The history of the Auvergne dates back to the early Middle Ages, when it was a historic province in south-central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne.
The history of the Auvergne dates back to the early Middle Ages, when it was a historic province in south-central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne.
Auvergne was a province of France deriving its name from the Arverni , a Gallic tribe who once occupied the area. In 52 BC, Arverni chieftain Vercingetorix mounted a fierce resistance against the military forces of Julius Caesar. [1] Christianized by Saint Austremoine, Auvergne was quite prosperous during the Roman period. After a short time under the Visigoths, it was conquered by the Franks in 507.
During the earlier medieval period, Auvergne was a county within the duchy of Aquitaine and from time to time part of the "Angevin Empire". In 1225, Louis VIII of France granted Poitou and Auvergne to his third son Alfonso. [2] On Alfonso's death in 1271, Auvergne, along with the County of Toulouse, Poitou and the Comtat Venaissin, reverted to the royal domain.
The Middle Ages, especially the 10th to 13th centuries, were a period of great development for Auvergne, with the building of famous abbeys and churches in a Romanesque style. In 1095, the historic Council of Clermont was held there, to rally support for the First Crusade. [3] Its wide autonomy was ended by King Philippe-Auguste of France, who linked it to the royal possessions. Severely impacted by the Hundred Years' War, the religious wars and epidemics, integrated to into the kingdom of France, it turned itself more and more into an agricultural province reputed for its products. In 1790, the historical province was divided into the modern-day départements of Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal, Haute-Loire, and Allier, although Haute-Loire and Allier also include some land from the historical provinces of Bourbonnais, Lyonnais, and Velay.
The region is famed for its charcuterie , which is celebrated in "La Mangona" festivals in many Auvergnat villages, for its cheeses (Saint-Nectaire, Bleu d'Auvergne, Cantal, Salers, Fourme d'Ambert), and for its mineral waters (Volvic, among others). Michelin tires are produced there. Auvergne is also the site of several major hydroelectric projects, mainly located on the rivers Dordogne, Cère, and Truyère. The region is also quite touristic, thanks to its landscapes.
Auvergnat, a variety of the Occitan language, was historically spoken in the Auvergne. It is still spoken there.
Aubrac oxen, a rare breed, are raised in the Aubrac hills. [4]
The Chaîne des Puys, a volcanic mountain range located in the Puy-de-Dôme department, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2018. [5]
Composer Joseph Canteloube based Chants d'Auvergne ("Songs of Auvergne") (1923–55), his well-known piece for voice and orchestra, on folk music and songs from the Auvergne.
Singer-songwriter Georges Brassens composed Chanson pour l'Auvergnat.
Composer Camille Saint-Saëns composed Rhapsodie d'Auvergne in 1884, based upon folk songs from the Auvergne.
Much of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles takes place in Auvergne. Characters Lestat de Lioncourt and Nicolas de Lenfent reside there.
The protagonist of John Jakes' The Kent Family Chronicles , Philippe Kent (né Charboneau), was born in Auvergne.
Rosalia, the Catalan-Spanish famous singer was inspired by the auvergnat's 13th century Romance of Flamenca to compose her 2018 album El mal querer.
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 census. It is the prefecture (capital) of the Puy-de-Dôme département. Olivier Bianchi is its current mayor.
Puy-de-Dôme is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2019, it had a population of 662,152. Its prefecture is Clermont-Ferrand and subprefectures are Ambert, Issoire, Riom, and Thiers.
Cantal is a rural department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, with its prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour and Mauriac; its residents are known as Cantalians. Cantal borders the departments of Puy-de-Dôme, Haute-Loire, Aveyron, Lot, Lozère and Corrèze, in the Massif Central natural region.
Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret was a French composer, musicologist, and author best known for his collections of orchestrated folksongs from the Auvergne region, Chants d'Auvergne.
The Arverni were a Gallic people dwelling in the modern Auvergne region during the Iron Age and the Roman period. They were one of the most powerful tribes of ancient Gaul, contesting primacy over the region with the neighbouring Aedui.
Puy de Dôme is a lava dome and one of the youngest volcanoes in the Chaîne des Puys region of Massif Central in central France. This chain of volcanoes including numerous cinder cones, lava domes and maars is far from the edge of any tectonic plate. Puy de Dôme was created by a Peléan eruption, some 10,700 years ago. Puy de Dôme is approximately 10 km from Clermont-Ferrand. The Puy-de-Dôme département is named after the volcano.
The Massif Central is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France.
Auvergnat or Occitan auvergnat is a northern dialect of Occitan spoken in central and southern France, in particular in the former administrative region of Auvergne.
The Battle of Gergovia took place in 52 BC in Gaul at Gergovia, the chief oppidum of the Arverni. The battle was fought between a Roman Republican army, led by proconsul Julius Caesar, and Gallic forces led by Vercingetorix, who was also the Arverni chieftain. The Romans attempted to besiege Gergovia, but miscommunication ruined the Roman plan. The Gallic cavalry counterattacked the confused Romans and sent them to flight, winning the battle.
Auvergne is a cultural region in central France.
Issoire is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.
Gergovie is a French village in the commune of La Roche-Blanche in the Puy-de-Dôme département, a few kilometres south of Clermont-Ferrand.
The Gergovie plateau is a plateau of the Massif Central located 10 km to the south of Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, France and is named after the nearby village of Gergovie. It is the site of the Battle of Gergovia between Vercingetorix and Julius Caesar in 52 BC.
Aubière is a commune located in the department of Puy-de-Dôme in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeast France. As of 2017 its population was 10,061.
Cournon-d'Auvergne is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. It lies 10 km (6.2 mi) southeast of Clermont-Ferrand, the prefecture and largest city of Puy-de-Dôme.
La Tour-d'Auvergne is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Clermont-Ferrand, France.
The Gergovie Monument or Memorial to Vercingetorix is a monument by the Clermontois architect Jean Teillard built in 1900 on the eastern edge of the Gergovie plateau, a few kilometers south of Clermont-Ferrand in the French departement of Puy-de-Dôme in Auvergne. It commemorates Vercingetorix's victory over Julius Caesar on this site in 52 BC.
The Regional Council of Auvergne was the deliberative assembly of the former French region of Auvergne. The assembly sat in Clermont-Ferrand.
France Bleu Pays d'Auvergne is a generalist public service radio station. It broadcasts in the departments of Puy-de-Dôme, Allier, Cantal and most of western Haute-Loire.
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