Les Baux de Provence

Les Baux de Provence is a small village and commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône département in southern France, in the former province of Provence. It has a spectacular position in the Alpilles mountains, set atop a rocky outcrop crowned with a ruined castle overlooking the plains to the south. Its names refers to its site - in Provençal, a baou is a rocky spur. Les Baux de Provence. ... Les Baux de Provence. ... The commune (in French: commune, word appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin communia, gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common) is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. ... Bouches-du-Rhône is a département in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties. ... The Kingdom of France was organized into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. ... Provence is a former Roman province and is now a region of southeastern France, located on the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to Frances border with Italy. ... Alpilles landscape near Le Destet. ... Provençal (Prouvençau in Provençal language) is one of several dialects of the Romance language Occitan, which is spoken by a minority of people in southern France and other areas of France. ...

History

The defensive possibilities of Les Baux led to the site being settled very early on. Traces of habitation have been found dating back as far as 6000 BC, and it was used by the Celts as a hill fort or oppidum around the 2nd century BC. During the Middle Ages it became the seat of a powerful feudal lordship, which controlled 79 towns and villages in the vicinity. The lords of Baux sought control of Provence for many years and gained a formidable reputation, which they certainly tried to live up to. They traced their ancestry (quite fictitiously) from the Magus king Balthazar and even placed the Star of Bethlehem on their coat of arms. (7th millennium BC – 6th millennium BC – 5th millennium BC – other millennia) Events c. ... A Celtic cross. ... The term hill fort is commonly used by archeologists to describe fortified enclosures located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. ... To the Romans, an oppidum was the main settlement in any administrative area. ... (3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - other centuries) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events BC 168 Battle of Pydna -- Macedonian phalanx defeated by Romans BC 148 Rome conquers Macedonia BC 146 Rome destroys Carthage in the Third Punic War BC 146 Rome conquers... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... List of Lords: Pons the Young c. ... A Magus (plural Magi, from Latin, via Greek μάγος from Old Persian maguÅ¡) was a Zoroastrian astrologer-priest from ancient Persia, from which is derived the terms magic, magician, and also refered to as a sorcerer or wizard. ... The Three Wise Men are given the names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar in this late 6th century mosaic from the Basilica of St Apollinarius in Ravenna, Italy. ... The Star of Bethlehem was a star or star-like object that, in the account of Jesus birth given in the Greek Gospel of Matthew, heralded his arrival and guided the Magi, better known in Christian mythology as the Three Wise Men) to the stable in Bethlehem where he was...

Despite these pretensions, the lords of Baux were forced to submit in the 12th century. The great castle at Les Baux became renowned for its court, which was famed for its high level of ornateness, culture and chivalry. The domain was finally extinguished in the 15th century with the death of the last princess of Baux, Louise of Clermont. (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... See also order of chivalry Woman under the Safeguard of Knighthood, allegorical Scene. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

Trebuchet at Château des Baux

Les Baux was joined, along with Provence, to the French crown under the governance of the Manville family. It became a centre for Protestantism and unsuccessfully revolted against the crown, leading Cardinal Richelieu to order in 1632 that its castle and walls should be razed. Image File history File links This is a replica of a Trebuchet from Baux, France Image by ChrisO File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links This is a replica of a Trebuchet from Baux, France Image by ChrisO File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Trebuchet at Château des Baux, France A trebuchet (IPA: , or , also sometimes called a trebucket IPA: , < Old French trebuchet < trebucher to throw over < tres over, beyond and buc torso < Latin trans and a Germanic word) is a medieval siege engine, a weapon employed either to batter masonry or to... Manville is the name of some places in the United States of America: Manville, New Jersey Manville, Rhode Island Manville, Wyoming This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Cardinal Richelieu was the French chief minister from 1624 until his death. ... See also: 1632 (novel) Events February 22 - Galileos Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is published July 23 - 300 colonists for New France depart Dieppe November 8 - Wladyslaw IV Waza elected king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after Zygmunt III Waza death November 16 - Battle of Lützen...

The town was granted in 1642 to the Grimaldi family, rulers of Monaco, as a marquisiate. The title of Marquis des Baux remains with the Grimaldis to this day, although administratively the town is entirely French. The title is traditionally given to the heir to the throne of Monaco. The present Marquise des Baux is Princess Caroline of Monaco, heir to her brother, Albert II of Monaco. Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ... The House of Grimaldi has been the princely family of the Principality of Monaco since 1297. ... A Marquess is a nobleman of hereditary rank in Europe and Japan. ... Les Baux de Provence Les Baux de Provence is a small village in the Bouches-du-Rhône département in southern France, in the former province of Provence. ... The Princess of Hanover is the eldest child of the late Prince Rainier III of Monaco and is currently heir presumptive to the principalitys throne. ... Albert II, Prince of Monaco, here pictured in an official portrait before his succession. ...

In 1822 the mineral bauxite was discovered near Les Baux by the geologist Pierre Berthier. It was subsequently mined extensively in the area, but by the end of the 20th century had been completely worked out; France now imports most of its bauxite from west Africa. 1822 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Bauxite Bauxite is a naturally occurring, heterogeneous material composed primarily of one or more aluminium hydroxide minerals, plus various mixtures of silica, iron oxide, titania, aluminosilicate, and other impurities in minor or trace amounts. ... Pierre Berthier (July 3, 1782 - August 24, 1861) is a French geologist who discovered the properties of Bauxite in 1821 in southern France. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... West Africa is the region of western Africa generally considered to include these countries: Benin Burkina Faso Cameroon Côte dIvoire (Ivory Coast) Equatorial Guinea Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Liberia Mali Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) Senegal Sierra Leone Togo Chad, Mauritania, and...

Les Baux today

Les Baux is now given over entirely to the tourist trade, relying on a deserved reputation as one of the prettiest villages in France. It is, however, still a shadow of its former self; its present population of around 500 is a fraction of its peak population of over 4,000, and many of its buildings (including the castle) are picturesque ruins. Rocky landscape with ruins, by Nicolaes Berchem, ca. ...

See also

• Les Baux de Provence AOC

Les Baux de Provence is a wine AOC in the Provence region of France, near the town of Les Baux. ...

External links

• City council website
• Website for the castle
• Detailed history (in French)
• Google aerial view