
Rouergue (; ) is a former
province of France, corresponding roughly with the modern
department of
Aveyron
Aveyron (; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron (river), Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyro ...
. Its historical capital is
Rodez
Rodez (, , ; , ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of the communau ...
. It is bounded on the north by
Auvergne, on the south and southwest by
Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately .
History
...
, on the east by
Gévaudan and on the west by
Quercy
Quercy (; , locally ) is a former province of France located in the country's southwest, bounded on the north by Limousin, on the west by Périgord and Agenais, on the south by Gascony and Languedoc, and on the east by Rouergue and Auverg ...
.
During the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
Rouergue changed hands a number of times; its rulers included England (due to the
Treaty of Brétigny in 1360),
Armagnac
Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac (region), Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni ...
and Languedoc.
Rouergue became a
department in 1790, and was renamed
Aveyron
Aveyron (; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron (river), Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyro ...
after the principal river flowing through it. Upon creation of the department of
Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne (; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southern France. It is traversed by the rivers Tarn (river), Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its n ...
in 1808, the
canton of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val was detached from the western extremity of Aveyron and transferred to the new department.
The province of Rouergue had a land area of . At the 1999 census there were 269,774 inhabitants on the territory of the province of Rouergue, for a density of only . The largest urban areas are Rodez, with 38,458 inhabitants in 1999;
Millau
Millau (; ) is a commune in Occitania, France. Located at the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers, the town is a subprefecture of the Aveyron department.
Millau is known for its Viaduct, glove industry and several nearby natural ...
, with 22,840 inhabitants in 1999;
Decazeville, with 17,044 inhabitants in 1999; and
Villefranche-de-Rouergue, with 12,561 inhabitants in 1999.
See also
*
Count of Rouergue
*
Count of Toulouse
The count of Toulouse (, ) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings,
the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surrounding county from the late 9th century until 12 ...
References
{{Authority control
Former provinces of France
Guyenne
Geography of Aveyron
Geography of Lot (department)
Geography of Tarn-et-Garonne
History of Occitania (administrative region)
History of Aveyron
History of Lot (department)
History of Tarn-et-Garonne