History History

After the "Tautavel man" (450 000 years before our era), it is necessary to wait for the Neolithic period for the appearance of the witnesses of a civilization of farmers and stockbreeders (sheep, goats) of which one finds the trace in several sites such as the caves of the valley of Gardon, the Cevennes or the Aude.

Gradually, these populations will colonize the most fertile lands and the alluvial plains and will form real peasant communities. Archaeology has brought to light objects that allow us to better understand the daily life of these men and women. In the homes, charred grains have been found, attesting that these populations consumed legumes such as chickpeas, vetches or lentils, as well as cereals (barley, wheat). During this period, livestock breeding was extended to cattle, goats and sheep, useful for their milk, allowed the manufacture of cheeses prepared in "faisselles" and textile craftsmanship is also present.

It is the development of exchanges. Little by little, out of concern for security, these communities preferred to settle in places that were relatively easy to fortify. They protected their villages with ditches that could reach several meters in width and with earthen levees, some of which were lined with a palisade. The dwellings, which at first were made of wood and earth and structured by wooden posts, were replaced by dry stone constructions. Dolmens, tumuli and other necropolises, witnesses of funerary practices, as well as impressive menhirs, are still visible today on many sites of Languedoc-Roussillon.

Greek colonies (the most famous is Agde), Phoenicians (Port-Vendres) and Etruscans (Lattes) developed on the coast. It is the great period of oppida, fortified hills and places of exchange.

The province of Transalpine is created. In 27 B.C., it was called "Narbonnaise" by Augustus. Romanization was accepted only gradually, but the province of Narbonnaise is, of all the provinces, the one that was most permanently marked by the culture of Rome. The Romans developed this territory entirely, creating or redeveloping cities (Narbonne, Carcassonne, Béziers, Nîmes, Lodève...), ports, organizing the countryside where large estates were built, and a network of communication routes that ensured a period of prosperity for the province.

It is the construction of the via Domitia by the Romans, their first road in Gaul. It connected the south of Gaul, from the Alps to the Pyrenees. With a total length of 500 km, the via Domitia stretches from Beaucaire to Perthus, on a route of about 250 km. The ancient Gallic cities that it crossed became staging posts for the legionnaires, then important Roman cities. The architecture of these cities evolved thanks to the techniques known by the Romans and the houses were equipped with running water, sewage, wall chimneys, mosaic floors and painted walls. The ancient architecture inspired the artists of the Romanesque period, as well as those of the Renaissance. Trade, crafts and industry also developed.

Roman antiquity has left its mark on the Languedoc-Roussillon region with its monumental architecture, of which the numerous witnesses, remarkably preserved, have become major tourist attractions in the region, such as the Pont du Gard or the Nîmes Arena. In addition to these two major works, known beyond our borders, the Roman imprint is found throughout the territory: remains of Ruscino, Lattes, Ambrussum, thermal baths of Amélie-les-Bains or mosaics of Narbonne (Clos de La Lombarde). The latter, founded in 118 B.C., became the most populous city in Roman Gaul and the capital of one of the richest provinces of the Empire. This flourishing period in Languedoc came to an end, as for the rest of the Empire, with the barbarian invasions.

In the Middle Ages, for the Languedoc, it was the Visigoths who created an autonomous kingdom, Septimanie (for the seven main cities). Further north, they were driven out by the Franks who established the county of Gévaudan, shared between the Carolingians and the Church. To resist the Arabs, the Visigoth kings allied themselves with Pepin the Short. The region retained a relative autonomy, within the framework of the Marquisate of Gothia in Languedoc and the County of Cerdanya in the Spanish Marches. This autonomy also took the concrete form of a split between the countries of the langue d'oïl and the pays de langue d'oc.

It is also the beginning of a vast movement of monastic foundations which will reach its apogee at the Carolingian time with Saint-Guilhem, Villemagne, Saint-Papoul, Saint-Pons, Cendras, Sainte-Marie-d'Alet, the Catalan abbeys... All these primitive buildings still retain previous architectural influences which were swept away by the revolution of the first southern Romanesque art.

This was a particularly prosperous period for the region, thanks to the crusades. Many ships left from the ports of Languedoc. The foundation of Aigues-Mortes on the occasion of the departure of Saint Louis (1248) will be remembered, but the whole region benefited from the influx of nobles leaving for the Holy Land from the first crusade (1099). In parallel to this prosperity, the Languedoc culture also asserted itself in the language, but also in the field of arts and especially in the religious field, with the development of Catharism and its ideals of purity. It is especially in Occitania that Catharism becomes a well established religion, politically and socially. Dissident Christians, the Cathars lived simply, as the apostles did, owning nothing and preaching the word of Christ from village to village.

The crusade against the Albigensians. At the time, the Christianity of the Cathars was closer to the precepts of the Gospel than was the Catholic Church, which was multiplying excesses of all kinds and living in opulence. Considering this religion as a heresy, the Church organized in 1209 the crusade against the Albigensians, which was the beginning of a twenty-year period of bloody troubles. The kings of France at the time (Philippe-Auguste, then Louis VIII) took advantage of this to assert their power over Languedoc and Saint Louis made the attachment of Languedoc to the royal crown official in 1229 by the treaty of Paris. The history of the region then joined that of France with a beautiful fidelity, in particular during the Hundred Years War.

From the Renaissance to the Revolution. The territory knows its share of agitations within the framework of the wars of religion. Montpellier and other cities such as Nîmes, Alès and Pézenas had rallied to Protestantism, periodically revolting.

The capture of Montpellier by Richelieu and Louis XIII led in 1629 to the signing of the Peace of Ales, which confirmed freedom of worship and maintained calm until the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685). The conflict then rebounded until it took on the proportions of a real war in the Cévennes.

It is the war of the Camisards (from "camiso", the white shirt they wore to recognize each other, especially during night battles). Faced with the guerrilla warfare of a few thousand men, Louis XIV sent an army of 60 000 men.

This was the official end of the war, but the troubles continued for several more years. The toll on the region was heavy, as the royal armies ravaged nearly 500 villages in the Cevennes. The capture of Montpellier in 1622 had the effect of making the city the true administrative capital of Languedoc, a title it then took from Pézenas, seat for a time of the States of Languedoc. The period of peace and prosperity extended throughout the reign of Louis XIV and beyond, favoring the appearance of classical civil architecture which spread to the cities of the region. All the great clerks of the State, the notables, administrators or professors, rich merchants, had "private mansions" built or fitted out.

This century will see the continuation of this tendency, with the appearance, around the cities and particularly Montpellier, of "follies", small country castles where one comes to settle as soon as the first heat appears. Montpellier has about ten of them and the oldest is the castle of Flaugergues.

Industrial development of the territory with the arrival of the railroad (the Montpellier-Sète line in 1839 is one of the very first in France) and the exploitation of the Cévennes and Haut-Languedoc coalfields.

The phylloxera disease destroyed the Languedoc vineyards. Replanted on immense surfaces in the plain, overproduction and frauds will lead to a severe crisis, provoking the insurrection of the wine growers (revolt of the "gueux" in 1907 against the government of Clemenceau). This wealth due to wine has left original witnesses in the Languedoc and Catalan countryside: the "pinardier" castles. The rich merchants who had made their fortune at the end of the 19th century were struck by a building frenzy and the wine-growing plain was covered with castles.

The railroad brought tourism and the thermal spas were known throughout Europe, the Tarn gorges were visited by an elite clientele, the bus tour "la Route des Pyrénées" ended on the Vermeille coast, the ski resort of Font-Romeu was created, the Pont du Gard and the arena of Nîmes were proposed by the tour operators of the time, Sète like Nice had its big hotels, its casino and its kursaal above the waves, Carcassonne in 1898 lit its first fireworks...

After the brutal stop due to the First World War, tourism will know a new rise only in 1936, with the institution of paid vacations and the appearance of a popular tourism which will make the happiness of small stations like Grau-du-Roi, Palavas-les-Flots, Valras, Leucate-la-Franqui, Canet-en-Roussillon...

The development of the coastline was set up along the 214 km of fine sand beaches with the creation, in 1963, of a development mission. Little by little, tourist units were created, all centered around new resorts that sprang up from the sand - La Grande Motte is without a doubt the most eloquent example.

Since January^1, 2016, as part of the territorial reform aimed at reducing the number of regions in metropolitan France from 22 to 13, Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées have merged. As of September 30, 2016, after validation by the Council of State and the government, the Languedoc-Roussillon / Midi-Pyrénées region was officially named: Occitanie.

Very attractive because of its sunshine, the beauty of its landscapes and its towns on a human scale, the territory is experiencing an impressive dynamism. Everywhere constructions are being built to welcome newcomers and the cities are being equipped with buildings of contemporary architecture. Buildings made of glass, metal and new materials are erected by renowned architects such as Jean Nouvel, Philippe Starck, Norman Foster, Rudy Ricciotti... However, only Montpellier has benefited from proactive urban planning, creating development zones and even completely creating new districts such as Antigone, Port-Marianne and Odysseum.