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Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the
historical region Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic, linguistic or political basis, regardless of latterday borders. They are used as delimitations for studying and analysing soc ...
in Western and
Southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Alb ...
where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasses the southern third of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
(with the exception of the French Basque Country and French Catalonia) as well as part of
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
( Aran Valley),
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
, and smaller parts of
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
( Occitan Valleys, Guardia Piemontese). Occitania has been recognized as a linguistic and cultural concept since the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, but has never been a legal nor a political entity under this name. However, the territory was united in Roman times as the '' Seven Provinces'' ( la, Septem Provinciæ) and in the
Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
(''Aquitanica'' or the Visigothic Kingdom of Toulouse, or the share of
Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqu ...
following Thionville ''divisio regnorum'' in 806). Currently, between 200,000–800,000Fabrice BERNISSAN (2012). "Combien l'occitan compte de locuteurs en 2012 ?", ''Revue de Linguistique Romane'', 76 (12/2011-07/2012), pp. 467-512« De fait, le nombre des locuteurs de l’occitan a pu être estimé par l’INED dans un premier temps à 526 000 personnes, puis à 789 000, » ("In fact, the number of occitan speakers was estimated by the French Demographics Institute at 526,000 people, then 789,000") Philippe Martel, "Qui parle occitan ?" i
''Langues et cité''
n°10, December 2007.
people of 16 million living in the area, are either native or proficient speakers of Occitan, although the languages more usually spoken in the area are
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
,
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
, Spanish and Italian. Since 2006, the
Occitan language Occitan (; oc, occitan, link=no ), also known as ''lenga d'òc'' (; french: langue d'oc) by its native speakers, and sometimes also referred to as ''Provençal'', is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Valle ...
has been an official language of
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...
, which includes the Aran Valley where Occitan gained official status in 1990. Under Roman rule, most of Occitania was known as Aquitania, the earlier conquered territories were known as ''Provincia Romana'' (see modern
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
), while the northern provinces of what is now France were called ''Gallia'' (
Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
). Under the Later Empire, both Aquitania and ''Provincia Romana'' were grouped in the Seven Provinces or Viennensis. So Provence and Gallia Aquitania (or ''Aquitanica'') are the names used since medieval times for Occitania (i.e. Limousin,
Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...
,
Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
and Gascony). Thus the historic
Duchy of Aquitaine The Duchy of Aquitaine ( oc, Ducat d'Aquitània, ; french: Duché d'Aquitaine, ) was a historical fiefdom in western, central, and southern areas of present-day France to the south of the river Loire, although its extent, as well as its name, flu ...
must not be confused with the modern French region called Aquitaine: this is the main reason why the term ''Occitania'' was revived in the mid-19th century. The names "Occitania" and "Occitan language" (''Occitana lingua'') appeared in Latin texts from as early as 1242–1254 to 1290 and during the following years of the early 14th century; texts exist in which the area is referred to indirectly as "the country of the Occitan language" (''Patria Linguae Occitanae''). The name Lenga d'òc was used in Italian (''Lingua d'òc'') by
Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: ' ...
in the late 13th century. The somewhat uncommon ending of the term ''Occitania'' is most probably a
portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsOccitanie became the name of the administrative region that succeeded the regions of
Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées (; oc, Miègjorn-Pirenèus or ; es, Mediodía-Pirineos) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Occitania. It was the largest region of Metropolitan France by a ...
and Languedoc-Roussillon, it is a small part of Occitania.


Geographic extent

The extent of Occitania may vary according to the criteria used: * Based on a geolinguistic definition, Occitania is the current area of
Occitan language Occitan (; oc, occitan, link=no ), also known as ''lenga d'òc'' (; french: langue d'oc) by its native speakers, and sometimes also referred to as ''Provençal'', is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Valle ...
. The formerly Occitanophone regions are not included.

On the other hand one always speaks Occitan in the French Basque Country and in the Països Catalans (the Val d'Aran and the Fenolheda), and internal allophone enclaves (Petite Gavacharie of Poitevin-Saintongeais language, ancient Ligurian enclaves of eastern Provence, the quasi-Ligurian-Occitan enclave of Monaco ...). This leads to variations in whether small internal or external enclaves are taken into account. The definition of a contiguous and compact Occitan-speaking territory is currently the most widespread.

* Occitanian culture flourished in the High Middle Ages. Many writers, poets, and exponents in the
troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobair ...
movement used Occitan as their language of choice, and their works prominently featured courtly love as well as, at times, ideas of religious and social tolerance., ''Théorie de l’aliénation et émancipation ethnique. Suivi de: Pour en finir avec le Mammouth'', Circle Alfons Mias, 2014, According to this definition taken up by historians and anthropologists, the domain is extended north to the Loire including former Occitanophone regions ( Aguiaine,
Boischaut The Boischaut is a natural region of France, astride on the Indre and Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the "Goddess of Pop", ...
, Bourbonnais, etc.).

Northern Italy and the Països Catalans were also homes of

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobair ...
using the Koiné Occitan literary. In the same way, the Basque Country and
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to s ...
benefited from Occitan stands, old or newer, which notably gave rise to the appearance of an Occitan dialect south of the Pyrenees. We can also note the historical use of an Occitan scripta as official language.

The name Occitanie appeared in the Middle Ages on the basis of a geographical, linguistic and cultural concept, to designate the part of the French royal domain speaking the langue d’oc. Its current definition is variable. In the most common usage, Occitania designates the territory where the Occitan has remained used until today, within the limits defined between 1876 and the 20th century. If Occitan language and culture are almost always associated with it,Robert Lafont (1971, 1977, 1987), "Clefs pour l'Occitanie", Paris: Seghers, 1987: ."Histoire d'Occitanie" under the direction of André Armengaud and Robert Lafont. Paris: Hachette, 1979 Rober Lafont (2003). ''Petita istòria europèa d'Occitània'', Canet: El Trabucaire we also find references to a common history, an ethnic group,Universalis Encyclopedia – Occitan Language and Literature
"Language of an Ethnicity Who Was Not A Nation, Its history is the constant quest for awareness that the most diverse imperatives have constantly challenged.
a homeland, to a people or to a
nation A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by th ...
. The first sociological study in Occitan language to know how the Occitan define themselves was started in 1976. The survey shows that the Occitan reality is defined by ''language'' for 95% of people, ''culture'' (94%), characterization by ''a common history'' (69%), ''an ethnic group'' (50%), ''a nation'' (20%).Yvon Bourdet. Maria Clara Viguier Occitans sense o saber (Occitan without knowing it), Language and society, 1980, vol. 11, number 1, pp. 90-93
Maria Clara Viguier Occitans sense o saber (Occitans without knowing it)
/ref> Occitania, as defined by the modern Occitan linguistic territory, covers most of the current Southern France, the
Alpine valleys The Alpine Valleys is an Australian wine region on the western slopes of the Victorian Alps in northeast Victoria. It was registered as an Australian Geographical Indication on It is bounded to the west by the King Valley and to the north by t ...
of the Western
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
, in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, Val d'Aran in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
and
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
an area of approximately 190,000 km2. It had about fifteen million inhabitants in 1999 with about 20% inhabitants born outside the territory and about 20% of the natives who left. On the other hand, in the absence of a linguistic census, we know only imperfectly the number of speakers of Occitan. If the preceding notions are generally limited to the modern linguistic boundaries of Occitan, this term can also be used to designate a larger territory. The term "Occitania" becomes commonplace more and more in the vocabulary of scientists.We can quote in particular the demographer Hervé Le Bras and the historian Emmanuel Todd who often use it in several of their works. It is used particularly in a historical sense and
anthropological Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...
by designating a region extending north to the
Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...
, ignoring contemporary linguistic boundaries.'' L'Origine des systèmes familiaux: Volume 1 Eurasia'', Emmanuel Todd, publisher Gallimard, col. "NRF Essais", 2011 , 768 pages In a book written by experts in medieval history, are included in Occitania of the year 1000 both the provinces of the north (now mainly in Poitou-Charentes) and Catalonia (without the Balearic Islands and the Valencian country) – ''p. 484''. The
seven-pointed star A heptagram, septagram, septegram or septogram is a seven-point star drawn with seven straight strokes. The name ''heptagram'' combines a numeral prefix, ''hepta-'', with the Greek suffix ''-gram''. The ''-gram'' suffix derives from ''γρα ...
, adopted as emblem by the Felibritge symbolized the seven provinces of Occitania, one of which was Catalan. Occitanie is indeed divided by this association into seven maintenances (sections) of which one was that of Catalonia-Roussillon. In 2016, the name ''Occitanie'' is used for the French administrative region Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées which is located on part of the traditional Occitania and includes the Roussillon.


Toponymies

''Occitania'' comes from the medieval
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
''Occitania''. The first part of the name, ''Occ-'', comes from Occitan ''òc'' and the expression ''langue d'oc'', in Italian ''lingua d'oc''. It is an appellation promoted by
Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His '' Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: ...
of Occitan by the way of saying "yes" in Old Occitan-Catalan; as opposed to the "langue de si" (Italian) and the "langue d'oïl" (Old French). The ending ''-itania'' is probably an imitation of the name '' quitania'' (Aquitaine). The term Occitania is a synonym for Languedoc and the Mediterranean coast in the Middle Ages. The first attestation of the use of ''Occitanie'' in
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
dates from 1556. The first certificate of ''Occitania'' in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
dates 1549. In
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
, the word Occitania was found in 1572. All of the Occitan language countries have had various designations throughout history. The word ''Occitania'' has been the subject of whimsical etymologies (for example,
Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
was formerly understood as "land of the Goths" or "language of the Goths"), as well as the rapprochement to the Occitan language exemplified in the names of the regions Languedoc and Occitania, we find in ''La Minerve Française'', a collective work published in Paris in 1818, a history of name-changes of the provinces which reveals the word Occitanie to be a doublet of the word Occident formed in the Lower Empire, giving it the original meaning of "western regions", and not a region where (necessarily) the Occitan language was spoken. Langue de Oc (1286).png, Testament of Lancelot of Orgemont, 1286. oucitanio entry in TdF.png, Entry ''oucitanìo'' in ''The Treasure of Felibritge'' of
Frederic Mistral Frederic may refer to: Places United States * Frederic, Wisconsin, a village in Polk County * Frederic Township, Michigan, a township in Crawford County ** Frederic, Michigan, an unincorporated community Other uses * Frederic (band), a Japanese r ...
Pars occitana (1530).png, Pars occitana in a book printed in Latin in 1530.
Like the Occitan language, Occitania has been designated under various successive names. The terms are not exclusive: one can find authors who use different terms in the same time period. ''Occitania'' or ''Pays d'Oc'' are the most frequently used terms today. However the term ''Provence'' is still used when the Felibritge sing the
Copa Santa ''La Coupo Santo'' (The Holy Cup), in full ''La Cansoun de la Coupo'' (The song of the Cup) in original modern (or Mistralian) norm Provençal (in classical norm, ''La Copa Santa'' in full ''Lo Cant de la Copa Santa'' (The song of the Holy Cup) o ...
for example during the ''annual festival of Estello''. * Dioecesis Viennensis (Diocese de Vienne) et Dioecesis Septem Provinciarum (diocesis of the Seven provinces), under Diocletian and Constantine during a division of the Roman Empire,
Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
is divided into dioceses and that of Vienne has its border on the
Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...
river, bypasses the Central Massif and passes the Rhône between
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...
and Vienne. This is the beginning of the bipartition between Occitan language and langue d'oil. * Kingdom of Aquitaine: in 781,
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
creates a new kingdom of Aquitaine and names his son
Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqu ...
to his head. This new state included the Aquitaine properly speaking (region between Garonne and Loire and the central Massif) as well as the Vasconia. In 806, Charlemagne shares his empire.
Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqu ...
receives in addition to Aquitaine the Marca Hispanica, Septimania and Provence. * Proensa/Proença (old Occitan forms of
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
) and Prouvènço/Provença (Occitan modern forms of Provence), from the Latin ''Provincia'' which originally designated the
Roman Province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...
is used from the 11th century: all countries of Occitan language (also called Provençal language) of the south of the Loire. The term ''Provence'' is still used in its general sense by the Felibritgists. * Great Provence according to Palestra, Centenary of the Catalan Renaixença. * Patria romana. * Lingua Occitana (Occitan language) or Pars occitana (Part of oc) to designate the new royal territories conquered south of the Loire. Occitania was created in Latin by the Capetian administration with the combination of the particle 'Oc/òc' �k(yes, in Occitan) and of the 'Aquitania/Aquitània ' �kitanjɑ(Aquitaine). Appeared in the 13th century, this term served, after the annexation of almost all the countries of the South by
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, to designate only the Languedoc. * Respublica Occitania (Occitania Republic) during the 14th century. * Romania (Roumanío), in reference to the medieval usage of calling Occitan the ''roman''. * Homeland of the Occitan language (Latin ''patria linguae occitanae''), in the official texts of the Kingdom of France from the 14th century. * Provinces of the Union or United Provinces of the South: in February 1573 the
huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster B ...
and the moderate Catholics create a federal republic where each province enjoys a great autonomy vis-a-vis the central power. * Gascony after the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, "the general name of Gascony or Gascons is used to refer to the countries and peoples to the left side of the Loire where still speaks the old Provençal". Used mainly from the access to the throne of France of Henri IV (1589) and until 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
. * Reputed foreign provinces of the south of France since the middle of the 17th century at the end of the 18th century * Occitania in the Diderot Encyclopaedia. * Occitanie (in the sense of all the Occitan languages): in 1732 in the collection of Capetian laws of Shake Secousse, in 1878, in the ''Treasure of the Felibritge'', in 1911 in the Statutes of the Felibritge;Article ''Óucitanìo'' (in Mistralian norm, for ''Occitània'' in
classical norm Classical may refer to: European antiquity * Classical antiquity, a period of history from roughly the 7th or 8th century B.C.E. to the 5th century C.E. centered on the Mediterranean Sea *Classical architecture, architecture derived from Greek an ...
) in:
Frédéric Mistral Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral (; oc, Josèp Estève Frederic Mistral, 8 September 1830 – 25 March 1914) was a French writer of Occitan literature and lexicographer of the Provençal form of the language. He received the 1904 Nobel P ...
(1879 - 1886) ''Lou Tresor dóu Felibrige, Provençal-French Dictionary'', Aix-en-Provence: Remondet-Aubin eed. 1979, Aix-en-Provence: Edisud, 2 vols. vailable online at http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k7486f See also the statutes of Felibritge adopted in 1911, article 11: ''Tóuti li Felibre majourau o manteneire soun coumparti dins de seicioun terrenalo dicho mantenènço e courrespoundènto, tant que se pòu, is anciano prouvinço de l'Óucitanìo o i grand dialèite de La Lengo d'O'' "All major felibritgists or maintainers are divided into territorial sections known as maintenances and corresponding, as far as possible, to the former provinces of Occitania or the great dialects of the Occitan language."
in 1927, Estieu and Salvat founded the ''College of Occitania''. *
Midi MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
: is a vague geographical notion indicating in a rather imprecise way the regions of Occitan dialects of Southern France. * Southern France: is another vague geographical name indicating in a rather imprecise way the regions of Occitan dialects of Southern France. * Pays d'Oc: appeared in the 19th century under the impetus of
Frederic Mistral Frederic may refer to: Places United States * Frederic, Wisconsin, a village in Polk County * Frederic Township, Michigan, a township in Crawford County ** Frederic, Michigan, an unincorporated community Other uses * Frederic (band), a Japanese r ...
, taken over by
Antonin Perbòsc Antonin Perbòsc was a poet from Occitania, France. He was born in Labarthe, Tarn-et-Garonne in 1861 and died in 1944 in Montauban. His first job was as a primary school teacher in Comberouger, a small town 30km off Montauban, and later in Loz ...
four years later. * Estate of Oc: neologism appeared at the end of the 20th century among supporters of several Occitan languages. The term "Occitania" now covers a linguistic region. This meaning was used in medieval times attested since 1290. On 29 May 1308, during the Council of Poitiers, it appears that the king of France was declared to reign over two nations: one of ''lingua gallica'' and the other of lingua occitana. This partition between Occitan language and langue d'oïl in the Gallo-Roman space is very ancient since it started with Romanisation itself. In 1381, the King
Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé) and later the Mad (french: le Fol or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic ...
considered that his kingdom comprised two parts: the country of langue d'oc, or Occitania, and the oil-language country or Ouytanie "''Quas in nostro Regno occupare solebar tam in linguae Occitanae quam Ouytanae''". "Occitania" remained in force in the administration until 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
of 1789. It was taken up again in the 19th century by the literary association of Felibritge then it is again claimed since the 20th century, especially since the end of the 1960s. According to Frédéric Mistral's dictionary "''Treasury of Felibritge''", the term Occitania is sometimes used by scholars to describe Southern France in general but mainly for the former province of Languedoc.


Historiography of the Occitania concept

The ''langue d'oc'' is a territorialized language, that is to say, spoken mainly on a territory whose boundaries can be described. This part attempts to describe the origins of the Occitanie concept, the different names that this territory has taken and the creation of the modern concept of Occitania.


A unique object of study: d'oc culture

The speakers of the Occitan language do not use a single meaning of their language because Occitan is not a monolithic language with for example a single dictionary where each speaker finds exactly their vocabulary, but a juxtaposition of dialects. Also, many studies have focused on the differences between Provençal, Languedoc, etc. We must also remember the many common features of the Occitan cultural space, which are generally considered partisans.


The consciousness of a common culture

Robert Lafont develops this idea in the introduction of the "History and Anthology of Occitan Literature". The reference to troubadours is essential. This socio-linguistic argument is modulated according to the authors but it is accepted by all the current scholarship, including the authors who speak of "domain d'oc", since by definition, their study of the d'oc domain rests on the consciousness of the existence of a common culture.


Intercomprehension

The different speakers of the language share many common traits (tonic accentuation, close vocabulary, frequent use of the subjunctive, etc.) that allow mutual understanding. For Occitanists, this intercomprehension means that Occitan is one language; for others, it means that these languages are very close but all agree that the speakers in this defined space understand each other.


Common social characteristics

The social characteristics of Occitania are not eternal and intangible because factors of endogenous mutations and European influences, especially of Northern France, can blur these social peculiarities. The best studied example is that of
Roman Law Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (c. 449 BC), to the '' Corpus Juris Civilis'' (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor J ...
which is better maintained in the Occitan
Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
society than in Northern France thanks to the promulgations of Visigoth and Burgundians laws. From the mid-11th century, the teaching of the
Corpus Juris Civilis The ''Corpus Juris'' (or ''Iuris'') ''Civilis'' ("Body of Civil Law") is the modern name for a collection of fundamental works in jurisprudence, issued from 529 to 534 by order of Justinian I, Byzantine Emperors, Byzantine Emperor. It is also ...
taken shortly after Bologna in the universities of Toulouse, Montpellier, Avignon, Perpignan... will promote a massive renaissance of Roman Law in Occitania. With regard to education:
Pierre Goubert Pierre Goubert (25 January 1915 – 16 January 2012) was a French historian. A member of the Annales School, he is considered one of the founders of historical demography and modern rural history. He was a noted specialist on the 17th century, ...
and Daniel Roche write, to explain the low literacy in Occitania in the 18th century, that there exists in these territories a confidence maintained in the old vulgar languages. The relations to education are today completely reversed between Northern and Southern France thanks to the anthropological imprint of the
family strain Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...
. From a demographic point of view, the influence of the family was still felt in 2007 because of the small number of families with many children. In politics, many debates have also taken place around the expression ''Red Southern'' coined by
Maurice Agulhon Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...
to find out if the "pays d'oc" was more " republic" than the northern half of France. Emmanuel Todd analyzing the regions that voted for Jean-Luc Mélenchon, calling himself a "Republican" in the 2012 presidential elections, declares that "''what is obvious is his general inscription in the Occitan family ..that loves vertical structures, the state or the church."'' Finally, for André Armengaud, these common social characteristics make it possible to write a historical synthesis. But since 1979, no other "History of Occitan" has been undertaken.


The appearance of the modern concept of Occitania

If the term Occitania appeared in
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
from the mid-16th century, then in 1732 in a collection of laws of the
ancien régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...
, it only becomes current at 19th century. Thus, the
duke of Angoulême Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...
conspired with a view to the establishment of a Kingdom of Occitania or of a Vice-Royalty of Occitania at the time of the Restoration. The term was popularized by the publications of Raynouard and Rochegude, and known in its contemporary sense by the English historian
Sharon Turner Sharon Turner (24 September 1768 – 13 February 1847) was an English historian. Life Turner Was born in Pentonville, the eldest son of William and Ann Turner of Yorkshire, who had settled in London upon marrying.H. R. Loyn,Turner, Sharon (1 ...
. It appeared in the '' Treasury of Felibritge'' and in the statutes of this organization in 1911. In the Interwar period, a Felibritgan school, the ''Escòla Occitana'' was created in 1919 in the Toulousean Languedoc. The Institute of Occitan Studies was born in 1930. These initiatives (as well as others) remain closely linked, notably because of the dual membership of their main animators at Felibritge. After the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, the creation of the Institute of Occitan Studies was presided over by a resistant (at a time when the Felibritge like the SEO were tainted by lawsuits of collaboration), but above all its action in terms of linguistic reform, particularly its desire to adapt the classical norm to Provençal, marked a break with a large fraction of the Felibritge François Fontan created the first overtly Occitan nationalist party in 1959. In France, Occitania has been confronted with a problem of recognition of Occitan since 1992; the
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
is the only "language of the Republic". In 1994, it was made compulsory in the public space (places of commerce and work, public transport, etc.) and in the administration (laws, regulations, documents, judgments, etc.). In 2015, with the prospect of creating a large region gathering "
Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées (; oc, Miègjorn-Pirenèus or ; es, Mediodía-Pirineos) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Occitania. It was the largest region of Metropolitan France by a ...
" and " Languedoc-Roussillon", the name "Occitanie" came at the head of an online survey organized by the regional press (23% of the 200,000 voting, in front of "Occitanie-Pays catalan" 20%). Note, however, a variable support rate depending on the geographical origin of the voters. As part of the territorial reform, a consultation on the name of the region, organized by the Regional Council Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées took place in spring 2016 to give a name to the new region regrouping Midi-Pyrenees and Languedoc-Roussillon. Occitanie came first (44.90% of the vote), with 91,598 voters. Second was Languedoc-Pyrenees with 17.81% of the votes, then Pyrenees-Mediterranean (15.31%), Occitanie-Catalan Country (12.15%) and finally Languedoc (10.01%). This new region was renamed ''Occitanie'' (with the subtitle ''Pyrenees-Mediterranean''), according to the vote of the regional councillors on June 24 of 2016, and after final validation by the Government of France and Conseil d'État.


Geography

Occitania includes the following regions: * The southern half of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
:
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
,
Drôme Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.
-
Vivarais Vivarais (; oc, Vivarés; la, Vivariensis provincia{{cite web , url=http://www.columbia.edu/acis/ets/Graesse/orblatv.html , title = ORBIS LATINUS - Letter V) is a traditional region in the south-east of France, covering the ''département'' of ...
,
Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...
, Limousin, Guyenne, Gascony, southern Dauphiné and
Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
. French is now the dominant language in this area, where Occitan is not recognized as an official language. * The Occitan Valleys in the Italian Аlps, where the Occitan language received legal status in 1999. These are fourteen
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
ese valleys in the provinces of
Cuneo Cuneo (; pms, Coni ; oc, Coni/Couni ; french: Coni ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area. It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in ...
and
Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
, as well as in scattered mountain communities of the
Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...
region ( province of Imperia), and, unexpectedly, in one community ( Guardia Piemontese) in the region of Calabria ( province of Cosenza). * The Aran valley, in the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...
, in
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...
where Occitan has been an official language since 1990 (status granted by the partial autonomy of Aran Valley, then confirmed by the Catalan Statute) * The Principality of
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
(where Occitan is traditionally spoken beside Monégasque). Occitan or langue d'oc (''lenga d'òc'') is a
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
-based
Romance language The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European language ...
in the same way as Spanish, Italian or
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
. There are six main regional varieties, with easy inter-comprehension among them: Provençal (including Niçard spoken in the vicinity of
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...
), Vivaroalpenc,
Auvernhat or (endonym: ) is a northern dialect of Occitan spoken in central and southern France, in particular in the former administrative region of Auvergne. Currently, research shows that there is not really a true Auvergnat dialect but rather a v ...
,
Lemosin Limousin (French name, ; oc, lemosin, ) is a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the three departments of Limousin, parts of Charente and the Dordogne in the southwest of France. The first Occitan documents are in an early form of thi ...
, Gascon (including Bearnés spoken in Béarn) and
Lengadocian Languedocien (French name, ), Languedocian or Lengadocian (), is an Occitan dialect spoken in rural parts of southern France such as Languedoc, Rouergue, Quercy, Agenais and Southern Périgord. It is sometimes also called Languedocien-Guyennais ...
. All these varieties of the Occitan language are written and valid. Standard Occitan is a synthesis which respects soft regional adaptations.
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
is a language very similar to Occitan and there are quite strong historical and cultural links between Occitania and
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...
.


Historic regions

The regions of
Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...
that make up Occitania are the following:
Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...
(Auvèrnhe), Forez (west and south fringe), Bourbonnais (southern half), Couserans (Coserans), Dauphiné (southern half), County of Foix (County of Fois), County of Nice (County of Nissa), Périgord (Peiregòrd), Gascony, Guyenne (Guiana),
Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
(Lengadòc),
Angoumois Angoumois (), historically the County of Angoulême, was a county and province of France, originally inferior to the parent duchy of Aquitaine, similar to the Périgord to its east but lower and generally less forested, equally with occasional ...
(eastern end), Limousin (Lemosin), Poitou (Poetou) (southeastern extremity), La Marche (la Marcha),
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
(Provença),
Comtat Venaissin The Comtat Venaissin (; Provençal: , Mistralian norm: , classical norm: ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States (1274‒1791) in what is now the region of France. The entire region was an enclav ...
(lo Comtat Venaicin), Velay,
Vivarais Vivarais (; oc, Vivarés; la, Vivariensis provincia{{cite web , url=http://www.columbia.edu/acis/ets/Graesse/orblatv.html , title = ORBIS LATINUS - Letter V) is a traditional region in the south-east of France, covering the ''département'' of ...
(Vivarés). Traditional Occitan Provinces (currently in France): # Béarn
earn Earning can refer to: * Labour (economics) * Earnings of a company *Merit Merit may refer to: Religion * Merit (Christianity) * Merit (Buddhism) * Punya (Hinduism) * Imputed righteousness in Reformed Christianity Companies and brands * Me ...
( Pau) – 6,800 km2 (est.) # Guyenne uiana& Gascony (
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...
) – 69,400 km2 (est.) # Limousin emosin( Limoges) – 9,700 km2 (est.) # La Marche (Limousin)
a Marcha A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
( Guéret) – 7,600 km2 (est.) #
Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...
uvèrnhe( Riom) – 19,300 km2 (est.) #
Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
engadòc(
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...
) – 45,300 km2 (est.) # Dauphiné ( Grenoble) – 8,500 km2 (est.) # County of Nice ounty of Nissa(
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...
) – 3,600 km2 (est.) #
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
rovença( Aix-en-Provence) – 22,700 km2 (est.) #
Comtat Venaissin The Comtat Venaissin (; Provençal: , Mistralian norm: , classical norm: ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States (1274‒1791) in what is now the region of France. The entire region was an enclav ...
o Comtat Venaicin O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), pl ...
( Carpentras) – 3,600 km2 (est.) # County of Foix ounty of Fois(
Foix Foix (; oc, Fois ; ca, Foix ) is a commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. It is the capital of the department of Ariège as it is the seat of the Préfecture of that department. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of southw ...
) – 3,300 km2 (est.) X. Bourbonnais (southern half) – approx. 3,200 km2 (est.)


Administrative divisions in France

The administrative regions covering Occitania are the following: Occitanie region (except the Pyrénées-Orientales where a majority speak
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
, although the
Fenouillèdes Fenouillèdes (; oc, Fenolhedés/Fenolheda; ca, Fenolledès/Fenolleda) is a French comarca and a traditional Occitan-speaking area in the ''département'' of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca is Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet (''Sant ...
region, in the North-West of the department, that is to say of Occitan language and culture),
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 ...
(except the peripheries where one speaks basque, poitevin and saintongeais), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (in the southern half, namely almost all the
Drôme Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.
and the Ardèche, the southern Isère and some fringes of the
Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...
) and
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pre ...
. In the Centre-Val de Loire Occitan is spoken in some communes in southern Cher and Indre.
Occitanie Maps


Geographical boundaries

The geographical delimitation of Occitania most commonly accepted was specified between 1876—beginning of research on the linguistic boundaries—and the 20th century. Occitania roughly covers a southern third of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
(commonly known as ''Midi'', including
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
), the Occitan Valleys and Guardia Piemontese, in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, as well as the Val d'Aran, in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
. The practice of Occitan is not the same uniformly throughout the territory. In addition, there is a linguistic transition area in the north called Croissant where the terms of d'oil and Occitan interfere strongly (see Croissant). Instead, some territories are not generally considered to be part of Occitania according to the modern definition: * Several zones were dissocialized more or less precociously such as the Poitou, then the
Charentes Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; oc, Charanta ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south western France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, and ...
, the Gabay Country and the Petite Gavacherie (replacement by d'oil speakers after the Hundred Years' War), intermediate areas with the
Franco-Provençal language Franco-Provençal (also Francoprovençal, Patois or Arpitan) is a language within Gallo-Romance originally spoken in east-central France, western Switzerland and northwestern Italy. Franco-Provençal has several distinct dialects and is sepa ...
in the Rhône-Alpes, the lower valleys of the Alps competed with the Piedmontese and Ligurian (Italy). * The area "charnègue" ("métis" in Gascon) is influenced by the Basque Country because several Gascon communes were part of the former province essentially Basque Labourd and are now located in the west of the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlant ...
department: Bidache, Guiche,
Came A came is a divider bar used between small pieces of glass to make a larger glazing panel. There are two kinds of came: the H-shaped sections that hold two pieces together and the U-shaped sections that are used for the borders. Cames are most ...
,
Urt Urt (; ; )AHURTI
Bassussarry,
Montory Montory (; eu, Montori; oc, Mondòri) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is located in the historical province of Soule (). See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The fo ...
, Mouguerre. It is a region where both Basque and Occitan Gascon cultures coexist for a long time, just like the families of mixed marriages. * Although originally occitan, the Països Catalans are generally excluded from Occitania since 1934 because they claimed their national difference. Catalans claiming that their language is a language by development. * In several regions of the world we meet historical speakers of Occitan. These areas are not considered Occitan, with the exception of Guardia Piemontese which is a linguistic enclave in southern Italy. * The zone of the
royasc Royasc is a dialect bridging the gap between the Ligurian language and the Occitan language. It is spoken in Italy and France. Area of use The Royasc dialect is spoken in the Upper Roya valley, at the boundary of France and Italy. In Franc ...
speech is generally excluded from Occitan despite the requests of its speakers who allowed to classify it as Occitan in Italy. This allows its speakers to benefit from the effects of the 482/1999 law on historical minorities, from which North-Italian dialects are excluded. In the past, and particularly shortly after the cession of Brigue and Tende to France, in 1947, was defended the more or less exclusive attribution of the
royasc Royasc is a dialect bridging the gap between the Ligurian language and the Occitan language. It is spoken in Italy and France. Area of use The Royasc dialect is spoken in the Upper Roya valley, at the boundary of France and Italy. In Franc ...
and the
brigasc Brigasc is a dialect of the Ligurian language. It is spoken in Italy and France. Area of use The Brigasc dialect is spoken in La Brigue (France) and Briga Alta (Italy) and some villages of the communes of Ormea and Triora. It is very clos ...
to the system of vivaro-alpine dialects, while more recently, linguists specialized in the field recognize the prevalence of Ligurian phonetic, lexical and morphologic traits (
Werner Forner Werner may refer to: People * Werner (name), origin of the name and people with this name as surname and given name Fictional characters * Werner (comics), a German comic book character * Werner Von Croy, a fictional character in the ''Tomb Rai ...
,
Jean-Philippe Dalbera Jean-Philippe may refer to: * ''Jean-Philippe'' (film) *Jean-Philippe (given name) See also *Jean Philippe Jean Philippe Gargantiel (, 27 November 1930 – 7 January 2022) was a French singer who represented France at the Eurovision Song Cont ...
and
Giulia Petracco Sicardi Giulia may refer to: People * Giulia (given name) * Giulia (wrestler) (born 1994), English-born Italian-Japanese professional wrestler Places *Cappella Giulia, a chapel in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome * Friuli-Venezia Giulia, one of the 20 regio ...
The Brigasc is a variant of the Royasc with addition of Occitan traits.


History

Written texts in Occitan appeared in the 10th century: it was first used in legal texts, and then in literary, scientific, and religious texts. Spoken
dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that is ...
s of Occitan are many centuries older and appeared as soon as the 8th century, at least, as revealed through
toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
s and Occitanized words left in
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
manuscripts. Occitania was often politically united during the Early Middle Ages, under the
Visigothic Kingdom The Visigothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of the Goths ( la, Regnum Gothorum), was a kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th centuries. One of the Germanic successor states to ...
and several
Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gaul ...
and Carolingian sovereigns. In the year 805 in Thionville,
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
declared the partition of his empire into three autonomous territories along linguistic and cultural boundaries: what is now modern Occitania was to be formed from the reunion of a broader Provence and Aquitaine. Instead, however, at the 9th century division of the
Frankish Empire Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...
, Occitania was split into different counties, duchies and kingdoms, bishops and
abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...
s. Since then, the country has never been politically united, although Occitania remained intact through a common culture. Nonetheless, Occitania suffered a tangle of varying loyalties to nominal sovereigns: from the 9th to the 13th centuries, the dukes of Aquitaine, the
counts of Foix The Count of Foix ruled the independent County of Foix, in what is now Southern France, during the Middle Ages. The House of Foix eventually extended its power across the Pyrenees mountain range, joining the House of Bearn and moving their c ...
, the
counts of Toulouse The count of Toulouse ( oc, comte de Tolosa, french: comte de Toulouse) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings, the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surroundin ...
and the
Counts of Barcelona The Count of Barcelona ( ca, Comte de Barcelona, es, Conde de Barcelona, french: Comte de Barcelone, ) was the ruler of the County of Barcelona and also, by extension and according with the usages and Catalan constitutions, of the Principality ...
competed for control over the various '' pays'' of Occitania. Occitan literature flourished during this time period: in the 12th and 13th centuries, the
troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobair ...
s invented courtly love (''fin'amor''), and the ''Lenga d'Òc'' spread throughout European cultivated circles; the terms ''Lenga d'Òc, Occitan'', and ''Occitania'' first appeared at the end of the 13th century. From the 13th to the 17th centuries, the kings of France gradually conquered Occitania. By the end of the 15th century, the nobility and bourgeoisie had started learning French, while the peasantry generally continued to speak Occitan; this process began from the 13th century in the two northernmost regions, northern Limousin and Bourbonnais. In 1539,
Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...
issued the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts that imposed the use of French in administration. But despite measures such as this, a strong feeling of national identity against the French occupiers remained as
Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...
wrote on a trip to Uzès in 1662: "What they call France here is the land beyond the
Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...
, which to them is a foreign country." In 1789, the revolutionary committees tried to re-establish the autonomy of the "Midi" regions, using the Occitan language; however, Jacobin power prevented its realization. The 19th century witnessed a strong revival of the Occitan literature, exemplified by the writer
Frédéric Mistral Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral (; oc, Josèp Estève Frederic Mistral, 8 September 1830 – 25 March 1914) was a French writer of Occitan literature and lexicographer of the Provençal form of the language. He received the 1904 Nobel P ...
, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1904. But from 1881 onwards, children who spoke Occitan at school were punished in accordance with minister Jules Ferry's recommendations; this led to a deprecation of the language known as ''la
vergonha In Occitan, ''vergonha'' (, meaning "shame") refers to the effects of various language discriminatory policies of the government of France on its minorities whose native language was deemed a ''patois'', where a Romance language spoken in the co ...
'' (the shaming). In 1914, fourteen million inhabitants in the region spoke Occitan, but French overtook Occitan in prominence during the 20th century. The situation got worse with the media excluding the use of the ''langue d'oc''. In spite of this decline, however, the Occitan language is still alive and gaining fresh impetus. File:Roman Empire with dioceses in 300 AD.png, File:Aquitania Longnon 806.jpg, The Kingdom of Aquitaine after sharing 806 File:Languedoc Map 1209.png, Languedoc in 1209 File:Cathars expelled.JPG, The expulsion of the inhabitants of the city of Carcassona during the Albigensian Crusade (1209) File:Protestant France.svg, Protestant regions in modern France at the 16th century


Outer settlements

Although not really a colony in a modern sense, there was an Occitan enclave in the County of Tripoli, founded in 1102 by
Raymond IV of Toulouse Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse ( 1041 – 28 February 1105), sometimes called Raymond of Saint-Gilles or Raymond I of Tripoli, was a powerful noble in southern France and one of the leaders of the First Crusade (1096–1099). He was the Count o ...
during the
Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...
north of
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. Most people in this county came from Occitania and
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. Around the 14th century, some "Provençal" settlements were founded by Valdenses in Southern Italy: the Capitanata area, Basilicate, and Calabria. Most of them were destroyed by the Inquisition during the 16th century, but the Guardia Piemontese managed to keep its language and occitan identity until nowadays. At the end of the 17th century, Valdenses flying persecution in the Occitan valleys settled in Baden, Hessen, and Wurtemberg (nowadays Germany). The use of Occitan language vanished during the 20th century, but some Occitan placenames are still in use. In the 19th century, Occitans settled in America. Some Valdense colonies have retained their use of the language into the present day, such as those in Uruguay and in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
.


Cultural and political movements


Occitanist associations or organizations

The oldest Occitanist association is the Felibritge, founded in 1854. In 1945, after the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, some of the association's members founded a distinct movement, the Institut d'Estudis Occitans (Institute of Occitan Studies). The main movements in France are as follows: * Felibritge historical Mistralian, literary and linguistic movement. * Institut d'Estudis Occitans (IEO), maintenance and development of the Occitan language and culture as a whole. * Calandreta, private associations of Occitan schools of private status * Several associations or organizations are grouped around the Felibritge, the IEO and the Calendretas. * Conselh de la Lenga Occitana (CLO), scientific organization of codification of Occitan in the
classical norm Classical may refer to: European antiquity * Classical antiquity, a period of history from roughly the 7th or 8th century B.C.E. to the 5th century C.E. centered on the Mediterranean Sea *Classical architecture, architecture derived from Greek an ...
. * Federacion dels Ensenhaires de Lenga e Cultura d'Òc (FELCO), set of teachers and parents of students related to the teaching of Occitan in the public sector. * Parlaren mistral movement in Provence. *
Academy of arts, letters and sciences of Languedoc An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
* Marpoc Law 1901 association: Occitan course, Occitan summer university, an Occitan café, colloquiums, conferences, shows and concerts, painting and publishing exhibitions of the "Mar e Mont" collection. * Òc-Bi, an association of parents of schoolchildren for public bilingual education. * Centre de Formacion Professionala d'Occitània-Miègjorn-Pirenèus, a professional organization dedicated to the transmission of the Occitan language and culture to adults. * Collègi d'Occitania founded in 1927, teaching the Occitan language and culture. *
Centre Interregional de Desvolopament de l'Occitan Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
, collaborative digital media library around Occitan culture and language. * COMDT - Occitan Center for Traditional Music and Dance: a resource center for Occitan culture of oral tradition, transmission and dissemination of traditional music and dance. * Collectiu Dètz, audiovisual professionals around the Occitan language and culture. * CORDAE/La Talvera, Occitan center for research, documentation and ethnographic animation. * Institut Occitan Aquitània, Regional Operator for the Occitan language and culture. In Italy, the main movements are: * Associazione Culturale Occitano - Guardiola * Coumboscuro Cèntre Prouvençal * Espaci Occitan, an association of public administration of the Occitan alpine territory whose objective is the linguistic, cultural and tourist promotion of the Italian Occitan valleys. *
The Valaddo ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
*
Movimento Autonomista Occitano ''Movimento'' (English: "Movement") is the sixth studio album by Portuguese group Madredeus. It was released on 9 April 2001 by EMI-Valentim de Carvalho. Recording ''Movimento'' was recorded in January and February 2000 at the Wisseloord Studio ...
* Ousitanìo Vivo * Soulestrelh * Valados Usitanos * Renaissença Occitana, cultural association that publishes the history and local language magazine La Rafanhaudaa. In Spain: * Institut d'Estudis Araneses-Acadèmia Aranesa de la Lenga Occitana (IEA) * Oficina de Foment e Ensenhament der Aranés *
Conselh Generau d'Aran The General Council of Aran (in Aranese ''Conselh Generau d'Aran'') is the autonomous governing body of the region (unofficially considered a ''comarca'') of Val d'Aran in Catalonia. The chamber is headed by the Síndic d'Aran. Composition The G ...
*
Museum of the Val d'Aran A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
*
Aran General Archive Aran m Places Azerbaijan Villages and municipalities: * Aran, Aghjabadi * Aran, Lerik * Aran, Shaki * Aran, Tovuz * Aran, Yevlakh Iran * Aran, Alborz, a village in Alborz Province * Aran, Nain, a village in Isfahan Province * Aran, ...


Anti-Occitanist Associations

Some associations adhering to Felibritge and Parlaren claim a Provençal language distinct from Occitan. Other associations claim distinct "languages d'oc", even if, paradoxically, some of them are grouped together in an
Alliance of Oc languages An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
: * Association advocating a distinct Auvergne identity:
Cercle Terre d'Auvergne Cercle is French for ''circle''. It can refer to: * circle (country subdivision) * Cercle (French colonial), an administrative unit of the French Overseas Empire * Cercle (Mali), the Malian administrative unit ** The specific Cercles of Mali * C ...
. * Association advocating a distinct Béarnaise and Gascon language: Institut Béarnais et Gascon. * Association advocating a distinct Cevenol language:
Lou Clu en Ceveno Lou may refer to: __NOTOC__ Personal name * Lou (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Lou (German singer) *Lou (French singer) * Lou (surname 娄), the 229th most common surname in China * Lou (surname 楼), the 269th most common ...
. * Associations advocating a distinct Provençal language: the Unioun Prouvençalo and its equivalent for Italy Unioun Prouvençalo Transaupino, the Collectif Prouvènço and its Italian equivalent Consulta provenzale. Some associations have no affiliation with other oc countries: * Association advocating a distinct Niçoise language: Acadèmia Nissarda. * Associations advocating a distinct Provençal language: the Astrado Prouvençalo.


Pan-Occitanist associations

On the other hand, some groups claim an Occitan-Roman identity including the
Catalan Countries The Catalan Countries ( ca, països catalans, , ) refers to those territories where the Catalan language is spoken. They include the Spanish regions of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencia, and parts of Aragon (''La Franja'') and Murcia ( ...
(France-Spain). * Groups actively participating in Eurocongress 2000: Occitan-Catalan Federation, Occitan-Catalan Fundation, Occitan-Catalan Circle of Twinning, Euroccat Association, Espaci Occitan Association. * Other groups: Oc Valéncia ''Centre Internacional de Recerca i Documentació Científica''.


Politics


Spain

In Spain, Aranese political parties alternately run the
Conselh Generau d'Aran The General Council of Aran (in Aranese ''Conselh Generau d'Aran'') is the autonomous governing body of the region (unofficially considered a ''comarca'') of Val d'Aran in Catalonia. The chamber is headed by the Síndic d'Aran. Composition The G ...
, the principal institution of government in the Val d'Aran. They also have elected officials in the municipalities of Aran, the
Parliament of Catalonia The Parliament of Catalonia ( ca, Parlament de Catalunya, ; es, Parlamento de Cataluña; oc, Parlament de Catalonha) is the unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. The Parliament is currently made up of 135 m ...
and the Spanish Senate. They are close to Catalan parties with the exception of the localist party Partit Renovador d'Arties-Garòs who has, however, made alliances with Unity of Aran. Unity of Aran (UA-PNA) is a social-democratic and regionalist-autonomist party affiliated to Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSOE-PSC), while
Aranese Democratic Convergence Aranese Democratic Convergence (Aranese: ''Convergéncia Democratica Aranesa'', formerly ''Convergéncia Democratica Aranesa - Partit Nacionalista Aranés'') is a political party in Val d'Aran that forms the Aranese section of CDC. CDA is, along w ...
(CDA-PNA), currently in power, is a centrist and autonomist party linked to the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia. Esquèrra Republicana Occitana (ÈRO) founded in 2008, Left/Social Democracy and Independence, is a local section of
Republican Left of Catalonia The Republican Left of Catalonia ( ca, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, ERC; ; generically branded as ) is a pro-Catalan independence, social-democratic political party in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, with a presence also ...
. Corròp is a citizen movement born in February 2015 that aims to break with the Aranese bipartisanship and is inspired by the Catalan independence movement Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), but with a view to Occitania. In the 2017 Catalan regional election, the electors of the Val d'Aran voted mostly for "constitutionalists," parties which support continued union with Spain.


France

In France, Occitan political parties and movements (such as the Occitan Nationalist Party,
Occitan Party The Occitan Party ( oc, Partit Occitan) is a regionalist political party in France. Its aims include greater autonomy for the Occitania region of southern France. The Occitan Party was formed in Toulouse in 1987 through the union of different Occ ...
, Freedom !, ...) have had difficulty winning a large audience and getting officials elected. They had never had elected representatives in national or European institutions, or in general councils. However, in the 2010 French regional elections, the
Occitan Party The Occitan Party ( oc, Partit Occitan) is a regionalist political party in France. Its aims include greater autonomy for the Occitania region of southern France. The Occitan Party was formed in Toulouse in 1987 through the union of different Occ ...
, within the framework of the participation of the federation Regions and Peoples with Solidarity to
Europe Écologie Europe Ecology (french: Europe Écologie) was a green electoral coalition of political parties in France created for the 2009 European elections composed of The Greens and other ecologists and regionalists. For the European Parliament election ...
, elected representatives to five regional councils: Dàvid Grosclaude in Aquitaine., Guilhem Latrubesse in
Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées (; oc, Miègjorn-Pirenèus or ; es, Mediodía-Pirineos) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Occitania. It was the largest region of Metropolitan France by a ...
, Gustau Aliròl in
Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...
,
Anne-Marie Hautant Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson (born 7 April 1991) is an English singer. She has attained charting singles on the UK Singles Chart, including Clean Bandit's " Rockabye", which peaked at number one, as well as "Alarm", "Ciao Adios", "Friends", "2002 ...
and Hervé Guerrera in
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pre ...
. The latter was also elected to the city council of Aix-en-Provence and counselor to the
Agglomeration Community of Aix Country Agglomeration may refer to: * Urban agglomeration, in standard English * Megalopolis, in Chinese English, as defined in China's ''Standard for basic terminology of urban planning'' (GB/T 50280—98). Also known as "city cluster". * Economies of a ...
. The movement Bastir! ran for the first time in the 2014 municipal elections and won 55 seats. The president of the Occitan Party, Gustave Alirol, is currently also president of the " Regions and Peoples with Solidarity" party and vice-president of the "European Free Alliance," which participates in a group of 50 deputies in the European Parliament. * Gardarem la Tèrra: altermondialist. * Iniciativa Per Occitània, political, cultural and social laboratory: independentist movement. * Freedom ! ''esquèrra revolucionària occitana'' is a pan-occitan far-left movement that replaced "Anaram on Patac", "Combat d'Òc" and "Hartèra" at the refounding convention of 19 September 2009. * League for the restoration of Nicean freedoms: contests the annexation of the county of Nice to the French State in 1860. *
Nissa Rebela Nissa may refer to: * Caltanissetta, a commune in Sicily, known as ''Nissa'' in Sicilian * A.S.D. S.C. Nissa 1962, a football club in Caltanissetta, Sicily * Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest c ...
: Nicean autonomist party, close to the identity bloc. * Linha Imaginòt: altermondialist. *
Languedocian Regionalist Movement Languedocien (French name, ), Languedocian or Lengadocian (), is an Occitan dialect spoken in rural parts of southern France such as Languedoc, Rouergue, Quercy, Agenais and Southern Périgord. It is sometimes also called Languedocien-Guye ...
: electoral coalition close to the PNO. *
Occitània Libertària Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompass ...
: anarcho-communist. * Our Country (País Nòstre): regionalist, established in Languedoc. Occitanie País Nòstre throughout Occitania since November 2019. * Party of the Occitan Nation (PNO): moderate independence. *
Occitan Party The Occitan Party ( oc, Partit Occitan) is a regionalist political party in France. Its aims include greater autonomy for the Occitania region of southern France. The Occitan Party was formed in Toulouse in 1987 through the union of different Occ ...
(PÒC): autonomist, left/center-left. The PÒC adheres to larger entities: ** Since 2009, he has been inscribed in France in the
Europe Écologie Europe Ecology (french: Europe Écologie) was a green electoral coalition of political parties in France created for the 2009 European elections composed of The Greens and other ecologists and regionalists. For the European Parliament election ...
list as a participant in Regions and Peoples with Solidarity (RPS). ** European Free Alliance/Democratic Party of the Peoples of Europe (FTA/PDPE): The PÒC is a member of this European party. ** Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA group): Political group of the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...
. * Unitat d'Òc: federates political activists from different horizons (PNO, PÒC and independent) * Bastir!: social movement claiming attachment to Occitania (culture, history, environment ...)


Italy

* Paratge: laboratory of political ideas. Its main section is in the Occitan Valleys (Italy). Its Provençal section is called ''Para(t)age Mar, Ròse e Monts''. * ''
Movimento Autonomista Occitano ''Movimento'' (English: "Movement") is the sixth studio album by Portuguese group Madredeus. It was released on 9 April 2001 by EMI-Valentim de Carvalho. Recording ''Movimento'' was recorded in January and February 2000 at the Wisseloord Studio ...
'' (MAO): branch of the Party of the Occitan Nation in the Italian Occitan Piedmont. Only their newspaper ''Ousitanio Vivo'' continues to appear.


Monaco

There are currently no Occitan political movements in Monaco.


Former movements

Former political movements include: * '' Anaram Au Patac'': far left, participated in the CRÒC * ''Occitan Comitat d'Estudis e d'Accion'' (COEA): Leftist autonomist. It was created in 1965. * ''Comitats d'Accion Occitana'' (CAO): Left. * ''Corrent Revolucionari Occitan'' (CRÒC): separatist linked to the far left revolutionary. * ''Entau País'': leftist autonomist established in Gascony. * ''Farem tot petar'' * ''
Communist Anarchist Federation of Occitan Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
'' (FACO): independentist, libertarian communist. * '' Hartèra'', movement of the revolutionary youth of Occitania: extreme left. * ''
Lucha Occitana Occitan Struggle ( Occitan: ''Lucha Occitana'', LO) was an Occitan political group created in 1971 from the ''Comitat Occitans d'Estudis e d'Accion''. It was mainly composed of intellectuals, students and agricultural unionists. The group had a ...
'': group of intellectuals, students and agricultural unionists, ideologically left revolutionary, autonomist and socialist. * ''Movement Socialista e Autonomista Occitan''. * ''Partit Provençau'': autonomist. * '' Pòble d'Òc'': independentist and libertarian. * The movement : socialist movement composed of different self-managing local groups. It no longer exists but the slogan that it has in fact taken up is often used. It was dissolved in 1987 to make room for the Occitan Party.


Today

There are 14 to 16 million inhabitants in Occitania today. According to the 1999 census, there are 610,000 native speakers and another million people with some exposure to the language. Native speakers of Occitan are to be found mostly in the older generations. The Institut d'Estudis Occitans (IEO) has been modernizing the Occitan language since 1945, and the Conselh de la Lenga Occitana (CLO) since 1996. Nowadays Occitan is used in the most modern musical and literary styles such as rock 'n roll, folk rock (
Lou Dalfin Lou Dalfin is an Italian folk and folk-rock/folk-punk group focused on preserving and modernizing the traditions of Occitania. Founded in 1982 by hurdy-gurdy master Sergio Berardo, the band combines traditional Occitan sounds with modern rock in ...
), rap ( Fabulous Trobadors), reggae ( Massilia Sound System) and heavy metal, detective stories or science-fiction. It is represented on the internet. Association schools ('' Calandretas'') teach children in Occitan. The Occitan political movement for self-government has existed since the beginning of the 20th century and particularly since post-war years (
Partit Occitan The Occitan Party ( oc, Partit Occitan) is a regionalist political party in France. Its aims include greater autonomy for the Occitania region of southern France. The Occitan Party was formed in Toulouse in 1987 through the union of different Occ ...
,
Partit de la Nacion Occitana The Partit Nacionalista Occitan, more simply, "PNO" (in English: ''Occitan Nationalist Party'') is a political party of Occitania, founded in 1959 by François Fontan (1929–1979). The current name is "Partit de la Nacion Occitana" (in Englis ...
, Anaram Au Patac, Iniciativa Per Occitània, Paratge, Bastir! etc.). The movement remains negligible in electoral and political terms. Nevertheless, Regional Elections in 2010 allowed the
Partit Occitan The Occitan Party ( oc, Partit Occitan) is a regionalist political party in France. Its aims include greater autonomy for the Occitania region of southern France. The Occitan Party was formed in Toulouse in 1987 through the union of different Occ ...
to enter the Regional councils of Aquitaine, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Major demonstrations in
Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the Aud ...
(2005 and 2009) and Béziers (2007) and the week-long ''Estivada'' festivals in Rodez (2006–2010) suggest that there is a revival of Occitan language and culture. However, in France, Occitan is still not recognized as an official language, as the status of French has been constitutionally protected since 1992, and Occitan activists want the French government to adopt Occitan as the second official language for seven regions representing the South of France.


Language

The Occitan language is only recognized as official, protected and promoted in the Val d'Aran (in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
); in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
it has the status of a protected language; and in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
it only has acceptance in the educational network but without legal recognition. The ''Fédération des langues régionales pour l'enseignement public'' calculated the number of students in the Occitan language in October 2005 at 4,326. According to a 2002 report by the French Ministry of Culture (''Report to Parliament on the use of the French language'', 2003), in public schools, ''collèges'' and ''lycées'' and private schools: in the academic year 2001–02, 67,549 students had enrolled in classes of or in Occitan. Despite this precarious social position, Occitan was one of the official languages of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics.


Culture


Literature

* The ''
troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobair ...
'' school first marked the emergence of a distinct Occitan culture during the
High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...
. The troubadours were highly appreciated for their refined lyricism and influenced many other similar "schools" throughout Europe. ''Troubadourism'' (the later shorthand) remained a tradition for centuries and its members were mainly from the aristocracy; the movement was epitomized by William IX, Duke of Aquitaine and Bertran de Born. * Occitan literature experienced a rebirth during the
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
period, mainly in Gascony through the Béarnese dialect. Indeed, Béarnese was the mother-tongue
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 monar ...
, whose designation sparked a relative enthusiasm for Béarnese literature with the publication of works by
Pey de Garros Pey de Garros ( modern Gascon: ''Pèir de Garròs''; 1530–1585), was the most important Occitan poet of the Renaissance. He was instrumental in the evolution of the Gascon dialect into a literary language. Garros was born at Lectoure, Gascony. ...
and
Arnaud de Salette Arnaud de Saleta was a cleric and Béarnese poet who served during the establishment of a Protestant state in the Kingdom of Navarra in the 16th century. De Salette is one of two poets to be commissioned by Queen Jeanne d'Albret to translate ...
. Toulouse was also an important place for this ''renaissença'', especially through the poems of Pèire Godolin. Nonetheless, Occitan literature following the death of Henry IV went into a significant period of decline, as witnessed by the fact that local poets, such as
Clément Marot Clément Marot (23 November 1496 – 12 September 1544) was a French Renaissance poet. Biography Youth Marot was born at Cahors, the capital of the province of Quercy, some time during the winter of 1496–1497. His father, Jean Marot (c.& ...
, began to write in French. *
Frédéric Mistral Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral (; oc, Josèp Estève Frederic Mistral, 8 September 1830 – 25 March 1914) was a French writer of Occitan literature and lexicographer of the Provençal form of the language. He received the 1904 Nobel P ...
and his Félibrige school marked the renewal of the Occitan language in literature in the middle of the 19th century. Mistral won the 1904 Nobel Prize in literature, illustrating the curiosity about the Provençal dialect (which was considered an exotic language) in France and in Europe at that time, with his Irish friend and colleague, the poet William Bonaparte-Wyse, choosing Provençal as his own language of composition. * L'Acadèmia dels Jòcs Florals (The Academy of the Floral Games), held every year in Toulouse, is considered one of the oldest literary institution in the Western world (founded in 1323). Its main purpose is to promote Occitan poetry. * In 1945 the cultural association ''L'Institut d'Estudis Occitans'' (The Institute of Occitan Studies) was created by a group of Occitan and French writers, including Jean Cassou,
Tristan Tzara Tristan Tzara (; ; born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S. Samyro; – 25 December 1963) was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, comp ...
and Renat Nelli. Its purpose is to maintain and develop the language and influence of Occitania, mainly through the promotion of local literature and poetry.


Music

Romantic composer Gabriel Fauré was born in Pamiers, Ariège in the Pyrenees region of France.
Déodat de Séverac Marie-Joseph Alexandre Déodat de Séverac (; 20 July 1872 – 24 March 1921) was a French composer. Life Séverac was born in Saint-Félix-de-Caraman, Haute-Garonne. He descended from a noble family, profoundly influenced by the musical tra ...
, another Romantic music composer, was also born in the region, and, following his schooling in Paris, he returned to Occitania to compose; he sought to incorporate the music indigenous to the area into his compositions.


Cuisine

Occitan cuisine is considered Mediterranean, but has some specific features that separate it from Catalan cuisine or
Italian cuisine Italian cuisine (, ) is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp.101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes and List of cooking techniques, cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula and late ...
. Indeed, because of the size of Occitania and the great diversity of landscapes- from the mountaineering of the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...
and the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
, rivers and lakes, and finally the Mediterranean and Atlantic coast – it can be considered as a highly varied cuisine. Compared to other Mediterranean cuisines, Occitan gastronomy significantly uses basic elements and flavors, such as meat, fish and vegetables, along with the frequent usage of olive oil; elements from Atlantic coast cuisine are also common, such as cheeses, pastes, creams, butters and other high-calorie foods. Well-renowned meals common on the Mediterranean coast include ratatolha (the equivalent of Catalan ''samfaina''), alhòli, bolhabaissa (similar to Italian ''Brodetto alla Vastese''), pan golçat (bread with olive oil), and salads with mainly olives, rice, corn and wine. Another significant aspect that distinguishes Occitan cuisine from that of its Mediterranean neighbors is the abundant amount of aromatic herbs; some of them are typically Mediterranean, like parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano or again basil. Some world-renowned traditional meals are Provençal '' ratatolha'' (ratatouille), '' alhòli'' (aioli) and '' adauba'' (Provençal stew), Niçard '' salada nissarda'' (Salad Niçoise) and '' pan banhat'' (Pan-bagnat), Limousin '' clafotís'' (clafoutis), Auvergnat '' aligòt'' (aligot), Languedocien '' caçolet'' (cassoulet), or again Gascon '' fetge gras'' (foie gras). Occitania is also home of a great variety of cheeses (like Roquefort, Bleu d'Auvergne,
Cabécou Cabécou is a soft goat cheese that comes from the Midi-Pyrénées region of southern France. It has a thin striped rind and after two weeks its crust grows blue mold changing its taste. It is one of Aquitaine's most famous foods. Aquitaine is a ...
, Cantal,
Fourme d'Ambert Fourme d'Ambert is a semi-hard French blue cheese. One of France's oldest cheeses, it dates from as far back as Roman times. It is made from raw cow's milk from the Auvergne region of France, with a distinct, narrow cylindrical shape. The semi- ...
,
Laguiole Laguiole (; ''La Guiòla'' in Languedocien) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. It is known for its Laguiole cheese, which has an '' Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (label of guaranteed origin), and as the birthpl ...
, Pélardon, Saint-Nectaire,
Salers Salers (, ) is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France. It is famous for the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify wher ...
), and a great diversity of wines (such as
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...
,
Rhône wine The Rhône wine region in Southern France is situated in the Rhône valley and produces numerous wines under various '' Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) designations. The region's major appellation in production volume is Côtes du Rh� ...
, Gaillac wine, Saint-Émilion wine, Blanquette de Limoux,
Muscat de Rivesaltes Muscat de Rivesaltes is an '' Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) for fortified wines (of the type ''vin doux naturel'') made in the Roussillon wine region of France. They are similar to Rivesaltes AOC wines, except for the grape varieties ...
, Provence wine,
Cahors wine Cahors () is a red wine made from grapes grown in or around the town of Cahors in the Lot department of southern France. Cahors is an '' Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) (Controlled designation of origin) associated with part of th ...
, Jurançon). Alcohols such as
Pastis Pastis (; oc, Pastís, ; or ) is an anise-flavoured spirit and apéritif traditionally from France, typically containing less than 100 g/L sugar and 40–45% ABV (alcohol by volume). Origins Pastis was first commercialized by Paul Ricard i ...
and
Marie Brizard Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tr ...
or brandies such as Armagnac and Cognac are also produced in the area.


Image gallery

Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse - exposition ouest-1-.jpg, Saint-Sernin's Basilica's chevet,
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...
. The largest Romanesque church in Europe. File:Conques - Aveyron.jpg, Global view of the village of Conques. (Albi) North views of the Ste Cécile Cathedral and the Old Bridge.jpg, View of the episcopal city of
Albi Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, on the river Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ''Albigensians'' (french: Albigeois, Albigeoise(s), oc, albigé ...
. File:Vielle ville de Menton 04.jpg, View of the Old Town of the colorful city of Menton, on the French Riviera. File:Hafen von Marseille-Notre Dame de la Garde.jpg, View of Marseilles, the largest city in Southern France. File:Abbaye-senanque-gordes-iso.jpg, The Cistercian abbey of Sénanque. File:Avignon, Palais des Papes depuis Tour Philippe le Bel by JM Rosier.jpg, Palais des Papes of Avignon. File:Gorges du Verdon from bridge over Lac de Sainte-Croix, Provence.jpg,
Gorges du Verdon The Verdon Gorge ( French: ''Gorges du Verdon'') is a river canyon located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is about 25 km (15.5 mi) long and up to 700 metres (0.4 mi) deep. It was formed by th ...
Canyon. File:Cirque de Navacelles.jpg, Typical Cévennes and Larzac landscape. File:Lac mercantour.jpg, One of the many lakes of the Mercantour National Park, in the French Alps. File:Panoráma Carcassonne.jpg, The fortified town of
Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the Aud ...
,
Aude Aude (; ) is a department in Southern France, located in the Occitanie region and named after the river Aude. The departmental council also calls it " Cathar Country" (French: ''Pays cathare'') after a group of religious dissidents active ...
. File:Pont du Gard 03.jpg, The Roman
Pont du Gard The Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge built in the first century AD to carry water over to the Roman colony of ''Nemausus'' ( Nîmes). It crosses the river Gardon near the town of Vers-Pont-du-Gard in southern France. The Po ...
. File:Michelin siege clermont.jpg, The headquarters of Michelin,
Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label= Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 146,734 (2018). Its metropolitan area (''aire d'attrac ...
. File:Usine Lagardère 1.jpg, View of
Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...
facilities in
Blagnac Blagnac (; oc, Blanhac) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. The city hosts the aviation museum Aeroscopia. It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Toulouse, although governed by a separate council, and is ...
. File:Chai-barrique.JPG, A traditional Cognac distillery, Charente. File:Hossegor 2008 (3).jpg, A surfer at
Soorts-Hossegor Soorts-Hossegor (; oc, Sòrts e Òssagòr) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France, 20 km (12 miles) north of Biarritz. It is a well known seaside resort that is renowned for its surfing. The city ...
, considered as one of the best surfing spots in the world. File:Carlton Cannes Festival 2009.jpg,
Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...
during the festival period. File:Montpellier Faculte medecine.jpg, University of Montpellier's Faculty of Medicine, the oldest and still-active medical school in the world File:Pau Golf Club 3.jpg, Pau Golf Club, the oldest golf club in Continental Europe.


See also

* Arpitania * Baìo *
List of Occitans This is a non-exhaustive list of people who were born in the Occitania historical territory, or notable people from other regions of France or Europe with Occitan roots, or notable people from other regions of France or Europe who have other sig ...
* Occitan conjugation * Occitan cross * Occitan cuisine *
Occitan nationalism Occitan nationalism is a social and political movement in Occitania. Nationalists seek self-determination, greater autonomy or the creation of a sovereign state of Occitania. The basis of nationalism is linguistic and cultural although currentl ...
*
Occitania national football team The Occitania national football team is the football team of Occitania, which is the name given to areas of southern France, westernmost Italy and a small valley in northern Spain where the Occitan language is spoken. It is controlled by the As ...
* Occitano-Romance languages * Southern France


Notes


References


External links


occitania.fr
{{Authority control Geographical, historical and cultural regions of France Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy Geography of Spain * Society of France Divided regions