County of Saintonge

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

County of Saintonge
Comté de Saintonge
1371–1790
Flag of Saintonge
Flag
Coat of arms of Saintonge
Coat of arms
King of France
 
• First
Charles V
• Last
Louis XVI
Governor of Saintonge 
• First
Jean II d'Angennes, Seigneur de Rambouillet
• Last
Duke of Uzès
Historical era
Early Modern
• Integrated into Kingdom of France
1371
• Decree dividing France into departments
1790
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Duchy of Aquitaine
Deux-Sèvres
Charente-Maritime
Charente
Today part ofFrance

The County of Saintonge (French pronunciation:

.

Background

The borders of the province shifted slightly through history. Some mapmakers, such as

Gironde River
.

In 1790, during the French Revolution, Saintonge became part of Charente-Inférieure, one of the 83 departments organized by the new government. This was renamed as Charente-Maritime in 1941, during World War II.

Today, four-fifths of the historical Saintonge province is within the modern

département of Charente-Maritime. Most of the other fifth is in Charente. A small section extends north into Deux-Sèvres; all three departments are within the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
.

History

Modern map showing the extent of the historical Saintonge province.

The province derives its name from the

Celtic peoples in Europe before the rise of the Roman Empire
.

During antiquity, Saintonge was part of the

Plantagenet-controlled areas during the late Middle Ages, between 1152 and 1451, it was the site of constant struggles between lords torn between their allegiance to Anglo-Aquitaine
and those linked to Paris.

Saintonge was primarily attached to Anglo-Aquitaine until the mid-fourteenth century. However, errors by

Edward, the Black Prince gradually contributed to weakening English power. In 1451 the province came under the control of the King of France, Charles VII, "the Victorious"
.

Saintonge was the birthplace of French explorer

Huguenots
, who formed a center of Protestant belief in Southwest France.

The distinctive

Saintongeais dialect (patouê saintonjhouê, jhabrail) was once spoken throughout Saintonge, as well as in the provinces of Aunis and Angoumois
.

The region is famous for its grapes, which are used to produce

.

Government

Following the governmental reforms of 1773, the County of Saintonge formed part of the General Government of Saintonge and Angoumois [fr] (Gouvernement-Général de Saintonge et Angoumois).[2][3]

Following the decree dividing France into departments announced on 22 December 1789, the County of Saintonge was disestablished. The majority of the county formed the majority of the new Department of Charente-Maritime, while the south-eastern portion formed part of the Department of Charente, and the northernmost part formed part of the Department of Deux-Sevrès.[4][5][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
  2. ^ "Saintonge | historical region, France | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Angoumois | former province, France | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  4. ^ France; Baudouin (1789). Collection générale des décrets rendus par l'Assemblée Nationale, avec la mention des sanctions et acceptations données par le roi (in French). Baudouin, imprimeur de l'Assemblée nationale.
  5. ^ France; Baudouin (1789). Collection générale des décrets rendus par l'Assemblée Nationale, avec la mention des sanctions et acceptations données par le roi (in French). Baudouin, imprimeur de l'Assemblée nationale.
  6. ^ France; Baudouin (1789). Collection générale des décrets rendus par l'Assemblée Nationale, avec la mention des sanctions et acceptations données par le roi (in French). Baudouin, imprimeur de l'Assemblée nationale.
  • Derœux, D. & Dufournier, D. 1991. "Réflexions sur la diffusion de la céramique très decorée d’origine française en Europe du nord-ouest XIII-XIVe siècles", Archéologie médiévale 21, pp. 163–77.