PROVENCE
Provence, Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm, is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The traditional region of Provence comprises the départements of Var, Vaucluse, Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes and parts of Hautes-Alpes.
The Romans made the region into the first Roman province beyond the Alps, their ProvinciaRomana, the origin of its present name.With the breakdown of the Roman Empire in the late 5th century, Provence was successively invaded by the Visigoths, Burgundians, and Ostrogoths. The region came under the rule of the Franks in 536 and was ruled by their Merovingian dynasty, though it was not integrated with the rest of France.
In the 12thcentury, Provençal cities flourished from trade with the Levant and set up autonomous governments called consulates. At the same time, the civilization of the province—in which a language close to Latin was spoken and of which troubadour poetry and examples of early Romanesque architecture were among the outstanding cultural achievements—was at its height.
In 1481 Provence was willed to the king of France, and its union to the crown keeps its administrative autonomy. From the 16thto the 18thcentury, the king's control grew.
With the Revolution, the province completely lost its own political institutions and in 1790 was divided into the départements of Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, and Basses-Alpes (now Alpes-de-Haute-Provence).
Coat-of-Arms
"Azure with a golden fleur de lys and a gules label".
The Provence arms derived from the arms of the Counts of Anjou and Provence.
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