Editing Ardèche (section)

===Later modern history===
At the beginning of the French Revolution, the 1789 Declaration of Human Rights at last recognised Ardèche Protestants as citizens in their own right, free at last to practise their faith. Catholicism nonetheless continued to expand, and by the early 19th century the Ardèche included only 34,000 Protestants out of a population of 290,000. Named after the river of the same name, the Ardèche was one of the original 83 departments created during the [[French Revolution]] on 4 March 1790. The support of Count [[François Antoine de Boissy d'Anglas]] representing the Third Estate of the Vivarais in the States General, the freeing of the serfs, and the support of the lesser clergy of the church ensured that the Ardèchois supported the early revolution, but they withdrew support when things became more radical. During the [[Reign of Terror]], in 1794, the [[guillotine]] at Privas was kept busy with the execution of the former moderate supporters of the revolution. Under the [[French Directory|Directory]], bands of [[Chouans]] took to the Cevennes to escape and support former [[émigré]]s.

[[File:Annonay Eglise de Trachin et nouvelle église.jpg|thumb|Annonay in the early 20th century]]
In the Napoleonic period, the Ardèche entered a period of increasingly prosperous inconspicuousness. After a period of eclipse, Viviers was reestablished in 1822 as the site of the see of the bishops of Ardèche, where it remains to this day. During the 19th century, modest economic growth took place. The population grew from 273,000 in 1793 to 388,500 in 1861. The silkworm industry boomed until 1855, when disease affected the worms and competition with China undermined the industry's profitability. Mining at Privas saw the exploitation of local iron ore, which was quickly depleted. As a result, six [[blast furnaces]] were established, but they were only moderately profitable, the last closing at Pouzain in 1929.

The scientific pioneer [[Marc Seguin]], whose inventions played a key role in the development of early locomotives, was born in the department. But Seguin located [[Seguin & Co.|his business]] upstream, near [[Lyon]], and industrial development in the Ardèche remained relatively small-scale. No large towns appeared in the department during the years of France's industrialisation, and its official population total of 388,500, reached in 1861, turned out to be a peak that has not since been matched. Since the 1860s, the Ardèche economy has been split between the prosperous Rhône valley and the relatively poor and mountainous Haut Vivarais on the department's western side. Sheep farming did not lead to the prosperity hoped for and wine growing, badly hit by the [[phylloxera]] crisis during the last decades of the 19th century, has had to compete with other more established areas of France.