Provence is a region of southeastern France on the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The traditional region of Provence comprises the départements of Var, Vaucluse, and Bouches-du-Rhône and parts of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes. Provence is so named because it was one of the first provinces outside of Roman Italy.

Provence has been inhabited since ancient times. It was known in ancient times as part of Narbonensis, inhabited by Ligurians and later Celts. The coastal strip was settled by Greeks and Phoenicians from around 600 BC onwards, with Marseille (known by the Romans as Massilia) becoming one of the great trading cities of the Mediterranean. It was progressively settled by the Romans from the 2nd century BC, eventually becoming a province of the Roman Empire. This gave it its name, from the Latin PROVINCIA (province), as Provence was one of the first areas conquered by Rome outside of Italy. Christianity arrived in Provence very early and the region was already extensively Christianised by the 3rd century AD, with numerous monasteries and churches being constructed. Provence fared badly in the aftermath of the fall of the Roman Empire, suffering repeated invasions: Visigoths in the 5th century, Franks in the 6th century and Arabs in the 8th century, as well as repeated raids by Berber pirates and slavers. It subsequently passed into hands of the Counts of Toulouse as a fief of the Counts of Barcelona (later Kings of Aragon).

In 973, Count William I defeated the Arab pirates based at Fraxinetum at the Battle of Tourtour and took the title Pater Patriae. From 1032 to 1246 the county was part of the Holy Roman Empire. It became a fief of the French Crown from 1246, under the rule of the Angevin dynasty. Upon the death of Charles du Maine in 1481, Provence was inherited by Louis XI. It was definitively incorporated into the French royal domain in 1486. Significant enclaves existed within Provence for many years afterwards: Orange remained under the control of the House of Orange-Nassau until 1672; the Comtat Venaissin, centered on Avignon, was under Papal rule until 1791; and Nice and Menton were not added to Provence until as late as 1860. The now-extinct title of Count of Provence belonged to local families of Frankish origin, to the House of Barcelona, to the House of Anjou and to a cadet branch of the House of Valois.

Provence is bound by the Alps and Italy to the east and the Rhône River to the west, with the Mediterranean Sea providing its southern border. It has very varied topographical feautures, ranging from fertile plains in the Rhône valley to mountains in the east (notably Mont Ventoux, the Luberon range and the Alpilles), to marshlands in the south (the Camargue).

The Principality of Monaco is nestled between Nice and Italy. Marseilles, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon and Arles are other cities of importance in Provence. Marseilles is by far the largest city in Provence and the second or third largest city in France; the principal city of both the 'Bouches-du-Rhône' department and the region PACA (Provence Alpes Côte d'azur), Marseille is also called the chef-lieu (capital city) of Provence.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Provence".