Guelders

Gueldres, a historical duchy in the Low Countries.

Grandpré

Auvergne

France, central region at the heart of the Massif Central covering approximately the modern departments of Cantal, Puy-de-Dôme and (parts of) Haute-Loire; bounded to the north by the duchy of Bourbon, the west by Limousin, the south by Viadene, the south-east by Gévaudan and the south-west by Quercy. Major towns: Clermont, Montferrand and Riom.

Rouergue

France, Midi-Pyrénées; corresponds approximately to the modern department of Aveyron; traversed from east to west by the River Aveyron which flows through Rodez, the major city; bounded to the north by Viadene and Auvergne; the west by the Causses de Gramat and Limogne, and by Quercy; the south by Languedoc and the east by Gévaudan and the Causses du Larzac; to the north-east by the Causse de Sauveterre; (ceded to the English in 1360 under the treaty of Brétigny; held by them until early 1369).

Poitou

France, region in the west bounded by Anjou and Touraine to the north, Berry and Limousin to the east, Angoumois to the south, Aunis, La Rochelle and the Atlantic to the west, and Saintonge to the south-west; ceded to the English crown in 1360 under the Treaty of Brétigny; reconquered by Du Guesclin and granted as an apanage to the duke of Berry in 1372.

Limousin

France, centre (modern departments of Corrèze, Creuse and Haute-Vienne); bounded to the north-east by La Marche, the east by Auvergne, the north-west by Poitou, the west by Périgord and Angoumois, and the south by Quercy. Principal city: Limoges, many of whose surrounding fortresses (including Chalusset, Rochechouart, Isle, Châlus, etc) were occupied by routier garrisons during the early 1370s.

Périgord

France, south-west; historic region roughly equivalent to the modern Dordogne; part of the Three Dioceses and largely under English control from 1327; ceded to the English in 1360 under the terms of the treaty of Brétigny; lost to the French by 1370.

Saintonge

France, western; area centred on Saintes and bounded to the north by Aunis and Poitou, the east by Angoumois, the south by Guienne-Aquitaine, and to the west by the Atlantic. Roughly equivalent to today’s Charente-Maritime, plus part of Charente; a territory of the inheritance acquired by the English under Henry II through his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine; retaken by Du Guesclin 1371-2 and reintegrated into the French crown domains.

Brittany

The duchy of Brittany, to the northwest of France.

Normandy

Duchy to the north-west of the Île-de-France, bordered by the Channel; governed by the dauphin Charles, as Lieutenant of Normandy, until his accession to the French throne in 1364.

Touraine

Touraine, a former royal duchy and province of France.

Beauce

Beauce, a region in northwestern France.

Champagne

France

The kingdom of France, populated up until the Black Death of 1348-9 by 12-16 millions souls and including up to the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) the Ile-de-France together with the apanages of Normandy, Anjou, Bourbon, Champagne, Valois, Auvergne and Languedoc, plus a number of important fiefs such as the counties of Blois, Nevers and Foix, and (from 1349) Montpellier and the Dauphiné; diminished from 1354 by the growing activity and influence in the Cotentin and other parts of Normandy of the king of Navarre, Charles of Evreux, and by English conquests resulting in an enlarged duchy of Guyenne (essentially Gascony; will become the principality of Aquitaine) stretching from the borders of the great and at times pro-English duchy of Brittany to the Pyrenees (save for the neutral county of Béarn) and eastwards to embrace the Poitou, Limousin and Rouergue (on the border with the Languedoc); Ponthieu and Guines are also in English hands. The French re-conquest under Charles V and Du Guesclin progressively drives the English from the realm, leaving them (by 1370-80) the ports of Calais, Cherbourg, Brest, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and a much-reduced Aquitaine. Brittany returns to French allegiance from 1365 onwards (Treaty of Guérande).

Duchy of Burgundy

Burgundy, a region in the east of France whose unity was based more upon historical than geographical factors.

Picardy

A historical province of France.

Lorraine

France

The kingdom of France, populated up until the Black Death of 1348-9 by 12-16 millions souls and including up to the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) the Ile-de-France together with the apanages of Normandy, Anjou, Bourbon, Champagne, Valois, Auvergne and Languedoc, plus a number of important fiefs such as the counties of Blois, Nevers and Foix, and (from 1349) Montpellier and the Dauphiné; diminished from 1354 by the growing activity and influence in the Cotentin and other parts of Normandy of the king of Navarre, Charles of Evreux, and by English conquests resulting in an enlarged duchy of Guyenne (essentially Gascony; will become the principality of Aquitaine) stretching from the borders of the great and at times pro-English duchy of Brittany to the Pyrenees (save for the neutral county of Béarn) and eastwards to embrace the Poitou, Limousin and Rouergue (on the border with the Languedoc); Ponthieu and Guines are also in English hands. The French re-conquest under Charles V and Du Guesclin progressively drives the English from the realm, leaving them (by 1370-80) the ports of Calais, Cherbourg, Brest, Bordeaux and Bayonne, and a much-reduced Aquitaine. Brittany returns to French allegiance from 1365 onwards (Treaty of Guérande).