Gascony

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The historical province of Gascony with today's departments
Distribution area of ​​the Gascognischen language variety of Occitan
Flag of Gascony ( Union gascona )
Gascony coat of arms

The Gascon ( Gascon Gasconha [gaskuɲɔ / gaskuɲə] ) is a historical province in the southwest of France . The native language of Gascon is Gascon , a subspecies of Occitan .

area

Gascony about are the current departments of Landes , Gers and Hautes-Pyrénées and parts of the departments of Lot-et-Garonne , Tarn-et-Garonne , Haute-Garonne , Gironde and Ariège , to the regions Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitania belong. The Basque provinces of Labourd and Soule (Département Pyrénées-Atlantiques ) were also historically linked to Gascony. The Val d'Aran in Catalonia belongs linguistically to Gascony, the Gascognic language has official status there.

economy

The most important industries are:

  • Fishing
  • Wine growing and processing (specialties: Armagnac , Arrufiat )
  • Tourism (numerous castles, monasteries, also seaside resorts)
  • Forestry

Cities

The main cities of Gascony are:

The birthplace of the literary figure D'Artagnan (in Castelmore Castle near Lupiac ) by the novelist Alexandre Dumas can be found in the historical landscape .

History of Gascony

Gascony was inhabited in antiquity by the Aquitaine people, who, unlike the rest of the inhabitants of Gaul, did not speak Celtic , but probably a language related to Basque .

During the Roman conquest of Gaul , the later Gascony was distinguished from the rest of Gaul as Aquitaine . In the division into provinces, the name Aquitaine was extended to the Loire , the area south of the Garonne was later separated from it as Provincia Novempopulana . In the course of the gradual Romanization of the area, the Gascognic language developed here , a subspecies of the Occitan language strongly influenced by Basque .

Gascony later belonged to the Tolosan Empire of the Visigoths (Visigoths). In 507, after the Battle of Vouillé , the Franconian Empire expanded to the Pyrenees, displacing the Visigoths, but did not gain firm control over the area. In the following years Basques migrated from the area south of the Pyrenees to the north and were able to settle the further foothills up to the Garonne. The area was given the name Gascogne (from vasco "Basque"), but largely retained its Romance language , which was strongly influenced by Basque .

After a period of rule by Franconian dukes ( Bladast 581, Austrowald 587), the Gascogner accepted the suzerainty of the Merovingians in 603 . Nevertheless, King Dagobert I had to force them under his power again in 635 with a Burgundian army. A Franconian duke was appointed again. The duchy was incorporated into the Aquitaine of the dukes Felix and Lupus around 660.

After Karl Martell's victory in 732 at the Battle of Tours and Poitiers over the Moorish conquerors of Spain , who had advanced far north at the beginning of the 8th century , the country up to the Pyrenees belonged again to the Frankish Empire, even though Pippin the Younger and Karlmann I opposed considerable efforts had to undertake the permanent uprisings of the Basque. Charlemagne finally subjugated Gascony in 769-770 and covered the country with Frankish counts and garrisons - which in 778 at the Battle of Roncesvalles became a serious Frankish defeat. Charlemagne subjugated the Gascon again, but further revolts then brought Gascon de facto independence within the Aquitaine Kingdom from 812 onwards. King Pippin I appointed a count, Aznar Sanche († 836), in 819 , who was able to pursue a largely independent policy, and mostly supported Charles the Bald against Pippin, who was closer to home. His brother Sanche Sanche member appeared from 848 as a duke, but supported Pippin II at times , but then turned against him and handed him over to Charles the Bald in 852.

In the 10th century, under the Duke Garcia Sanchez le Tors , the Gascogne extended as far north as Bordeaux , now (after also the capital Eauze and from the 7th century also was), but had in the south of Navarre also Aragón give up and severely restrict his rule over a number of counties and vice-counties along the Pyrenees.

Dominions in France around 1429

After the old ducal family died out, Odo of Aquitaine took over the duchy as heir in 1032, followed in 1040 by his nephew Bernard II. Tumapaler , Count of Armagnac , who, however, had to hand over power to Odo's half-brother Guido Gottfried of Aquitaine in 1052 , who was not a descendant of the old Ducal family was more. The fate of Gascony from now on followed that of Aquitaine. Due to the two marriages of the heiress Eleanor of Aquitaine, first Louis VII and then the Plantagenets became masters of the country . Under King John without a country , the country was divided into the supporters of the invading King Alfonso VIII of Castile on the one hand and Count Raimund VI, who fought against the Albigensian Crusades . from Toulouse . The Treaty of Paris (1259) with Henry III. of England left the Gascony to the English , what by the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) with Edward III. has been confirmed by England.

The politics of the black prince Edward of Woodstock around 1360 alienated the country from the English, so that it was easy for the army of Charles V of France to recapture Gascony until English rule in 1380 was divided into two separate areas (Bordeaux, Médoc , Blaye , Castillon , Rions and Buch on the one hand, Bayonne , Dax and Saint-Sever on the other hand). The battle of Castillon on July 17, 1453 is also known. It was the decisive conflict in favor of France at the end of the Hundred Years War between Henry VI. of England and Charles VII of France. The Hundred Years War lasted from 1339 to 1453. The victories of Charles VII in 1442 and Jean de Dunois ' in 1451 resulted in the final expulsion of the English from Gascony.

Before the revolution, Gascony formed its own province , but it was united with the Guyenne in a governorate . It was divided into counties and vice counties, some of which had their own class assemblies.

In the course of the formation of the departments during the French Revolution , Gascony was dissolved as a political unit and replaced by today's departments. With the creation and increasing strengthening of the regions of France since 1972, Gascony became the south of the Aquitaine region .

Well-known Gascogner

literature

  • Jean Favier : Dictionnaire de la France médiévale. 1992. Keyword "Gascogne"

Web links

Commons : Gascony  - Collection of images, videos and audio files