Gallia Lugdunensis ( French: ''Gaule Lyonnaise'') was a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

in what is now the modern country of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, part of the Celtic territory of

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

formerly known as Celtica. It is named after its capital

Lugdunum Lugdunum (also spelled Lugudunum, ; modern Lyon, France) was an important Roman city in Gaul, established on the current site of Lyon. The Roman city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, but continued an existing Gallic settle ...

(today's

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

), possibly Roman Europe's major city west of Italy, and a major imperial mint. Outside Lugdunum was the

Sanctuary of the Three Gauls The Sanctuary of the Three Gauls ''(Tres Galliae)'' was the focal structure within an administrative and religious complex established by Rome in the very late 1st century BC at Lugdunum (the site of modern Lyon in France). Its institution serve ...

, where representatives met to celebrate the cult of Rome and Augustus.

History

In ''

De Bello Gallico ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' (; en, Commentaries on the Gallic War, italic=yes), also ''Bellum Gallicum'' ( en, Gallic War, italic=yes), is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Ca ...

'' describing his conquest of Gaul (58–50 BC), Julius Caesar distinguished between ''provincia nostra'' in the south of Gaul, which already was a Roman province in his time, and the three other parts of Gaul: the territories of the ''Aquitani'', of the ''Belgae'', and of the ''Galli'' also known as the ''Celtae''. The territory of the Galli extended from the rivers Seine and

Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...

in the north-east, which formed the boundary with

Gallia Belgica Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and Germany. In 50 BC, a ...

, to the river

Garonne The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux – ...

in the south-west, which formed the border with Gallia Aquitania. Under

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

, Gallia Lugdunensis was created by reducing in size the territory of the Galli: the portion between the river

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

and the Garonne was given to Gallia Aquitania, and central-eastern portions were given to the new province of Germania Superior. The map shows the extent after these reductions. The date of the creation of Gallia Lugdunensis is under discussion, whether between 27 and 25 BC or between 16 and 13 BC, during Augustus' visits to Gaul. It was an imperial province, deemed important enough to be governed by an imperial

legate Legate may refer to: *Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

. Under the

Tetrarchy The Tetrarchy was the system instituted by Roman emperor Diocletian in 293 AD to govern the ancient Roman Empire by dividing it between two emperors, the ''augusti'', and their juniors colleagues and designated successors, the '' caesares'' ...

(AD 296), it was first divided into two, Lugdunensis Prima, with its capital at Lyon, and Lugdunensis Secunda, with its capital at Rouen. This division is recorded in the

Verona List The ''Laterculus Veronensis'' or Verona List is a list of Roman provinces and barbarian peoples from the time of the emperors Diocletian and Constantine I, most likely from AD 314. The list is transmitted only in a 7th-century manuscript preser ...

. Both new provinces belonged to the diocese of Galliae, alongside the Helvetic, Belgian and German provinces.

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

() divided the provinces again. Lugdunensis Senonia, with its capital at Sens, was split off from Prima, while Lugdunensis Tertia, with its capital at

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metro ...

, was separated from Secunda. According to the '' Notitia Dignitatum'', Prima was governed by a ''

consularis ''Consularis'' is a Latin adjective indicating something pertaining to the position or rank of consul. In Ancient Rome it was also used as a noun (plural ''consulares'') to designate those senators who had held the office of consul or attained co ...

'', while the other three were governed by a ''

praeses ''Praeses'' (Latin ''praesides'') is a Latin word meaning "placed before" or "at the head". In antiquity, notably under the Roman Dominate, it was used to refer to Roman governors; it continues to see some use for various modern positions. ...

''. All the provinces were gradually overrun by invading

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

and Burgundians during the 5th century. What was left of the provinces effectively ceased to exist in AD 486/7 when the Roman general

Syagrius Syagrius (430 – 486 or 487 or 493–4) was a Roman general and the last ruler of a Roman rump state in northern Gaul, now called the Kingdom of Soissons. Gregory of Tours referred to him as King of the Romans. Syagrius's defeat by king Clovis ...

, who controlled Secunda and Senonia, was defeated by the Franks.

Cities

The cities and '' castra'' of the four provinces are listed in the late 4th-century ''

Notitia Galliarum The ''Notitia Galliarum'' (or ''Notitia provinciarum et civitatum Galliae'') is a Roman register of cities dating to the 4th–6th centuries AD., contains the text of the ''Notitia'' with a map. The Latin register is divided into two headings. Te ...

'' by their ethnic titles. The ''castrum'' of Mâcon is a later addition to the ''Notitia''. They are listed here with their conventional short names (where different from the ethnic name) and their modern names: *Lugdunensis Prima #''Metropolis civitas Lugdunensium''
(

) #''Civitas Aeduorum''
(Augustodunum,

Autun Autun () is a subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the early Roman Empire by Emperor Augustus as Augustodunum to give a Ro ...

) #''Civitas Lingonum''
(Andematunnum,

Langres Langres () is a commune in northeastern France. It is a subprefecture of the department of Haute-Marne, in the region of Grand Est. History As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe known as the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then ...

) #''Castrum Cabillonense''
( Chalon-sur-Saone) #''Castrum Matisconense''
(

Mâcon Mâcon (), historically anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the prefecture of the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home to near 34,000 residents, who are referred to in French as ...

) *Lugdunensis Secunda #''Metropolis civitas Rotomagensium''
( Rouen) #''Civitas Baiocassium''
(Augustodorum, Bayeux) #''Civitas Abrincatum''
(Ingena, Avranches) #''Civitas Ebroicorum''
(Mediolanum,

Évreux Évreux () is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy. Geography The city is on the Iton river. Climate History In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named ...

) #''Civitas Saiorum''
(

Sées Sées () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France. It lies on the river Orne from its source and north-by-northeast of Alençon. Sées station has rail connections to Argentan, Caen and Le Mans. Name The town's name deriv ...

) #''Civitas Lexoviorum''
(Noviomagus,

Lisieux Lisieux () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland. Name The name of the town derives from the ...

) #''Civitas Constantia''
(

Coutances Coutances () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. History Capital of the Unelli, a Gaulish tribe, the town was given the name of ''Constantia'' in 298 during the reign of Roman emperor Constantius Chloru ...

) *Lugdunensis Tertia #''Metropolis civitas Turinorum''
(Caesarodunum,

) #''Civitas Cenomannorum''
(Suindunum, Le Mans) #''Civitas Redonum''
(Condate, Rennes) #''Civitas Andecavorum''
(Iuliomagus,

Angers Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the pr ...

) #''Civitas Namnetum''
(Condivincum, Nantes) #''Civitas Coriosolitum''
(Fanum Martis,

Corseul Corseul (; ; Gallo: ''Corsoeut'') is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. The town was a major Roman town and contains Roman ruins. The town hall contains a small archaeological museum. History Corseul ...

) #''Civitas Venetum''
(Darioritum,

Vannes Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic Era The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who live ...

) #''Civitas Osismorum''
(Vorgium,

Carhaix Carhaix-Plouguer (; br, Karaez-Plougêr ), commonly known as just Carhaix (), is a commune in the French department of Finistère, region of Brittany, France.Jublains Jublains () is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France. History Jublains, formerly spelled Jubleins, is the site of ancient Noeodunum (also spelled Noiodunum or Noviodunum), the capital of the ancient Gallic tribe of the ...

) *Lugdunensis Senonia #''Metropolis civitas Senonum''
(Agedincum, Sens) #''Civitas Carnotum''
(Autricum, Chartres) #''Civitas Autisiodorum''
(

Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...

) #''Civitas Tricassium''
(Augustobona, Troyes) #''Civitas Aurelianorum''
(Cenabum,

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

) #''Civitas Melduorum''
(Iatinum,

Meaux Meaux () is a Communes of France, commune on the river Marne (river), Marne in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, Franc ...

)

Governors

*c. 21: Acilius Aviola *66-69

Junius Blaesus Quintus Junius Blaesus (died AD 31) was a Roman ''novus homo'' ("new man," that is, the first member of his family to gain entrance to the Roman nobility) who lived during the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius. He was the maternal uncle of Lucius Ae ...

*78-80:

Titus Tettienus Serenus Titus Tettienus Serenus was Roman senator of the first century. He was suffect consul in the '' nundinium'' of July to August AD 81 as the colleague of Gaius Scoedius Natta Pinarius. Serenus is primarily known from inscriptions. He is identified ...

*80-83: Gaius Cornelius Gallicanus *83-87:

Lucius Minicius Rufus Lucius Minicius Rufus was a Roman senator. He was best known as an acquaintance of the philosopher and wonder-worker Apollonius of Tyana. Rufus is known to have been proconsular governor of Bithynia et Pontus in AD 82/83, then afterwards appoint ...

*Between 123 and 130:

Tiberius Claudius Quartinus Tiberius Claudius Quartinus was a Roman senator active during the first half of the second century AD. Originally of the equestrian class, Quartinus was suffect consul during 130 as the colleague of Cassius Agrippa. Quartinus is known primarily ...

Eck, "Jahres- und Provinzialfasten der senatorischen Statthalter von 69/70 bis 138/139", ''Chiron'' 13 (1983), p. 198 *Between 126 and 137: Titus Vitrasius Pollio *c. 146-149: Titus Flavius Longinus Quintus Marcius Turbo

Géza Alföldy Géza Alföldy (June 7, 1935 – November 6, 2011) was a Hungarian historian of ancient history. Life Géza Alföldy was born in Budapest. He studied at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Budapest from 1953 to 1958, where he i ...

, ''Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter den Antoninen'' (Bonn: Habelt Verlag, 1977), p. 255 *Between 138 and 161: ..Pacatus *Between 138 and 161: ..atin Pi ..tusAlföldy, ''Konsulat und Senatorenstand'', p. 256 *161-162:

Gaius Popilius Carus Pedo Gaius Popilius Carus Pedo was a Roman senator who held several offices in the emperor's service during the second century. He was suffect consul in succession to Tiberius Licinius Cassius Cassianus as colleague of Sextus Cocceius Severianus Honor ...

*Between 161 and 168: Lucius Aemilius Frontinus *Between 160 and 169 ''or'' 177 and 180: ..Egr

lius Plarianus Larcius Lep ''Lius'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following species: * ''Lius aculeatus'' (Gory, 1841) * ''Lius adonis'' Saunders, 1876 * ''Lius aeneicollis'' Kerremans, 1896 * ''Lius aeneovirens'' Obenberger, 1932 * ''Li ...

dus lavius ...ref name=Alföldy-256/> *187–188 or 185-189:

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...

*c. 195-198:

Titius Flavius Secundus Philippianus Titius may refer to: * 1998 Titius, a main belt asteroid * Titius (crater), a 2.7 km-deep lunar crater * ''Titius'' river in Antiquety, Latin language, Latin name for Krka (Croatia), Krka river in Croatia * The nomen borne by male members of the Ti ...

Paul M. M. Leunissen, ''Konsuln und Konsulare in der Zeit von Commodus bis Severus Alexander'' (Amsterdam: J.C. Gieben, 1989), p. 288 *c. 218:

Tiberius Claudius Paulinus Tiberius Claudius Paulinus was a Roman general and politician of the early third century. Several inscriptions in Britain preserve details of his ''cursus honorum''. The earliest office Paulinus held was ''legatus'' or commander of Legio II ''Aug ...

*220-222:

Marcus Aedinius Julianus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobâr ...

(''procurator agens vice praesidis'') *After 223: Badius Comnianus (''procurator agens vice praesidis'') * Between 240 and 245: Appius Alexander (''praeses provinciae'')Peter Herrmann, and Ûzmir Hasan Malay
"Statue Bases of the Mid Third Century A.D. from Smyrna"
''Epigraphica Anatolica'', 36 (2003), pp. 4-6

References

External links

Britannica

{{Coord, 45.7597, N, 4.8194, E, source:wikidata, display=title Provinces of the Roman Republic Provinces of Roman Gaul States and territories established in the 1st century BC States and territories disestablished in the 5th century History of Rhône-Alpes 27 BC establishments 20s BC establishments in the Roman Empire 486 disestablishments 480s disestablishments in the Roman Empire

History

Cities

Governors

See also

References

External links