Province of Alsace

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Not to be confused with Region of Alsace.
Province of Alsace
Province d'Alsace
1648–1790
King of France
 
• 1648–1715
Louis XIV
• 1774–1790
Louis XVI
Governor General of Alsace 
• 1788–1789
Jacques Philippe, Marquis de Choiseul-Stainville
Historical era
Early Modern
1648
• Decree dividing France into departments
1790
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Langraviate of Upper Alsace
Bas-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Moselle

The Province of Alsace (Province d'Alsace) was an administrative region of the

Landgraviate of Upper-Alsace was absorbed into the Kingdom of France and subsequently became the Province of Alsace, which it remain an integral part of for almost 150 years. In 1790, as a result of the decree dividing France into departments, the province was disestablished and split into three departments: Bas-Rhin (Lower Rhine), Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine), and part of Moselle
.

History

Main article: History of Alsace

In 1469, following the

Swiss Confederation
in 1515, where it was to remain until 1798.

By the time of the

Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, Strasbourg was a prosperous community, and its inhabitants accepted Protestantism in 1523. Martin Bucer was a prominent Protestant reformer in the region. His efforts were countered by the Roman Catholic Habsburgs who tried to eradicate heresy in Upper Alsace. As a result, Alsace was transformed into a mosaic of Catholic and Protestant territories. On the other hand, Mömpelgard (Montbéliard) to the southwest of Alsace, belonging to the Counts of Württemberg
since 1397, remained a Protestant enclave in France until 1793.

Louis XIV receiving the keys of Strasbourg in 1681

This situation prevailed until 1639, when most of Alsace was conquered by France to keep it out of the hands of the

French Protestantism, was not applied in Alsace. France did endeavour to promote Catholicism. Strasbourg Cathedral
, for example, which had been Lutheran from 1524 to 1681, was returned to the Catholic Church. However, compared to the rest of France, Alsace enjoyed a climate of religious tolerance.

France consolidated its hold with the 1679

War of the Grand Alliance. But Alsace still contained islands of territory nominally under the sovereignty of German princes and an independent city-state at Mulhouse. These enclaves were established by law, prescription and international consensus.[1]

Government

Map showing the regions of Alsace (grey on far right), Champagne (green on far left), Ardennes (orange centre-left), and Lorraine (pink centre-right) within the borders of modern departments.

Following the governmental reforms of 1773, the Province of Alsace formed part of the Government of Alsace (Gouvernement d'Alsace). The province itself was further divided into two 'regions': Lower Alsace (North) and Upper Alsace (South).[2]

Following the Decree dividing France into departments announced on 22 December 1789, the Province of Alsace was disestablished and formed the departments of Bas-Rhin (Lower Rhine), Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine), and part of Moselle.

Culture

Alsace historically was part of the Holy Roman Empire and the German realm of culture. Since the 17th century, the region has passed between German and French control numerous times, resulting in a cultural blend. German traits remain in the more traditional, rural parts of the culture, such as the cuisine and architecture, whereas modern institutions are totally dominated by French culture.

Symbolism

Strasbourg

Bishop of Strasbourg
(a band of red on a white field, also considered an inversion of the arms of the diocese) at the end of a revolt of the burghers during the Middle Ages who took their independence from the teachings of the Bishop. It retains its power over the surrounding area.

Flags

Main article: Flag of Alsace

There is controversy around the recognition of the Alsatian flag. The authentic historical flag is the Rot-un-Wiss; Red and White are commonly found on the coat of arms of Alsatian cities (Strasbourg, Mulhouse, Sélestat...)

Lorraine and Alsace, namely on Colmar's statue of liberty.[5]

Language

Although German dialects were spoken in Alsace for most of its history, the dominant language in Alsace today is French.

The traditional language of the région is

lycées
.

Although Alsace has been part of France multiple times in the past, the region had no direct connection with the French state for several centuries. From the end of the Roman Empire (5th century) to the French annexation (17th century), Alsace was politically part of the German world.

The towns of Alsace were the first to adopt the German language as their official language, instead of

Lutheran Reform
. It was in Strasbourg that German was first used for the liturgy. It was also in Strasbourg that the first German Bible was published in 1466.

Footnotes

  1. ISBN 978-0-19-880493-2
    .
  2. ^ "Alsace | History, Culture, Geography, & Map | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  3. ^ "Unser LandBrève histoire d'un drapeau alsacien". Unser Land.
  4. ^ Genealogie-bisval.net
  5. ^ "Colmar : une statue de la Liberté en "Rot und Wiss"". France 3 Alsace. 16 November 2014.

Further reading

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