Occitania

Lore & Background

Occitania has been recognized as a linguistic and cultural concept since the Middle Ages. The territory was united in Roman times as the Seven Provinces and in the Early Middle Ages as Aquitanica or the Visigothic Kingdom of Toulouse, or the share of Louis the Pious following the Thionville divisio regnorum in 806. The name Occitania appeared in Latin texts from as early as 1242–1254 to 1290 and during the early 14th century; texts refer indirectly to 'the country of the Occitan language' (Patria Linguae Occitanae). The term was used in Italian (Lingua d'òc) by Dante in the late 13th century. The ending -itania is likely from a French clerk who joined òc and Aquitània in a portmanteau term. The historic Duchy of Aquitaine should not be confused with the modern French region called Aquitaine; this is why the term Occitania was revived in the mid-19th century. On 28 September 2016, Occitanie became the name of an administrative region that merged Midi-Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussillon; it is a small part of Occitania.

Reader's Guide

The extent of Occitania varies according to criteria used. Based on a geolinguistic definition, it is the area of Occitan language as surveyed at the end of the 19th century, excluding formerly Occitanophone regions. The most widespread definition is a contiguous and compact Occitan-speaking territory. Occitanian culture flourished in the High Middle Ages; many troubadours used Occitan, and their works prominently featured courtly love. According to a historical and anthropological definition, the domain extends north to the Loire including former Occitanophone regions. The seven-pointed star adopted as emblem by the Felibritge symbolized the seven provinces of Occitania, one of which was Catalan. Occitanie is divided by this association into seven maintenances, one of which was Catalonia-Roussillon. The current administrative region Occitanie includes Roussillon.

Did You Know?

• Occitania has a population of 16 million, with between 200,000 and 800,000 native or proficient speakers of Occitan.
• Since 2006, Occitan has been an official language in Catalonia, which includes the Aran Valley, where Occitan gained official status in 1990.
• The first attestation of the use of Occitanie in French dates from 1556; the first certificate of Occitania in Italy dates 1549.
• Occitania covers an area of approximately 190,000 km².