Occitania

Lore & Background

Occitania's territory was united in Roman times as the Seven Provinces and in the Early Middle Ages as Aquitanica or the Visigothic Kingdom of Toulouse. The terms 'Occitania' and 'Occitan language' appeared in Latin texts from as early as 1242–1254 to 1290, and the area was referred to as 'the country of the Occitan language' (Patria Linguae Occitanae). The name Lenga d'òc was used by Dante in the late 13th century. The term Occitania is likely a portmanteau blending òc and Aquitània.

Reader's Guide

Occitania's significance lies in its linguistic and cultural identity, which flourished in the High Middle Ages through the troubadour movement, whose works featured courtly love and ideas of religious and social tolerance. The region's boundaries vary: a geolinguistic definition follows the Occitan language as surveyed at the end of the 19th century, while a historical definition extends north to the Loire. The first sociological study in 1976 found that 95% of respondents defined Occitania by language, 94% by culture, and 69% by a common history. The modern administrative region Occitanie, created in 2016, covers only a small part of the historical Occitania. The seven-pointed star emblem of the Felibritge symbolized the seven provinces, including Catalonia.

Did You Know?

• The term Occitania first appeared in Latin texts between 1242–1254 and 1290.
• Dante Alighieri used the term 'Lingua d'òc' in the late 13th century.
• Occitan became an official language in Catalonia in 2006, and in the Aran Valley in 1990.
• The name Occitanie was used for a French administrative region in 2016, merging Midi-Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussillon.