Quercy

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Quercy
Lacave-Chateau Belcastel.jpg
The chateau in Lacave
Blason departement fr Lot.svg
Carte du Quercy.svg
Map of the old province of Quercy, France, showing the communes according to the current administrative division.
Coordinates: 44°16′00″N1°38′00″E / 44.2667°N 1.63333°E / 44.2667; 1.63333
Countries France

Quercy (French: [kɛʁsi] ; Occitan : Carcin [kaɾˈsi] , locally [kɔɾˈʃi] ) is a former province of France located in the country's southwest, bounded on the north by Limousin, on the west by Périgord and Agenais, on the south by Gascony and Languedoc, and on the east by Rouergue and Auvergne.

Contents

Description

Quercy comprised the present-day department of Lot, the northern half of the department of Tarn-et-Garonne, and a few communities in the departments of Dordogne, Corrèze, and Aveyron. The traditional capital of Quercy is Cahors, now the prefecture of Lot. The largest town of Quercy is Montauban, prefecture of Tarn-et-Garonne. However, Montauban lies at the traditional border between Quercy and Languedoc, in an area very different from the rest of Quercy, and it is closer historically and culturally to Toulouse and the rest of Languedoc, therefore it should be considered a special case, not totally part of Quercy. Also distinct from the rest of the region is the region known as Quercy Blanc  [ fr ], lying between Cahors and the southern boundary of Lot, and characterised by its white limestone buildings.

Close to Perigord and the Dordogne valley, Rocamadour is at the heart of the Parc naturel regional des Causses du Quercy [de; fr] regional nature park. Rocamadour, Lot, Midi-Pyrenees, france.jpg
Close to Périgord and the Dordogne valley, Rocamadour is at the heart of the Parc naturel régional des Causses du Quercy  [ de; fr ] regional nature park.

Quercy has a land area of 6,987 km2 (2,698 sq. miles). At the 1999 census there were 275,984 inhabitants on the territory of the former province of Quercy, which means a density of 40 inhabitants per square kilotmetre (102 inh. per sq. mile). However, if Montauban is not included in Quercy, then the total population of Quercy in 1999 was 224,129 inhabitants, and the density was only 33 inhabitants per square kilotmetre (85 inh. per sq. mile). The largest urban areas in Quercy are Montauban, with 51,855 inhabitants in 1999, Cahors, with 23,128 inhabitants in 1999, Moissac, with 12,321 inhabitants in 1999, and Figeac, with 9,991 inhabitants in 1999.

History

Under the Romans, Quercy was part of Aquitania Prima . Christianity was introduced during the 4th century. Early in the 6th century it fell under the authority of the Franks, and in the 7th century became part of the autonomous Duchy of Aquitaine. At the end of the 10th century its rulers were the powerful counts of Toulouse. During the wars between England and France in the reign of Henry II, the English placed garrisons in the county, and by the 1259 Treaty of Paris lower Quercy was ceded to England. The monarchs of both England and France confirmed and added to the privileges of the towns and the district, each thus hoping to attach the inhabitants to his own interest. In 1360, by the Treaty of Brétigny, the whole county passed to England, but in 1440 the English were finally expelled. In the 16th century Quercy was a stronghold of the Protestants, and the scene of a savage religious warfare. The civil wars of the reign of Louis XIII largely took place around Montauban. [1]

Notable associations

Like Périgord, the area is noted for its cuisine, more particularly the duck dishes, confit de canard and magret de canard and the dark red wines of Cahors and, further south, Coteaux de Quercy.

The province gave its name to cadurcum, a variety of light linen.

Notable people

Related Research Articles

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Montauban is a commune in the southern French department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It is the capital of the department and lies 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, and the sixth most populated of Occitanie behind Toulouse, Montpellier, Nîmes, Perpignan and Béziers. In 2019, there were 61,372 inhabitants, called Montalbanais. The town has been classified Ville d’art et d’histoire since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languedoc</span> Historical province of France

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lot (department)</span> Department of France in Occitanie

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarn-et-Garonne</span> Department of France

Tarn-et-Garonne is a department in the Occitania region in Southern France. It is traversed by the rivers Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its name. The area was originally part of the former provinces of Quercy and Languedoc. The department was created in 1808 under Napoleon, with territory taken from the neighbouring Lot, Haute-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne, Gers and Aveyron departments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rouergue</span> Former province of France

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midi-Pyrénées</span> Former administrative region of France

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarn (river)</span> River in southern France

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The arrondissement of Montauban is an arrondissement of France in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region. It has 92 communes. Its population is 184,398 (2021), and its area is 2,116.8 km2 (817.3 sq mi).

The following is a list of the 15 cantons of the Tarn-et-Garonne department, in France, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montpezat-de-Quercy</span> Commune in Occitania, France

Montpezat-de-Quercy is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne département in the Occitanie région in southern France.

Valence d'Agen, is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auvillar</span> Commune in Occitania, France

Auvillar is a commune in the department of Tarn-et-Garonne and the Occitanie region, situated at the edge of the Lomagne region on the banks of the Garonne river. Since 1994, Auvillar has been a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France Association with its harbor area and outstanding monuments like the circular hall, the clock tower and the Church of St. Peter. Auvillar is a stop for tourists and pilgrims on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route.


Honor-de-Cos is a rural town with 1,600 inhabitants in 2020. It is part of the Montauban attraction area. Its inhabitants are called Honorois or Honoroises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caussade</span> Commune in Occitania, France

Caussade is a commune in the district of Montauban, located in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in the south of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauzerte</span> Commune in Occitania, France

Lauzerte is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montricoux</span> Commune in Occitania, France

Montricoux is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is located along the banks of the Aveyron, between Nègrepelisse and Bruniquel. The written history of the commune dates back to the eighth century. The Château de Montricoux, built by the Knights Templar, now houses the Marcel-Lenoir Museum, which preserves 130 drawings, pastels, watercolors, oils, and frescoes by this artist, a resident of the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molières, Tarn-et-Garonne</span> Commune in Occitania, France

Molières is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montjoi, Tarn-et-Garonne</span> Commune in Occitania, France

Montjoi is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penne, Tarn</span> Commune in Occitania, France

Penne is a commune in the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. In 2018, it had a population of 584. Penne is situated 32 km (19.8 mi) to the east of Montauban, on the Aveyron River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occitania (administrative region)</span> Administrative region of France

Occitania is the southernmost administrative region of metropolitan France excluding Corsica, created on 1 January 2016 from the former regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées. The Council of State approved Occitania as the new name of the region on 28 September 2016, coming into effect on 30 September 2016.

References

  1. Wikisource-logo.svg This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Quercy". Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 742.
  2. Jules Verne (2015). Arthur B. Evans (ed.). Five Weeks in a Balloon: A Journey of Discovery by Three Englishmen in Africa. Wesleyan University Press. p. 298. ISBN   978-0819575487 . Retrieved June 21, 2016 via Google Books.
  3. A. DE GUBEEÎ^ATIS (1891). DICTIONNAIRE INTERNATIONAL DES ÉCRlVAmS DU JOUR [International Dictionary of the Writers of Today] (in French). Florence: LOUIS NICCOLAI. p. 1432. Retrieved June 21, 2016 via archive.org.