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The Location of the Region of Franche-Comté
The region of Franche-Comté composes the eastern French départements of Jura, Doubs, Haute-Saône, and the Territoire de Belfort.
The capital is
Besançon.
The region is bounded on the east by
Switzerland; by the départements of
Ain, in the region of
Rhone-Alpes to the south, Saône-et-Loire, Côte-d'Or, and Haute-Marne, in the region of Burgundy to the west, and Vosges [region of Lorraine] and
Haut-Rhin [region of Alsace] to the north.
Franche-Comté is dominated by the Jura Mountains. The basin of the upper Saône River extends into Jura. Annual precipitation is high, and forests cover much of
Franche-Comté.
The History of Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté was originally a part of
Burgundy.
Burgundy originally consisted of several historic kingdoms, counties, duchies, and a province situated within France.
During the 5th century AD, the Bourguignons, a Germanic tribe, invaded and established the first kingdom of Bourgogne in France.
The kingdom expanded until it included most of what is now southeastern France and part of present-day Switzerland.
The Bourguignons were conquered in 534 by the
Merovingien rulers of the Franks and were later absorbed into the
Carolingian Empire.
In 843 Burgundy was divided between Charles I of France
and his brother, Emperor Lothair I.
In 879, the kingdom of Provence, or Cisjurane Burgundy, was organized in the south, and in 888 the kingdom of Trans-Jurane Burgundy was created in the north.
After the new kingdom of
Burgundy emerged in 888, its kings secured very little control over the local counts in Cisjurane Burgundy.
In 933 the two kingdoms were united as the second kingdom of Burgundy, with the capital at
Arles.
The lack of control persisted after the kingdom was annexed, in 1033, by the Holy Roman emperor Conrad II.
Two other divisions of this area, the duchy of Burgundy and the Free County of Burgundy, or Franche-Comté, were also established.
The name “Franche-Comté” came about as follows:
In 1127 a local count, Raynald III, refused to do homage to the German king Lothair II.
After 10 years of conflict, Raynald was victorious.
Thereafter, he was the franc-Comté or "free count".
Raynald’s territory then became known as the
Franche-Comté.
From 1295 to 1477 Franche-Comté was influenced by France; after 1482 it passed to the Spanish line of the Habsburg family, and in 1678, as the result of the Treaty of Nijmegen, it was permanently joined to France as a French province.
In 1790,
Franche-Comté, like the rest of France, was broken up into
départements.
The Architecture of Franche-Comté
- The Churches
The huge 16th century chantry chapel at Brou, Region of Franche-Comté, is an example of early Renaissance.
It has intermittent Renaissance Italian motifs, but the general effect is not very different from the pure Gothic.
- The Chateaux
The Gastronomy of Franche-Comté
The Economic Activity of Franche-Comté
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The Agriculture
Animal husbandry in Franche-Comté centers in the mountains and dominates agriculture. The region has productive farms, where cattle are bred, and is a leading producer of cheese and other dairy products.
Local forests support a number of industries. The low region, in the west, is agriculturally rich, producing grains, wine, sparkling wines, cheese and a variety of other food products.
Salt is mined in Jura around Salins-les-Bains and Montmorot.
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The Industry
Franche-Comté’s industries produce textiles, electrical equipment, metallurgy, sanitary porcelain and chemicals.
The region’s manufacturing includes
processed food, leather works, textiles, clothing, embroidering, automobiles and
timepieces, an activity introduced here by Swiss refugees.
Its industries also include iron and copper founding, brewing, woodworking, diamond polishing, optical instruments, cheese, and sparkling wines.
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