Gévaudan
Encyclopedia
Gévaudan is a historical area of France
, nowadays situated in Lozère
département. It took its name from the Gabali
, a Gallic
tribe subordinate to the Arverni
.
, Anderitum, which they renamed Gabalum and is nowadays called Javols
.
Gévaudan was known as Pagus Gabalum and was placed under the rule of the Count of Toulouse. In the beginning of the 10th century, Mende
had supplanted Javols as religious and administrative capital of the Gévaudan. The western part of Gévaudan constituted the Viscounty of Grèzes
. In 1096 the Count of Toulouse, leaving for the Crusade, transmitted his rights on the eastern part of Gévaudan to the Bishop of Mende.
In the 12th century Adalbert, Bishop of Mende, decided to take advantage of the lack of interest of the nominal rulers of Gévaudan to increase his personal power. Louis VII of France
granted him temporal power over the region by the Golden Bull
of Gévaudan (Bulle royale du Gévaudan). Therefore, Gévaudan was the first Occitan-speaking area to acknowledge the nominal suzerainty of the king of France. Gévaudan was divided into eight baronies which were in constant rebellion against the Bishop of Mende.
According to the 1307 peerage the Bishop of Mende was granted the title of count of Gévaudan and could mint coins and dispense lower justice. Although being nominally part of Languedoc
, Gévaudan kept its own States General until 1789. During the same period, Gévaudan was a crossroads of pilgrimage trails.
ruined the country. The Protestants settled in the city around 1550.
The area was victim to a series of vicious attacks of people in the 18th century by an unidentified beast or series of beasts
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, nowadays situated in Lozère
Lozère
Lozère , is a department in southeast France near the Massif Central, named after Mont Lozère.- History :Lozère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
département. It took its name from the Gabali
Gabali
The Gabali were a Gallic Tribe from Gallia Aquitania, in the mountainous region, where the Oltis and the Elaver emerge. They were subject to the Averni....
, a Gallic
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
tribe subordinate to the Arverni
Arverni
The Arverni were a Gallic tribe living in what is now the Auvergne region of France during the last centuries BC. One of the most powerful tribes in ancient Gaul, they opposed the Romans on several occasions...
.
History
After the conquest of Gaul, the Romans preserved the capital city of the GabaliGabali
The Gabali were a Gallic Tribe from Gallia Aquitania, in the mountainous region, where the Oltis and the Elaver emerge. They were subject to the Averni....
, Anderitum, which they renamed Gabalum and is nowadays called Javols
Javols
Javols is a commune in the Lozère department in southern France.-References:*...
.
Middle Ages
In the early Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Gévaudan was known as Pagus Gabalum and was placed under the rule of the Count of Toulouse. In the beginning of the 10th century, Mende
Mende, Lozère
Mende is a commune of France in the Lozère department of which it is the capital.It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mende.-Sights:* Mende Cathedral -External links:* * ,...
had supplanted Javols as religious and administrative capital of the Gévaudan. The western part of Gévaudan constituted the Viscounty of Grèzes
Grèzes
Grèzes is the name of several communes in France:* Grèzes, in the Dordogne* Grèzes, in the Haute-Loire* Grèzes, in the Lot* Grèzes, in the Lozère...
. In 1096 the Count of Toulouse, leaving for the Crusade, transmitted his rights on the eastern part of Gévaudan to the Bishop of Mende.
In the 12th century Adalbert, Bishop of Mende, decided to take advantage of the lack of interest of the nominal rulers of Gévaudan to increase his personal power. Louis VII of France
Louis VII of France
Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
granted him temporal power over the region by the Golden Bull
Golden Bull
A Golden Bull or chrysobull was a golden ornament representing a seal , attached to a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors and later by monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The term was originally coined for the golden seal itself but came to be applied to the entire decree...
of Gévaudan (Bulle royale du Gévaudan). Therefore, Gévaudan was the first Occitan-speaking area to acknowledge the nominal suzerainty of the king of France. Gévaudan was divided into eight baronies which were in constant rebellion against the Bishop of Mende.
According to the 1307 peerage the Bishop of Mende was granted the title of count of Gévaudan and could mint coins and dispense lower justice. Although being nominally part of Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
, Gévaudan kept its own States General until 1789. During the same period, Gévaudan was a crossroads of pilgrimage trails.
Modern period
In the beginning of the 16th century Gévaudan was extremely wealthy, but the religious warsFrench Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
ruined the country. The Protestants settled in the city around 1550.
The area was victim to a series of vicious attacks of people in the 18th century by an unidentified beast or series of beasts
Beast of Gévaudan
The Beast of Gévaudan is a name given to man-eating wolf-like animals alleged to have terrorized the former province of Gévaudan , in the Margeride Mountains in south-central France from 1764 to 1767 over an area stretching . The beasts were consistently described by eyewitnesses as having...
.