The region is named after the Franche Comté de Bourgogne (Free County of Burgundy), definitively separated from the region of Burgundy proper in the fifteenth century. In 2016, these two-halves of the historic Kingdom of Burgundy were reunited, as the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is also the 6th biggest region in France. The name "Franche-Comté" is feminine because the word "comté" in the past was generally feminine, although today it is masculine.
The principal cities are the capital Besançon, Belfort and Montbéliard. Other important cities are Dole (the capital before the region was conquered by Louis XIV in the late seventeenth century), Vesoul (capital of Haute-Saône), Arbois (the "wine capital" of the Jura), and Lons-le-Saunier (the capital of Jura).
The region has been inhabited since the Paleolithic age and was occupied by the Gauls. It was then heavily settled by Germanic peoples during the Germanic migrations, most notably the Burgundians, who settled in the region after the Gauls had vacated the area. Later, it was part of the territory of the Alemanni in the fifth century, then the Kingdom of Burgundy from 457 to 534. The Burgundians adopted Orthodox Christianity, Christianizing the region. In 534, it became part of the Frankish kingdom. In 561 it was included in the Merovingian Kingdom of Burgundy under Guntram, the third son of Clotaire I. In 613, Clotaire II reunited the Frankish Kingdom under his rule, and the region remained a part of the Kingdom of Burgundy under the later Merovingians and Carolingians.
County of Burgundy
The name Franche Comté de Bourgogne or Freigrafschaft Burgund in German (Free County of Burgundy) did not appear officially until 1366. It had been a territory of the County of Burgundy from 888, the province becoming subject to the Holy Roman Empire in 1034. It was definitively separated from the neighboring Duchy of Burgundy upon the latter's incorporation into the Kingdom of France in 1477. That year at the Battle of Nancy during the Burgundian Wars, the last duke, Charles the Bold, was killed in battle. Although the county, along with the Duchy, was seized by King Louis XI of France, in 1492 his son Charles VIII ceded it to Philip of Austria, the grandson and heir of Charles the Bold. When Philip's son, Emperor Charles V, inherited the Spanish throne in 1516, the Franche-Comté, along with the rest of the Burgundian lands, passed to the Spanish.
Franche-Comté was captured by France in 1668, but returned to Spain under the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. It was conquered a second time in 1674, and finally was ceded to France in the Treaty of Nijmegen (1678). Enclaves such as Montbéliard remained outside French control.
1771 map of Burgundy, Franche-Comté and Lyonnais by Rigobert Bonne
The Franche-Comté was one of the last parts of France to have serfdom. In 1784, half of the population consisted of serfs, accounting for 400,000 out of the 1 million French serfs. Landowners took one-twelfth of the sale's price if a serf (mainmortable) wanted to sell up. Serfs were not forced to stay on the land, but the lord could claim droit de suite, whereby a peasant who died away from his holding left it to the lord, even if he had heirs. A runaway serf's land was forfeit after ten years. Louis XVI issued a decree banning these practices on 8 August 1779, but the Parlement of Besançon blocked this until 1787.
After 1790
The population of the region fell by a fifth from 1851 to 1946, reflecting low French natural growth and migration to more urbanized parts of the country. Most of the decline occurred in Haute-Saône and Jura, which remain among the country's more agriculture-dependent areas.
Environment
This region borders Switzerland and shares much of its architecture, cuisine, and culture with its neighbour. Between the Vosges range of mountains to the north and the Jura range to the south, the landscape consists of rolling cultivated fields, dense pine forest, and rampart-like mountains. Not so majestic as the Alps, the Jura mountains are more accessible and are France's first cross-country skiing area. It is also a superb place to hike, and there are some fine nature trails on the more gentle slopes. The Doubs and Loue valleys, with their timbered houses perched on stilts in the river, and the high valley of Ain, are popular visitor areas. The Région des Lacs is a land of gorges and waterfalls dotted with tiny villages, each with a domed belfry decorated with mosaic of tiles or slates or beaten from metal. The lakes are perfect for swimming in the warmer months. The summits of Haut Jura have wonderful views across Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) and toward the Alps.
Forty percent of the region's GDP is dependent on manufacturing activities, and most of its production is exported. Construction of automobiles and their parts is one of the most buoyant industries there. Forestry exploitation is steadily growing, and 38% of the agriculture is dairy and 17% cattle farming. The region has a large and lucrative cheese-making industry, with 40 million tonnes of cheese produced here each year, much of which is made by fruitières (traditional cheese dairies of Franche-Comté); for instance, Comté cheese comes from this region.
Among the regional languages of France, the term Franc-comtois refers to two dialects of two different languages. Franc-comtois is the name of the dialect of Langue d'Oïl spoken by people in the northern part of the region. The dialect of Arpitan has been spoken in its southern part since as early as the thirteenth century (the southern two-thirds of Jura and the southern third of Doubs). Both are recognized as languages of France.
^Loi n° 2015-29 du 16 janvier 2015 relative à la délimitation des régions, aux élections régionales et départementales et modifiant le calendrier électoral (in fr)
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Franche-Comté.
- Official French website (in English)
Conseil régional de Franche-Comté Official website
April 19, 2023
franche, comté, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, september, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Franche Comte news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message Franche Comte UK ˌ f r ɒ ʃ k ɒ ˈ t eɪ 2 US k oʊ n ˈ 3 4 French fʁɑ ʃ kɔ te listen Frainc Comtou Fraintche Comte Arpitan Franche Comtat also German Freigrafschaft Spanish Franco Condado all lit Free County is a cultural and historical region of eastern France It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs Jura Haute Saone and the Territoire de Belfort In 2016 its population was 1 180 397 Franche Comte Fraintche Comte Frainc Comtou Franche Comtat Arpitan Region of FranceFlagCoat of armsMotto s Comtois rends toi Nenni ma foi Comtois surrender No my faith Coordinates 47 00 N 6 00 E 47 000 N 6 000 E 47 000 6 000 Coordinates 47 00 N 6 00 E 47 000 N 6 000 E 47 000 6 000Country FranceDissolved1 January 2016PrefectureBesanconDepartments4 DoubsJuraHaute SaoneTerritoire de BelfortArea Total16 202 km2 6 256 sq mi Population 1 January 2016 Total1 180 397 Density73 km2 190 sq mi DemonymComtoisTime zoneUTC 1 CET Summer DST UTC 2 CEST ISO 3166 codeFR IGDP 2012 1 Ranked 20thTotal 28 6 billion US 36 8 bn Per capita 24 482 US 31 501 NUTS RegionFR43Websitewww franche comte fr Redirects to www bourgognefranchecomte fr From 1956 to 2015 the Franche Comte was a French administrative region Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the new region Bourgogne Franche Comte 5 The region is named after the Franche Comte de Bourgogne Free County of Burgundy definitively separated from the region of Burgundy proper in the fifteenth century In 2016 these two halves of the historic Kingdom of Burgundy were reunited as the region of Bourgogne Franche Comte It is also the 6th biggest region in France The name Franche Comte is feminine because the word comte in the past was generally feminine although today it is masculine The principal cities are the capital Besancon Belfort and Montbeliard Other important cities are Dole the capital before the region was conquered by Louis XIV in the late seventeenth century Vesoul capital of Haute Saone Arbois the wine capital of the Jura and Lons le Saunier the capital of Jura Contents 1 History 1 1 County of Burgundy 1 2 Province of the Kingdom of France 1 3 After 1790 2 Environment 2 1 Geology 3 Principal cities 4 Language 5 People from Franche Comte 6 Typical regional products 7 References 8 External linksHistory EditThe region has been inhabited since the Paleolithic age and was occupied by the Gauls It was then heavily settled by Germanic peoples during the Germanic migrations most notably the Burgundians who settled in the region after the Gauls had vacated the area Later it was part of the territory of the Alemanni in the fifth century then the Kingdom of Burgundy from 457 to 534 The Burgundians adopted Orthodox Christianity Christianizing the region In 534 it became part of the Frankish kingdom In 561 it was included in the Merovingian Kingdom of Burgundy under Guntram the third son of Clotaire I In 613 Clotaire II reunited the Frankish Kingdom under his rule and the region remained a part of the Kingdom of Burgundy under the later Merovingians and Carolingians County of Burgundy Edit The name Franche Comte de Bourgogne or Freigrafschaft Burgund in German Free County of Burgundy did not appear officially until 1366 It had been a territory of the County of Burgundy from 888 the province becoming subject to the Holy Roman Empire in 1034 It was definitively separated from the neighboring Duchy of Burgundy upon the latter s incorporation into the Kingdom of France in 1477 That year at the Battle of Nancy during the Burgundian Wars the last duke Charles the Bold was killed in battle Although the county along with the Duchy was seized by King Louis XI of France in 1492 his son Charles VIII ceded it to Philip of Austria the grandson and heir of Charles the Bold When Philip s son Emperor Charles V inherited the Spanish throne in 1516 the Franche Comte along with the rest of the Burgundian lands passed to the Spanish Province of the Kingdom of France Edit Franche ComteGovernment of Kingdom of France1668 1674 1790 Flag Coat of arms HistoryHistory Established1668 1674 Disestablished1790Preceded by Succeeded by County of Burgundy Jura department Haute Saone Doubs Franche Comte was captured by France in 1668 but returned to Spain under the Treaty of Aix la Chapelle It was conquered a second time in 1674 and finally was ceded to France in the Treaty of Nijmegen 1678 Enclaves such as Montbeliard remained outside French control 1771 map of Burgundy Franche Comte and Lyonnais by Rigobert Bonne The Franche Comte was one of the last parts of France to have serfdom In 1784 half of the population consisted of serfs accounting for 400 000 out of the 1 million French serfs Landowners took one twelfth of the sale s price if a serf mainmortable wanted to sell up Serfs were not forced to stay on the land but the lord could claim droit de suite whereby a peasant who died away from his holding left it to the lord even if he had heirs A runaway serf s land was forfeit after ten years Louis XVI issued a decree banning these practices on 8 August 1779 but the Parlement of Besancon blocked this until 1787 After 1790 Edit The population of the region fell by a fifth from 1851 to 1946 reflecting low French natural growth and migration to more urbanized parts of the country Most of the decline occurred in Haute Saone and Jura which remain among the country s more agriculture dependent areas Environment EditThis region borders Switzerland and shares much of its architecture cuisine and culture with its neighbour Between the Vosges range of mountains to the north and the Jura range to the south the landscape consists of rolling cultivated fields dense pine forest and rampart like mountains Not so majestic as the Alps the Jura mountains are more accessible and are France s first cross country skiing area It is also a superb place to hike and there are some fine nature trails on the more gentle slopes The Doubs and Loue valleys with their timbered houses perched on stilts in the river and the high valley of Ain are popular visitor areas The Region des Lacs is a land of gorges and waterfalls dotted with tiny villages each with a domed belfry decorated with mosaic of tiles or slates or beaten from metal The lakes are perfect for swimming in the warmer months The summits of Haut Jura have wonderful views across Lac Leman Lake Geneva and toward the Alps Forty percent of the region s GDP is dependent on manufacturing activities and most of its production is exported Construction of automobiles and their parts is one of the most buoyant industries there Forestry exploitation is steadily growing and 38 of the agriculture is dairy and 17 cattle farming The region has a large and lucrative cheese making industry with 40 million tonnes of cheese produced here each year much of which is made by fruitieres traditional cheese dairies of Franche Comte for instance Comte cheese comes from this region Landscape Franche Comte Besancon La Petite Montagne a view from Molard de la Justice View of Broissia a commune in the Jura departmentGeology Edit Vosges and Jura coal mining basinsPrincipal cities EditCity Metropolitan area Urban area MunicipalityBesancon 250 563 135 448 116 676Montbeliard 160 671 106 486 25 336Belfort 114 445 81 651 49 519Dole 65 400 29 916 23 373Vesoul 59 262 28 707 15 058Lons le Saunier 58 674 26 894 17 459Pontarlier 30 895 21 760 17 140Gray 17 295 9 470 5 484Luxeuil les Bains 14 652 12 366 6 821Champagnole 14 266 9 841 7 916Lure 12 251 11 135 8 253Saint Claude 11 343 10 346 9 732 Besancon Montbeliard Belfort Dole Vesoul Lons le SaunierLanguage EditAmong the regional languages of France the term Franc comtois refers to two dialects of two different languages Franc comtois is the name of the dialect of Langue d Oil spoken by people in the northern part of the region The dialect of Arpitan has been spoken in its southern part since as early as the thirteenth century the southern two thirds of Jura and the southern third of Doubs Both are recognized as languages of France People from Franche Comte EditRaymond Blanc chef Jean Jacques Boissard neo Latin poet Paul de Casteljau mathematician Gustave Courbet painter Frank Darabont filmmaker Charles Fourier philosopher Salah Gaham concierge Victor Hugo poet playwright novelist essayist visual artist statesman human rights activist Auguste and Louis Lumiere early filmmakers Jean Mairet dramatist Jacques de Molay last Grandmaster of the Knights Templar Charles Nodier author Louis Pasteur chemist and microbiologist Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle Burgundian statesman leading minister of the Spanish Habsburgs Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle minister of justice under Charles V Holy Roman Emperor Pierre Joseph Proudhon philosopher socialist Jean Baptiste Alexandre Strolz Jean Baptiste Antoine Suard journalist Hubert Felix Thiefaine singer and songwriter Louis Vuitton designer Arnaud Courlet de Vregille painterTypical regional products EditWine Vin jaune Arbois Cheese Cancoillotte Bleu de Gex Comte Edel de Cleron Metton Morbier Munster Vacherin Mont d Or Sausages Saucisse de Montbeliard saucisse de Morteau GendarmeReferences Edit INSEE Produits interieurs bruts regionaux et valeurs ajoutees regionales de 1990 a 2012 Retrieved 4 March 2014 Franche Comte Lexico UK English Dictionary Oxford University Press dead link Franche Comte The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 5th ed HarperCollins Retrieved 30 August 2019 Burgundy Merriam Webster Dictionary Retrieved 30 August 2019 Loi n 2015 29 du 16 janvier 2015 relative a la delimitation des regions aux elections regionales et departementales et modifiant le calendrier electoral in fr External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Franche Comte Franche Comte land of contrasts Official French website in English Conseil regional de Franche Comte Official website Franche Comte directory search engine Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Franche Comte amp oldid 1147460990, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
