Aquitaine

Region of southwest France; administrative capital Bordeaux; area 41,308 sq km/15,949 sq mi; population (1999 est) 2,908,400. It comprises the départements of Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The climate is extremely wet. Red wines (Margaux, St Julien) are produced in the Médoc district, bordering the Gironde. Fishing and tourism are important industries.

History Early human remains have been found in the Dordogne region. Aquitaine coincides roughly with the Roman province of Aquitania and the ancient French province of Aquitaine. It was conquered by the Goths in the early 5th century, by the Franks in the 6th century, and was an independent duchy under the Merovingians. The name was corrupted to Guienne by the 10th century and, until 1258, the two terms were used interchangeably.

In the 10th century, Gascony constituted a distinct duchy whose authority, however, was checked by powerful local dynasties. In 1053, through the marriage of the heiress of the duchy, Gascony was annexed to Aquitaine and, until the middle of the 13th century, its history corresponded to that of Aquitaine. They were ruled by the Plantagenet kings of England from 1152, when Eleanor of Aquitaine married the future Henry II of England and brought Aquitaine to him as her dowry. At the end of the Hundred Years' War, Gascony was merged with Guyenne (Guyenne-et-Gascogne) during the ancien régime.

From 1258, when the division of Aquitaine was recognized at the Peace of Paris, Guienne signified the southern part of the duchy (including Gascony), which remained under the rule of the kings of England, as vassals of the king of France. At the beginning of the 14th century, the ducal title was given to the eldest son of the king of France, although the real power was vested with English and Gascon officials.