The county ofPérigord dates back to when the area was inhabited by ancient celticGaulish tribes. It was originally home to four tribes, and since "four tribes" in theGaulish language is "Petrocore", the area eventually became known as the county of Le Périgord. Its inhabitants became known as the Périgordins (or Périgourdins), and there are four Périgords in the Dordogne.
Périgord Vert (Green Périgord), with its main town ofNontron, consists of verdant valleys in a region crossed by many rivers and streams.
Périgord Blanc (White Périgord), situated around the department's capital ofPérigueux, is a region oflimestone plateaux, wide valleys, and meadows.
Périgord Pourpre (Purple Périgord) with its capital ofBergerac, is awine region.
Périgord Noir (Black Périgord) surrounding the administrative center ofSarlat, overlooks the valleys of theVézère and the Dordogne, and takes its name from the nearby oak and pine forests.
The Petrocores took part in the resistance against the Roman occupation of France. Concentrated in a few major sites are the vestiges of the Gallo-Roman period – the gigantic ruined tower and arenas in Périgueux (formerly Vesone), the Périgord museum's archaeological collections, villa remains inMontcaret, and the Roman tower of La Rigale Castle inVilletoureix. The earliestcluzeaux (artificial caves either above or below ground) can be found throughout the Dordogne. These subterranean refuges and lookout huts were large enough to shelter entire local populations. According toJulius Caesar, theGauls took refuge in these caves during the resistance.
AfterGuienne province was transferred to the English Crown under thePlantagenets following the remarriage ofEleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, Perigord was transferred to English suzerainty. Being situated at the boundaries of influence of the monarchies of France and England, it oscillated between the two dynasties for more than three hundred years of struggle until the end of theHundred Years' War in 1453. The county was torn apart, which modeled its physiognomy.
During the calmer periods of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the Castillon plain on the banks of the Dordogne saw developments in urban architecture. Fine Gothic and Renaissance residences were constructed in Périgueux, Bergerac, and Sarlat. In the countryside, the nobility erected the majority of more than 1200 chateaux, manors and country houses. In the second half of the 16th century, however, as war waged in the region, attacks, pillaging, and fires of theWars of Religion reached a pinnacle of violence, which was partly focused on Périgord. At the time,Bergerac was one of the most powerfulHuguenot strongholds, along withLa Rochelle. Following these wars, Périgord, fief of Henry of Navarre, was to return to the Crown for good and would continue to suffer from the various political changes of the French nation, from the Revolution to the dark days of theFrench Resistance.
In addition to its castles, chateaux, churches,bastides, and cave fortresses, the Périgord region has preserved a number of ancient villages which retain their market halls, dovecotes, bories (stone huts), and abbeys.Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère,Connezac,Saint-Jean-de-Côle,La Roque-Gageac, and many others contain important and visually interesting architectural examples. The old quarters of Périgueux or Bergerac have been restored and developed into pedestrian areas. A number of small towns, such asBrantôme,Issigeac,Eymet andMareuil, have withstood the changes of modern times. A special mention should be made in this respect toSarlat and its Black Périgord area.
Following the restoration, in 1819, the commune of Bonrepos was suppressed and merged with the adjacent commune ofSouillac inLot.
In 1870 the region was witness to the tragicHautefaye incident, which occurred shortly after France's declaration of war againstPrussia. A young aristocrat named Alain de Monéys was brutally tortured and then burned alive, by a crowd of between 300 and 800 people on 16 August in a public square in the village ofHautefaye in the north-west region of the department. Details of the incident are gruesome, but remain unclear: the leading participants appear to have been drunk. Additionally, since the incident occurred prior to the introduction of mass education, most of the witnesses would have been unable (and possibly unwilling) to write down what they had seen. But at some stage the victim died, and following a trial four individuals identified as culpable were in turn condemned to die byguillotine. The sentence was carried out in the same public square on 13 February 1885.
It was suggested that the victim had reported some (bad) news regarding the ongoing war in a way that implied support for the enemy, although subsequently it became clear that his patriotic credentials were beyond reproach. It was also suggested that the mob had been antagonized when he called out, "Vive la République!" (Long live the republic) at a time when the patriotic villagers valued theimperial regime, which Parisian revolutionaries were in the process of destroying. This incident has been studied by historian Alain Corbin,[6] among others.
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The population peaked at 505,789 in 1851 according to that year's census. After that the population declined to 373,000 by 1975. This reflected the long term population decline observed in many of the rural departments resulting from changes in agriculture and the lure of higher industrial wages available in more urbanized regions.[citation needed] Between 1975 and 2010, the population increased again, reaching 415,000.[9]
Dordogne has aBritish immigrant community. The region has between 5,000 and 10,000 British residents[citation needed] and 800 British entrepreneurs, drawn by the French lifestyle, warm climate, and lower cost of living. The village ofEymet is at the heart of the trend, with 200 British families among 2,600 inhabitants.[10]
The famous caves ofLascaux have been closed to the public, but a replica of Lascaux II is open to visitors and is a major tourist attraction. Périgueux has importantRoman ruins, including an arena which is still visible inside a public park located near the town centre.
Dordogne is particularly popular with Britons as well as people from a variety of other countries, as a location for second homes.[13]
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