Poitou
Poitou
Poetou (Poitevin) | |
|---|---|
 Flag .svg) Coat of arms | |
.svg) | |
| Country | France |
| Area | |
| • Total | 19,709 km2 (7,610 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 1,375,356 |
| Time zone | CET |
| Count | 638–677, Guérin de Trèves 1403–1461, Charles VII of France |
Poitou ( Gallic tribe.
Geography
The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical capital city), Châtellerault (France's kings' establishment in Poitou), Niort, La Roche-sur-Yon, Thouars, and Parthenay.
History
Historically Poitou was ruled by the
At the conclusion of the Battle of Taillebourg in the Saintonge War, which was decisively won by the French, King Henry III of England recognized his loss of continental Plantagenet territory to France. This was ratified by the Treaty of Paris of 1259, by which King Louis annexed Normandy, Maine, Anjou, and Poitou).
During the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, Poitou was a hotbed of
Some of the French colonists, later known as
After the revocation of the
As noted by historian Andre Lampert:
"The persistent Huguenots of 17th Century Poitou and the fiercely Catholic rebellious Royalists of what came be the Vendée of the late 18th Century had ideologies very different, indeed diametrically opposed to each other. The common thread connecting both phenomena is a continuing assertion of a local identity and opposition to the central government in
Robespierre."[5]]In fiction
- Large parts of the Angélique series of historical novels are set in 17th century Poitou.
- In Alexandre Dumas's The Man in the Iron Mask, Aramis gives a romantic description of the marshes of Bas-Poitou as the most secluded place to lead a quiet life away from the perils of court.
- The movie Kingdom of Heaven features Guy of Lusignan, a knight from Poitou.
See also
- Count of Poitiers
- Big Ghoul, folklore dragon.
References
- ^ "Poitou". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ "Poitou" (US) and "Poitou". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Poitou". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ Andre Lampert, "Centralism and Localism in European History" (cited as an example of "A Persistant [sic] Localism" in the Introduction)
External links
Media related to Poitou at Wikimedia Commons
- Le Poitou, ancienne province de France : Portrait physique et humain du Poitou aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles at the Wayback Machine (archived 12 August 2002)
International National Other
