer of wine. Today it produces more than a third of the grapes in France, and is a focus for outside investors. Wines from the Mediterranean coast of Languedoc are labeled as Languedoc, those from the interior have other labels such as Fronton , Gaillac , or Limoux to the west – and Côtes du Rhône towards the east. Other crops include wheat (the traditional crop which made

570-500: Is also strong, as the region contains the historic cities of Carcassonne , Toulouse, Montpellier , countless Roman monuments (such as the Roman arenas in Nîmes ), medieval abbeys, Romanesque churches, and old castles (such as the ruined Cathar castles in the mountains of Corbières , testimony of the bloody Albigensian Crusade ). More recently, "green" and sports tourism is on the rise, with

627-473: Is always marked as such. However, the intricate entanglement of administrations and jurisdictions permitted Montpellier to also claim that distinction. In the 18th century, the monarchy clearly favored Montpellier, a city much smaller than Toulouse, with less history, and with fewer autonomous local authorities such as Toulouse's parlement and capitoulate . The governors of Languedoc resided in Pézenas , near to

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684-409: The département of Aveyron ), both to the northwest of Languedoc. At some times it included the province of Agenais (now the eastern half of the département of Lot-et-Garonne ) to the west of Languedoc, the province of Gévaudan (now département of Lozère ), the province of Velay (now the central and eastern part of the département of Haute-Loire ), the southern part of

741-590: The French Revolution in 1789. From the 17th century onward, there was only one intendance for the whole of Languedoc, with its seat in Montpellier. Part of the territory where Occitan was spoken came to be called langue d'oc , Lengadòc or Languedoc. The traditional provinces of the kingdom of France were not formally defined. A province was simply a territory of common traditions and customs, but it had no political organization. Today, when people refer to

798-748: The Languedoc-Roussillon région , 35% in the Midi-Pyrénées région , 8% in the Rhône-Alpes région , and 5% in the Auvergne région . The territory of the former province shows a stark contrast between some densely populated areas (coastal plains as well as metropolitan area of Toulouse in the interior) where density is between 150 inhabitants per square kilometre (390 inhabitants/sq mi) (coastal plains) and 300 inhabitants per square kilometre (780 inhabitants/sq mi) (plain of Toulouse), and

855-640: The Loire . As part of this process, the former principalities of Trencavel (the Viscounty of Albi , Carcassona , Besièrs , Agde and Nîmes ) were integrated into the Royal French Domain in 1224. The County of Toulouse followed them in 1271. The remaining feudal enclaves were absorbed progressively up to the beginning of the 16th century; the County of Gévaudan in 1258, the County of Melgueil ( Mauguiò ) in 1293,

912-659: The Lordship of Montpellier in 1349 and the Viscounty of Narbonne in 1507. The territory falling within the jurisdiction of the Estates of Languedoc , which convened for the first time in 1346, shrank progressively, becoming known during the Ancien Régime as the province of Languedoc . The year 1359 marked a turning point in the history of the province. The three bailiwicks ( sénéchaussées ) of Bèucaire , Carcassona and Tolosa had

969-425: The gouvernement of Guienne and its far-away capital Bordeaux . This decision was probably intentional, to avoid reviving the independently spirited County of Toulouse. In the rest of this article, Languedoc refers to the territory of this gouvernement of Languedoc. The province of Languedoc covered an area of approximately 42,700 km (16,500 sq mi) in the central part of southern France, roughly

1026-481: The 1650 to 1653 Fronde des nobles , Pagan allegedly claimed "he would make the King ( Louis XIV ) die by magic" and was imprisoned in the Bastille , where he died in 1665. Blaise François Pagan was born in the village of Saint-Pierre-de-Vassols , then in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur , now part of the modern French department of Vaucluse . His exact date of birth is uncertain but he was baptised on 4 March 1604,

1083-410: The 16th century required a complete rethink on the design of fortifications. Much of the original work was done by Italian engineers and the famous 'star-shape' bastion fort design, used in various forms until the mid-19th century, was known as the trace Italienne. These were then upgraded by French engineers, including Jean Errard (1554-1610) and Antoine de Ville (1596-1656); unlike them, Pagan's work

1140-427: The 18th century they were relocated definitively to Montpellier , where they met once a year, until 1789. For Christian religious purposes, Languedoc was also divided into a certain number of ecclesiastical provinces, including the archdiocese of Toulouse , the archdiocese of Narbonne , and the archdiocese of Albi . Between 1956 and 2016, the province of Languedoc was divided between four régions : In 2016,

1197-460: The Bastille was written on 18 November 1665 and he appears to have died soon after; he was buried in the church of Saint Antoine-des-Champs , destroyed during the French Revolution . Languedoc The Province of Languedoc ( / ˌ l ɒ̃ ɡ ( ə ) ˈ d ɒ k / , French: [lɑ̃ɡ(ə)dɔk] , locally [lãᵑɡəˈdɔk] ; Occitan : Lengadòc [ˌleŋɡɔˈðɔ(k)] )

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1254-571: The Dutch Republic led to a formal alliance in August 1634, followed by the outbreak of the 1635-1659 Franco-Spanish War . Pagan fought in many of the actions associated with this war, including Saint-Quentin , Landrecies, Saint-Omer , Arras and finally Bapaume in 1641. In 1640, Portugal declared its independence from Spain, initiating the Restoration War , which was supported by France. Pagan

1311-434: The French regions were reduced in number, with Languedoc-Rousillon and Midi-Pyrénées merging to form Occitanie , containing over 80% of historic Languedoc , and Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes merging to Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes , with just under a fifth of the historic région . On the traditional territory of the province of Languedoc there live approximately 3,650,000 people (as of 1999 census), 52% of these in

1368-490: The Languedoc is quite varied and ranges from newly built villas with swimming pools and tennis courts, to old village houses set into the old ramparts of ancient fortified towns. Some of these village houses date back a very long time. A small house in the village of Magalas, Hérault département , has a date of the 13th century carved into its stonework. Being a large area, the type of property available in Languedoc varies

1425-408: The Mediterranean coast, away from Toulouse but close to Montpellier . In time they had increased their power well beyond military matters, and had become the real administrators and executive power of the province, a trend seen in the other gouvernements of France, but particularly acute in Languedoc, where the duke of Montmorency , governor of Languedoc, even openly rebelled against the king, then

1482-597: The Pas de Suse, an act celebrated for its courage. Many of the actions involving Pagan were commanded by his fellow Provencal and Governor of Languedoc , the duc de Montmorency , who was executed in 1632 for treason. However, he was closely involved in the capture and occupation of Nancy in September 1633, when France invaded the Duchy of Lorraine , then ruled by the pro-Spanish Charles IV . Increasingly close links between France and

1539-690: The Protestant Dutch Republic in its Eighty Years War against Catholic Spain; Turenne , one of the most celebrated generals of the 17th century, was a Huguenot who began his career fighting for the Dutch. France also became involved in the 1628-1631 War of the Mantuan Succession , in opposition to the Spanish-backed candidate; in March 1629, Pagan was part of a force that stormed barricades blocking

1596-574: The country. The first part of the reign of Louis XIII (1601-1643) was marked by domestic conflict, including a series of Huguenot rebellions in the 1620s. Pagan began his military career during the 1620-1622 Huguenot Rebellion and was promoted by Louis' first chief minister and his relative, the Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes . He took part in a number of sieges, including that of Montauban in 1621, where he lost an eye and his patron Luynes died of fever. Cardinal Richelieu replaced Luynes and after

1653-471: The former province of Languedoc is currently the fastest-growing in France, and also among the fastest-growing in Europe, as an increasing flow of people from northern France and the north of Europe relocating to the sunbelt of Europe, in which Languedoc is located. Growth is particularly strong in the metropolitan areas of Toulouse and Montpellier , which are the two fastest growing metropolitan areas in Europe at

1710-422: The fortune of the landlords and parliamentarians based in Toulouse , and for whose trade the famous Canal du Midi was built), maize (the new and nowadays most common crop in the region), olives (only on the Mediterranean coast of Languedoc), fruit, and rice (in some coastal areas). In the hilly and mountainous areas of the interior, sheep and goats are raised for meat and cheese. The coastal area is, naturally,

1767-735: The gorges of the Tarn , the Ardèche Gorges , as well as the vast preserved expanses of Cévennes , Ardèche, Lauragais , and other sites. Tourism on the Canal du Midi combines history (for example viewing the nine locks of Fonseranes near Béziers ) with activities such as boating on the Canal, and walking or cycling on the towpaths. Toulouse and Montpellier are also common places for business congresses and conventions. In April 2019, The Guardian 's travel section included two Languedoc locations in its list of 20 of

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1824-531: The hilly and mountainous interior where density is extremely low, the Cévennes area in the south of Lozère having one of the lowest densities of Europe with only 7.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (19 inhabitants/sq mi). The five largest metropolitan areas on the territory of the former province of Languedoc are (as of 1999 census): Toulouse (964,797), Montpellier (459,916), Nîmes (221,455), Béziers (124,967), and Alès (89,390). The population of

1881-506: The law. It was also in charge of registering new royal edicts and laws, and could decide to block them if it found them to be in contravention with the liberties and laws of Languedoc. Finally, for purposes of taxation, Languedoc was ruled by the States of Languedoc, whose jurisdiction included only Languedoc proper (and Albigeois ), but not Gévaudan , Velay , and Vivarais , which kept each their own provincial states until 1789. Languedoc proper

1938-474: The local administration of the kingdom. For judicial and legislative matters, Languedoc was overseen by the Parlement of Toulouse , founded in the middle of the 15th century. It was the first parlement created outside of Paris by the kings of France in order to be the equivalent of the Parlement of Paris in the far-away southern territories of the kingdom. The jurisdiction of the Parlement of Toulouse included

1995-437: The moment. However, the interior of Languedoc is still losing inhabitants, which increases the difference of density that was mentioned. Population of the coast of Languedoc as well as the region of Toulouse is rather young, educated, and affluent, whereas in the interior the population tends to be much older, with significantly lower incomes, and with a lower percentage of high school and especially college graduates. Languedoc

2052-408: The most beautiful villages in France . The two were Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert with "one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in the region" and Estaing, whose "narrow streets have hardly changed over the centuries". Rugby union is the "national" sport in Languedoc, unlike most other parts of France where football is more popular. The Toulouse rugby club ( Stade Toulousain ) is one of

2109-503: The most successful in Europe; it regularly competes for the French championship and has won four European titles (1996, 2003, 2005, and 2010) in the ten years of the European championship's existence. Bullfighting and other bull-related events are popular in the eastern part of Languedoc. Sea jousts ( Joutes nautiques ) are held on the coast. Dating from the 11th century, this sport has local leagues and attracts large crowds. Property in

2166-406: The northeast of Languedoc. Some people also consider that the region around Albi was a traditional province, called Albigeois (now the département of Tarn ), although it is most often considered as being part of Languedoc proper. The provinces of Quercy and Rouergue , despite their old ties with Toulouse , were not incorporated into the gouvernement of Languedoc. They were attached to

2223-477: The old provinces of France, they are referring to the gouvernements as they existed in 1789, before the French Revolution . Gouvernements were military regions established by the Crown in the middle of the 16th century; their territories closely matched those of the traditional provinces. However, in some cases, small provinces were merged with a large one into a single gouvernement , so gouvernements are not exactly

2280-446: The option of expulsion from France, but Pagan insisted on 'unconditional release' and appears to have been forgotten after Mazarin died in 1661. He spent his captivity studying and publishing works on various topics, including mathematics ( Théorèmes géométriques ), astronomy ( Théorèmes des planètes, Les Tables astronomiques and Astrologie naturelle ) and even geography ( Relation de la rivière des Amazones ). His last letter from

2337-478: The province of Vivarais (now the southern part of the département of Ardèche ), and even all the northern half of Provence . After the French conquest the entire county was dismantled, the central part of it being now called Languedoc. The gouvernement of Languedoc was created in the mid-16th century. In addition to Languedoc proper, it included the three small provinces of Gévaudan , Velay , and Vivarais (in its entirety), these three provinces being to

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2394-539: The region between the river Rhône (border with Provence ) and the Garonne (border with Gascony ), extending northwards to the Cévennes and the Massif Central (border with Auvergne ). As the center of the County of Toulouse and the regional parlement , Toulouse is often considered the "capital" of Languedoc. On maps (both ancient and modern) showing the provinces (i.e., gouvernements ) of France in 1789, it

2451-719: The region in 1214 seeking the restoration of those lands. In the 13th century, the See of Rome challenged the area's spiritual beliefs, and the region became attached to the Kingdom of France following the Albigensian Crusade (1208–1229). This crusade aimed to put an end to what the Catholic Church considered the Cathar heresy . It enabled the Capetian dynasty to extend its influence south of

2508-400: The region, such as France's National Meteorology Office ( Météo-France ) relocated from Paris to Toulouse in 1982. The area is also a major tourist destination. There exists three types of tourism. First, a massive summer tourism industry on the coast, with huge sea resorts such as Cap d'Agde , Palavas-les-Flots , or Le Grau-du-Roi , built in the 1970s. Tourism related to history and art

2565-411: The same as the traditional provinces. Historically, the region was called the County of Toulouse , a county independent from the kings of France. The County of Toulouse was made up of what would later be called Languedoc, but it also included the province of Quercy (now the département of Lot and the northern half of the département of Tarn-et-Garonne ) and the province of Rouergue (now

2622-498: The status of bonnes villes (towns granted privileges and protection by the king of France in return for providing a contingent of men at arms). In that year, the three entered into a perpetual union, after which their contribution of royal officers was summoned jointly rather than separately for each of the three sénéchaussées. Towards the end of 14th century, the term "country of the three seneschalties" ( pays des trois sénéchaussées ), later to become known as Languedoc, designated

2679-557: The two bailiwicks of Bèucaire-Nîmes and Carcassona , and the eastern part of Tolosa (Toulouse), retained under the Treaty of Brétigny . At that time, the County of Foix , which belonged to the seneschal of Carcassona until 1333 before passing to Toulouse, ceased to belong to Languedoc. At this time, the Duchy of Languedoc and the Spanish Duchy of Gandia (of Osuna) became one under the marriage of

2736-504: The two heirs. Later, Duke of Langeuedoc became Governor of Languedoc and Provence; as of 2024 the title is held by the son of the Late Dutchess of Gandia and Prince Obolensky Arnaud Henry Salas-Perez; though the governor role does not exist anymore, title of Duke of Languedoc et Lavandou still remains. In 1542, the province was divided into two généralités : Toulouse for Haut-Languedoc, and Montpellier for Bas-Languedoc. This lasted until

2793-460: The whole of the territory of the gouvernement of Languedoc, but it also included the province of Rouergue , most of the province of Quercy , and a part of Gascony . The Parlement of Toulouse was the supreme court of justice for this vast area of France, the court of last resort whose rulings could not be appealed, not even to the Parlement of Paris. The Parlement of Toulouse could also create case law through its decisions, as well as interpret

2850-432: Was almost entirely theoretical but his background in geometry and mathematics allowed him to apply their concepts in a more structured way. This included where to locate outworks or exposed bastions to slow down an attack and how to adapt designs to the terrain; the principles he outlined were all used by Vauban in his 'first system.' The death of Louis XIII in 1643 and the succession of the five year old Louis XIV led to

2907-458: Was chosen on purpose to diminish the power of Toulouse, whose parlement was very influential, and which symbolized the old spirit of independence of the county of Toulouse . The intendants replaced the governors as administrators of Languedoc, but appointed and dismissed at will by the king, they were no threat to the central state in Versailles . By 1789 they were the most important element of

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2964-647: Was conquered and incorporated into the Kingdom of the Franks by Pepin the Short in 759 following the Siege of Narbonne . The term Languedoc originated to describe a cultural region that was not necessarily politically unified. After the decline of the Carolingian Empire political rule fragmented into small territorial divisions. King John of England lost his holdings in northern Languedoc to Philip II of France . He visited

3021-596: Was defeated and beheaded in Toulouse in 1632 by the order of Richelieu . The kings of France became fearful of the power of the governors, so after King Louis XIV (the Sun King) they had to reside in Versailles and were forbidden to enter the territory of their gouvernement . Thus the gouvernements became hollow structures, but they still carried a sense of the old provinces, and so their names and limits have remained popular until today. For administrative purposes, Languedoc

3078-449: Was divided in two généralités , the généralité of Toulouse and the généralité of Montpellier, the combined territory of the two generalities exactly matching that of the gouvernement of Languedoc. At the head of a generality was an intendant , but in the case of Languedoc there was only one intendant responsible for both generalities, and he was often referred to as the intendant of Languedoc, even though technically speaking he

3135-420: Was in fact the intendant of the generality of Toulouse and intendant of the generality of Montpellier. The generality of Toulouse is also referred to as Upper Languedoc ( Haut-Languedoc ), while the generality of Montpellier, down to the level of the sea, is referred to as Lower Languedoc ( Bas-Languedoc ). The intendants of Languedoc resided in Montpellier, and they had a sub-delegate in Toulouse. Montpellier

3192-475: Was one of the very few provinces of France which had the privilege to decide over tax matters, the kings of France having suppressed the provincial states in most other provinces of the kingdom. This was a special favor from the kings to ensure that an independently spirited region far-away from Versailles would remain faithful to the central state. The States of Languedoc met in many different cities, and for some time they established themselves in Pézenas , but in

3249-522: Was promoted Maréchal de camp in 1642 and assigned to the Portuguese army but before taking up this post, he was blinded in an accident, ending his military career. Pagan was invited by the Knights Hospitaller to submit a proposal for fortifying their base at Malta ; this does not appear to have been accepted but in 1645, he published Les Fortifications. The increasing power of artillery during

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