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- historical region in France
- former county, duchy and province
• Flag
• Meaning/Origin of the Flag
• Coat of Arms
• Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms
• Map of the historical Regions in France
• Explanations about the Regions
• History
• Origin of the Country's Name
Flag of the County of Auvergne
– Drapeau du Comté d'Auvergne,
Source, by:
Die Welt der Flaggen
1960–2016,
Unofficial flag of the Auvergne Region
– Drapeau de officieux de la Region de Auvergne,
Source, by:
Wikipedia (D)
The flag of Auvergne shows the image of the coat of arms of the House of Auvergne, who owned the county from the 9th to 15th century. The between 1960 and 2016 existing Region of "Auvergne" used this model as an unofficial flag.
Source:
Volker Preuß
to 1437, Auvergne
Coat of arms of the House of Auvergne
– Blason de Maison du Auvergne,
Source, by:
Heraldique Europeenne
1224–1247,
Coat of arms of Count Robert V.
– Blason de Comte Robert V,
Source, by:
Wikipedia (FR)
1437–1791, La Tour
Coat of arms of the House of La Tour
– Blason de Maison de La Tour,
Source, by:
heraldrysinstitute.com
1155–1486, Dauphiné Auvergne
Coat of arms of the House of Auvergne
– Blason de Maison du Auvergne,
Source, by:
Wikipedia (FR)
1426–1527, de Bourbon
Coat of arms of the House of Bourbon
– Blason de Maison du Bourbon,
Source, by:
Wikipedia (DE)
The heraldry of the Auvergne seems quite changeable and connected with the heraldry of their respective sovereigns. However, one must remember, that the Auvergne consisted of at least one county, one Dauphiné and one duchy, ruled by its diverse and changing aristocratic houses. That coat of arms, which is considered today as the coat of arms of Auvergne, is the coat of arms of the House of Auvergne, who owned the county from the 9th to the 15th century. The associated Heraldry showed a red, green bordered gonfanon on golden ground. Only Count Robert V. used a different coat of arms. The image of the coat of arms with the gonfanon achieved as a Heraldic feature that has been taken over in the coats of arms of the successors in the rule over the county (e.g. Catherine de Medici). In 1437 the Auvergne was inherited to the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, which ruled the county with one break until 1791. The associated Heraldry showed a white tower on a blue, with golden lilies sprinkled field. The Dauphins out of the House of Auvergne used a blue dolphin on gold. Dauphin = dolphin. The image of the coat of arms with the dolphin achieved as a Heraldic feature that has been sometimes taken over as an element in the coats of arms of the successors in the rule over the Dauphiné of Auvergne (e.g. the house of Bourbon). The Dukes of Auvergne came from the 15th century out of the House of Bourbon. The associated Heraldry showed the blue, with golden lilies topped shield of the Capetians, which was covered with a red oblique-right bar. The coat of arms of the Capetians showed three golden lilies on blue, but originally was the coat of arms sprinkled with lilies. From 1365 (by others sources 1376), the number of lilies was reduced to three. The lily-symbol is very old, already the Germanic tribe of the Franks has used it. The House of the Capetians has provided the kings of France between 987 and 1328. It goes back to Hugo Capet, son of Hugo the Great, who was electet to the King of France, in 987, after the death of King Ludwig V. from the House of the Carolingians. The Capetians brought out three branch lines which became the Kings of France: Valois 1328–1589, Bourbon 1589–1792 and 1814–1830, and Orléans 1830–1848.
Source:
Wikipedia (FR),
Volker Preuß
The historical, French Regions:
in black: governorate and province in 1776,
in red: former county, province oder governorate
Map: Volker Preuß
The until the French Revolution existing provinces (or governorates) have been historically grown structures, which had their roots oftenly in former fiefdoms of the French crown, historic counties and duchies. They oftenly existed for hundreds of years and had preserved regionality (e.g. cultural particularities and regional languages). On the occasion of the French Revolution such phenomena were of course not desirable, and as part of their bloody and violent egalitarianism any regional references were eliminated. Shortly after the French Revolution the provinces were dissolved and France became divided into many départements, which should have approximately the same size and the same status. The départements were named after rivers or mountains, to use never and in no circumstances the name of an old province. However, there was no success in cutting the connections of the people of France to their respective regions, so that administrative regions were re-created in 1960, to have a better control in regional administrative processes. In this way became départements, which were placed in a historical province, administratively grouped to an oftenly historically named region. The resulted structures coincide only approximately with the boundaries of the old provinces. In the strictly centralist France any regionality is avoided, so that even the official flags of these regions mostly look like flags of companies, unloving, unhistorical, technocratic and modernistic, and these flags should not be a subject of any lexical considerations here. Only in a few of that regions, exist official flags which remember the historical models. But, even the existence of these today's regions is douptful, because in 2014 was passed a territorial reform valid from the year 2016, that reduces the number of the existing regions by merging to nearly the half. However, there exist unofficial flags in nearly all of these regions, which should remember the old provinces and the old heraldry.
Wikipedia Link to the regions of France:
click or tap here
FOTW Link to the regions of France:
click or tap here
Source: Flags of the World,
Wikipedia (D),
Volker Preuß
antiquity · settlement by Celtic tribes, especially the tribe of the Arverni
52 B.C. · Roman conquest, forming of the province of Aquitania in the west of Gaul
418 A.D. · the Visigoths be settled as federates, the bigest part of today's Auvergne belongs to its sphere of influence
5th century A.D. · conquest of Gaul by the Franks (under King Clovis) to 507 conquest of Aquitaine, expansion of the empire to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pyrenees and the Alps, forming of the County of Auvergne
471–480 · reign of Duke Victorius, first of a serie of Merovingian counts and dukes, the title of a duke was used by all counts especially in the 6th and 8th century, however, the Auvergne was not officially a Duchy
511 · death of King Clovis, division of the Frankish Empire by Salic law of succession among his four sons (residences in Paris, Soissons, Orléans, Reims)
ca. 550 · administrative division of the empire into the kingdoms of Austrasia and Neustria, and the Duchy of Aquitaine and the Kingdom of Burgundy, the bigest part of today's Auvergne belongs to Aquitaine
639 · death of King Dagobert I., the power goes over to the Mayors of the Palace (maior domus) of Austrasia (House of the Carolingians)
687 · Pepin II. asserts itself as Mayor of the Palace throughout the Frankish Empire
751 · Pepin the Short (III., grandson of Pepin II.) eliminates the Merovingian monarchy and let hisself elect to the king from the Franks
843 · division of the Frankish Empire (Treaty of Verdun), there arise the West Frankish Kingdom of Charles II. (the Bald), the Middle Frankish Kingdom of Lothar (Lotharingia), and the East Frankish Kingdom of Louis II., the Auvergne comes to the Empire of Charles the Bald
870 · at the division of the Frankish Empire (Treaty of Meersen) arises the West Frankish Kingdom, the East Frankish Kingdom, and the Frankish Kingdom of Italy
877 · Ludwig ascends the West Frankish throne
880 · by the division of the Frankish Empire (Treaties of Verdun and Ribbemont) arises the West Frankish Kingdom (later France), the East Frankish Kingdom (later German Empire), the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of Upper Burgundy (under Rudolf the Welf) and the Kingdom of Lower Burgundy persists, the Auvergne - meanwhile a by the Carolingian kings hereditary as a fief given county - comes to the West Frankish Kingdom
898 · Odo, Count of Paris and Duke of Francia, is elected to the king of the East Frankish Empire, the County of Auvergne is given by the Counts of Auvergne to Arimannus, a Viscount of local nobility (House Auvergne, hereditary rule until 1437) - most of the Counts of Auvergne are also Dukes of Aquitaine
987 · death of the childless West Frankish King Louis V. (House of Carolingians), his heir and uncle Charles of Lower Lorraine could not prevail, the nobility elects Hugh Capet (House of Capet) to the king, the Capetians are the Kings of France to 1328
1047 · Count William VII. (House Auvergne), is ousted by his uncle Count William VIII., while he is fighting in a crusade out of the country, Wilhelm VII. can only save Le Puy-en-Velay and Clermont-Ferrand for himself, he calls himself now Count of Auvergne and Clermont, his followers call themselves Counts of Clermont and Dauphins of Auvergne, later only Dauphin of Auvergne, thus the Auvergne is divided into two parts: County of Auvergne and Dauphine of Auvergne – the Dauphine of Auvergne existed until 1486 under the House of Auvergne, 1486-1627 under the House of Bourbon and 1627-1701 under the House of Bourbon-Orléans
1195 · King Philip Augustus of France occupies a large part of the Auvergne in context of the conflict with the House of Anjou-Plantagenet, because Dauphin and Count are followers of Henry II. Plantagenet (King of England and Duke of Aquitaine), Count Guido II. (House Auvergne) is exiled
1209 (1213?) · the occupied part of the Auvergne becomes as Terre d'Auvergne a part of the royal domain
1224 · the county Auvergne is newly established by the King of France, and is given as a fief to a son of Guido II. (House Auvergne)
1328 · death of King Charles IV. (the Fair), extinction of the direct Capetian line, according to Salic Law Count Philip of Valois (Son of Prince Charles of Valois, first cousin of King Charles IV.) came on the French throne (as King Philip VI .), the English king Edward III. lays claim to the throne as a maternal nephew of Charles IV., reason for the "Hundred Years War" (Anglo-French War, 1338–1453), out of the House of Valois came all kings of France from 1328 to 1589
1356 · John II., King of France, raises the Terre d'Auvergne to the Duchy of Auvergne and hands it over to his son, Duke John
1416 · death of John II., the Duchy goes back to the crown
1426 · the Duchy of Auvergne is newly awarded for John I., Duke of Bourbon, husband of Mary, daughter of John II., the Duchy remains until 1527, the year of the death of Charles III., Duke of Bourbon and Duke of Auvergne out of the House of Bourbon
1437 · death of Countess Maria de Montgascon (House Auvergne), the legacy goes because of her marriage with Bertrand IV. de La Tour, to her son Bertrand V. de La Tour (House La Tour d'Auvergne)
1524 · death of Countess Anne (House La Tour d'Auvergne), heir is her sister Magdalena of Auvergne, married to Lorenzo II. de 'Medici, but his daughter Catherine de Medici hands over the county to Charles Bâtard, son of King Charles IX. of France (Valois-Angoulême), her daughter, Margaret of Valois, contradicts this gift
1589 · death of Henry III., King of France, Henry III. had no descendants, extinction of the line of Valois, Henry III. determined Henry of Navarre (House of Bourbon) as his successor, which is as Henry IV., the Good, Henri le Bon, the new King of France
1606 · the parliament gives the possession of the Auvergne to Margaret of Valois
1610 · Louis XIII., Son of Henry IV., becomes King of France, Margaret of Valois cedes the Auvergne to Louis XIII.
1650 · death of Charles Bâtard, Count of Auvergne and Duke of Angoulême, he is succeeded by his son Louis-Emmanuel de Valois (Valois-Angoulême), and after his death the county goes back to the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, the last Count is Godefroy Charles Henry, he is removed during the French Revolution in 1791
1776 · the already in the 14th century created governorates of the civil administration of the kingdom of France become committed to a number of 39, and correspond in this way to the number of provinces, in previous years could any provinces be summarized in one governorate
1789 · French Revolution, the governorates and provinces become abolished, the Auvergne is divided into departments
1960 · reintroduction of regions in France, forming the Region of Auvergne, to which the Auvergne thereby largely belongs (capital Clermont-Ferrand), but not within the historic boundaries, just by including the Departments of Allier, Cantal Aurillac, Haute-Loire und Puy-de-Dôme
2016 · the Auvergne region merges with the Rhône-Alpes region in the new, larger region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Source:
Wikipedia (D),
Meyers Konversationslexikon
The name "Auvergne" goes back to the Celtic tribe of the Arverni, who lived here in Roman times.
Source:
Volker Preuß
