Limousin ( oc, Lemosin) is a former

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...

. It existed from 1589 until 1790, when the National Constituent Assembly adopted a more uniform division into departments (''départements'') and districts (''arrondissements''). It is located in the foothills of the western edge of the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,0 ...

and surrounds the city of Limoges ( oc, Limòtges). The territory of the former province of Limousin corresponds to an area smaller than the administrative region, comprising the current department of

Corrèze Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ...

, the southern half of Haute-Vienne (including Limoges, its historic capital), and a small part of the

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is name ...

History

The history of Limousin reaches back to Celtic and Roman times (50 BC to 550 AD). Its name is derived from the name of a Gallic tribe, the

Lemovices The Lemovīcēs (Gaulish: *''Lēmouīcēs'', 'those who vanquish by the elm') were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the modern Limousin region during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Lemovices'' by Caesar (mid-1st c. ...

, whose main sanctuary was recently found in Tintignac and became a major research site of the Celtic world. During the 10th century, Limousin was divided into many '' seigneuries''. The most important of them, located in the southern part of the region, were the '' vicomtés'' of Limoges, Comborn (in present-day

), Ventadour (today Ussel and Plateau de Millevaches), and

Turenne Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne (11 September 161127 July 1675), commonly known as Turenne , was a French general and one of only six Marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of the ...

. The northernmost part of Limousin belonged to the County of La Marche, while the

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

s of Limoges controlled most of present-day Haute-Vienne. Such political fragmentation led to the construction of many castles, whose ruins still evoke memories of that historical period. The territory was attached to the

kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...

in 1589, with the accession to the throne of

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

. The province of Limousin disappeared during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. It was dismantled and divided between three new departments established by the National Constituent Assembly: mostly

and Haute-Vienne, and to a lesser extent the

. The region was reconstituted in 1960 as an Limousin (administrative region) until 2015, when it was merged into the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...

region..

Bibliography

* Bernard-Allée, Philippe; André, Marie-Françoise; Pallier, Ginette (1994). ''L'Atlas du Limousin''. Limoges: Pulim * Bonneton, Christine ed. (2000). "Limousin". ''Encyclopédie Bonneton''. Paris: Bonneton * Bourdelas, Laurent (2001). ''Plaidoyer pour un limogeage''. Limoges: Lucien Souny * Capot, Stéphane; Valade, Jean-Michel (2008). ''Limousin 14–18, un abécédaire de la Grande guerre''. Limoges: Les ardents éditeurs

References

External links

History of Limousin
{{Authority control Former provinces of France History of Limousin History of Nouvelle-Aquitaine History of Corrèze History of Dordogne History of Haute-Vienne Massif Central States and territories established in 1589 States and territories disestablished in 1790 1589 establishments in France 1790 disestablishments in France

History

See also

Bibliography

References

External links