TheBugey (French pronunciation:[byʒɛ],[byʒe];Arpitan:Bugê) is a historical region in thedepartment of Ain, easternFrance, located betweenLyon andGeneva. It is located in a loop of theRhône River in the southeast of the department. It includes the foothills of theJura mountains, and the highest point is theGrand Colombier. Bugey is divided into two sub-regions: Haut Bugey and Bas Bugey. The inhabitants of Bugey are known asBugistes or alternatively asBugeysiens.
The Bugey was a fief of theHoly Roman Empire. WhenEmperor Henry IV received the much-needed support ofAdelaide of Susa,marchesa of Turin, when he came to Italy to submit toPope Gregory VII andMatilda of Tuscany atCanossa, in return for her permission to travel through her lands, Henry gave Bugey to Adelaide.[1] Henceforth it belonged to theHouse of Savoy until 1601, when it was ceded to France by theTreaty of Lyon.
Bugey is delimited by theRhone in the south and east and by theAin in the west. The northern boundary of Bugey is disputed. In 1867 Baron Achille Raverat declared theValserine to be the northern border of Bugey, but contemporary definitions generally include the entireAin department as part of Bugey. The region ofRevermont has never been considered part of Bugey.
The residents of rural areas in the Bugey,Valromey, andChautagne speakSavorêt, a dialect of theArpitan language, and spoke it in everyday life until the 1970s.[citation needed]
The area is known for its wine,Bugey AOC.
Media related toBugey at Wikimedia Commons45°55′N5°37′E / 45.917°N 5.617°E /45.917; 5.617
