Editing Franche-Comté

{{About|the modern region|the mediaeval county of the same name|County of Burgundy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| official_name          = Franche-Comté
| native_name            = ''Fraintche-Comtè''&nbsp;&nbsp;<small>([[Frainc-Comtou dialect|Frainc-Comtou]])</small><br/>{{native name|frp|Franche-Comtât}}
| native_name_lang       = 
| settlement_type        = [[Regions of France|Region of France]]
| image_skyline          = 
| image_caption          = 
| image_flag             = Flag of Franche-Comté.svg
| flag_size              = 120px
| image_shield           = Arms of County of Burgundy.svg
| shield_size            = 
| image_blank_emblem     = 
| blank_emblem_size      = 75px
| image_map              = Franche-Comté in France.svg
| map_caption            = 
| motto                  = ''Comtois, rends-toi ! Nenni, ma foi !''<br/><small>''Comtois, surrender! No, my faith!''</small>
| coordinates            = {{coord|47|00|N|6|00|E|region:FR_type:adm1st|display=ti}}
| subdivision_type       = Country
| subdivision_name       = {{flagu|France}}
| extinct_title          = Dissolved
| extinct_date           = 1 January 2016
| seat_type              = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]]
| seat                   = [[Besançon]]
| parts_type             = [[Departments of France|Departments]]
| parts_style            = list
| parts                  = 4
| p1                     = [[Doubs]] (25)
| p2                     = [[Jura (department)|Jura]] (39)
| p3                     = [[Haute-Saône]] (70)
| p4                     = [[Territoire de Belfort]] (90)
| leader_party           = 
| leader_title           = [[President of the Regional Council (France)|President]]
| leader_name            = 
| area_footnotes         = 
| area_total_km2         = 16202
| area_land_km2          = 
| area_water_km2         = 
| population_footnotes   = 
| population_total       = 1179601
| population_as_of       = 1 January 2021
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym     = Comtois
| timezone1              = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1            = +1
| timezone1_DST          = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST        = +2
| demographics_type1       = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en | title=EU regions by GDP, Eurostat|access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref>
|demographics1_title1     = Total
|demographics1_info1      = €34.772 billion (2022)
| demographics1_title2     = Per capita
|demographics1_info2      = €29,500 (2022) 
| blank_name_sec2        = [[First level NUTS of the European Union#France|NUTS Region]]
| blank_info_sec2        = FR43
| website                = www.franche-comte.fr (Redirects to www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr)
| iso_code               = FR-I
| footnotes              = 
}}
'''Franche-Comté''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˌ|f|r|ɒ̃|ʃ|_|k|ɒ̃|ˈ|t|eɪ}},<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Franche-Comt%C3%A9 |title=Franche-Comté |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}{{dead link|date=September 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|-|_|k|oʊ|n|ˈ|-}};<ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Franche-Comté|access-date=30 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Burgundy|access-date=30 August 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|fr|fʁɑ̃ʃ kɔ̃te|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Benoît Prieur-Franche-Comté.wav}}; [[Frainc-Comtou dialect|Frainc-Comtou]]: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; {{langx|frp|Franche-Comtât}}; also {{langx|de|Freigrafschaft}}; {{langx|es|Franco Condado}}; all {{lit|Free County}}) is a cultural and [[Provinces of France|historical region]] of eastern France. It is composed of the modern [[departments of France|departments]] of [[Doubs (department)|Doubs]], [[Jura (department)|Jura]], [[Haute-Saône]] and the [[Territoire de Belfort]]. In 2021, its population was 1,179,601.

From 1956 to 2015, the Franche-Comté was a [[Regions of France|French administrative region]]. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region [[Bourgogne-Franche-Comté]].<ref name="reform law">{{cite French law|number or usual name=n° 2015-29|date in French=16 janvier 2015|full name=relative à la délimitation des régions, aux élections régionales et départementales et modifiant le calendrier électoral|language=fr|URL=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=9FECBA9D9314D1D2C093CF793C886ED5.tpdila21v_1?idSectionTA=JORFSCTA000030109623&cidTexte=JORFTEXT000030109622&dateTexte=29990101}}</ref>

The region is named after the ''{{lang|fr|Franche Comté de Bourgogne}}'' ([[Free County of Burgundy]]), definitively separated from the region of [[Burgundy]] proper in the fifteenth century. In 2016, these two-halves of the historic [[Kingdom of Burgundy]] were reunited, as the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is also the 6th biggest region in France. The name "Franche-Comté" is feminine because the word "comté" in the past was generally feminine, although today it is masculine.

The principal cities are the capital [[Besançon]], [[Belfort]] and [[Montbéliard]]. Other important cities are [[Dole, Jura|Dole]] (the capital before the region was conquered by [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] in the late seventeenth century), [[Vesoul]] (capital of Haute-Saône), [[Arbois]] (the "wine capital" of the Jura), and [[Lons-le-Saunier]] (the capital of Jura).<ref>[https://www.vogue.com/article/jura-france-travel-guide] Travel A Guide to Jura, the Tiny French Wine Region to Visit Right Now By Sue Williamson August 6, 2024, Vogue Magazine</ref>

==History==
[[File:La Ratification - de la Paix - Entre les deux Couronnes - de France et d'Espagne . - estampe - btv1b69453454.jpg|thumb|right|170px|Ratification of the [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668)]]]]

The region has been inhabited since the [[Paleolithic age]] and was occupied by the [[Gauls]]. It was then heavily settled by [[Germanic peoples]] during the [[Germanic migrations]], most notably the [[Burgundians]], who settled in the region after the Gauls had vacated the area. Later, it was part of the territory of the [[Alemanni]] in the fifth century, then the [[Kingdom of Burgundy]] from 457 to 534. The Burgundians adopted [[Chalcedonian Christianity]], [[Christianization|Christianizing]] the region. In 534, it became part of the [[Franks|Frankish]] kingdom. In 561 it was included in the [[Merovingian]] Kingdom of Burgundy under [[Guntram]], the third son of [[Clotaire I]]. In 613, [[Clotaire II]] reunited the Frankish Kingdom under his rule, and the region remained a part of the Kingdom of Burgundy under the later Merovingians and [[Carolingian]]s.

===Free County of Burgundy=== 
Under the [[Treaty of Verdun]] (843), all north-western regions of Carolingian Burgundy were designated to the [[West Francia]], while the rest of Burgundy went to the [[Middle Francia]]. By the end of the 9th century, the West-Frankish part was organized as the [[Duchy of Burgundy]], while eastern regions belonged to the [[Kingdom of Burgundy]], that was gradually divided into several feudal polities. One of them, encompassing much of the [[Upper Burgundy]],{{sfn|Hauff|2017|p=1-12}} became known as the [[County of Burgundy]], and since 1032 it belonged to the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. The name "''Free County of Burgundy''" ({{lang|fr|Franche Comté de Bourgogne}}; {{lang|de|Freigrafschaft Burgund}}) did not appear officially until 1366. 

The ''Free County'' ({{lang|fr|Franche Comté}}) was acquired by [[John the Fearless]], Duke of Burgundy, thus placing the Free County under the same feudal lord as the Duchy.{{sfn|Stein|2017|p=}} They were separated again by the end of the 15th century, since duke and count [[Charles the Bold]] died in 1477 without sons, and his cousin King [[Louis XI of France]] consequently failed to secure all of Burgundy, ceding the Free County to the [[Philip I of Castile|Philip of Austria]] by the [[Treaty of Senlis]] in 1493. In 1506, Philip was succeeded by his son [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles]], the future king of Spain (1516) and the Holy Roman Emperor (1519). All of his Burgundian domains, including the Free County were later passed to his son [[Philip II of Spain]], thus solidifying the political ties between Habsburg domains in Burgundy and the [[Habsburg Spain]]. Although ruled by [[Spanish Habsburgs]], the Free County was never annexed into the Kingdom of Spain, and thus remained a domain within the Holy Roman Empire.{{sfn|Parker|2019|p=}}

===Province of the Kingdom of France===
{{Infobox former subdivision
|common_name            = Franche-Comté
|subdivision            = Government
|nation                 = Kingdom of France
|year_start             = 1668/1674
|year_end               = 1790
<!-- Images -->
|image_flag             = Flag of Franche-Comté.svg
|image_border           = <!-- Default: "border"; for non-rectangular flag, type "no" -->
|flag_type              = <!-- Displayed text for link under flag. Default "Flag" -->
|flag                   = <!-- Link target under flag image. Default: Flag of {{{common_name}}} -->
|image_coat             = Blason fr Franche-Comté.svg
|symbol_type            = <!-- Displayed text for link under symbol. Default "Coat of arms" -->
|symbol                 = <!-- Link target under symbol image. Default: Coat of arms of {{{common_name}}} -->
|image_map              = Franche-Comte in France (1789).svg
|image_map_caption      = 
<!-- Flag navigation: Preceding and succeeding entities "p1" to "p5" and "s1" to "s8" -->
|p1                     = County of Burgundy
|flag_p1                = Arms of County of Burgundy.svg
|border_p1              = <!-- Default: "border"; for non-rectangular flag, type "no" -->
|image_p1               = <!-- Use: [[Image:Sin escudo.svg|20px|Image missing]] -->
|s1                     = Jura (department)
|flag_s1                = Blason département fr Jura.svg
|border_s1              = <!-- Default: "border"; for non-rectangular flag, type "no" -->
|image_s1               = <!-- Use: [[Image:Sin escudo.svg|20px|Image missing]] -->
|s2                     = Haute-Saône
|flag_s2                = Blason département fr Haute-Saône.svg
|border_s2              = <!-- Default: "border"; for non-rectangular flag, type "no" -->
|image_s2               = <!-- Use: [[Image:Sin escudo.svg|20px|Image missing]] -->
|s3                     = Doubs
|flag_s3                = Blason département fr Doubs.svg
|border_s3              = <!-- Default: "border"; for non-rectangular flag, type "no" -->
|image_s3               = <!-- Use: [[Image:Sin escudo.svg|20px|Image missing]] -->
<!-- Area and population of a given year (up to 5) -->
}}
Franche-Comté was captured by France in 1668, but returned to [[Spain]] under the [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle]]. It was conquered a second time in 1674, and finally was ceded to France in the [[Treaty of Nijmegen]] (1678), leaving the Holy Roman Empire as a result.{{sfn|Dee|2009|p=}} 

Enclaves such as [[Montbéliard]] remained outside French control.

[[File:1771 Bonne Map of Burgundy, Franche-Comté, and Lyonnais, France - Geographicus - Bourgogne-bonne-1771.jpg|thumb|upright|1771 map of Burgundy, Franche-Comté and Lyonnais by [[Rigobert Bonne]]]]
The Franche-Comté was one of the last parts of France to have [[serfdom]]. In 1784, half of the population consisted of serfs, accounting for 400,000 out of the 1&nbsp;million French serfs. Landowners took one-twelfth of the sale's price if a serf (''mainmortable'') wanted to sell up. Serfs were not forced to stay on the land, but the lord could claim ''droit de suite'', whereby a peasant who died away from his holding left it to the lord, even if he had heirs. A runaway serf's land was forfeit after ten years. [[Louis XVI]] issued a decree banning these practices on 8 August 1779, but the [[Parlement of Besançon]] blocked this until 1787.

===After 1790===
The population of the region fell by a fifth from 1851 to 1946, reflecting low French natural growth and migration to more urbanized parts of the country. Most of the decline occurred in [[Haute-Saône]] and [[Jura (department)|Jura]], which remain among the country's more agriculture-dependent areas.

==Environment==
This region borders Switzerland and shares much of its architecture, cuisine, and culture with its neighbour. Between the Vosges range of mountains to the north and the [[Jura range]] to the south, the landscape consists of rolling cultivated fields, dense pine forest, and rampart-like mountains. Not so majestic as the Alps, the Jura mountains are more accessible and are France's first cross-country skiing area. It is also a superb place to hike, and there are some fine nature trails on the more gentle slopes. The Doubs and Loue valleys, with their timbered houses perched on stilts in the river, and the high valley of Ain, are popular visitor areas. The ''{{lang|fr|Région des Lacs}}'' is a land of gorges and waterfalls dotted with tiny villages, each with a domed belfry decorated with mosaic of tiles or slates or beaten from metal. The lakes are perfect for swimming in the warmer months. The summits of Haut Jura have wonderful views across {{lang|fr|Lac Léman}} ([[Lake Geneva]]) and toward the Alps.

Forty percent of the region's GDP is dependent on manufacturing activities, and most of its production is exported. Construction of automobiles and their parts is one of the most buoyant industries there. Forestry exploitation is steadily growing, and 38% of the agriculture is dairy and 17% cattle farming. The region has a large and lucrative cheese-making industry, with 40&nbsp;million tonnes of cheese produced here each year, much of which is made by ''fruitières'' (traditional cheese dairies of Franche-Comté); for instance, [[Comté cheese]] comes from this region.<ref>[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/why-jura-will-be-your-next-travel-obsession] In the Jura by Kimberley Lovato, December 23, 2019, [[National Geographic]]</ref>

=== Geology ===
* [[Vosges and Jura coal mining basins]]<ref>[https://www.france.fr/en/destination/jura-mountains/] Jura Mountains, France</ref>

==Principal cities==
{| class="wikitable sortable centre alternance" style="text-align:right"
|-
! scope=col | City
! scope=col | Metropolitan area
! scope=col | Urban area
! scope=col | Municipality
|-
! scope=row | [[Besançon]]
| 250,563
| 135,448
| 116,676
|-
! scope=row | [[Montbéliard]]
| 160,671
| 106,486
| 25,336
|-
! scope=row | [[Belfort]]
| 114,445
| 81,651
| 49,519
|-
! scope=row | [[Dole, Jura|Dole]]
| 65,400
| 29,916
| 23,373
|-
! scope=row | [[Vesoul]]
| 59,262
| 28,707
| 15,058
|-
! scope=row | [[Lons-le-Saunier]]
| 58,674
| 26,894
| 17,459
|-
! scope=row | [[Pontarlier]]
| 30,895
| 21,760
| 17,140
|-
! scope=row | [[Gray, Haute-Saône|Gray]]
| 17,295
| 9,470
| 5,484
|-
! scope=row | [[Luxeuil-les-Bains]]
| 14,652
| 12,366
| 6,821
|-
! scope=row | [[Champagnole]]
| 14,266
| 9,841
| 7,916
|-
! scope=row | [[Lure, Haute-Saône|Lure]]
| 12,251
| 11,135
| 8,253
|-
! scope=row | [[Saint-Claude, Jura|Saint-Claude]]
| 11,343
| 10,346
| 9,732
|}

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Cret Pela.jpg|Landscape, Franche-Comté
File:La Petite Montagne vue du Molard de la Justice, Jura, France.jpg|{{lang|fr|La Petite Montagne}}, a view from {{lang|fr|Molard de la Justice}}
File:Broissia.JPG|View of [[Broissia]], a [[Communes of France|commune]] in the [[Jura (department)|Jura]] [[Departments of France|department]]
File:Besancon2m.jpg|[[Besançon]]
Besancon boucle Doubs.jpg|[[Besançon]]
Chateau Montbeliard 3.jpg|[[Montbéliard]]
LionBelfortEtChateau.jpg|[[Belfort]]
Dole 104.jpg|[[Dole (Jura)|Dole]]
Place du Palais, Vesoul.jpg|[[Vesoul]]
Rue des arcades.jpg|[[Lons-le-Saunier]]
</gallery>

==Language==
Among the [[regional language]]s of France, the term ''[[Frainc-Comtou dialect|Franc-comtois]]'' refers to two dialects of two different languages. Franc-comtois is the name of the dialect of [[Langue d'Oïl]] spoken by people in the northern part of the region. The dialect of [[Franco-Provençal language|Arpitan]] has been spoken in its southern part since as early as the thirteenth century (the southern two-thirds of [[Jura (department)|Jura]] and the southern third of [[Doubs (department)|Doubs]]). Both are recognized as [[languages of France]].

== Education ==
215,178 students were in school in Franche-Comté at the start of the 2018 school year. The region has potential in the research sector. We find in Besançon the National School of Mechanics and Microtechnology ([[ENSMM]]) or the [[Université de technologie de Belfort-Montbéliard|UTBM]], the University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.openedition.org/pufc/54234 |title=Actions de revitalisation et territoires en devenir : Le Nord Franche-Comté industriel |date=2023 |publisher=Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté |isbn=978-2-84867-999-0 |editor-last=Kroichvili |editor-first=Nathalie |series=Les Cahiers de la MSHE Ledoux |location=Besançon |language=fr}}</ref> in [[Belfort]] and [[Montbéliard]].

The [[University of Franche-Comté]] is mainly located in Besançon. It has 24,000 students spread over six training and research areas (UFR), including five in Besançon and one in Belfort and Montbéliard, two university institutes of technology (IUT) (Besançon-Vesoul and Nord Franche-Comté), 920 students engineers at [[ENSMM]] and 2,550 students at [[Université de technologie de Belfort-Montbéliard|UTBM]].

==People from Franche-Comté==

* [[Raymond Blanc]], chef
* [[Jean-Jacques Boissard]], neo-Latin poet
* [[Paul de Casteljau]], mathematician
* [[Gustave Courbet]], painter
* [[Frank Darabont]], filmmaker
* [[Charles Fourier]], philosopher
* [[Salah Gaham]], concierge
* [[Victor Hugo]], poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist
* [[Auguste and Louis Lumière]], early filmmakers
* [[Jean Mairet]], dramatist
* [[Jacques de Molay]], last Grandmaster of the Knights Templar
* [[Charles Nodier]], author
* [[Louis Pasteur]], chemist and microbiologist
* [[Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle]], Burgundian statesman, leading minister of the Spanish [[Habsburgs]]
* [[Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle]], minister of justice under [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]], Holy Roman Emperor
* [[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon]] philosopher, socialist
* [[Jean Baptiste Alexandre Strolz]]
* [[Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Suard]], journalist
* [[Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine]], singer and songwriter
* [[Louis Vuitton (designer)|Louis Vuitton]], designer
* [[Arnaud Courlet de Vregille]], painter

==Typical regional products==
* Wine: [[Vin jaune]], [[Arbois]]<ref>[https://www.vogue.com/article/jura-france-travel-guide] Travel A Guide to Jura, the Tiny French Wine Region to Visit Right Now By Sue Williamson August 6, 2024, Vogue Magazine</ref>
* Cheese: [[Cancoillotte]], [[Bleu de Gex]], [[Comté (cheese)|Comté]], [[Édel de Cléron]], [[Metton]], [[Morbier (cheese)|Morbier]], [[Munster (cheese)|Munster]], [[Vacherin Mont d'Or]]<ref>[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/why-jura-will-be-your-next-travel-obsession] In the Jura by Kimberley Lovato, December 23, 2019, [[National Geographic]]</ref>
* Sausages: Saucisse de Montbéliard, saucisse de Morteau, Gendarme

==See also==
*[[Picolaton]], imaginary bird of Franche-Comté folklore

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite book|last=Dee|first=Darryl|title=Expansion and Crisis in Louis XIV's France: Franche-Comté and Absolute Monarchy, 1674-1715|year=2009|location=Rochester, NY|publisher=University of Rochester Press|isbn=978-1-58046-303-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zveYQKNQsE8C&pg=PR3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Headley|first=John M.|title=The Emperor and His Chancellor: A Study of the Imperial Chancellery Under Gattinara|year=1983|location=New York|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-24444-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VQA9AAAAIAAJ}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Hauff|first=Andrea|title=The Kingdom of Upper Burgundy and the East Frankish Kingdom at the beginning of the 10th century|journal=History Compass|year=2017|volume=15|number=8|pages=1–12|doi=10.1111/hic3.12396 |url=https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/hic3.12396}}
* {{Cite book|last=Parker|first=Geoffrey|author-link=Geoffrey Parker (historian)|title=Emperor: A New Life of Charles V|year=2019|location=New Haven and London|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-19652-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0eaaDwAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Prevenier|first1=Walter|last2=Blockmans|first2=Wim|title=The Burgundian Netherlands|year=1986|location=New York|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-90-6153-155-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EiglPQAACAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Stein|first=Robert|title=Magnanimous Dukes and Rising States: The Unification of the Burgundian Netherlands, 1380–1480|year=2017|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-875710-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5YEjDgAAQBAJ}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130316055946/http://www.france.fr/en/regions-and-cities/franche-comte-land-contrasts Franche-Comté : land of contrasts] - Official French website (in English)
* [http://www.cr-franche-comte.fr/ Conseil régional de Franche-Comté] Official website
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180705003240/http://www.franchecomteweb.com/ Franche-Comté directory search engine]

{{Regions of France|former}}
{{Historic Provinces of France}}
{{Spanish Empire}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franche-Comte}}
[[Category:Franche-Comté| ]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:Former regions of France]]
[[Category:Spanish Empire in Europe]]