There are traces of human settlement by prehistoric peoples, especially in thePérigord, but the earliest attested inhabitants in the south-west were theAquitani, who were not consideredCeltic people, but more akin to theIberians (seeGallia Aquitania). Although a number of different languages and dialects were in use in the area during ancient times, it is most likely that the prevailing language of Aquitaine during the late pre-historic to Roman period was an early form of theBasque language. This has been demonstrated by various Aquitanian names and words that were recorded by the Romans, and which are currently easily readable as Basque. Whether thisAquitanian language (Proto-Basque) was a remnant of a Vasconic language group that once extended much farther, or it was generally limited to the Aquitaine/Basque region, is not known. One reason the language of Aquitaine is important is because Basque is the last surviving non-Indo-European language in western Europe and it has had some effect on the languages around it, including Spanish and, to a lesser extent, French.
The original Aquitania (named after the inhabitants) at the time of Caesar's conquest of Gaul included the area bounded by the riverGaronne, thePyrenees and the Atlantic Ocean. The name may stem from Latin 'aqua', maybe derived from the town "Aquae Augustae", "Aquae Tarbellicae" or just "Aquis" (Dax, Akize inmodern Basque) or as a more general geographical feature.
Landscape in Dordogne, Aquitaine
UnderAugustus'Roman rule, from 27 BCE the province of Aquitania was further stretched to the north to the riverLoire, thus including properGaul tribes along with old Aquitani south of the Garonne (cf.Novempopulania andGascony) within the same region.
Accounts of Aquitania during the Early Middle Ages are imprecise, but there was much unrest. The Visigoths were called into Gaul asfoederati, legalizing their status within the Empire. Eventually they established themselves as thede facto rulers in south-west Gaul as central Roman rule collapsed.Visigoths established their capital inToulouse, but their tenure on Aquitaine was feeble. In 507, they were expelled south to Hispania after their defeat in theBattle of Vouillé by the Franks, who became the new rulers in the area to the south of theLoire.
The Roman Aquitania Tertia remained in place asNovempopulania, where a duke was appointed to hold a grip over the Basques (Vascones/Wascones, renderedGascons in English). These dukes were quite detached from central Frankish overlordship, sometimes governing as independent rulers with strong ties to their kinsmen south of the Pyrenees. As of 660, the foundations for an independent Aquitaine/Vasconia polity were established by the dukeFelix of Aquitaine, a magnate (potente(m)) from Toulouse, probably of Gallo-Roman stock. Despite its nominal submission to the Merovingians, the ethnic make-up of the new Aquitanian realm was not Frankish, but Gallo-Roman north of the Garonne and in main towns and Basque, especially south of the Garonne.
Situation in the duchies of Vasconia and Aquitaine in 760 CE
A united Basque-Aquitanian realm reached its heyday underOdo the Great's rule. In 721, the Aquitanian duke fendedUmayyad troops (Sarracens) offat Toulouse, but in 732 (or 733, according toRoger Collins), an Umayyad expedition commanded byAbdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi defeated Odo next to Bordeaux, and went on to loot its wayup to Poitiers. Odo was required to pledge allegiance to the FrankishCharles Martel in exchange for help against the advancing Arab forces. Basque-Aquitanian self-rule temporarily came to a halt, definitely in 768 after the assassination ofWaifer.
In 781,Charlemagne decided to proclaim his sonLouisKing of Aquitaine within theCarolingian Empire, ruling over a realm comprising theDuchy of Aquitaine and theDuchy of Vasconia.[3] He suppressed various Basque (Gascon) uprisings, even venturing into the lands ofPamplona past the Pyrenees after ravagingGascony, with a view to imposing his authority also in the Vasconia to south of Pyrenees. According to his biography, he achieved everything he wanted and after staying overnight in Pamplona, on his way back his army was attackedin Roncevaux in 812, but narrowly escaped an engagement at the Pyrenean passes.
Seguin (Sihiminus), count of Bordeaux andDuke of Vasconia, seemed to have attempted a detachment from the Frankish central authority on Charlemagne's death. The new emperor Louis the Pious reacted by removing him from his capacity, which stirred the Basques into rebellion. The king in turn sent his troops to the territory, obtaining their submission in two campaigns and killing the duke, while his family crossed the Pyrenees and continued to foment risings against Frankish power. In 824, the2nd Battle of Roncevaux took place, in which countsAeblus andAznar, Frankish vassals from the Duchy of Vasconia sent by the new King of Aquitaine, Pepin, were captured by the joint forces ofIñigo Arista and theBanu Qasi.
Before Pepin's death, emperor Louis had appointed a new king in 832, his sonCharles the Bald, while the Aquitanian lords electedPepin II as king. This struggle for control of the kingdom led to a constant period of war between Charles, loyal to his father and the Carolingian power, and Pepin II, who relied more on the support of Basque and Aquitanian lords.
Despite the early conquest of southern Gaul by the Franks after the Battle of Vouillé in 507, the Frankish element was feeble south of the Loire, where Gothic and Gallo-Roman Law prevailed and a small Frankish settlement took place. However scarce, some Frankish population and nobles settled down in regions like Albigeois, Carcassonne (on the fringes of Septimania), Toulouse, and Provence and Lower Rhone (the last two not in Aquitaine). After the death of the kingDagobert I, the Merovingian tenure south of the Loire became largely nominal, with the actual power being in the hands of autonomous regional leaders and counts. The Franks may have become largely assimilated to the preponderant Gallo-Roman culture by the 8th century, but their names were well in use by the ruling class, like Odo. Still, in theBattle of Toulouse, the Aquitanian dukeOdo the Great was said to be leading an army of Aquitanians and Franks.[4]
On the other hand, the Franks did not mix with the Basques, keeping separate paths. In the periods before and after the Muslim thrust, the Basques are often cited in several accounts stirring against Frankish attempts to subdue Aquitaine (stretching up to Toulouse) and Vasconia, pointing to a not preponderant but clearly significant Basque presence in the former too. Recorded evidence points to their deployment across Aquitaine in a military capacity as a mainstay of the Duke's forces. 'Romans' are cited as living in the cities of Aquitaine, as opposed to the Franks (mid 8th century).
Aquitaine passed to France in 1137 when the duchessEleanor of Aquitaine marriedLouis VII of France, but their marriage was annulled in 1152. When Eleanor's new husband becameKing Henry II of England in 1154, the area became an English possession, and a cornerstone of theAngevin Empire. Aquitaine remained English until the end of theHundred Years' War in 1453, when it was annexed by France.
During the three hundred years that the region was ruled by theKings of England, links between Aquitaine and England strengthened, with large quantities of wine produced in southwestern France being exported to London,Southampton, and other English ports. In fact, so much wine and other produce was being exported to London and sold that by the start of the Hundred Years' War the profits from Aquitaine were the principal source of the English King's income per annum.[5]
The region served as a stronghold for the ProtestantHuguenots during the 16th and 17th centuries, who suffered persecution at the hands of the French Catholics. The Huguenots called upon the English crown for assistance against forces led byCardinal Richelieu.
Bordeaux is the largest city in Aquitaine. It is a port city on theGaronne River in theGirondedepartment. It is the capital of Aquitaine, as well as theprefecture of the Gironde department. Bordeaux is famous for its wine industry. Apart from Bordeaux, there are also other important cities in Aquitaine.
^"Et 3 Calend Augusti habuit concilium magnum in Aquis, et constituit duos filius sans reges Pippinum et Clotarium, Pippinum super Aquitaniam et Wasconiam)".
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