Poitou

Poitou
/pwann tooh"/, n.
1. a region and former province in W France.
2. Gate of, a wide pass near Poitiers.

* * *

Historical region, western central France.

It was bounded by Brittany, Anjou, Touraine, Marche, and the Atlantic Ocean. It was inhabited by the ancient Gallic tribe of Pictones and became part of Roman Aquitania. A meeting place of northern and southern cultures, its golden age (11th–12th century) was characterized by great Romanesque art and architecture. The counts of Poitiers were succeeded by the Angevin kings of England, but by 1375 the French had won the region back. It was a province of France until the French Revolution, when it was divided into three departments. It is predominantly a rural area; regional specialties include seafood and white wine.

* * *

      historical and cultural region of west-central France, encompassing the départements of Vendée, Deux-Sèvres, and Vienne and coextensive with the former province of Poitou.

      Poitou derives its name from the Gallic tribe of Pictones, or Pictavi, whose civitas, or community, formed part of Roman Aquitania. For centuries the northern part of Aquitaine, Poitou was a border country and the site of such battles as that of Vouillé in 507, Charles Martel's victory over the Muslims in 732, the Anglo-French Battle of Poitiers in 1356, and the Battle of Moncontour in 1569. After 778 it formed part of the domain of the counts of Poitiers. The region was traditionally a meeting place of northern and southern cultures. Its golden age (11th–12th century) is represented by a great school of Romanesque architecture, sculpture, and painting. The counts of Poitiers (who also held the title duke of Aquitaine from the mid-10th century) were succeeded by the Angevin kings of England in the 12th century, but Philip II Augustus and Louis VIII of France reconquered the country early in the 13th century. Poitou was ceded to the English monarchy by the treaties of Brétigny and Calais (1360), but by 1375 the French had won it back. Poitou suffered in the Wars of Religion; its later history was quieter, apart from the Wars of the Vendée in the Revolutionary period.

      Physiographically, Poitou consists of two smaller regions, Haut (High) Poitou at the southern end of the Massif Armoricain and Bas (Low) Poitou about the periphery. The Vendée is a northern section of the region. Small farms predominate in the north; the population tends to be dispersed. The rural population in the south tends to cluster in small villages surrounded by open fields. The bourrine is the traditional farmstead of Vendée and consists of one story roofed with thatch; the exterior is lime-washed. The Gate of Poitou, a zone of sedimentary rocks about 50 miles (80 km) wide between two higher countries of older rocks (Limousin and the southern part of the Armoricain Massif), forms the easiest passage between northern and southwestern France.

      There are large Protestant enclaves in Vienne around Loudun and Châtellerault and in villages around Niort. Vendée is predominantly Roman Catholic, though there are sizable Protestant communities in Chantonnay and Pouzauges. The Petite Église (“Little Church”) outside Courlay in Deux-Sèvres rejected the Concordat of 1801 and functions without a priest.

      Regional cuisine features mussels cooked in cream or marinated in white wine, escargots prepared in wine, and a soup of fish and white wine.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • POITOU — Ancienne province française dont l’essentiel a formé les départements de la Vendée, des Deux Sèvres et de la Vienne. Riche comme tout l’Ouest en mégalithes et en gisements de l’âge du bronze, le Poitou entre dans l’histoire comme territoire des… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • POITOU — POITOU, region and former province of W. France, now included in the departments of Vendée, Deux Sèvres, and Vienne. In the Middle Ages Jews lived in at least 20 localities in Poitou, the most important of which were poitiers , Niort, Vitré,… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Poitou — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Poitou es una antigua provincia de Francia, cuya ciudad capital era Poitiers. Corresponde con los actuales departamentos de la Vendée, Deux Sèvres y la Vienne, al oeste de Francia. La Marisma de Poitevin (en francés …   Wikipedia Español

  • Poitou —   [pwa tu] das, historische Provinz in Westfrankreich, umfasst das fruchtbare, etwa 150 m über dem Meeresspiegel hohe Plateau aus Juragesteinen zwischen dem Armorikanischen und dem Zentralmassiv, das das Pariser und das Aquitanische Becken… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Poitou — Porté notamment dans le Centre (45, 41) et dans les Charentes, désigne en principe celui qui est originaire du Poitou. Les formes Poitout et Poitoux, rencontrées dans l Yonne, devraient avoir le même sens …   Noms de famille

  • Poitou — (spr. Poatuh), ehemalige Landschaft in Frankreich, mit der Hauptstadt Poitiers zwischen Bretagne, Anjou, Touraine, Marche, Angoumais, Saintonge u. dem Atlantischen Ocean; theilte sich in Ober P. (j. Departement Vienne) u. Nieder P. (j. die …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Poitou — (spr. pūatū), ehemalige Provinz im südwestlichen Frankreich, zerfiel in Oberpoitou (das gegenwärtige Depart. Vienne) und Niederpoitou (die Departements Deux Sèvres und Vendée). Hauptstadt war Poitiers. Das Land P. war im Altertum von den… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Poitou — (spr. pŏatuh), ehemal. Provinz des westl. Frankreichs, bildet jetzt die Dep. Vienne, Deux Sèvres und Vendée, zerfiel in Ober und Nieder P.; Hauptstadt Poitiers; 1154 1259 und 1360 71 englisch, seit 1416 bei der Krone Frankreich. – Vgl. Auber… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Poitou — (Poatu), ehemalige Provinz in Frankreich, zwischen Bretagne, Anjou, Touraine, Marche, Angoumois, Saintonge und dem atlant. Ocean, war in Ober und Nieder P. getheilt und hatte Poitiers zur Hauptstadt …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Poitou — [pwȧ to͞o′] historical region of WC France …   English World dictionary

  • Poitou — La province du Poitou au sein du Royaume de France Armoiries du Poitou …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”