Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old
French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of ''
Aquitania Secunda
Gallia Aquitania ( , ), also known as Aquitaine or Aquitaine Gaul, was a province of the Roman Empire. It lies in present-day southwest France, where it gives its name to the modern region of Aquitaine. It was bordered by the provinces of Gallia ...
'' and the
archdiocese of Bordeaux
The Archdiocese of Bordeaux (–Bazas) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Burdigalensis (–Bazensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Bordeaux (–Bazas)''; Occitan: ''Archidiocèsi de Bordèu (–Vasats)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or a ...
.
The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation of ''Aquitania''. In the 12th century it formed, along with
Gascony, the
duchy of Aquitaine, which passed under the dominion of the kings of England by the marriage of
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor ( – 1 April 1204; french: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, ) was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II, and Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right from ...
to
Henry II.
In the 13th century, through the conquests of
Philip II Philip II may refer to:
* Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC)
* Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor
* Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374)
* Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404)
* Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497)
* Philip ...
,
Louis VIII and
Louis IX, Guyenne was confined within the narrower limits fixed by the
treaty of Paris (1259)
The Treaty of Paris (also known as the Treaty of Albeville) was a treaty between Louis IX of France and Henry III of England, agreed to on 4 December 1259, ending 100 years of conflicts between the Capetian and Plantagenet dynasties.
History ...
and became distinct from Aquitaine. Guyenne then comprised the
Bordelais (the old countship of Bordeaux), the
Bazadais
Bazas (; oc-gsc, Vasats) is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.
Geography
Bazas stands on a narrow promontory above the Beuve valley 60 km/37 mi southeast of Bordeaux and 40 km/25 mi southwest ...
, part of
Périgord,
Limousin
Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vien ...
,
Quercy and
Rouergue and the
Agenais
Agenais (), or Agenois (), was an ancient region that became a county ( Old French: ''conté'' or ''cunté'') of France, south of Périgord.Mish, Frederick C., Editor in Chief. "Agenais". '' Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary''. 9th ed. Sp ...
ceded by
Philip III to
Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal ...
in the
treaty of Amiens (1279). Still united with Gascony, it formed a duchy extending from 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 ...
to the
Pyrenees. This duchy was held as a
fief on the terms of
homage
Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to:
History
*Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance
*Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts
*Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...
to the French kings and, both in 1296 and 1324, it was confiscated by the kings of France on the ground that there had been a failure in the
feudal duties.
At the
treaty of Brétigny (1360), King
Edward III of England acquired the full sovereignty of the duchy of Guyenne, together with
Aunis
Aunis () is a historical province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) the historic capital which gives its name ...
,
Saintonge
Saintonge may refer to:
*County of Saintonge, a historical province of France on the Atlantic coast
*Saintonge (region), a region of France corresponding to the historical province
Places
* Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge, a commune in the Charente-Mar ...
,
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 ...
and
Poitou. The victories of
Bertrand du Guesclin
Bertrand du Guesclin ( br, Beltram Gwesklin; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' W ...
and
Gaston III, Count of Foix
Gaston Fébus (also spelt Phoebus) (30 April 1331 – 1391) was the eleventh count of Foix (as Gaston III) and twenty-fourth viscount of Béarn (as Gaston X) from 1343 until his death.
Early life
Gaston was born either in Orthez or Foix, the e ...
, restored the duchy soon after to its 13th-century limits. In 1451, it was conquered and finally united to the French crown by
Charles VII. In 1469,
Louis XI
Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII.
Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revo ...
gave it in exchange for the territories of
Champagne and Brie to his brother
Charles, Duke of Berry, after whose death in 1472 it was again united to the
royal domain.
Guyenne then formed a government (') which from the 17th century onwards was united with Gascony.
In 1779,
Louis XVI convened the provincial assemblies of Guyenne and considered expanding the assembly to other provinces, but abandoned this idea after experiencing the opposition of the privileged classes in Guyenne.
The government of Guyenne and Gascony ('), with its capital at Bordeaux, lasted until the end 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
A ''virelai'' is a form of medieval French verse used often in poetry and music. It is ...
'' (1792). Under the
French Revolution, the departments formed from Guyenne proper were those of
Gironde,
Lot-et-Garonne,
Dordogne
Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named ...
,
Lot,
Aveyron
Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants o ...
and the chief part of
Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne (; oc, Tarn e Garona ) is a department in the Occitania region in Southern France. It is traversed by the rivers Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its name. The area was originally part of the former provinces of Quercy an ...
.
References
Further reading
*
{{Authority control
Former provinces of France
History of Aquitaine
Geography of Aveyron
Geography of Charente
Geography of Corrèze
Geography of Dordogne
Geography of Gironde
Geography of Lot (department)
Geography of Lot-et-Garonne
Geography of Tarn-et-Garonne
History of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
History of Occitania (administrative region)
History of Aveyron
History of Charente
History of Corrèze
History of Dordogne
History of Gironde
History of Lot (department)
History of Lot-et-Garonne
History of Tarn-et-Garonne