Septimania was the western region of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis that passed under the control of the Visigothic kingdom in 462, when Septimania was ceded to Theodoric II, king of the Visigoths. It corresponded roughly with the modern French region of Languedoc-Roussillon. Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis, 120 AD Gallia Narbonensis was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. ... The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. ... Theodoric II murdered his older brother Thorismund to become king of the Visigoths in 453 CE. Edward Gibbon writes that he justified this atrocious deed by the design which his predecessor had formed of violating his alliance with the empire. ... Capital Montpellier Land area¹ 27,376 km² Regional President Georges Frêche (PS) (since 2004) Population  - Jan. ...

Septimania in 537 AD

The name derives from part of the Roman name of the city of Béziers, Colonia Julia Septimanorum Beaterrae, which in turn alludes to the settlement of veterans of the Roman VII Legion in the city. Another possible origin of the name is a reference to the seven towns of the territory: today's Elne, Agde, Narbonne, Lodève, Béziers, Maguelonne and Nîmes. Septimania extended to a line half-way between the Mediterranean Sea and the Garonne River in the northwest; in the east the Rhône separated it from Provence; to the south its boundary was formed by the Pyrénées. After the Visigothic defeat by the Frankish king Clovis in the Battle of Vouillé (507), the child-king Amalaric was carried for safety into the Iberian peninsula. Aquitania passed into the hands of the Franks, and Septimania, with other Visigothic territories in Gaul, was ruled by the boy's maternal grandfather, Theodoric the Great, who created the first kingdom of Septimania in 509, retaining its traditional capital at Narbonne, and appointing as his regent an Ostrogothic nobleman named Theudis. In 522 the young Amalaric was proclaimed king, and four years later, on Theodoric's death, he assumed full royal power in the Iberian peninsula and Septimania, relinquishing Provence to his cousin Athalaric. He married Clotilda, daughter of Clovis, but found, as other royal husbands of Merovingian princesses found, that the entanglement brought on him the penalty of a Frankish invasion, in which he lost his life in 531, and Arian Visigothic Septimania, the last part of Gaul to remain in Visigothic hands, was officially converted to Catholicism. Image File history File links 537SeptimaniaGIF.GIF File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Béziers (Besièrs in Occitan, and Besiers in Catalan) is a town in Languedoc, in the southwest of France. ... The Roman legion (from Latin legio, from legere - to collect) was the basic military unit of ancient Rome. ... City flag Elne (Catalan Elna) is a town and commune of southwestern France, in the Pyrénées-Orientales département. ... Agde is a commune of the Hérault département, in southern France. ... Cathedral in Narbonne. ... // Geography Lodève is an attractive medieval town in southern France, in the Hérault département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone is a village and commune of the Hérault département, in southern France. ... Location within France Nîmes is a city and commune of southern France, préfecture (capital) of the Gard département. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... The Garonne (Latin: Garumna, Occitan: Garona) is a river in southwest France, with a length of 575 km (357 miles). ... Rhône can refer to: Rhône River Rhône (département) in France Rhône (Wine Region) in France This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... 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. ... Central Pyrenees The Pyrenees (French: Pyrénées; Spanish: Pirineos; Occitan: Pirenèus or Pirenèas; Catalan Pirineus; Aragonese: Perinés; Basque: Pirinioak) are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. ... Non-contemporary coin with obverse legend Clovis Roy de France Clovis I (or Chlodowech or Chlodwig, modern French Louis, modern German Ludwig) (c. ... The Battle of Vouillé or Campus Vogladensis was fought in the northern marches of Visigothic territory, at a small place near Poitiers, (Gaul) in the spring 507. ... Amalaric or Amalarico in Spanish (died 531), king of the Visigoths, son of Alaric II, was a child when his father fell in battle against Clovis I, king of the Franks, in (507). ... History In Roman times, the province of Gallia Aquitania originally comprised the region of Gaul between the Pyrenees Mountains and the Garonne River, but Augustus Caesar added to it the land between the Garonne and the Loire River. ... Theodoric the Great (454 - August 30, 526), known to the Romans as Flavius Theodoricus, was king of the East Goths, the Ostrogoths (488-526), ruler of Italy (493-526), and regent of the Visigoths (511-526). ... Athalaric (516 - 2 October 534), king of the Ostrogoths in Italy, grandson of Theodoric the Great, became king on his grand-fathers death (526). ... This article is about theological views like those of Arius. ...

Moorish rule

The Moors, under Al-Samh ibn Malik the governor-general of al-Andalus, sweeping up the Iberian peninsula, by 719 overran Septimania; al-Samh set up his capital from 720 at Narbonne, which the Moors called Arbuna, offering the still largely Arian inhabitants generous terms and quickly pacifying the other cities. With Narbonne secure, and equally important, its port, for the Arab mariners were masters now of the Western Mediterranean, he swiftly subdued the largely unresisting cities, still controlled by their Visigoth counts: taking Alet and Béziers, Agde, Lodève, Maguelonne and Nîmes [1]. By 721 he was reinforced and ready to lay siege to Toulouse, a possession that would open up Aquitaine to him on the same terms as Septimania. But his plans were overthrown in the disastrous Battle of Toulouse (721), with immense losses, in which al-Samh was so seriously wounded that he soon died at Narbonne. Arab forces soundly based in Narbonne and easily resupplied by sea, struck eastwards in the 720s, penetrating as far as Autun (725). In 731, the Berber wali of Narbonne and the region of Cerdanya, Uthman ibn Naissa, called "Munuza" by the Franks, who was recently linked by marriage to duke Eudes of Aquitaine, revolted against Córdoba, and was defeated and killed. That is how the relatively small Arab force under Abd er-Rahman encountered Charles Martel between Tours and Poitiers, was defeated and killed in October 732, the magnified "Battle of Tours" that stopped the Moorish advance. The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including the present day Spain and Portugal) and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called Moorish. A usual misconception is to relate them to the inhabitants of modern day Mauritania to which they are only related by... Al-Andalus is the Arabic name given the Iberian Peninsula by its Muslim conquerors; it refers to both the Caliphate proper and the general period of Muslim rule (711–1492). ... Combatants Aquitanians Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Odo of Aquitaine Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani Strength Casualties {{{notes}}} Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani, the governor (or wali) of Muslim Spain (al-Andalus), built up a strong army from North Africa, Yemen, and Syria to conquer Aquitaine, a large duchy in... Autun is a town in the Saône-et-Loire département in Burgundy, France. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ... Map of Baixa Cerdanya in Catalonia Cerdanya (French Cerdagne) is one of the historical Catalan counties in the eastern Pyrenees, bordering the county of Alt Urgell. ... For the 13th century titular King of Hungary, see Charles Martel dAnjou. ... Combatants Franks Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Charles Martel Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi Abd er Rahman† Strength 15,000-75,000 60,000-400,000 Casualties about 1500 unknown, but reported massive, notably Emir Abd er Rahman 1. ...

Frankish reconquest

After the territory round Toulouse was taken by the Franks in 732, Pippin III directed his attention to Narbonne, but the city held firm in 737, defended by its Goths, and Jews under the command of its governor Yusuf, 'Abd er-Rahman's heir. Around 747 the government of the Septimania region (and the Upper Mark, from Pyrénées to Ebro River) was given to Aumar ben Aumar. In 752 the Gothic counts of Nimes, Melguelh, Agde and Beziers refused allegiance to the emir at Cordoba and declared their loyalty to the Frankish king—the count of Nimes, Ansemund, having some authority over the remaining counts. The Gothic counts and the Franks then began to besiege Narbonne, where Miló was probably the count (as succesor of the count Gilbert), but Narbonne resisted. In 754 an anti-Frank reaction, led by Ermeniard, killed Ansemund, but the uprising was without success and Radulf was designated new count by the Frankish court. About 755 Abd al-Rahman ben Uqba replaced Aumar ben Aumar. Narbonne capitulated in 759 and the county was granted to Miló, the Gothic count in Muslim times. The region of Roussillon was taken by the Franks in 760. In 767, after the fight against Waifred of Aquitaine, Albi, Rouergue, Gévaudan, and the city of Toulouse were conquered. In 777 the wali of Barcelona, Sulayman al-Arabi, and the wali of Huesca, Abu Taur, offered their submission to Charlemagne and also the submission of Husayn, wali of Zaragoza. When Charlemagne invaded the Upper Mark in 778, Husayn refused allegiance and Charlemagne had to retreat. In the Pyrenees, the Basques defeated his forces in Roncesvalles (August 15, 778). The Capitole, the 18th century city hall of Toulouse and best known landmark in the city; in the foreground is the Place du Capitole, a hub of urban life at the very center of the city Toulouse (pronounced in standard French (help· info), in local Toulouse accent (help· info)) (Occitan... For other uses, see Franks (disambiguation). ... Pepin III (714 - September 24, 768) more often known as Pepin the Short (French, Pépin le Bref; German, Pippin der Kleine), was a King of the Franks (751 - 768). ... Governor (wali) of Septimania and Upper Mark, administrative divisions in the muslim cordobese emirate. ... Invasion of the Goths: a late 19th century painting by O. Fritsche portrays the Goths as cavalrymen. ... Nîmes is a city and commune of southern France, préfecture (capital) of the Gard département. ... Melguelh is the Occitan name of a French town named Melgueil in French language (todays Mauguio). ... Agde is a commune of the Hérault département, in southern France. ... B ziers (Besi rs in Occitan) is a city in Languedoc, in the southwest of France. ... Ansemund was the Goth count of Nimes that was ruling the county in 752. ... Cathedral in Narbonne. ... Miló of Narbonne was the Count of Narbonne, who was ruling in 752, succesor probably of Gilbert. ... Gilbert is a masculine name of Germanic origin. ... Radulf of Narbonne was Count of Narbonne and was of unknown origin, but he was count in 754 after the killing of Ansemund, probably by designation of the Frankish king. ... Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | People stubs ... Mount Canigou (2785m), a Catalan landmark Roussillon (Catalan Rosselló; Spanish Rosellón) is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees). ... Location within France Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Albi Albi is a town and commune in southern France. ... Rouergue is an old province of France, bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Gevaudan and on the west by Quercy. ... Gévaudan is a city in France, in Lozère department. ... The Capitole, the 18th century city hall of Toulouse and best known landmark in the city; in the foreground is the Place du Capitole, a hub of urban life at the very center of the city Toulouse (pronounced in standard French (help· info), in local Toulouse accent (help· info)) (Occitan... Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia (Spain). ... This article needs cleanup. ... Huesca (Aragonese Uesca, Catalan Osca) is a city in Aragon, Spain. ... Abu Taur was the Wali of Huesca in 777, who joined Sulayman al-Arabi in offer his sumission to Charlemagne and collaborated in the assault to Zaragoza in 778 without success. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... | width=50%|Charlemagnes Franks | width=50%|Basques |- !colspan=2|Commanders |- |Roland (?) |unknown |- !colspan=2|Strength |- |unknown |unknown |- !colspan=2|Casualties |- |Complete destruction of the army |unknown |} |} The Roncevaux Pass (==Background== This battle was the last of Charlemagnes first campaign to capture Spain, an attempt that ended in failure. ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... Events Charlemagne fights the Moors in Spain. ...

The Frankish king found Septimania and the borderlands so devastated and depopulated by warfare, with the inhabitants hiding among the mountains, that he made grants of land that were some of the earliest identifiable fiefs to Visigothic and other refugees. He also founded several monasteries in Septimania, around which the people gathered for protection. Beyond Septimania to the south Charlemagne established the Hispanic Marches in the borderlands of his empire. Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud or fee, consisted of heritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord in return for a vassal knights service (usually fealty, military service, and security). ... Mark or march (or various plural forms of these words) are derived from the Frankish word marka (boundary) and refer to an area along a border, e. ...

The territory passed to Louis, king in Aquitaine, but it was governed by Frankish margraves and then dukes (from 817) of Septimania.

The Frankish noble Bernat of Septimania (also, Bernat of Gothia) was the ruler of these lands from 826 to 832. His career (he was beheaded in 844) characterized the turbulent 9th century in Septimania. His appointment as Count of Barcelona in 826 occasioned a general uprising of the Catalan lords at this intrusion of Frankish power. For suppressing Berenguer of Toulouse and the Catalans, Louis the Pious rewarded Bernat with a series of counties, which roughly delimit 9th century Septimania: Narbonne, Béziers, Agde, Magalona, Nimes and Uzés. Rising against Charles the Bald in 843, Bernard was apprehended at Toulouse and beheaded. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Events The Danish king accepts Christianity. ... Events Theophilus forbids the usage of icons, establishing strict punishments. ... History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain - Visigoths - Al-Andalus - Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Transition to Democracy Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History... Count of Toulouse (814-835) and ducem (duke) and marquis of Septimania (832-835). ... Louis the Pious doing penance at Attigny in 822. ...

Septimania became known as Gothia after the reign of Charlemagne. It retained these two names while it was ruled by the counts of Toulouse during early part of the Middle Ages, but the southern part became more familiar as Roussillon and the west became known as Foix, and the name "Gothia" (along with the older name "Septimania") faded away during the 10th century, except as a traditional designation as the region fractured into smaller feudal entities, which sometimes retained Carolingian titles, but lost their Carolingian character, as the culture of Septimania evolved into the culture of Languedoc. Charlemagne (742 or 747 – 28 January 814) (also Charles the Great; from Latin, Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus), son of King Pippin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, was the king of the Franks from 768 to 814 and king of the Lombards from 774 to 814. ... After the Visigothic Kings of Aquitaine (409 - 508), the Merovingian kings were kings and dukes in Aquitaine and dukes of Toulouse. ... 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. ... Mount Canigou (2785m), a Catalan landmark Roussillon (Catalan Rosselló; Spanish Rosellón) is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees). ... Château des Comtes de Foix Foix river Foix is a small town and commune, the préfecture (capital) of the Ariège département in France. ... Coat of arms of the province of Languedoc, now being used as an official flag by the Midi-Pyrénees region as well as by the city of Toulouse Languedoc (Lengadòc in Occitan) is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc...

The name was used because the area was populated by a higher concentration of Goths than in surrounding regions. The rulers of this area, when joined with several counties, were titled the Marquesses of Gothia (and, also, the Dukes of Septimania). Gothic woman, traditional style, with big hair, spikes and piercings This article is about the contemporary goth/gothic subculture. ... Marquis has many different meanings: Don Marquis was a writer, poet, and journalist. ... The term duke is a title of nobility which refers to the sovereign male ruler of a Continental European duchy, to a nobleman of the highest grade of the British peerage, or to the highest rank of nobility in various other European countries, including Portugal, Spain and France (in Italy...

Name-change controversy

Administrative building for the region in Aug 2005, with a Septimania banner

After being elected head of the Languedoc-Roussillon region in 2004, Georges Frêche launched the idea of changing the name of the region to the ancient name of Septimania, or Septimanie in French. The Regional Council started to use this name widely, without a mandate from the people. There was stauch opposition from some citizens, notably from Catalanists in Roussillon ("North Catalonia") who felt that the new name culturally excluded them from the region. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1704x1923, 633 KB) Summary Montpellier (France), Hôtel de région, by Ricardo Bofill. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1704x1923, 633 KB) Summary Montpellier (France), Hôtel de région, by Ricardo Bofill. ... Capital Montpellier Land area¹ 27,376 km² Regional President Georges Frêche (PS) (since 2004) Population  - Jan. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Those in favour of the change say that the modern region of Languedoc-Roussillon corresponds to neither ancient Languedoc or ancient Roussillon exactly, and that it is a clunky name.

Those against the change say that the modern region does not correspond exactly to ancient Septimania, and that it sounds like "septicaemia". They call supporters "septimaniacs". Sepsis (in Greek Σήψις) is a serious medical condition caused by a severe systemic infection leading to a systemic inflammatory response. ...

In September 2005, this opposition led to Georges Frêche giving up his idea, and cutting almost all use of the name. He declared that he still believed in it but could not go ahead without a mandate.

This climb-down did not stop a demonstration of about 5000 people in Perpignan, who on 8th October 2005 protested against the change, and demanded that all use of the name cease. October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ...

References: Nouvel Observateur article.

External links

• Archibald R. Lewis, "The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718-1050"
• Ian Meadows, "The Arabs in Occitania"