Champagne () was a
province in the northeast of the
Kingdom of France, now best known as the
Champagne wine region for the
sparkling white wine that bears its name in modern-day France. The
County of Champagne, descended from the early medieval kingdom of
Austrasia
Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of the F ...
, passed to the French crown in 1314.
Formerly ruled by the
counts of Champagne, its western edge is about 160 km (100 miles) east of Paris. The cities of
Troyes
Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...
,
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
, and
Épernay are the commercial centers of the area. In 1956, most of Champagne became part of the French administrative
region of
Champagne-Ardenne, which comprised four departments:
Ardennes
The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Ă…rdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...
,
Aube,
Haute-Marne, and
Marne. From 1 January 2016, Champagne-Ardenne merged with the adjoining regions of
Alsace and
Lorraine to form the new region of
Grand Est.
Etymology
The name ''Champagne'', formerly written ''Champaigne'', comes from French meaning "open country" (suited to military maneuvers) and from
Latin ''campanius'' meaning "level country" or "plain" which is also the derivation of the name of the Italian region of
Campania. The toponym dates back to the Renaissance describing its vast
chalk lined flat landscape.
History
In the
High Middle Ages, the province was famous for the
Champagne fairs
The Champagne fairs were an annual cycle of trade fairs which flourished in different towns of the County of Champagne in Northeastern France in the 12th and 13th centuries, originating in local agricultural and stock fairs. Each fair lasted about ...
, which were very important in the economy of the Western societies. The
chivalric romance had its first beginnings in the county of Champagne with the famous writer
Chrétien de Troyes
Chrétien de Troyes (Modern ; fro, Crestien de Troies ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on Arthurian subjects, and for first writing of Lancelot, Percival and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's works, including ''E ...
who wrote stories of the
Round Table
The Round Table ( cy, y Ford Gron; kw, an Moos Krenn; br, an Daol Grenn; la, Mensa Rotunda) is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that e ...
from the
Arthurian legends.
A few counts of Champagne were
French kings with the comital title merging with the French crown in 1314 when
Louis I, king of Navarre and count of Champagne, became king of France as Louis X. Counts of Champagne were highly considered by the
French aristocracy
The French nobility (french: la noblesse française) was a privileged social class in France from the Middle Ages until its abolition on June 23, 1790 during the French Revolution.
From 1808 to 1815 during the First Empire the Emperor Napoléo ...
.
References
External links
{{Authority control
Geography of Aisne
Geography of Ardennes (department)
Geography of Aube
Geography of CĂ´te-d'Or
Geography of Haute-Marne
Geography of Haute-SaĂ´ne
Geography of Meuse (department)
Geography of Seine-et-Marne
Geography of Vosges (department)
Geography of Yonne
History of Hauts-de-France
History of ĂŽle-de-France
History of Grand Est
History of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
History of Aisne
History of Ardennes (department)
History of Aube
History of CĂ´te-d'Or
History of Haute-Marne
History of Haute-SaĂ´ne
History of Meuse (department)
History of Seine-et-Marne
History of Vosges (department)
History of Yonne