Quercy | |
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 The chateau inLacave | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Map of the old province of Quercy, France, showing the communes according to the current administrative division. | |
| Coordinates:44°16′00″N1°38′00″E / 44.2667°N 1.63333°E /44.2667; 1.63333 | |
| Countries | France |
Quercy (French:[kɛʁsi]ⓘ;Occitan:Carcin[kaɾˈsi],locally[kɔɾˈʃi]) is a formerprovince of France located in the country's southwest, bounded on the north byLimousin, on the west byPérigord andAgenais, on the south byGascony andLanguedoc, and on the east byRouergue andAuvergne.
Quercy comprised the present-daydepartment ofLot, the northern half of the department ofTarn-et-Garonne, and a few communities in the departments ofDordogne,Corrèze, andAveyron. The traditional capital of Quercy isCahors, now theprefecture of Lot. The largest town of Quercy isMontauban, prefecture of Tarn-et-Garonne. However, Montauban lies at the traditional border between Quercy and Languedoc, in an area very different from the rest of Quercy, and it is closer historically and culturally toToulouse and the rest of Languedoc, therefore it should be considered a special case, not totally part of Quercy. Also distinct from the rest of the region is the region known asQuercy Blanc [fr], lying between Cahors and the southern boundary of Lot, and characterised by its whitelimestone buildings.
Quercy has a land area of 6,987 km2 (2,698 sq. miles). At the 1999 census there were 275,984 inhabitants on the territory of the former province of Quercy, which means a density of 40 inhabitants per square kilotmetre (102 inh. per sq. mile). However, if Montauban is not included in Quercy, then the total population of Quercy in 1999 was 224,129 inhabitants, and the density was only 33 inhabitants per square kilotmetre (85 inh. per sq. mile). The largest urban areas in Quercy are Montauban, with 51,855 inhabitants in 1999, Cahors, with 23,128 inhabitants in 1999,Moissac, with 12,321 inhabitants in 1999, andFigeac, with 9,991 inhabitants in 1999.
Under the Romans, Quercy was part ofAquitania Prima.Christianity was introduced during the 4th century. Early in the 6th century it fell under the authority of theFranks, and in the 7th century became part of the autonomousDuchy of Aquitaine. At the end of the 10th century its rulers were the powerfulcounts of Toulouse. During thewars between England and France in the reign ofHenry II, the English placed garrisons in the county, and by the 1259Treaty of Paris lower Quercy was ceded to England. The monarchs of both England and France confirmed and added to the privileges of the towns and the district, each thus hoping to attach the inhabitants to his own interest. In 1360, by theTreaty of Brétigny, the whole county passed to England, but in 1440 the English were finally expelled. In the 16th century Quercy was a stronghold of the Protestants, and the scene of a savage religious warfare. The civil wars of the reign ofLouis XIII largely took place aroundMontauban.[1]
Like Périgord, the area is noted for itscuisine, more particularly theduck dishes,confit de canard andmagret de canard and the dark red wines ofCahors and, further south,Coteaux de Quercy.
The province gave its name tocadurcum, a variety of lightlinen.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Quercy".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 742.
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