Burgundy
This page is about the historical region and cultural area of Burgundy in France. For the modern-day French administrative région
of Bourgogne, see Bourgogne. For the wine, see Burgundy wine. For the color, see Burgundy (color). |
Coat of arms of the 2nd duchy of Burgundy and later of the French province of Burgundy |
Burgundy (
French:
Bourgogne) is a historic region of
France, inhabited in turn by
Pre-Indo-European people,
Celts (
Gauls),
Romans (
Gallo-Romans), and various
Germanic peoples, most importantly the
Burgundians and the
Franks. Burgundians gave their name to the region. Later in time, the region was divided between the
duchy of Burgundy (west of Burgundy) and the
county of Burgundy (east of Burgundy). The duchy of Burgundy is the most famous of the two, and the one which reached historical fame. Later, the duchy of Burgundy became the French province of Burgundy, while the county of Burgundy became the French province of
Franche-Comté (literally meaning "free county"). This article is about the old united Burgundy, the duchy of Burgundy, the French province of Burgundy, and the current cultural area of Burgundy. For the county of Burgundy see relevant article. For the province and modern-day
région of Franche-Comté, see relevant article.
Burgundy (duchy) makes up most of the modern-day administrative
région of
Bourgogne. See relevant article.
The
Burgundians were one of the
Germanic peoples who filled the power vacuum left by the
collapse of the western half of the
Roman empire. In
411, they crossed the
Rhine and established a kingdom at
Worms. Amidst repeated clashes between the Romans and
Huns, the Burgundian kingdom eventually occupied what is today the borderlands between
Switzerland, France, and
Italy. In
534, the
Franks defeated
Godomar, the last Burgundian king, and absorbed the territory into their growing empire.
Its modern existence is rooted in the dissolution of the Frankish empire. When the dynastic dust had settled in
880s, there were three Burgundies: the kingdom of Upper Burgundy around
Lake Geneva, the kingdom of Lower Burgundy in
Provence, and the duchy of Burgundy in France. The two kingdoms of Burgundy were reunited in
937 and absorbed into the
Holy Roman Empire under
Conrad II in
1032, while the duchy of Burgundy was annexed by the French throne in
1004.
During the
Middle Ages, Burgundy was the seat of some of the most important Western churches and
monasteries, among them
Cluny,
Citeaux, and
Vézelay.
During the
Hundred Years' War,
King Jean II of France gave the duchy to his younger son, rather than leaving it to his successor on the throne. The duchy soon became a major rival to the French throne, because the Dukes of Burgundy succeeded in assembling an empire stretching from
Switzerland to the
North Sea, mostly by marriage. The Burgundian Empire consisted of a number of fiefdoms on both sides of the (then largely symbolic) border between the French kingdom and the German Empire. Its economic heartland was in the
Low Countries, particularly
Flanders and
Brabant. The court in
Dijon outshone the French court by far both economically and culturally.
In the late
15th and early
16th centuries, Burgundy provided a power base for the rise of the
Habsburgs, after
Maximilian of Austria had married into the ducal family. In
1477 the last duke
Charles the Bold was killed in battle and Burgundy itself taken back by France. His daughter
Mary and her husband Maximillian moved the court to
Brussels and ruled the remnants of the empire (the Low Countries and Franche-Comté, then still a German fief) from there.
Burgundy produces wines of the same name. The best-known wines come from the
Côte d'Or, although also viticulturally part of Burgundy are
Beaujolais,
Chablis,
Côte Chalonnaise, and
Mâcon.
The two most important wine regions in France are Bordeaux (on the South West coast, rather arid) and Burgundy (in the East towards Switzerland). Bordeaux wines are strict, weighty, academic, stentorian; Burgundy wines are varied, complex, human, and sophisticatedly homely. Although "Burgundy" means red, the Burgundy region produces both white wines and red wines. In contrast Bordeaux sticks to red wines on the whole.
Highest point:
Haut-Folin (901m) in the
Morvan.
The
Canal of Burgundy joins the Rivers
Yonne and
Saône, allowing barges to navigate from the north to south of France. Construction began in 1765 and was completed in 1832. At the summit there is a tunnel 3.333 kilometers long in a straight line. The canal is 242 kilometers long, with a total 209 locks and crosses two counties of Burgundy, the Yonne and Cote d'Or. The canal is now mostly used for
riverboat tourism;
Dijon, the most important city along the canal, has a harbor for leisure boats.
Famous Burgundian dishes include
coq au vin and
beef bourguignon.
*In 1430 the Burgundians captured
Joan of Arc.
*The constructor of the
Eiffel Tower,
Gustave Eiffel was born in Dijon.
*There is a mustard
museum called Le Musee De Moutarde in Dijon.
Dijon mustard and
Grey Poupon were both invented in Dijon. Dijon mustard was first made with juice from grapes instead of vinegar there.
*
French wine*
Seurre and the river Saone - Tourism and local life (French and English)*
Burgundy overview
*
parc du morvan*
départements, arrondissements & cantons of Burgundy (
INSEE site)
