Editing Aude (section)

==History==

===Prehistory===
[[File:Homme de Tautavel.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Skull of [[Tautavel Man]] discovered at [[Tautavel]], not far from Aude]]
Hammers and worked tools have been found on the hill of Grazailles at Carcassonne, dating from between 690,000 and 300,000 years ago. Most interesting is the skull of [[Tautavel Man]], discovered in 1971 by [[Henry de Lumley]] in the commune of [[Tautavel]] in the [[Pyrénées-Orientales]] department.<ref>Discovery made in July 1971 [http://www.tautavel.com/tau-5000.php?CatID=21&ArtID=11 See the Tautavel site] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307162403/http://www.tautavel.com/tau-5000.php?CatID=21&ArtID=11 |date=7 March 2009 }}</ref> It is the oldest-known skull in Europe. It dates from about 450,000 years BC. It is likely that Tautavel Man lived in all of this region.

===Roman Era===
The [[Roman Republic|Romans]], led by the consul-general [[Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 122 BC)|Domitius Ahenobarbus]], first occupied the [[oppidum]] of Montlaurès in 118 BC, a few kilometres to the north of [[Narbonne]]. This became the provincial capital and a very active mercantile port. The position was strategically important since it stood at the crossroads of two [[Roman roads]], the [[Via Aquitania]] and the [[Via Domitia]], as well as by the sea near the mouth of the river [[Aude (river)|Aude]]. [[Carcassonne]] became Latin in 30 BC <!-- meaning? -->with the creation of numerous grain farms. For almost two centuries, Aude enjoyed peace and strong economic growth.

===Barbarian invasions===
The [[Visigoths]] invaded the area in 435 AD at a time when [[Flavius Aetius]], the Roman senator, was busy suppressing the [[Bagaudes]], who were brigands or lawless types in central and northern Gaul. Roman authority was restored until 462. In 507, the victory of [[Clovis I]] at the [[battle of Vouillé]] permitted him to conquer [[Toulouse]] and [[Aquitaine]]. However, he could not recover the Aude territory, which, thanks to the help of the King of the [[Ostrogoths]], remained in the hands of the Visigoths. His troops defeated Clovis's son in 508. The region was part of [[Septimania]], so called because it was composed of seven [[Episcopal see|bishoprics]] that the Visigoth kings had established there: [[Elne]], [[Agde]], [[Narbonne]], [[Lodève]], [[Béziers]], [[Maguelonne]], and [[Nîmes]]. Septimania covered the Aude but also the whole region of Languedoc-Roussillon.

===Middle Ages===
In 817, [[Louis le Débonnaire]] detached Carcassès and [[Razès]] from Septimania to reunite them with the marquisate of [[Toulouse]] and the kingdom of [[Aquitaine]]. The first Count of Carcassonne was Oliba from the family of the [[Count of Barcelona|Counts of Barcelona]]. He established himself in 819. Razès was another county that was formed by an archbishop of Narbonne who had been chased from his town by the [[Saracens]]. He had transferred his episcopal seat to Razès and had procured the honours of the feudal title for the area. Narbonne formed a third county. Thus, in the ninth century, the département of Aude consisted of three counties: Carcassonne, Razès and Narbonne. In 880, the [[County of Razès]] was united by marriage to that of Carcassonne, never to be separated.

===Catharism in Aude===
In the 13th century, the region saw the development of [[Catharism]]: a [[Dualistic cosmology|dualistic]] Christian sect with similarities to [[Gnosticism]]. This religion was very quickly judged as heretical by the [[Catholic Church]]. Faced with its growing strength in the counties of Carcassonne and Toulouse, [[Pope Innocent III]] in 1209 declared a [[Albigensian Crusade|crusade]] against the [[Albigensians]]. The barons of the north united to form an army under the command of [[Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]]. Whereas the count of Toulouse [[Raymond VI]] received absolution, the Count of Carcassonne confronted the army alone. The city of Carcassonne became the refuge of numerous Cathars.

===The Protestant crisis and economic expansion of the department===
In 1561, religious troubles again arose at [[Carcassonne]] in the form of a Protestant crisis. Duke [[Henri I de Montmorency]], the Governor of the [[Languedoc]], joined the [[Reformed tradition|Reformed]] side in 1574. On the Catholic side, the Duke [[Anne de Joyeuse]] became head of the Catholic League. In September 1632, [[Henri II de Montmorency]] fought against the royal troops at the Battle of [[Castelnaudary]] and was defeated. He was condemned to death and executed at Toulouse.

===The creation of the department===
The present department is one of the original 83 departments created by the [[Constituent Assembly]] during the [[French Revolution]] on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the [[Provinces of France|former province]] of [[Languedoc]].
Administrative divisions were amended by the Act of 28 [[Pluviôse]] of Year 8, which created four arrondissements (reduced to three by Premier [[Raymond Poincaré]] in 1926) and reduced the number of cantons from 45 to 31.

===The 20th century===
The Aude enjoyed strong wine production whilst at the same time the grain farmers of [[Lauragais]] faced great difficulties. However, the department suffered from overproduction and a slump in sales of wine. In 1907 the crisis produced a [[1907 Languedoc Winemaker's Revolt|winemakers' revolt]]. This led to the establishment of many [[Winemaking cooperative]]s in Aude from 1909.

===Heraldry===
{{Blazon-arms
|img1=Blason département fr Aude.svg
|legend1=Arms of Aude
|text=
'''Blazon:'''<br />
''Gules, a cross of Toulouse Or within a bordure embattled argent.''
}}