Hundred Years War

Informational Data for Fiefs and Player Characters

As of Mar 5, 1994

Note: This file is periodically updated as additional information becomes available. Suggestions, corrections,and annotations are welcome.

Part I: Kingdoms, Provinces, and Fiefs

A0000 HRE:Arles HRE:Arles -Arles is a kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire, lying between the Alps and the Rhone River. Brought into the Roman world in 121 B.C., the area was so thoroughly Romanized as to be considered almost an extension of Italy. During the Barbarian invasions the Burgundians, a barbarian tribe, invaded the area and established a kingdom which was incorporated into the Frankish Kingdom in 534. With the collapse of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century, the former Burgundian regions splintered as well, with the portions south of the Jura becoming, in 933, the Kingdom of Burgundy, which later was more generally known as the Kingdom of Arles, or the Arelate. The Arelate was incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire in the 11th century, and has remained so ever since, though the authority of the Emperor is little felt, as the ruling House of Anjou supported the papacy during its great struggle with the Emperors in the 12th and 13th centuries (in return for which the Angevins have enjoyed papal support in certain of their endeavors, including the acquisition of Naples in the mid-13th century). There are archbishops in Arles, Aix, Embrun, and Vienne, and the Pope himself resides at Avignon, in Provence. A university is planned to open at Grenoble in 1339. Save in the alpine uplands, the kingdom is fertile, with particularly fine olive and grape production, and a good deal of commerce and industry.

ADA00 HRE:Arles Dauphine -Dauphine, properly 'The Dauphine,' comprises the northern half of the Arelate, with which it shares its history. The province is under the authority of the Counts of Vienne, themselves subject to the King of Arles. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Vienne. There is some commerce in many of the towns, but the principal pursuits are agricultural, including wines (some of which are very fine), grains, and livestock.

ADA01 HRE:Arles Dauphine Villeubanne

ADA02 HRE:Arles Dauphine Les Echelles

ADA03 HRE:Arles Dauphine La Tour du Pin

ADA04 HRE:Arles Dauphine Vienne, the principal town of the Dauphine, itself ranks as a county.

ADA05 HRE:Arles Dauphine Briancon

ADA06 HRE:Arles Dauphine Grenoble, a fine town and commercial center, is to open a new university within the next two years, the first in Arles.

ADA07 HRE:Arles Dauphine Valence

ADA08 HRE:Arles Dauphine Embrun is the seat of an archbishopric founded in 794.

ADA09 HRE:Arles Dauphine Cap

ADA10 HRE:Arles Dauphine Aspres

ADA11 HRE:Arles Dauphine Montelimar

ADA12 HRE:Arles Dauphine Seyne

ADA13 HRE:Arles Dauphine Donzere

AFC00 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte -Franche-Comte, often known as the 'Free County of Burgundy,' was originally part of the ancient Kingdom of the Burgundians (see the French Duchy of Burgundy), but by the 11th century had fallen under the suzereignity of the Holy Roman Empire, which it still enjoys. The area is mountainous, but fertile, and prospers, not alone because of the numerous trade routes and relatively large towns. Ecclesiastical authority is vested primarily in the Archbishop of Besancon, but some areas are dependent upon other archepiscopal sees.

AFC01 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Luxeil

AFC02 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Vesoul

AFC03 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Clerval

AFC04 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Besancon is the capital and principal town of the Franche-Comte, with some industry, including lace making, as well as a fair amount of trade. The town is the seat of an archbishop (since Roman times), as well as of the count. Note that technically Besancon is a free city within the Holy Roman Empire, but the writ of the count is strong.

AFC05 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Pesmes

AFC06 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Pontarlie

AFC07 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Salins

AFC08 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Poligny

AFC09 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Champagnole

AFC10 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Lons

AFC11 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Louhans

AFC12 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Morez

AFC13 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte De la Seille

AFC14 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Gex, legally a republic, within the limits of a charter granted by the count.

AFC15 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Ste-Amour

AFC16 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte La Bresse

AFC17 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Nantua

AFC18 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Bourg

AFC19 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte La Dombes

AFC20 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte St. Julien

AFC21 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Amberieu

AFC22 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Trevoux

AFC23 HRE:Arles Franche-Comte Belly

ANC00 HRE:Arles Nice -Nice, situated on the western side of the Alps where they meet the sea, was founded by the Greeks around 350 B.C. Eventually incorporated into the Roman world, upon the fall of Rome it passed successively to the Ostrogoths, the Visigoths, and finally the Franks. Upon the breakup of the Carolingian Empire in the ninth century, it was briefly part of Lothringia before being incorporated into Burgundy. It has been a county within the Kingdom of Alres for some centuries now. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Emburn. There is a good deal of maritime commerce, and some agricultural activity.

ANC01 HRE:Arles Nice Monaco was first settled by the Phoenicians, who built a trading post on the site of its fine harbor. For so small a place it has had a stormy history, passing from Phoenician to Greek to Carthaginian to Roman to various breeds of Barbarian, the Franks, and eventually to Genoa in 1162. Over a century later the Genoese Grimaldi family seized it by a ruse (they gained entry by disguising themselves a monks), and they have ruled it ever since, under the protection of the Counts of Nice and ultimately the Kings of Arles. There is some shipping and fishing, and the town enjoys a favorable location on the principal coastal route between Genoa and Nice. Monaco is the only area in the game ruled by the same family to this day.

ANC02 HRE:Arles Nice Puget a poor place, barely able to feed itself.

ANC03 HRE:Arles Nice Nice proper posseses a very fine harbor, which is usually busy with shipping (Corsica is only about 150 miles to the southeast). There are shipyards and chanlderies, and even a little banking. The town is the seat of the count and of a bishop.

APR00 HRE:Arles Provence -Provence lies between the Rhone and the Alps. An ancient and rich region, it is named after the Roman "province" of Gallia Narbonensis, established in 121 B.C. On the fall of the Roman Empire it was overrun by successive waves of barbarians, but always remained rather more civilized than the rest of northwestern Europe. Part of the Carolingian Empire, it eventually became incorporated in the Kingdom of Arles, a part of the Holy Roman Empire from the early 11th centu ry. From the mid-13th century Provence has been ruled by the House of Anjou, technically in fief of the Holy Father. The Angevins have used Provence as a base from which to proceed to the conquest of Naples in 1266. Under the Angevins a regional estates has been established, and there is a good deal of local autonomy. There are archbishops at Arles, Aix, Emrun, and since 1309 Avignon has been the seat of the Popes. Fishing is important along the coast, and Marseilles is a major port. The principal products are wheat, wine, and olives, and there is some industry in the larger towns.

APR01 HRE:Arles Provence Barcelonette

APR02 HRE:Arles Provence Allos

APR03 HRE:Arles Provence Sisteron

APR04 HRE:Arles Provence Digne

APR05 HRE:Arles Provence Forcalguier

APR06 HRE:Arles Provence Annot

APR07 HRE:Arles Provence Castellane

APR08 HRE:Arles Provence Manosque

APR09 HRE:Arles Provence Tarascon-en-Provence

APR10 HRE:Arles Provence Antibes

APR11 HRE:Arles Provence Draguignan

APR12 HRE:Arles Provence Salernes

APR13 HRE:Arles Provence Aix-en-Provence, which with its environs has about 35,000 people, is capital of the the County of Provence and seat of the Archbishop of Aix. It is a river port, with some light industry.

APR14 HRE:Arles Provence Salon

APR15 HRE:Arles Provence Arles is the capital of both the Kingdom of that name, and the county of Provence. It is a large city, with considerable commerce and some manufacturing. There is an archbishop in residence, as well as the King-Count himself. Arles was the ancient Roman capital of the area.

APR16 HRE:Arles Provence Frejus

APR17 HRE:Arles Provence Brignoles

APR18 HRE:Arles Provence Les Pins

APR19 HRE:Arles Provence Aubagne

APR20 HRE:Arles Provence Marseilles

APR21 HRE:Arles Provence St Tropez

APR22 HRE:Arles Provence Toulon

C0000 Catalonia Catalonia -Catalonia is an important kingdom in the northeastern part of Spain, with a distinctive culture and language. Brought into the Roman orbit during the Second Punic War, by early Christian times the area was thoroughly Romanized. Despite the Visigothic invasion in the 5th century, the fall of the Roman Empire little affected the area. The 7th century saw the Islamic conquest of Spain, and the area soon fell under Muslim rule. Charlemagne established the 'Marca Hispanica' (Spanish March) in the early 9th century, which, centered at Barcelona, and became the nucleus of the Catalan state. United with Aragon, another Christian kingdom clinging to the Pyrennes, in 1137, Catalonia, although technically the junior partner (Aragon ranks as a kingdom, and Catalonia only as a county), became the dominant partner, the united kingdom expanding not only southwards into Moorish Spain (Valencia, for example, was recaptured in 1238), but also overseas. Catalan influence is felt throughout the Mediterranean, with large areas of southern France, portions of Greece, Sicily and Sardinia all more or less subject to the crown of Aragon (i.e., Catalonia). The Ecclesiastical authority in the kingdom is divided between the archibishops of Saragossa, in Aragon, and Tarragona, in the County of Barcelona. There is a university at Lerida, west of Barcelona, founded in 1300. There is occasionally military activity against the Moors in Granada along the kingdom's southern frontier, and against the Barbary pirates, who harass the coast and those of Sardinia and Sicily, which are under Catalan control. Especially in its eastern regions, the kingdom is quite rich, with dense forests, fertile plains, and a number of important ports. There is a great deal of industry, and agriculture is well developed, producing olives and wines for export, as well as grains for domestic consumption.

CAR00 Catalonia Aragon -Aragon (which ranks technically as a kingdom, but whose king's power is rooted in his status as Count of Barcelona) emerged from the wreck of Visigothic Spain in the century following the Islamic conquest. For a time confined to the fringes of the Pyrenees, by the 11th century it had expanded to the Ebro (Saragossa fell in 1086). In 1137 the kingdom was united with the County of Barcelona. Aragon is a hard land, with extremes of temperature, but thinly populated. The region is overwhelmingly agrciultural and poor. There is an archbishop in Saragossa.

CBC00 Catalonia Barcelona -Barcelona, the city at the heart of the county, was founded by the Carthaginian Barca family, of which Hannibal was the most notable member. It passed to Rome some two centuries before Christ and remained a small, but prosperous city even under Visigothic rule, which was imposed seven centuries later. In the 6th century for a time under Muslim rule, the city was incorporated into Charlemagne's Empire as part of the Spanish March, and subsequently has become the hub of the Aragonese-Catalan world. The Count is subject to the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Tarragona, and there is a resident bishop as well. There is much shipping, trading, banking, and manufacturing in Barcelona and its environs, as well as a highly productive agriculture.

CCD00 Catalonia Cerdagne -Cerdagne, more correctly Cerdaga, is a large county nestled against the southern slope of the Pyrennes. An ancient Roman foundation, it was incorporated in the Visigothic Kingdom in the 5th century. During the Islamic invasion in the 7th century, Cerdagne was one of several Christian states which emerged in the shelter of the Pyrennes. Often overrun by the Moors, it was incorporated in Charlemagne's Frankish Empire in the 8th century, and thereafter passed under the influence of the Dukes of Aquitaine for many years, until it gradually passed into the orbit of the Catalans and Aragonese. The count is presently held by the King of Mallorca. The county is under the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Tarragona. There is little industry, and the soil is poor.

CPU00 Catalonia Puigcerda -Puigcerda is a small county on the southern slope of the Pryennes. Long a part of Cerdagne, in the 12th century it emerged as a separate entity, when Alfonso I of Aragon and Catalonia authorized the fortification of the town of Pugicerda ["Puig-in-Cerdagne"] for the first time. It is part of the archepiscopal province of Tarragona. It is a poor place.

CUR00 Catalonia Urgel -Urgel is a large county on the southern slope of the Pyrennes. A small place in Roman times, it became more important under Visigothic rule, St. Justo becoming the first bishop in 524. One of several Christian bastions which held out against the Islamic invasion of the 7th century, Urgel, initially under a line of prince-bishops of Seo de Urgel, came under Aragonese and Catalan influence after the collapse of the Carolingian Empire. The area was created a county in 1040, but disputes between the counts and the prince-bishops plagued it for over two centuries, until resolved by the King of Aragon in favor of the former. Despite this, the prince-bishop has considerable influence, and is largely autonomous of his ecclesiastical overlord, the Archbishop of Tarragona. There is some commerce, due to the proximity of the Pyrennean pass through Andorra, and the county is moderate fertile. Note that the county, albeit possessed of Don Jaime of Urgel, could readily be claimed by His Grace Don 197 Pedro IV Berenguer, the King of Aragon and Catalonia.

E0000 England England -England comprises the greater portion of the island of Britain. Anciently inhabited by fierce Celtic warriors, Britain was incorporated into the Roman Empire in the 1st century and was for a time a very prosperous province. With the fall of Rome the island was overrun by the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes in the sixth century, who virtually extirpated civilization and Christianity. From this emerged a pletora of petty kingdoms which, despite the onslaught of the Norse Vikings, were gradually civilized and Christianized. By the 10th century they were united as England (i.e., 'Angle-land'). In 1066 the kingdom was subject to a hostile take-over by Duke William of Normandy, who imposed a strongly centralized feudal regime. His descendants continue on the throne to this day. The king is bound by a written charter, Magna Carta (1215). Unlike many other kingdoms, notably France, there is but one Parliament. Although a small place, but thinly populated, England has a number of unusual characteristics. There are surprisingly few noble families in England, only about 50 all told, out of a population of a million or so souls, which forces the king to rely upon commoners for many duties. The king is one of only two anointed monarchs in Europe (the other being that of France). There are two archbishoprics, at Canterbury and York, and two universities, at Oxford and Cambridge. The kingdom is prosperous, having a mixed economy, with shipping, banking, and manufacturing as well as agriculture.

EAR00 England Arundel -Arundel is the title by which the earls of Shropshire --or Salops-- are most commonly known. The Romans took the land from the Ordovices in the 1st century. Overrun by the barbarians in the 6th century, it became part of the Kingdom of Mercia and later passed to England, eventually becoming a county palatine, in defense against the Welch, a status which was supressed in the 13th century. The shire is under the religious authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. There is a little commerce in Shrewsbury, but otherwise the province is agricultural.

EAR01 England Arundel Market Drayton

EAR02 England Arundel Shrewsbury is the principal town and seat of Shropshire, with some commerce. It is a royal residence.

EAR03 England Arundel Chirk

EAR04 England Arundel Ludlow

EAR05 England Arundel Clun

EBK00 England Buckingham -Buckingham or Buckinghamshire is a county in central England, northwest of London. Following the fall of Roman Britain to the barbarians it for a time formed part of the Kingdom of Mercia, which was later incorporated into England. The shire forms part of the archepiscopal province of Canterbury. Save for some merchants and clothmakers centered in Hertford, the shire is overwhelmingly agricultural in character, raising grains and cattle.

EBK01 England Buckingham Hertford

EBK02 England Buckingham Aylesbury, a rather samll place, is the shire town of Buckinghamshire.

EBK03 England Buckingham Watford

EBK04 England Buckingham High Wycombe

ECG00 England Cambridge -Cambridgeshire is a county in south-eastern England, just north of London. On the fall of Roman Britain it was at different times incorporated in the East Anglian Kingdom, Mercia, the Danelaw, and finally united England. Under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the shire town, Cambridge, is the site of the ancient university of the same name. Although there is some manufacturing in a few of the larger towns, agriculture is the mainstay of the economy.

ECG01 England Cambridge March

ECG02 England Cambridge Cambridge is the principal town of Cambridgeshire, and the site of a university founded in 1209.

ECG03 England Cambridge Huntington

ECG04 England Cambridge Royston

ECG05 England Cambridge Bedford

ECH00 England Cheshire -Cheshire is a county in the northwestern part of England, fronting on the Irish Sea, nestled between Wales and the Pennine Hills. In the 1st century Romans built a fort on the site of an old Celtic earthwork, effectively founding the city. During the Barbarian invasions the shire was one of the centers of Romano-British resistance, not falling to the barbarians until the late 5th century, but later became part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Canterbury. Agricultural pursuits are the main source of income, but there is some industry in a few of the larger towns.

ECH01 England Cheshire Wilmslow

ECH02 England Cheshire Northwich

ECH03 England Cheshire Chester, the ancient Roman legionary fortress of Deva, is the county town for Chesire. A small place, with some commerce and shipping, and well fortified.

ECH04 England Cheshire Flint has legally been a separate shire since 1284. Among the smallest in England, it is fertile and hilly, producing grains and sheep in some abundance.

ECH05 England Cheshire Nantwich

ECU00 England Cumberland -Cumberland, more clumsily Cumberlandshire, is a located in the northwesternmost corner of England, between the Irish Sea and Scotland, of which it formerly was a part. Anciently part of Roman Britain, it was overrun by the Picts and Scots during the Barbarian invasions, and eventually became the Kingdom of Cumbria. This was later incorporated into the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumberland, overrun successively by Norsemen and Scots again, and not finally incorporated into England until about the time of the Norman Conquest. The shire is part of the archepiscopal province of York. Cumberland, which has some of the highest hills in Britain, has some industry, but is primarily agricultural in character.

ECU01 England Cumberland Brampton

ECU02 England Cumberland Carlisle

ECU03 England Cumberland Alston

ECU04 England Cumberland Keswick

ECU05 England Cumberland Whitehaven

ECU06 England Cumberland Kirkby Stephen

ECU07 England Cumberland Kendal, a small place, held by His Grace the King himself, but, by an odd circumstance of history arguably claimable by Enguerrand, the Seigneur de Coucy.

ECW00 England Cornwall -Cornwall occupies the southeastern peninsula of England, jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. One of the last refuges of the Romano-Britons after the Barbarian invasion, it long was known as 'West Wales,' for its Celtic character, which it still retains (a Breton may carry on a conversation with a Cornishman or a Welshman with little difficulty). The shire was incorporated into the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex (which became the Kingdom of England) only in the 9th century. In this Year of Grace 1337 Good King Edward has conferred upon his son Prince Edward the title of Duke of Cornwall, the first duchy in England, to be reserved to the heir of the throne. Cornwall is under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. There is a good deal of fishing done in Cornwall, and industries related to fishing (i.e., salting and shipping the fish), and agricultural pursuits are not well rewarded.

ECW01 England Cornwall Bude

ECW02 England Cornwall Saltash

ECW03 England Cornwall Meregissey

ECW04 England Cornwall Falmouth

ECW05 England Cornwall Penzance

EDR00 England Derby -Derby or Derbyshire is a located in the northern midlands of central England. The town itself was apparently founded by the Romans. After the Barbarian invasions it became part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia, and later of the Danelaw, before being incorporated into England in 917. The shire is under the religious authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. There is a good deal of mining in the shire, and some other industry, to supplement agriculture.

EDR01 England Derby Chestfield

EDR02 England Derby Derby is the principal town and county seat of Derbyshire, with a good deal of commerce and some industry.

EDR03 England Derby Ashby-de-la-Zouch

EDR04 England Derby Leicester.

EDT00 England Dorsetshire -Dorset or Dorsetshire is a county on the southern coast of England. Anciently a Britano-Celitic kingdom, it was subdued by the Romans in the first Century. The fall of the Roman Empire saw the region --Dornsaeta-- remaining in Romano-British hands into the seventh century. It was then incorporated into Wessex, which in turn became the Kingdom of England. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Canterbury. Although the soil is relatively poor, the province is well watered and the climate rather mild. There is little industry, but the province produces grains, kine, and sheep in some abundance, and there is some fishing along the sea coast.

EDT01 England Dorsetshire Blandford

EDT02 England Dorsetshire Sherborne

EDT03 England Dorsetshire Corfe

EDT04 England Dorsetshire Weymouth

EDT05 England Dorsetshire Lyme Regis

EDU00 England Durham -Durham is a County Palantine in the northeastern corner of England, not far south of the Scottish border. Incoporated into the Roman world rather late, the province was the eastern anchor of Hadrian's Wall. Overrun in the 5th century by the Saxons, the area was incorporated into the Kingdom of Northumberland. During the 9th century it formed part of Bernicia, but in the following century it was definitively incorporated into England, and the county town was elevated to a bishopric. Under the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Durham has extensive comital rights over the government of the shire. There is a some commerce in Durham and Hartlepol, important ports, and the former the seat of the bishop, but the province is primarily agricultural, and produces a variety of products

EDU01 England Durham Durham is the county town of Durhamshire, and the seat of the Prince Bishop, who is Count Palantine. Fortified by William the Conqueror, the town has a fine cathedral, in the Norman style, dedicated to St. Cuthbert, begun more than a century ago and only recently completed, as well as many other fine chruches.

EDU02 England Durham Wolsingham

EDU03 England Durham Hartlepol

EDU04 England Durham Darlington

EDV00 England Devon -Devonshire is a large county in southwestern England, bounded on the south by the English Channel, on the north by Bristol Channel, in the west by Cornwall, and in the east by Somerset and Dorset. The Roman-Britons of Dumnomia long resisted the Anglo-Saxon onslaught, and not until the 9th century was the area incorporated into Wessex. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Canterbury, but there has been a local bishop in Exeter since the 11th century. There is some shipbuilding and related industry in the large ports, but the province is economically dependent on agriculture and fishing.

EDV01 England Devon Bampton

EDV02 England Devon Barnstable

EDV03 England Devon Exeter

EDV04 England Devon Dartmoor

EDV05 England Devon Oakhampton

EDV06 England Devon Compton

EDV07 England Devon Plymouth is the shire town of Devon, with a fine port and some commerce.

EDV08 England Devon Salcombe

EEX00 England Essex -Essex is a shire in eastern England just northeast of London, on the coast of the the North Sea. Anciently the home of the Trinovantes, it has had a stormy history. One of the earliest regions to be brought under Roman control, it was also one of the earliest to be lost to the invading Saxons, where were well established by the end of the 5th century. For a time a separate kingdom, Essex was incorporated into Mercia by King Offa in the 7th century, and into Wessex by Egbert in the 8th, but was later incorporated in the Danelaw, forming for a time Gunthrum's Kingdom. Not until 914 was the entire province definitively incorporated into England. Essex is part of the archepiscopal province of Canterbury. Blessed with several fine ports, Essex has some industry related to shipping, and produces a variety of agricultural products as well.

EEX01 England Essex Harwich

EEX02 England Essex Colchester

EEX03 England Essex Pleshey

EEX04 England Essex Brunham-on-Crouch

EEX05 England Essex Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, although by no means the largest in the shire.

EGE01 England Guernsey The Channel Isles are a small archipelago a few miles off the coast of France, west of Normandy. Their ancient history is obscure, but in the mid-10th century they were incorporated into the Duchy of Normandy. When France took Normandy to France in 1204 the islands remained in English hands, and King Edward rules them as Duke of Normandy. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Rouen. The islanders, who speak French, make their living from the sea and from their fields, but it is a poor place indeed.

EGL00 England Gloucestershire -Gloucestershire is a county in western England, athwart the line of the River Severn, rubbing up against Wales on its western side. Anciently Glevum, the one of the centers of Roman Britain, it was overrrun by the Anglo-Saxons in the sixth century, ultimately forming part of Mercia until incorporated into England by Alfred the Great in the early tenth century. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Canterbury. There is a good deal of industry in the larger cities and the forest of Dean, particularly relating to ship building, and the province yields a variety of agricultural produce as well.

EGL01 England Gloucestershire Chipping Campden, although a small place, is the site of some minging which is of profit.

EGL02 England Gloucestershire Cheltenham

EGL03 England Gloucestershire Tewksbury

EGL04 England Gloucestershire Gloucester is the county town of Cloucestershire, and a major port and commercial center. Founded by the Romans as Glevum in the Year of Grace 97, it has been a royal town for some centuries nowThere are many famous churches here, and the late King Edward II lies in the cathedral.

EGL05 England Gloucestershire Dean is densely forested, and there is a thriving iron industry, local deposits being worked using locally produced charcoal.

EGL06 England Gloucestershire Bristol is one of the premier ports of England, and the site of a good deal of shipbuilding, clothmaking, and commerce.

EHE00 England Hereford -Hereford is a shire in western England, hard by Wales. In Celtic times home of the Silures, it was incorporated into the Roman world in the 1st century. Not successfully overrun by the Anglo-Saxon Babarians until the mid-7th century, when the province was incorporated into the Kingdom of Mercia, passing to Wessex in the 10th. For some time a County Palantine, Herefordshire lost its autonomy under William the Conqueror, who incorporated into the shire some portions of Wales. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Canterbury. Aside from some industry in the larger towns, the province is purely agricultural, producing a variety of grains and some cattle.

EHE01 England Hereford Leominster

EHE02 England Hereford Llandrindod

EHE03 England Hereford Hereford, the county town of the shire of that name, has been the seat of a bishop since 680. There is some commerce related to the episcopal and royal residences in the town.

EHE04 England Hereford Brecon

EHE05 England Hereford Monmouth

EHM00 England Hampshire -Hampshire --sometimes Hants-- is located in the center of the English southern coast. Anciently the center of Belgic settlement in Britain, it was incorporated into the Roman Empire by Claudius in the mid-1st Century. Overrun by the South Saxons in the sixth century, the province became the heartland of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex, which had its capital at Winchester. It was from this small beginning that the Kingdom of England arose. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Canterbury. The province is quite fertile and well watered, enjoys a mild climate, and has several fine ports, in which there a good deal of commerce and industry.

EHM01 England Hampshire Aldershot

EHM02 England Hampshire Winchester is the county town of Hampshire, and a royal residence, once the capital of Wessex. There is a bishop in residence, and a fine cathedral containing the tombs of many of the greatest of the old Anglo-Saxons kings and queens.

EHM03 England Hampshire Andover

EHM04 England Hampshire Portmouth

EHM05 England Hampshire Southampton

EHM06 England Hampshire Isle of Wight

EKE00 England Kent -Kent is a large county in the southeast of England, surrounded on three sides by water. Anciently the Kingdom of the Celtic Cantii, Kent was the first part of Britain to be invaded by the Romans, first under the great Caesar in the last age of the Roman Republic, and then, nearly a century later in the Year of Grace 43, by Claudius, who incorporated it into the new province of Britannia. Kent was overrun by barbarians in the 5th century, and was for a time an independent Jutish kingdom, before being incorporated successively into Mercia and then Wessex in the 8th century. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the heart of Kent. The province is fertile, with many fine seaports, and is a prosperous place.

EKE01 England Kent Gravesend

EKE02 England Kent Sandwich, an important seaport, is also one of the Cinque Ports, liable to the crown for the supply of ships to secure the Channel.

EKE03 England Kent Canterbury, the county town of Kent, is a very ancient place. The see of the Archbishop and the Primate of England since 597, there is a fine cathedral. It was here that St. Thomas Beckett was murdered in 1170, and the site is the object of pilgrimages from all over England.

EKE04 England Kent Maidstone

EKE05 England Kent Dover, the ancient Roman port of Dubris, is an important bastion in the defense of England from the sea, and the closest place in Britain to the continent, which lies but 18 miles away across the Channel. One of the Cinque Ports, it has often been attacked by the French, who almost sacked it in 1216.

EKE06 England Kent Romney, one of the Cinque Ports.

ELA00 England Lancashire -Lancashire is a large county in the northwest of England along the Irish Sea. Anciently inhabited by the Brigantes, the area came under Roman rule in the late 1st century. Overrun by the Picts and Scots during the 6th century, it was incorporated in the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Cumbria in the 7th, then into Northumbria in the 8th. Overrun by the Norsemen in late 9th century, it was not incorporated into England until the early 10th. Ecclessiastically the shire is part of the Archdiocese of York. There is a great deal of commerce in the principal ports, as well maritime industry and a good deal of clothmaking. The province is also rather fertile.

ELA01 England Lancashire Furnes

ELA02 England Lancashire Carnforth

ELA03 England Lancashire Lancaster, a Roman legionary garrison town of the late 1st century, is the county town of Lancashire, and its principal place. There is shipping and clothmaking here in abundance.

ELA04 England Lancashire Burnley, a small place of little significance, is held by Milord 89 Henry de Grosmont, but 49 Enguerrand de Coucy has a latent claim to the fief.

ELA05 England Lancashire Preston

ELA06 England Lancashire Bolton

ELA07 England Lancashire Southport

ELA08 England Lancashire Oldham

ELA09 England Lancashire Bootle

ELC00 England Lincolnshire -Lincolnshire is a county in eastern England, about 75 miles north of London. In Celtic times the home of the Coritani, the area was added to the Roman Empire in the 1st century and grew quite prosperous due to its fertility. Overrun by the invading Angles in the 5th and 6th centuries, they incorporated it into the Kingdom of Northumbria. In the 8th century the province became part of Mercia, only to be overrun by the Danes in the 9th and finally incorporated into England in the early 10th century. The shire is part of the archepiscopal province of Canterbury. There is some industry in the larger towns, but the province's prosperity is based on its wonderful fertility, and it produces a variety of grains in great abundance.

ELC01 England Lincolnshire Great Grimsby

ELC02 England Lincolnshire Brigg

ELC03 England Lincolnshire Crowle

ELC04 England Lincolnshire Spilsby

ELC05 England Lincolnshire Lincoln is the county town of the shire of that name. A Roman foundation of the 1st century, it has a wonderful cathedral and it is a center of the woolens trade.

ELC06 England Lincolnshire Tatershall

ELC07 England Lincolnshire Grantham

ELN01 England London London and the surrounding shire of Middlesex, is the heart of England. Anciently a town of the Catuvellauni, London was the capital of Roman Britain, and has been an important city ever since. Overrun by the Middle Saxons in the 6th century (hence "Middlesex"), it was often fought over by the various Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms and by the invading Danes, to emerge after Alfred the Great as the capital of England. A part of the Archdiocese of Canterbury, there is a bishop in residence in the town of Westminster, a few miles upstream from London. The city of London has many noble monuments, including the walls, which, although much patched and repaired, are still largely those of Roman times, the Tower erected by King William the Conqueror, and the famous bridge. Likewise nearby Westminster is the home of great abbey in which English sovereigns are traditionally anointed and crowned. London is by far the largest city in England, and its largest port, the center government, commerce, and industry, and the rest of the shire is rather productive agriculturally as well.

EMN01 England Man The Isle of Man is a small place in the northern part of the Irish Sea, roughly equidistant from England, to the east, Scotland to the north, and Ireland, to the west. Known to the Romans as Monavia, it was settled by Romano-Britons in the 5th century, fleeing the catastrophes of the Barbarian invasions. Brought under Norse control during the ninth century, it was a long time part of the Norse Earldom of the Isles, until sold to Scotland in 1266. Although now subject to the Crown of England, the Lord of Man, ranks as a king in his domain, within which he shares ruling authority with the Tynwald, a locally elected parliament. Subject to the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of York, Man is directly under the aegis of the bishop of Carlisle. The island is poor, and but thinly populated, by an rude people speaking an uncouth tongue called Manx.

ENF00 England Norfolk -Norfolk is a shire in eastern England, fronting on the North Sea. Anciently the home of the Iceni, who offered the fiercest resistance to the Roman conquest, during late Roman times the province formed part of the Litus Saxonicum. Overrun by the northern band of the Angles in the fifth century, Norfolk (i.e., 'North Folk'), became part of the Kingdom of East Anglia. Incorporated into Mercia under Egbert, in the early 9th century, Norfolk formed part of the Danelaw later in the century, comprising part of Guthrum's Kingdom until incorporated into Wessex (i.e., England) in the following century. Norfolk is part of the archepiscopal province of Canterbury, and there is a local bishop in Norwich. The province is quite prosperous, with some industry in the principal towns, a good deal of fishing and shipping in the ports, and much sheepherding.

ENF01 England Norfolk Aylshm

ENF02 England Norfolk Castle Rising

ENF03 England Norfolk Great Yarmouth

ENF04 England Norfolk Norwich is the county town of Norfolk, and the residence of the bishop. The town is a center of the wool trade, and there is some other industry as well.

ENF05 England Norfolk Watton

ENF06 England Norfolk Lynn

ENH00 England Northampton -Northamptonshire --or Northhants-- lies in central England, about 70 miles northwest of London. After Roman Britain was overrun by the barbarians it formed part of Anglo-Saxon Mercia. For a time part of the Danelaw, Northampton was incorproated into England in the 10th century. Subject to the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Northamptonshire is a part of the diocese of Coventy. There is little industry, but the province is fertile, and fine cattle are raised there.

ENH01 England Northampton Rutland is legally a shire and the smallest in England. There is some industry in the shire, which is rather well populated.

ENH02 England Northampton Kettering Castle

ENH03 England Northampton Northampton is the county town of the shire of that name. There is some commerce in the town, but its principal function is as a market for the surrounding agricultural region.

ENH04 England Northampton Daventry

ENO00 England Nottingham -Nottingham, a shire in central England about 75 miles south of York, was anciently the home of the Coritani. Incorporated into the Roman Empire by the late 1st century, the area was overrun by the Angles during the 5th and 6th centuries, and became part of the Kingdom of Mercia. From 878 a part of the Danelaw, Nottinghamshire was incorporated into England in the early 9th century. The province is part of the archepiscopal province of York. There is some industry in the larger towns, and a little mining and foresty, but the economy is primarily agricultural, producing a variety of grains and some fine cattle.

ENO01 England Nottingham Worksop

ENO02 England Nottingham Newark

ENO03 England Nottingham Locksley, a small, poor place in Sherwood Forest is by tradition the home of famous bandit Robyn Hode.

ENO04 England Nottingham Nottingham, the county town of the shire of that name, was of little consequence under the Romans, but grew considerably under the Angles. There is some commerce, and a royal residence, but the town otherwise has little to distinguish itself.

ENU00 England Northumberland -Northumberland is the northernmost shire of England, on the North Sea hard by the Scottish frontier. In Celtic times the home of the Otadini, the area did not come under Roman rule until the early mid-century, when the Emperor Antoninus erected his wall across Britain, and much of it was abandoned later when the Roman frontier was retired to Hadrian's older wall. Overrun by Picts and Scots and Angles in the 5th century, the province became the heart of the Kingdom of Northumbria in the 7th century, and was later overrun by the Danes, not being incorporated into England until the early 10th century. Northumberland is under the eccelesiastical jurisdiction of the Archbishop of York, as exercised by the Prince-Bishop of Durham, who holds extensive estates in the county. There is a little industry, but the province is primarily agricultural.

ENU01 England Northumberland Norham

ENU02 England Northumberland Alnwick

ENU03 England Northumberland Rothbury

ENU04 England Northumberland Newcastle-on-Tyne

ENU05 England Northumberland Pruhoe

ENU06 England Northumberland Hexham

ENW00 England North Wales -North Wales, anciently the home of the Ordovices and some other smaller Celtic tribes, was incorporated into the Roman Empire late in the 1st century. On the collapse of the Roman Empire, the only partially-Romanized tribes formed several small Christian kingdoms, which fought among themselves quite frequently, so that attempts at uniting all the Welch --North and South-- never succeeded. Fiercely independent, the northerly Welch successfully resisted the the Anglo-Saxons from the 5th century onwards, and even the Normans, albeit that their southern kin succumbed in the 12th century. However, little more than 50 years ago, Edward I, grandfather of the present sovereign, succeeded in subduing them with a combination of firmness and guile. Since 1301 the heir to the throne has been invested with the title 'Prince of Wales,' but this is largely a formality, and some of the Welch lords remain quiet restive. North Wales is part of the Archdiocese of Canterbury. The province is rather poor in commerce and industry, but there is some mining and agriculture.

ENW01 England North Wales Anglesey

ENW02 England North Wales Denbigh

ENW03 England North Wales Wrexham

ENW04 England North Wales Ruthin

ENW05 England North Wales Bottws-y-Coed

ENW06 England North Wales Caernoven

ENW07 England North Wales Pwliheli

ENW08 England North Wales Dolgelly

ENW09 England North Wales Llanidloes

ENW10 England North Wales Machynlleth

EOX00 England Oxfordshire -Oxfordshire lies in south central England, about 50 miles northwest of London. Anciently one of the centers of Celtic Britain, and there are many notable relics, such as the White Horse of Uffington. In Roman times it was of little consequence. Overrun by the Saxons in the late 5th century, Oxfordshire formed part of the borderlands between Wessex and Mercia, and passed several times back and forth between the two kingdoms and was for a time under Danish rule as well before being united with England in the late 10th century. The shire is part of the archepiscopal province of Canterbury. There is some mining, and some commerce and industry related to the university at Oxford town, but the economy is primarily agricultural,

EOX01 England Oxfordshire Bicester

EOX02 England Oxfordshire Chipping Norton

EOX03 England Oxfordshire Oxford, county town of the shire of that name, is home of the great university founded in 1190, one of the oldest in Europe.

EOX04 England Oxfordshire Maidenhead

EOX05 England Oxfordshire Newbury

EOX06 England Oxfordshire Woodstock

EPM00 England Pembroke -Pembrokeshire occupies the southeastern corner of South Wales, of which it formed a part until Henry II created it a county palatine under an English earl. Subject to the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The province has a surprising amount of commerce and industry, due to mining, shipping, and pilgrimages to the shrine of St. David

EPM01 England Pembroke St. David's is the see of a bishopric founded in the mid-6th century, the premier bishopric of all Wales, and there is a shrine of St. David, who converted the Welch in the 5th century.

EPM02 England Pembroke Carmarthen

EPM03 England Pembroke Pembroke, the shire town of Pembrokeshire, is an important port, as well a notable bastion of English power among the Welch.

EPM04 England Pembroke Llanstephen

ESM00 England Somerset -Somerset is a county on Bristol Channel in western England. The Romans took the area from the Belgae in the 1st century and it prospered under their rule, Aquae Sulis (Bath) being one of the principal towns of Roman Britain. Overrun by the West Saxons in the 7th century, the province passed several times between the Kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex before Alfred the Great created a united England. The province is under the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. There is some industry in the ports and larger towns, and the baths at Bath attract many visitors, but the province is primarily agricultural in character.

ESM01 England Somerset Bath, the ancient Aquae Sulis, is the largest and most important town in Somersetshire. The warm springs attract many visitors, and their money.

ESM02 England Somerset Weston-Super-Mare

ESM03 England Somerset Porlock

ESM04 England Somerset Glastonbury

ESM05 England Somerset Ilminster

ESM06 England Somerset Taunton, a very minor place, is nevertheless the county town of Somersetshire.

ESR00 England Surrey -Surrey is a county just southwest of Londontown. Overrun by the Middle Saxons upon the collapse of Roman power in Britain in the 5th century, it passed back and forth between various Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms until its incorporation into Wessex under Egbert in the early 9th century, thus becoming part of England. It is under the religious authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The shire is overwhelmingly agricultural in character.

ESR01 England Surrey Croydon

ESR02 England Surrey Woking

ESR03 England Surrey Reigate

ESR04 England Surrey Guilford

EST00 England Staffordshire -Staffordshire lies in the midlands of England, rather more than a hundred miles northwest of London town. The Romans took it from the Cornovii in the 1st century. It was overrun by the Angles during the 6th century, and later formed part of the Kingdom of Mercia before being incorporated into England in the 10th century. It is under the religious oversight of the Archbishop of Canterbury. There is some industry, but the province is primarily agricultural, and prosperously so.

EST01 England Staffordshire Newcastle

EST02 England Staffordshire Stafford is the county town of the shire of that name. There is some commerce here.

EST03 England Staffordshire Tamworth

EST04 England Staffordshire Wolverhampton

ESU00 England Suffolk -Suffolk is a shire in eastern England, just south of Norfolk, with which it shares a common history. Suffolk (i.e., home of the 'South Folk' of the Angles) is part of the archepiscopal province of Canterbury, and there is a local bishop at Dunwich. The province is quite prosperous, with some industry in the principal towns, a good deal of fishing and shipping in the ports, and much sheepherding.

ESU01 England Suffolk Framlingham

ESU02 England Suffolk Eye

ESU03 England Suffolk Bury St Edmunds

ESU04 England Suffolk Mildenhall

ESU05 England Suffolk Ipswich

ESU06 England Suffolk Hadleigh

ESU07 England Suffolk Glemsford

ESW00 England South Wales -South Wales was anciently inhabited by the Silures, who offered considerable resistance to the Romans before being subdued in the late 1st century. The fall of Roman rule saw the region break up into several Celtic-speaking Christian kingdoms, which fought among themselves quite frequently, so that attempts at uniting all the Welch --North and South-- never succeeded. Although the South Welch were able to maintain their independence against the Anglo-Saxons from the 5th century onwards, they were less successful against the Normans, and succumbed, after fierce resistance, to English overlordship in the 12th century. Since 1301 the heir to the throne has been given the title 'Prince of Wales.' The principality is under the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. There is a little industry, particularly mining, and some shipping along the south coast, but the economy is primarily agricultural, and rather poor.

ESW01 England South Wales Llangurig

ESW02 England South Wales Aberystwyth

ESW03 England South Wales Llandovery

ESW04 England South Wales Llanbyther

ESW05 England South Wales Cardigan

ESW06 England South Wales Cray

ESW07 England South Wales Llandello

ESW08 England South Wales Cardiff

ESW09 England South Wales Swansea

ESX00 England Sussex -Sussex is a shire occupying the southeastern coast of England, only about 30 miles south of London. Anciently inhabited by the Regni, it became part of the Roman Empire in the 1st century, and later formed part of the Litus Saxonicum, a defensive zone intended to keep out the Saxon raiders from across the North Sea. In the 5th century the South Saxons (hence 'Sussex') established a kingdom which endured until incorporated by Offa into Mercia in the late 8th century. The province passed to Wessex in the reign of Egbert, thus becoming part of what would become England. It was in Sussex that William the Conqueror landed in 1066, and near Hastings where he secured his claim to the throne by defeating the Anglo-Saxons under King Harold. Ecclesiastcial authority is vested in the Archbishop of Canterbury. There is a good deal of commerce and industry in some of the larger towns and ports, but the province is largely agricultural in character.

ESX01 England Sussex Hastings

ESX02 England Sussex Cuckfield

ESX03 England Sussex Pulborough

ESX04 England Sussex Eastbourne

ESX05 England Sussex Worthing

ESX06 England Sussex Chichester, is a surprisingly prosperous fief, including as it does a busy port and the old episcopal see of Selsey.

ESY00 England Salisbury -Salisbury is the comital title to which the earls of Wiltshire are customarily invested. Wiltshire is a located in southwestern England, about 75 miles west of London. The area was anciently at the heart of the territory of the Belgae, and was brought under Roman control in the 1st century. The province was overrun by the West Saxons in the 6th century, and was quickly incorporated into their Kingdom of Wessex, which forms the core of England. There is a good deal of commerce in the larger towns, as well as some manufacturing, and the province is agriculturally productive.

ESY01 England Salisbury Swindon

ESY02 England Salisbury Marlborough

ESY03 England Salisbury Towbridge

ESY04 England Salisbury Salisbury, or Old Sarum, is the country town of Wiltshire, from which the earls usually draw their title. The Romans called it Sorviodunum, testifying to its Celtic origins. It has been the site of a bishopric since 1075, and the great cathedral was completed in 1266. The town has some commerce, and is famous for its wollens, and, of course, is the center of an important agricultural region.

ESY05 England Salisbury Hindon

EWK00 England Warwickshire -Warwickshire lies in central England, some about 75 miles northwest of London. Of little importance in Roman times, the province was overrun by the Angles in the 6th century and was for long a part of the Kingdom of Mercia, until incorporated into England by Alfred the great. It is under the religious supervision of the Archibishop of Canterbury, but local religious matters are in the hands of the bishop of Convetry. There is a surprising amount of commerce and some manufacturing, as well as a rather productive agriculture.

EWK01 England Warwickshire Coventry developed around an abbey founded in the 11th century by Earl Leofric, whose wife was the famous Lady Godiva, and it was through the streets of the new town that she made her famous ride. A bishopric was established in 1102, and there are plans to raise a major cathedral. Of late cloth weaving has begun to flourish in the town, and it is likely to have a prosperous future.

EWK02 England Warwickshire Warwick

EWK03 England Warwickshire Bermyngham

EWK04 England Warwickshire Stratford-on-Avon

EWK05 England Warwickshire Worcester

EYS00 England Yorkshire -Yorkshire is a very large county in the north central region of England, nearly 200 miles north of London. Anciently inhabited by a number of tribes, most notably the Brigantes, the area was firmly brought under Roman control in the late 1st century, with the establishment of a legionary base at Eboracum. Overrun by the barbarians in the mid-fifth century, the province became part of the Kingdom of Northumbria. In 866 the invading Norsemen established their own kingdom in the province, which was in turn incorporated into England in 954. The province offered stiff resistance to William the Conqueror, and rose against him in 1069, a rebellion put down with great brutality. The largest county in England, Yorkshire is administratively divided into three 'ridings,' each of which is itself larger than most of the other shires in the kingdom. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of York. There is a good deal of commerce and manufacturing, including woolens, in the larger towns, and the province is very productive agriculturally.

EYS01 England Yorkshire Eston

EYS02 England Yorkshire Yarm

EYS03 England Yorkshire Bowes

EYS04 England Yorkshire Whitby

EYS05 England Yorkshire Helmsley

EYS06 England Yorkshire Leyburn

EYS07 England Yorkshire Masham

EYS08 England Yorkshire Scarborough

EYS09 England Yorkshire Stamford Bridge

EYS10 England Yorkshire York was founded as Eboracum by the Romans around the Year of Grace 70, on the site of an old Celtic stronghold. It was the second largest city in Roman Britain, and has more or less consistently remained so, regardless of whomsoever rules. York has been the seat of a archbishop (whose authority extends not only to northern England but also to all of Scotland) since the 7th century. To provide him with a church worthy of his position, and to give thanks unto the Lord for their prosperity, for more than a half century now the burgers of York have been building a cathedral, dedicated to St. Peter, but long since commonly known as York Minster. There is much industry in the town, including woolens, banking, and trade.

EYS11 England Yorkshire Harrogate

EYS12 England Yorkshire Hull

EYS13 England Yorkshire Market Weighton

EYS14 England Yorkshire Selby

EYS15 England Yorkshire Leeds

EYS16 England Yorkshire Bradford is another of those many small places the overlordship of which is in dispute. Held directly by His Grace, King Edward, it is nevertheless claimed by the French Seinguer 49 Enguerrand de Coucy.

EYS17 England Yorkshire Doncaster

EYS18 England Yorkshire Wakefield

EYS19 England Yorkshire Huddersfield

F0000 France France -France is the most ancient kingdom in Christendom, under a line of anointed sovereigns unbroken since the time of the Romans. In earliest times inhabited by the Celtic Galli, the country was brought under Roman rule by Caesar himself, after ten years of war, in the generation before the coming of Christ. For centuries one of the greatest provinces of the Romans, beginning in the late 4th century it was repeatedly invaded by various barbarians. The Franks arrived in the 5th century, and under Clovis (481-511) established a unified, Christian kingdom centered at Paris. The kingdom grew, and under Charlemagne extended from the Elbe to the Ebro. Partitioned soon after the death of Charlemagne, the western Frankish kingdom remains in the hands of the descendants of Charlemagne. Over the last two centuries the kings have pursued a vigorous policy of centralization, after centuries of splintering (Louis VI, who reigned 1108-1137, barely ruled the Ile de France), and, although there remain many strong dukes and counts, the kingdom is more unified than at any time since Charlemagne, albeit that many provinces retain their own estates and rights. There are many great and rich cities, numerous archbishops and bishops, and several famous universities. The kingdom, the most populous in Europe, has much commerce, banking, manufacturing, and shipping, as well as a rich and diverse agriculture.

FAC00 France Armagnac -Armagnac is a large county in southwestern France, hard by Guyenne and Gascony. In ancient times a part of Aquitainian Gaul, its early history is akin to that of Gascony and Guyenne, passing to the overlordship of the English kings in 1154 with the Duchy of Aquitaine. However, it returned to French overlordship in the late 13th century. The county is under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Auch in the south and of Bordeaux in the north. There is a little commerce and some industry in Auch, seat of the Archbishop and the count, but otherwise the province is primarily agricultural.

FAC01 France Armagnac Fleuvance

FAC02 France Armagnac Condom, although a small place, is the residence of a bishop subject to the authority of the Archbishop of Bordeaux.

FAC03 France Armagnac Auch is the largest town, and capital of Armagnac. It has been the site of an archbishopric since the 9th century.

FAC04 France Armagnac Nogaro

FAC05 France Armagnac Mirande

FAE00 France Aumale -Aumale is a county in northwestern France, on the English Channel. In ancient times the home of the Belgic Morini, it was conquered by Caesar in the century before Christ. The area prospered under the Romans, but in the 5th century was overrun by the Franks, who incorporated it into what would eventually become France. The county is part of the archepiscopal province of Reims. It has a good deal of commerce associated with the port of Dieppe, and is quite productive agriculturally as well.

FAE01 France Aumale Dieppe

FAE02 France Aumale Poix

FAE03 France Aumale Neufchatel

FAG00 France Agenois -The Agenois is a county in southwestern France, abutting on Guyenne to the west. Anciently a part of Aquitiane, its early history is similar to that of Guyenne, Armagnac, and Gascony, passing under English overlordship in 1154, but returning to French authority in the late 13th century. The county is under the religious authority of the Archbishop of Bordeaux. There is a good deal of commerce and industry in the larger towns, and the province is quite fertile as well.

FAG01 France Agenois Villeneuve-sur-Lot

FAG02 France Agenois Agen

FAG03 France Agenois Tonneins

FAG04 France Agenois Casteljaloux

FAG05 France Agenois Nerac

FAG06 France Agenois Mezin

FAJ00 France Anjou -Anjou, to which Maine is appended, is a county western France, in the Loire Valley, between Brittany on the west and the Touraine on the east. Anciently the home of the Celtic Andecavi, it became part of the Roman Empire under Juilius Ceasar, and was later incorporated into the Frankish kingdom. By the 12th century, the counts of Anjou were among the most powerful nobles in France, and under Geoffrey Plantagenet (so named from the use of a sprig of greenery as a symbol), married into English royalty, while other prominent angevins eventually acquired the thrones of Arles and Naples. Becoming part of the dominion of the Kings of England when Henry II ascended his maternal grandfather's throne in 1154, over the next 50 years or so Anjou was gradually lost to France, and by the early fourteenth century the King of France was also the Count of Anjou. The province in subject to the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Tours. Anjou is well watered and enjoys a marine climate. The principal products are wines, grains and cattle.

FAJ01 France Anjou Domfront

FAJ02 France Anjou St Hilaire

FAJ03 France Anjou Conlie

FAJ04 France Anjou Mayenne

FAJ05 France Anjou Fougeres

FAJ06 France Anjou Le Mans

FAJ07 France Anjou Laval

FAJ08 France Anjou La Lude

FAJ09 France Anjou Beaumont-en-Maine

FAJ10 France Anjou Craon

FAJ11 France Anjou Bauge

FAJ12 France Anjou Angers is the capital and largest town of Anjou, with about 40,000-45,000 inhabitants in the town and the environs. There is some manufacturing (armor and the like) and a little banking. There is a bishop and a new university was established this very Year of Grace 1337.

FAL00 France Alencon -Alencon is a county in western France, only a about a hundred English miles west of Paris. In Roman times a part of Gallia Lugdunensis, in the early 4th century it was overrun by the Franks and incorprorated into their kingdom. Included in that part of France which became Normandy in the late 9th century, it passed to the overlordship of the English king with William the Conqueror in 1066, but was restored to French dominion by Philip II Augustus in the early 13th century, who created the county. The county is under the religious jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Rouen. There is some industry and trade in the larger towns, and the province is quite fertile.

FAL01 France Alencon Argentan

FAL02 France Alencon Flers

FAL03 France Alencon Mortagne

FAL04 France Alencon Alencon

FAL05 France Alencon La Fert

FAM00 France Angouleme -Angouleme is a county in western France, some 200 miles southwest of Paris. It was anciently part of Gallia Aquitainia, coming under Roman rule in the century before Christ. Overrun by the Franks in the early 6th century, is passed to the Duchy of Aquitaine under Charlemagne, and for the next five centuries shares a common history with Gascony and Guyenne, not returning to direct French overlordship until the late 13th century. The province is part of the archepiscopal province of Bordeaux. There is little industry or commerce, and the county is overwhelmingly agricultural in nature, and produces a variety of fine wines.

FAM01 France Angouleme Confolens

FAM02 France Angouleme Rouchechouart

FAM03 France Angouleme Ruffec

FAM04 France Angouleme Angouleme, the principal city of the county of that name, was the Roman Iculisma. The seat of the counts of Angouleme since the 9th century, the town also has a bishop in residence. There are many notable chruches, particularly the Cathedral of St. Pierre, now more than two centuries old. There is some commerce and industry in the town.

FAM05 France Angouleme Cognac

FAM06 France Angouleme Barbezieux

FAU00 France Auvergne -Auvergne, which is about 200 miles southeast of Paris, was anciently the home of the Averni, noblest of the Gallic tribes, whose greatest chief was Vercingetorix, subdued by Caesar in 52 B.C. Overrun by the Burgundians in the 5th century, the Auvergne was eventually incorporated into the Frankish Kingdom. After the death of Charlemagne it was for a time disputed between Lothringia and France, until firmly incorporated in the latter by Charles the Bold in 870. The province forms part of the Archdiocese of Bourges. The provincial economy is wholly agricultural, producing grains and pigs in great abundance.

FAU01 France Auvergne Clermont is the capital and chief town of the Auvergne, seat of the counts and of a bishop. Anciently a Roman city, it has many fine buildings, including the cathedral, from which in 1095 Pope Urban II issued his call for the First Crusade. There is some commerce in the town, mostly related to the trade in agricultural produce.

FAU02 France Auvergne Mont Dore

FAU03 France Auvergne Brioude

FAU04 France Auvergne Murat

FAU05 France Auvergne Vic

FAU06 France Auvergne Aumont

FAU07 France Auvergne Aurillac

FAX00 France Auxerre -Auxerre is a county less than a hundred miles southeast of Paris along the Yonne River. In Celtic times the home of the Senones, after Caesar's conquest it became a district of Gallia Lugdunensis. Overrun by the Burgundians in the late 5th century, it passed to the Franks in the following century, and later formed part of the Carolingian Empire, being incorporated into ducal Burgundy, from which the county was created by the 11th century. The province is under the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Sens. There is some banking, trading, and manufacturing in the larger towns, and the countryside around is quite fertile.

FAX01 France Auxerre Sens was founded by the ancient Senones. Renmaed Agedincum by the Romans, it became the see of an archbishop in the Year of Grace 245. It is an important market town.

FAX02 France Auxerre Joigny

FAX03 France Auxerre Auxerre proper was a Gallic town before becoming the Roman Autessodurum. In addition to the residence of the count, it is the see of a bishop. There is some commerce here.

FAX04 France Auxerre Varzy

FBA00 France Bar -Bar is a duchy in the eastern part of France, up against the frontier of the Empire, of which it in early times formed a part of the Duchy of Lorraine. It passed to France in the early 12th century. The duchy is under the ecclesiastical authority of the Prince-Bishop of Verdun, who is in turn subject to the Archbishop of Trier. It is largely agricultural in character, but there is some commerce in the larger towns.

FBA01 France Bar Souilly

FBA02 France Bar Ligny

FBA03 France Bar Bar-le-Duc is the principal town of the duchy, a small but pleasant place.

FBA04 France Bar Domremy

FBG00 France Bigorre -Bigorre is a county in the south of France, up against the Pyrennes. Anciently a part of Aquitaine, its history is as that of Armagnac and Gascony for many centuries. After passing under English overlordship in 1154, the province was regained from France by Philip III in the late 13th century. It is part of the archepiscopal province of Auch. The county is poor, the soils rather infertile, and there is little commerce.

FBG01 France Bigorre Avreau

FBG02 France Bigorre Bigorre

FBG03 France Bigorre Tabres

FBG04 France Bigorre Luchon

FBG05 France Bigorre Luz

FBG06 France Bigorre Lourdes

FBI00 France Brie -Brie is a county in central France, formerly a part of the Ile de France. It's early history is much as that of Paris. The county is part of the archepiscopal province of Sens. There is some commerce in the larger towns, but the economy is primarily agricultural, grains and livestock being the principal products.

FBI01 France Brie Joinville

FBI02 France Brie Brienne

FBI03 France Brie Troyes

FBI04 France Brie Boisssy-en-Brie

FBI05 France Brie St Florent

FBL00 France Blois -Blois is an important county on the Loire between Orleans and Tours, less than a hundred English miles southwest of Paris. In ancient times a place of no consequence in the Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis, it was incorporated into the Frankish Kingdom in the 6th century. A line of counts was firmly established by the 11th century, and in the 12th the county grew considerably, constituting as it did a major frontier zone against the power of England's Henry II, who in that age ruled more than half of France. Since then the influence of the county has declined. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Sens. The province has some commerce in the larger towns, but is primarily agricultural.

FBL01 France Blois Beaugency

FBL02 France Blois Chambord

FBL03 France Blois Blois

FBL04 France Blois Valenczy

FBL05 France Blois Chaumont

FBN00 France Bearn -Bearn (pronounced 'barn') is a viscounty in southeastern France, hard by the Pyrenees up against Gascony. It first develops a distinctive history in the 6th century, when it was conquered by Basques northwards from Spain. Eventually passing to the control of Aquitaine in the 9th century, the viscounty became virtually independent during the 11th century, a situation which has not changed, as it is a fief of the powerful Counts of Foix. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Auch.

FBN01 France Bearn Orthez is the captial, ableit not the principal town, of Bearn, with some industry related to the viscountal administration.

FBN02 France Bearn Pau is the principal town, and main manufacturing center of Bearn, and much preferred by the vicomte over his official capital of Orthez, which is much smaller and poorer.

FBN03 France Bearn

FBN04 France Bearn Larun is a small city, with little to distinguish itself save that it is the seat of a bishop, and thus the principal ecclesiastical center of Bearn.

FBN05 France Bearn Urdos

FBO00 France Bourbon -Bourbon, properly the Bourbonnais, is one of the premier duchies of France. The area was incorporated into the Roman Empire by Julius Caesar, passed through the barbarian invasions, was for a time part of the Burgundian lands, and eventually was incorporated into the Frankish Kingdom. In 1272 the duchy passed into the hands of a cadet branch of the royal family, the house of Bourbon. Ecclesiastical authority is rather fragmented, for there is no bishop resident within the duchy, and portions of the it are subject to the archibishops of Sens, Bourges, and Lyon. The soil is fertile, and wheat and pigs are a major product, but there is little industry.

FBO01 France Bourbon Moulins is the traditional capital of the Bourbonnais, but it is a poor, small place and the duke frequently spends his time away.

FBO02 France Bourbon Taligny

FBO03 France Bourbon Souvigny

FBO04 France Bourbon La Palisse

FBO05 France Bourbon Montlucon

FBO06 France Bourbon Cousset

FBO07 France Bourbon Vichy

FBO08 France Bourbon St Eloy

FBO09 France Bourbon Gannant

FBO10 France Bourbon Chatel-Guyon

FBO11 France Bourbon Comment

FBO12 France Bourbon Rive-de-Allier

FBO13 France Bourbon Riom

FBR00 France Brittany -Brittany (Bretagne in French and Breiz in Breton, both cognate with 'Britain'), is one of the greatest duchies of France, a large peninsula jutting westwards into the Atlantic, with a distinctive history and culture. The ancient Amorica, Brittany had an advanced culture even before it was settled by the Celts sometime after 1000 B.C. Conquered by Julius Caesar in the last century of the Roman Republic, it was never fully Romanized. Nevertheless, after the collapse of the Roman Empire the region actually held out again the barbarians for some time, in the 5th century attracting Celto-Roman refugees fleeing the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain, so that a distinct Celtic culture survived. United in the 9th century, Brittany was only marginally associated with the Carolingian Empire, and threw off Frankish rule entirely under Duke Conan I (987-992). Thereafter, Brittany remained an independent duchy for centuries. Although gradually falling into the French orbit, Brittany remains semi-independent. Brittany falls under the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Tours. The duchy has a rugged indented coast, with many small ports. Fishing is a major industry, but there is some agriculture in the hilly, barren interior. The climate is very favorable.

FBR01 France Brittany St Quay

FBR02 France Brittany Perros-Guirec

FBR03 France Brittany Morlaix

FBR04 France Brittany St Pol

FBR05 France Brittany Brest, although blessed with a fine harbor, is a poor place, inhabited mostly by fisherman. Nevertheless, as the westernmost place in Brittany, its possession has long been considered vital to the establishment of one's claim to the duchy; "He is not Duke of Brittany who is not Lord of Brest," as the ancient saying goes.

FBR06 France Brittany Mt-St-Michel

FBR07 France Brittany St Malo

FBR08 France Brittany Dinan

FBR09 France Brittany Penthieve

FBR10 France Brittany Corlay

FBR11 France Brittany Carhaix

FBR12 France Brittany Morgat

FBR13 France Brittany Vitre

FBR14 France Brittany Rennes, the capital of Brittany, is rather Frenchified. Well populated, there is a little industry and some riverine commerce. The town is the seat of a bishop.

FBR15 France Brittany Rohan

FBR16 France Brittany Loudeac

FBR17 France Brittany Mur

FBR18 France Brittany Gourin

FBR19 France Brittany Crozon

FBR20 France Brittany Bain de Bretagne

FBR21 France Brittany La Guerche

FBR22 France Brittany Ploermel

FBR23 France Brittany Pontivy

FBR24 France Brittany Quimperle

FBR25 France Brittany Concarheau

FBR26 France Brittany Quimper

FBR27 France Brittany Chateaubriand

FBR28 France Brittany Redon

FBR29 France Brittany Vannes

FBR30 France Brittany Hennebont

FBR31 France Brittany Nantes

FBR32 France Brittany St Nazaire

FBU00 France Berry -Berry was anciently the home of the Bituriges, subdued by the Romans in the century before Christ. For long centuries a prosperous part of the Roman Empire, in the 5th century the region was overrun by the Franks and incorporated into their kingdom. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Bourges, who resides in the comital capital. There is a little commerce and some manufacturing in the larger towns, but the province is primarily agricultural in character.

FBU01 France Berry Aix-en-Bourges

FBU02 France Berry Bourges is the largest town in Berry, seat of the king as count, and the residence of an archbishop since the 3rd century.

FBU03 France Berry Mehun

FBU04 France Berry St Amand

FBU05 France Berry Ligniers

FBU06 France Berry Chateauroux

FBU07 France Berry Chatillon

FBU08 France Berry Pont-du-Cher

FBU09 France Berry Le Chatre

FBU10 France Berry Argentan

FBU11 France Berry Le Blanc

FBU12 France Berry Culan

FBU13 France Berry Aigurand

FBU14 France Berry Creuse

FBU15 France Berry La Croisiere

FBY00 France Burgundy -Burgundy is one of the premier duchies for France, Burgundy (Bourgogne) occupies an extensive area in east central France. Incorpoated into the Roman world by Julius Caesar, the area was thoroughly Romanized and Christianized by the time the Barbarian invasions arrived. In the 5th century the Burgundians, a barbarian tribe, invaded the area and established a kingdom which was incorporated into the Frankish Kingdom in 534. On the partitioning of the Carolinian Empire in the 9th century, two Burgundies emerged, one eventually to become the Kingdom of Arles, and the other the Duchy of Burgundy, which was further partitioned, so that the more easterly portions became the Franche-Comte. The present ducal house descends from a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, which was installed in Burgundy in 1031. Ecclesiastical authority is held by the Archbishop of Lyon. The region is prosperous, fertile and with numerous trade routes.

FBY01 France Burgundy Chaumont-sur-Marne

FBY02 France Burgundy Montigny

FBY03 France Burgundy Langres

FBY04 France Burgundy Chatillon-sur-Marne

FBY05 France Burgundy Champlitte

FBY06 France Burgundy Baigneaux

FBY07 France Burgundy Montbard

FBY08 France Burgundy Dijon

FBY09 France Burgundy Poilly

FBY10 France Burgundy Cote de Beaune

FBY11 France Burgundy Arnay-le-Duc

FBY12 France Burgundy Chalons-sur-Soane

FBY13 France Burgundy Autun

FCA00 France Champagne -Champagne is a large county in northeastern France, which gets its name from the Latin "campania," for "plain," which describes the county's principal geographic characteristic. Originally a part of Gallia, the area was incorporated into the Roman world by Julius Caesar, became part of the Frankish Kingdom in the fifth century, but became autonomous under County Robert in 864 following the dissolution of the Carolingian Empire. Under Robert's descendants semi-independent --sometimes very independent-- county flourished for over four centuries. In the late 13th century the reigning countess, Jeanne (who was also Queen of Navarre in her own right), married Philip IV of France, with the result that upon her death the county passed to their son, Louis X, and through him to the crown of France in 1314. Ecclesiastical authority is shared among the archepiscopal provinces of Sens, Reims, Trier, and Lyon. The sprawling county has a diversified econony, with some commerce and banking in the larger towns, some riverine trade, and a wide variety of agricultural produce.

FCA01 France Champagne Ste Menehould

FCA02 France Champagne Vouziers

FCA03 France Champagne Pont Flaverge

FCA04 France Champagne Reims is the capital and principal town of the County of Champagne, well populated, with a flourishing industry. The cathedral, which is the see of an archbishop, is also by tradition the site of the coronation of the Kings of France.

FCA05 France Champagne Chateau-Thiery

FCA06 France Champagne Rouvres

FCA07 France Champagne Chalons-sur-Marne

FCA08 France Champagne Vitry-le-Francois

FCA09 France Champagne Dampierre-sur-l'Aube

FCA10 France Champagne Provins

FCA11 France Champagne Melun

FCE00 France Clermont -Clermont is a large county just northwest of Paris. Anciently a part of Gallia Belgica, it was made part of the Roman world in the century before Christ. Overrun by the Franks in the late 5th century, it has formed part of France ever since. Created a county as a result of the Norse raids in the 10th and 11th centuries, by the area, by then known as the Vexin, was an important frontier zone protecting Paris. The Vexin passed from the direct overlordship of France to the authority of England's Henry II, who ruled in Normandy, in the late 12th century, but was restored to France by Philip II Augustus early in the 13th century. The county is under divided religious jurisdiction, portions being subject to the Archbishops of Reims and of Rouen. There is a good deal of commerce and industry in the larger towns, and the county is a fertile agricultural region as well.

FCE01 France Clermont Clermont

FCE02 France Clermont Beauvais

FCE03 France Clermont Pontoise

FCE04 France Clermont Vernon

FCE05 France Clermont Mantes

FCO00 France Comminges -Comminges is a county in southwestern France, between Toulouse and the Pyrennean counties. Anciently a part of Aquitaine, its history for the most part is linked with that of Gascony and Guyenne. Under English overlordship from 1154, when Henry II acquired Aquitaine, Comminges returned to the bosom of France in the late 13th century. The county lies within the archespiscopal province of Auch. It is purely agricultural in character.

FCO01 France Comminges Martres

FCO02 France Comminges Aurig

FCO03 France Comminges St Martory

FCO04 France Comminges St Gaudens

FCO05 France Comminges Boulougne-sur-Gesse

FCO06 France Comminges Tete de Garonne

FCR00 France Chartres is a large province about 50 miles southwest of Paris. Anciently a part of Roman Gaul, the area was overrun by the Franks in the 5th century and has formed a part of France ever since. It is under the religious authority of the Archbishop of Sens. There is a good deal of commerce in the province, and many pilgrims make their way to the great cathedral at Chartres town, but the principal mainstay of the life is agriculture.

FCR01 France Chartres Beaumont

FCR02 France Chartres Ablis

FCR03 France Chartres Chartres is the principal town of the province of the same name, an ancient city predating the Romans, who called it Autricum. The cathedral, Notre Dame de Chartres, built from 1194 to 1225, is the greatest in Europe.

FCR04 France Chartres Dunois

FCR05 France Chartres La Ferte

FCR06 France Chartres Chateaudun

FCT00 France Carlat -Carlat is a county in central France, between the Augerne and Limousin. Anciently a part of Aquitaine, its history is closely linked with that of Guyenne and Gascony. Passing to English control under Henry II in 1154, it returned to French overlordship in the late 12th century. The county is under the religious authority of the Bishop of Tulle, who is in turn subject to the Archbishop of Bourges. There is little commerce, and the province is primarily agricultural.

FCT01 France Carlat Ussel

FCT02 France Carlat Egletons

FCT03 France Carlat Treignac

FCT04 France Carlat Ventadour

FCT05 France Carlat Tulle

FEV00 France Evreux -Evreux is a county about two days ride west of Paris. In Roman times an area of little consequence, it passed to the Frankish Kingdom during the barbarian invasions of the late 5th century. The county was formed in the 10th century to help cope with Norse raids up the Seine, but in the following century passed to the Norse Duchy of Normandy, thereby falling under English overlordship in the 11th century when William of Normandy took the throne of England. Evreux was regained for France in the early 13th century by Philip II Augustus. The county has its own bishop, at Evreux, who is subject to the Archbishop of Rouen. It is primarily agricultural, though there are some merchants in the larger towns.

FEV01 France Evreux Evreux, the Roman Mediolanum, is the seat of a bishop. There is some commerce in the town.

FEV02 France Evreux Barnay

FEV03 France Evreux Dreux

FEV04 France Evreux L'Aigle

FEV05 France Evreux Gace

FFL00 France Flanders is the northernmost province of France, and, indeed, speaks Flemish in part rather than French. Anciently part of Gallia Belgica, it was subdued by Caesar himself, and was thereafter for centuries a part of the Roman world. In the late 5th century it was overrun by various barbarians, but eventually incorporated into the Frankish Kingdom. A line of counts established in the 9th century brought the province enromous power and influence, but the rise of commerce and industry in the main cities have made the burgers restive, and both royal and comital authority has frequently been challenged. Ecclesiastically, Flanders is under the Archbishop of Reims. Although there is considerable agricultural output, the ecomony is extremely developed, with woolens, lace making, banking, shipbuilding, and many other industries flourishing the cities.

FFL01 France Flanders Bruges

FFL02 France Flanders Ghent

FFL03 France Flanders Wingene

FFL04 France Flanders Dunkerque

FFL05 France Flanders Courtrai

FFL06 France Flanders Ypres

FFL07 France Flanders Calais

FFL08 France Flanders Boulogne

FFL09 France Flanders Lille

FFL10 France Flanders St. Omer

FFX00 France Foix -Foix, in southwestern France, hard against the Pyrenees, was anciently a part of Gallia Narbonensis (added to Rome in 121 B.C.), passed on the fall of the Empire to the Visigoths and then into the hands of the Kings of the Franks, before passing for a time to the control of the Counts of Toulouse, and later the Kings of Aragon. On the wrong side during the Albigensian Crusade, Foix passed to the house of Carcassone, who have used it to greatly strengthen their influence in the south of France. Foix is subject to the ecclesiastical authority of the archbishop of Narbonne. The region is poor, but not impoverished, and is well managed. Agriculture is the principal occupation, but there is some industry as well.

FFX01 France Foix Pamiers, a small, poor town, is the seat of a bishop, who is the principal religious authority in the County of Foix.

FFX02 France Foix Foix, capital of the county of the same name, is a small place, of some 25,000 souls, including its environs. There is a little industry, mostly connected with the comital court.

FFX03 France Foix St Girons

FFX04 France Foix Viella

FFX05 France Foix Tarascon-en-Foix

FFX06 France Foix Aulus

FFX07 France Foix Andorra, a small place perched on the Pyrenees, is not legally a part of the County of Foix, but rather since 1278 a condominium of the Count of Foix and the Prince Bishop of Seo de Urgel, in the county of the same name, in Catalonia, the two sharing authority. Although it has only about 16,000 inhabitants (who speak Catalan, not French), Andorra is nevertheless rather prosperous, due to its control of one of the principal passes over the Pyreness between France and the Spains. Under the ecclesiastical authority of the Prince Bishop of Seo de Urgel, Andorra falls into the Archepiscopal province of Tarragona, in Catalonia.

FFZ00 France Forez -Forez is a large county in southwestern France, up against the Arelate. In Roman times portions of the present county were part of the provinces of Narbonensis, Aqutainia, and Lugdunensis. Overrun by Visigoths, Burgundians, and finally Franks, the ownership of the area was confirmed to France in the final division of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century. The county is under the religious authority of the Archbishop of Lyon. There is little commerce here, but it is a fertile land.

FFZ01 France Forez Roanne

FFZ02 France Forez Feurs, the Roman Forum Segussiavorum, is the principal town of Forez.

FFZ03 France Forez Pontaumur

FFZ04 France Forez Rive de Gier

FFZ05 France Forez Thier

FFZ06 France Forez Clermont

FFZ07 France Forez Royal

FFZ08 France Forez Montbrison

FFZ09 France Forez Boen

FFZ10 France Forez Amber

FFZ11 France Forez Issoire

FFZ12 France Forez Puy de Dome

FFZ13 France Forez St Etienne

FFZ14 France Forez Firminy

FFZ15 France Forez Monts Dore

FGA00 France Gascony -Gascony is a large duchy in southwestern France. Anciently part of Aquitainia, it was incorporated into the Roman world by Julius Caesar and thoroughly Romanized. Overrun by the Visigoths in the early 5th century, and settled by Basques (hence 'Gascony,' from 'Vascones,' the Latin for Basque) in the 6th and 7th, the area became part of the great Duchy of Aquitaine. The marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to England's future Henry II in 1152 brought Gascony under English control, a control disputed by the Crown of France. The Duchy is under the ecclesiastical authority of the archbishop of Auch. Gascony is relatively wealthy. Despite a rather barren coastal region, and the great massif of the Pyrenees (which often exceed 10,000 feet), the land is suitable for cattle and sheep, and there are many fertile valleys, growing a variety of grains.

FGA01 France Gascony Borne

FGA02 France Gascony Mont-de-Marsan

FGA03 France Gascony Mimizan

FGA04 France Gascony Tartas

FGA05 France Gascony Maransin

FGA06 France Gascony Dax

FGA07 France Gascony Baiona, a Basque speaking city, is the capital and principal town of Gascony, although administratively the duchy is usually linked with Guienne and ruled from Bordeaux. An important port, there is a good deal of local industry in Baiona (in French Bayonne). The town is the seat of a bishop.

FGA08 France Gascony Lapurd

FGP00 France Grand Pre -Grand Pre lies in northeastern France, on the frontier of the Holy Roman Empire. In Roman times a part of Belgica, it passed to the Franks in the 5th century. The county was created in Carolingian times. Grand Pre is under the religious autority of the Archbishop of Reims. There is some commerce in the larger towns, but the province is primarily agricultural.

FGP01 France Grand Pre Raucourt

FGP02 France Grand Pre Sedan

FGP03 France Grand Pre Beaumont

FGP04 France Grand Pre La Chesne

FGP05 France Grand Pre Grand Pre

FGS00 France Guise -Guise is a duchy in northern France, hard by the frontier of the Empire. Anciently a part of Gallia Belgica, passed to the Franks upon the fall of Rome in the 5th century, it became a county in Carolingian times and later was made a duchy. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Prince-Bishop of Cambria, who is in turn subject to the Archbishop of Reims. There is a good deal of commerce in the duchy, and the manufacture of woolen cloth and lace, and the fields are rather fertile.

FGS01 France Guise Rocroi

FGS02 France Guise Hirson

FGS03 France Guise LeCateau

FGS04 France Guise Vervins

FGS05 France Guise Guise

FGU00 France Guyenne -Guyenne, or Guienne, shares its earliest history with Gascony, both provinces once forming part of Aquitaine. Relations between the dukes, who since 1154 have been the kings of England, and the Crown of France has always been testy. Guyenne is under the religious authority of the Archbishop of Bordeaux. There is considerable commerce and industry in the province, particularly connected with the wine trade, which flourishes, and a variety of agricultural produce as well.

FGU01 France Guyenne Marenne

FGU02 France Guyenne Royan

FGU03 France Guyenne Mirambeau

FGU04 France Guyenne Lesparre

FGU05 France Guyenne Blaye

FGU06 France Guyenne Medoc

FGU07 France Guyenne St Emillion

FGU08 France Guyenne Cadillac

FGU09 France Guyenne Bordeaux is the capital and chief city of Guyenne and all Aquitaine, as has been the case since Gallic and Roman times, when it was called Burdigala. In addition to the ducal court, the town is the seat of an archbishopric established in 314. There is a great deal of commerce, most notably the shipment of wine.

FGU10 France Guyenne Buch

FGU11 France Guyenne La Reole

FGU12 France Guyenne Graves

FGU13 France Guyenne Bazas

FGU14 France Guyenne Barsac

FGU15 France Guyenne Captieux

FLD00 France Languedoc -The Languedoc is an important county in southern France, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the south, between the Rhone River in the east and the massif central in the west. Anciently part of the Roman Gallia Transalpina, the region was throughly Romanized even before the Christian Era. Settled by the Visigoths during the 5th century, the area passed to the Franks during the Dark Ages, and in 924 it fell to the counts of Toulouse. From the 10th through the 12th centuries the Languedoc became the center of an important cultural flowering, with a distinct language (the 'langue d'oc,' a distinct tongue with many difference from French, most notably the use of 'oc' for 'yes' rather than 'oil,' commonly known as 'Provencal.' Note that the linguistic boundries of the Languedoc are much wider than the political ones). This flowering came to an abrupt end with the rise of the Albigensians (from 'Albi,' in Toulouse), a most vile heresy which had to b destroyed in a Holy Crusade preached by His Holiness Pope Innocent III in 1209. This resulted in the extirpation of the heresey and the return of many souls to the bosom of Holy Mother the Church. Ecclesiastical authority is divided, with some areas of the county being subject to the Archbishop of Toulouse, but most to that of Narbonne. There is a great deal of industry in many of the coastal cities, including shipping and weaving. In the interior there is a great deal of wine produced, as well as grains and some cattle and sheepherding.

FLD01 France Languedoc Montpelier, the principal city of the Languedoc, has a rather large population (some 65,000 including the environs). There is an active port, with related shipbuilding and servicing and a cloth industry. The city is the see of a bishop and there is a university, founded in 1289. For some time now the city has been enfoeffed to the 110 King of Mallorca since the late 13th century, but remains a part of France.

FLD02 France Languedoc Lodeve

FLD03 France Languedoc Badarieux

FLD04 France Languedoc Sete

FLD05 France Languedoc Beziers

FLD06 France Languedoc St Pons

FLD07 France Languedoc Carcassone

FLD08 France Languedoc Mirepoix

FLI00 France Limousin -Limousin lies in the southwestern part of central France. In Celtic times the home of the Lemovices, it fell under Roman rule in the century before Christ, and passed to the Franks in the 6th century. From Carolingian times the area was part of the Duchy of Aquitaine, with Gascony and Guyenne and much else beside, passing to English overlordship in 1154, and not returning to direct French rule until the late 13th century. The province is subject to the religious authority of the Archbishop of Bourges, exercised through the bishop of Limoges. There is a great cathedral under construction, and several other notable religious buildings in the town. The Limousin is famous for its cattle and its tapestries, and it produces a variety of agricultural produces as well.

FLI01 France Limousin St Leonard

FLI02 France Limousin Limoges is the principal town and capital of the viscounty of Limousin, as has been the case since Roman times. There is a bishop in residence, and some clothworking.

FLI03 France Limousin St Junien

FLI04 France Limousin St Yrieux

FLI05 France Limousin Chaluz

FLM00 France LaMarche -The Marche is a county in south central France. From earliest times the region has been part of Aquitaine, first under the Gauls and continuing under the Romans, the Franks, and Carolingians, thus sharing a common history with Guyenne, Gascony, Armagnac and the other regions of Aquitaine. It was organized as a "march" to defend the northern frontier of the great Duchy of Aquitaine in the 10th century, passed to English overlordship with the rest of Aquitaine in 1154, but returned to French overlordship in the 13th century, when it under the comital authority of the House of Lusignan. The direct line of the Lusignans died out later in the century, and the county has recently been entrusted to 176 Louis de Bourbon, a son of the Duke of Bourbon and cousin to His Grace the King of France. La Marche is under the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Bourges. There is little commerce, for the province is primarily agricultural, raising various grains and particularly sheep.

FLM01 France LaMarche Boussac

FLM02 France LaMarche Guerat

FLM03 France LaMarche La Souterraine

FLM04 France LaMarche Aubusson

FLM05 France LaMarche Bourganeuf

FLM06 France LaMarche Lussac

FLM07 France LaMarche Le Dorat

FLM08 France LaMarche Eymouthiere

FLY00 France Lyon -Lyon is one of the most ancient cities in France. A Gallic establishment known to the Romans as Lugdunum, Julius Caesar made it the capital of one of the provinces of Gaul, and for centuries it flourished as the largest city in Europe north and west of Rome. On the fall of Rome it was for a time incorporated into the Burgundian Kingdom, and later came under Frankish rule. After the partition of the Carolingian Empire it became part of the Holy Roman Empire, until it passed to France in 1307. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Lyon. The county prospers due to its excellent soil and fortunate location at the junction of several trade routes.

FLY01 France Lyon Bellevile

FLY02 France Lyon Lyon, the ancient Lugdunum, is the capital and principal town of the Lyonnais. It is the seat of the senior archbishop (founded in A.d. 178) and Primate of France. There is a good deal of banking centered in the town, which is an important commercial emporium and the center of a considerable cloth industry.

FLY03 France Lyon Givors

FMA00 France Macon -Macon is a large county in southeastern France, between Burgundy and Lyon. In ancient times a home of the fierce Aedui, under the Romans the area formed part of Lugdunensis. It passed to the Burgundians in the mid-5th century, and was not incorporated into the Frankish Kingdom until the late 6th century. The division of Charlemagne's Empire in the 9th century found it briefly part of Lothringia, but by the end of the century it was firmly attached to France. The county is subject to the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Lyon, but there is a bishop in Macon proper. Aside from some industry and commerce in the larger towns, the county is largely agricultural in character.

FMA01 France Macon Decize

FMA02 France Macon Tournos

FMA03 France Macon Beaujolais

FMA04 France Macon Le Creusot

FMA05 France Macon Montceau

FMA06 France Macon Macon is the chief town of the county of that name. The residence of a bishop, it has some manufacturing, of lace and such, and is an important market town.

FMA07 France Macon Cluny, an otherwise undistinguished fief, is the site of the greatest of all monastic foundations, the Benedictine Order of Cluny, established in 909 by Berno de Baume, and the model for the great reform of the cloistered orders which followd in the 11th and 12th centuries. It is a prosperous agricultural region.

FMA08 France Macon Parary-le-Monial

FMA09 France Macon Charlieu

FMF00 France Montfort -Montfort lies just to the south of Paris. The county's early history is tied up in that of Paris and the Ile de France. A seigneurie as late as the 11th century, Montfort was raised to comital status in the 13th century, when its most notable lord, Simon de Montfort (c. 1160-1218), led the Armies of Christ in the extirpation of of the heretical Albigenses.

FMF01 France Montfort Corbiel

FMF02 France Montfort Rambouillet

FMF03 France Montfort Maleshers

FMF04 France Montfort Etamps

FMR00 France Mortain -Mortain, anciently a part of Roman Gaul, was incorporated into the Frankish kingdom in the late 5th century. It was constituted as a county within the duchy of Neustria as a result of the raids of the Norsemen, eventually being incorporated into their Duchy of Normandy in the late 9th century, passing later into the hands of the English. It was regained for France by Philip Augustus in the early 13th century. The county is under the religious jurisdiction of the Bishop of Avranches, who is in turn under the Archbishop of Rouen. There is a some commerce in the larger towns, notably Avranches, and the county is quite fertile.

FMR01 France Mortain Vire

FMR02 France Mortain Hambye

FMR03 France Mortain Mortain is the comital seat, a small place, but well favored.

FMR04 France Mortain Avranches is a sizable town, the seat of a bishop, with a number of fine churches.

FNA00 France Narbonne -Narbonne is a province in southeastern France, near the Pyrennes on the Mediterranean. The area anciently formed the core of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis. During the Dark Ages it was overrun successively by the Visigoths, the Saracens, and the Franks, who incorporated it into Charlemagne's Empire. A part of France ever since, it has at times drifted into the Catalan orbit. The Archbishop of Narbonne holds ecclesiastical authority over the province and much of the surrounding area. There is considerable commerce in the towns, and the region is fertile.

FNA01 France Narbonne Narbonne was founded by the Romans in 118 B.C., and was and remains the principal city of its region, despite centuries of war and occupation by Visigoth, Saracen, Frank, and occasionally Catalan. For a time rule of the city was divided between the Counts of Toulouse and the archbishops (the see dates from the 4th century). The town is an important center of industry, with clothmaking and shipbuilding prominent.

FNA02 France Narbonne

FNA03 France Narbonne

FND00 France Normandy -Normandy was anciently a part of Roman Gaul. It was incorporated into the Frankish Kingdom in the fifth century. In 9th century it was frequently beset by raids of the Northmen, so much so that in 911 King Charles III of France conceded the area to one of the premier Norman princes, Rollo, who promptly became the fist Duke of Normandy. Normans soon proved among the most efficient warriors and administrators in Christendom. In 1066 Rollo's descendant, Willian the Bastard, conquered England, establishing the present dynasty there. Upon his death, William partitioned his lands, so that Normandy went to a different son than did England, but in 1106 the English King Henry I regained control of the duchy. In 1144, during the long war between Henry's nephew Stephan of Blois, who held the throne of England, and Henry's daughter Matilda, who wanted it, the latter captured Normandy. As a result, when Matilda's son Henry II came to the throne in 1154, Normandy was again reunited with England. A half-century later, however, in 1204, Henry's son King John lost Normandy to Philip II of France. Although the English title was formally renounced in 1259, many in England regard this as an illegal act by the not-very-bright Henry III, and thus there remains an English claim. Under French rule Normandy has been granted its own Estates and even has a charter of liberties. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Rouen. Normandy is by some reckonings the richest province of France, with busy sea and river ports, some banking and commerce, and some industry, including cloth making. It is fertile, producing many crops, and is noted for its livestock.

FND01 France Normandy Caux

FND02 France Normandy Harfleur is the principal port of Normandy, well fortified, and blessed with considerable prosperity.

FND03 France Normandy Barfleur

FND04 France Normandy Rouen is the capital and principal town of Normandy, possession of which is traditionally regarded as a sign of ducal authority. It is a busy river port, with shipbuilding and chandlering, as well as a number of other industries, including banking and clothmaking. It is the seat of an Archbishop as well as of the provincial estates.

FND05 France Normandy Honfleur

FND06 France Normandy Cotentin

FND07 France Normandy Louviers

FND08 France Normandy Deauville

FND09 France Normandy Caen

FND10 France Normandy Bayeaux

FND11 France Normandy Carentan

FND12 France Normandy Coutances

FND13 France Normandy Montgomery

FND14 France Normandy Aunay

FND15 France Normandy St Lo

FNE00 France Nevers -Nevers is a large county in eastern France, between Auxerre and Burgundy. The county was brought directly under the crown in the late 10th century, when it was severed from dependence upon Ducal Burgundy, of which it was formerly a part. It is subject to the Archbishop of Sens, but there is a bishop it in Nevers proper. There is little commerce or industry beyond agriculture, which is productive.

FNE01 France Nevers Vassy

FNE02 France Nevers Avallon

FNE03 France Nevers Saulieu

FNE04 France Nevers Corbigny

FNE05 France Nevers Clamecy

FNE06 France Nevers Chinon

FNE07 France Nevers Nevers

FNI00 France Nimes -Nimes is a county in southern France, anciently a very prosperous part of the Roman Gallia Narbonensis (for the early history of which, see Province, in Arles). The fall of Rome in the 5th century saw the region overrun first by Visigoths and later by the Franks, not to mention being repeatedly raided by even more barbarous Vandals, Langobards, and Saracens over the ages. Definitively a part of France since Charlemagne's day, the province is under the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Narbonne. It has a diversified economy, with much clothmaking in the towns, and is agriculturally highly productive as well.

FNI01 France Nimes Marvejois

FNI02 France Nimes Florac

FNI03 France Nimes Villefort

FNI04 France Nimes Rive de Rhone

FNI05 France Nimes Le Moulins

FNI06 France Nimes Ales

FNI07 France Nimes Le Vigon

FNI08 France Nimes Beaucaire

FNI09 France Nimes Nimes was originally a Celtic town, refounded by the Romans more than a century before Christ. It has been the center of government for the surrounding region ever since, and is also the see of a bishop. There are many notable buildings from Roman times. The town is the site of much clothmaking, including an unusual cotton fabric becoming widely known as 'de nimes,' and some banking.

FNI10 France Nimes Ganges

FNI11 France Nimes Carmaque, properly 'The Carmaque,' is a poor, swampy place noted, however, for a sturdy breed of horses.

FOR00 France Orleans -Orleans is a duchy in central France, astride the Loire River, centered on the town of the same name, while lies about 70 miles south of Paris. Anciently a Gallic city, Julius Caesar made it part of the Roman world, in which it prospered. Incorporated in the Frankish Kingdom during the fifth century, the area was eventually constituted as a duchy, often under a cadet branch of the Royal family. The duchy is under the ecclesiastical authority of the Archbishop of Sens. The is some riverine commerce and a little industry in the duchy, which is fertile and produces some fine wines, as well as grains and livestock.

FOR01 France Orleans Nemours

FOR02 France Orleans Montargis

FOR03 France Orleans Orleans is the capital and principal city of the duchy of the same name, seat of a bishop and a university, the later more than a century old. Much of the economic life of the duchy is centered here.

FOR04 France Orleans Biare

FOR05 France Orleans St Aubin

FOR06 France Orleans Meung

FOR07 France Orleans Sancerre

FOR08 France Orleans Salbris

FOR09 France Orleans Remorant

FPA01 France Paris Paris is the principal city of Europe north of the Alps, and the capital of France. It is at the heart of the county of the same name, sometimes known as the Ile de France. Originally a Celtic foundation, Lutetia of the Parisi, the town and its region were conquered by Julius Caesar in 52 BC. It flourished as a regional administrative and economic center to the end of the Empire, and was for a time the capital of the Frankish Kingdom, although not until Hugh Capet, the last independent Count of Paris, became King of France in 987, did the city definitively become the capital of France. There are many notable churches and shrines in Paris. Although under the religious authority of the Arbishop of Sens, the local bishop has considerable influence. There is a university, founded nearly two centuries ago, among the oldest in the world, and the most famous by far. The city is rich, with banking, clothmaking, armoring, and much else besides, and the contryside is productive as well.

FPC00 France Picardie -Picardie was anciently a part of Gallia Belgica, until added to the Roman world by Juilius Caesar. It flourished during the centuries of Roman rule, and during the 5th century was incorporated into the Frankish Kingdom. Although long a part of France political power in the province is in the hands of a number of local lords, under the overlordship of the King. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Reims. There is a good deal of commerce and banking in the major towns of the province --one of the most urban in all France-- and the countryside is fertile, producing grains and livestock.

FPC01 France Picardie Bapaume

FPC02 France Picardie Arras

FPC03 France Picardie Albret

FPC04 France Picardie Amiens is the capital of Picardie and one of the most important towns in northern France. There is a bishop in residence, and the town is noted for banking, commerce, and clothmaking.

FPC05 France Picardie Bretueil

FPG00 France Perigord -Perigord is a county in southwestern France, hard by Guyenne. Anciently a part of Aquitaine, it shares a common history with Guyenne and Gascony. Created a county within Aquitaine in the 9th century, it passed to English overlordship through the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry II in the mid-12th century. Regained for France by Philip II Augustus in the early 13th century, it again passed to English rule by the Treaty of Paris in 1259, along with Limousin and much of Quercy, but was brought back to the bosom of France around the beginning of the present century. The province is under the religious authority of the Archbishop of Bordeaux. Although there is some commerce and industry in the larger towns, the glory of the county is in agriculture, producing fine truffles and fat geese.

FPG01 France Perigord Montron

FPG02 France Perigord Thiviers

FPG03 France Perigord Perigord

FPG04 France Perigord Mussidan

FPG05 France Perigord Sarlat

FPG06 France Perigord Eyziers

FPG07 France Perigord Riberac

FPG08 France Perigord Bergerac

FPN00 France Ponthieu et Artois -Ponthieu et Artois is a small county in northwestern France, just south of the Pas de Calais, bounded on the north by Flanders and the east by Picardie. Anciently a part of Gallica Belgica, the county formed part of what became Flanders after the fall of Rome, not becoming a separate entitity until 1180, when King Philip I married Isabel of Hainaut. In 1329 the county passed to a Burgundian line of counts. The county --actually two counties, Ponthieu and Artois-- forms a part of the archepiscopal province of Reims. There is considerable trade and industry in the towns, notably wollens, and the local region is quiet fertile.

FPN01 France Ponthieu et Artois Bethune

FPN02 France Ponthieu et Artois Montreuil

FPN03 France Ponthieu et Artois Abbeville, a small town, was formerly, and by no means so long ago, in the possession of the King of England, who gave it up in 1328, on demand from his overlord, the King of France.

FPN04 France Ponthieu et Artois Eu,

FPO00 France Poitiers -Poitiers is a large county in the western part of France (properly the county is known as Poitou, pronounced 'pwha-too'). Anciently a part of Celtic Aquitainia, it was added to the Roman world by Juilius Caesar in 56 B.C. and eventually thoroughly Romanized and Christianized. In the early 5th century it was occupied by the Visigoths, but they in turn gave way to the Franks almost a century later. Upon the breakup of the Carolingian Empire, the county came under the control of the Duchy of Aquitaine, and, in 1152, passed to England as a result of the marriage of Elanor of Aquitaine to Henry II. Over the next century the county was gradually regained by France, but there is a latent English claim. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Bordeaux. There is a little commerce and some industry, but the county is primarily agricultural, producing a variety of grains.

FPO01 France Poitiers Ingrandes

FPO02 France Poitiers St Jean

FPO03 France Poitiers La Roche de Poitiers

FPO04 France Poitiers Neuville

FPO05 France Poitiers Parthenay

FPO06 France Poitiers Montmorillon

FPO07 France Poitiers Poitiers is the capital and largest city of the county of that name. There is some industry and there is a bishop in residence.

FPO08 France Poitiers Lusignan, a small, poor fief, is nevertheles the ancestral home, and present residence of His Majesty, King Leon of Armenia and Cyprus, who is presently exiled from his kingdoms due to the advance of the Infidel.

FPO09 France Poitiers St Maixent

FPO10 France Poitiers Bellac

FPO11 France Poitiers Isle Jourdain

FPO12 France Poitiers Maisons-Blances

FPO13 France Poitiers Niort

FQU00 France Quercy -Quercy lies in south central France. Since ancient times a part of Aquitaine, it thus has a common history with Guyenne and Gascony. Created a county in the 9th century, it passed under the influence of the Counts of Toulouse in the 11th and 12th centuries, but came under the direct rule of the Crown of France under Philip II Augustus, only to pass to English dominion by the Treaty of Paris of 1259, not again returning to the French Crown until late in the last century. The county is part of the archepiscopal province of Bourges, exercised through the Bishop of Montauban. There is some industry in the larger towns, most notably Monauban and Cahors. Occupying as it does a portion of the rocky plateau which dominates south central France, Quercy is rather infertile save in the river valleys.

FQU01 France Quercy Argent

FQU02 France Quercy Brive

FQU03 France Quercy St Cere

FQU04 France Quercy Grammat

FQU05 France Quercy Figeac

FQU06 France Quercy Gourdon

FQU07 France Quercy Cahors, the principal town and capital of the County of Quercy, is the see of a bishop, a major center of banking, one of the most important in France, an important trading city, and the site of a university. There are many impressive churches here, and the town is well fortified.

FQU08 France Quercy Montaubon, a modest town, is the resident of a bishop.

FQU09 France Quercy Moissac

FRO00 France Rouergue -Rouergue lies amid the large plateau which dominates south central France. In ancient times it was partially in Lugdunensis and partially in Narbonensis, it was overrun by various barbarians before finally passing to the Frankish Kingdom in the 6th century. Created a county in the 9th century, it was for a time under the influence of the Counts of Toulouse, until coming under the control of Philip II Augustus, in the early 13th century. Direct religious authority is vested in the Bishop of Rodez, who is under the oversight of the Archbishop of Bourges. There is little commerce in the county, which is mostly suitable for sheep raising (producing wonderful cheeses).

FRO01 France Rouergue Aiques

FRO02 France Rouergue Estaing

FRO03 France Rouergue Espalion

FRO04 France Rouergue Marvajols

FRO05 France Rouergue Rodez is the capital of Rouergue, and the see of a bishop. There is some commerce here, but the town is primarily agricultural.

FRO06 France Rouergue Sauveterre

FRO07 France Rouergue Villefranche

FRO08 France Rouergue St Affrique

FRO09 France Rouergue Alban

FSA00 France Saintonge -Saintonge is a large county on the Bay of Biscay. Anciently a part of Aquitaine, its history is one with that of Gascony and Guyenne, passing under English rule in 1154, under which it remains. The county is part of the archepiscopal province of Bordeaux. There is fair amount of commerce here, notably shipping, and some manufacturing. The province is fertile, producing grains and a wines.

FSA01 France Saintonge La Rochelle, the residence of a bishop, is a busy port, shipping wines to England and other lands.

FSA02 France Saintonge St Jean

FSA03 France Saintonge Pons

FSA04 France Saintonge Saintes is the comital seat of Saintonge. There is a bishop here. The town is a center of the wine trade, and they produce a fortified wine called 'cognac.'

FSA05 France Saintonge Rochefort

FSA06 France Saintonge Jonzac

FTH00 France Thouars -Thouars lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, between Britanny and Saintonge. In ancient times a part of Aquitaine, it shares a history of English rule with Guyenne and Gascony. It was regained for France by Philip II Augustus in the early 13th century, however. Thouars is subject to the Archbishop of Bordeaux. It has little commerce, but is fertile and produces a variety of useful crops.

FTH01 France Thouras Thours

FTH02 France Thouras Thorigny

FTH03 France Thouras Cholet

FTH04 France Thouras Retz

FTH05 France Thouras Chantonnay

FTH06 France Thouras La Roche de Thouars

FTH07 France Thouras St Gilles

FTH08 France Thouras Fontenay

FTH09 France Thouras Lucon, a small city, is the seat of a bishop.

FTL00 France Toulouse -Toulouse is an extensive county in the south of France. Originally a part of Gallic and later Roman Aquitaine, the region shares a history with Gascony and Guyenne, passing from Roman rule to Visigothic, and later Frankish, but was not incorporated into the Duchy of Aquitaine, a separate line of counts being established in Carolingian times. Under its counts, Toulouse rose to great influence in southern France, its authority for a time extending over Narbonne and the Languedoc (of which the county linguistically forms a part), and even into the Spains. However, the rise of the Albigensian heresy in the last century brought the counts to heel, and they for a time lost power to Simon de Montfort in 1215, only to reassert their authority by force of arms in 1218. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Toulouse, where there has been a university for more than a century now. There is considerable commerce and industry in the principal cities, Toulouse and Albi, but the county is otherwise primarily agricultural.

FTL01 France Toulouse Albi is an important market town, and once a center of the 'Albigensian' heresey.

FTL02 France Toulouse Toulouse is the greatest city in the south of France, with banking, manufacturing, and trading. The town is the site of a university founded in 1233, and of an archbishopric created in 1317. One of the leading cities of the Languedoc, and a center of poetry and art.

FTL03 France Toulouse Castres

FTL04 France Toulouse Revel

FTL05 France Toulouse Muret

FTL06 France Toulouse Castelnaudary

FTL07 France Toulouse Carbonne

FTS00 France Tours -Tours, sometimes known as the Touraine, is a large county in west central France, about 125 miles southwest of Paris. Anciently part of Gallia Lugdunensis, it was one of the last areas in which Roman authority held out, until nearly the end of the 5th century, when it was overrun by the Franks under Clovis, and incorporated into their kingdom. In 732 the Saracenic onslaught out of Spain was halted near the town of Tours. The line of counts was establised in Carolingian times, but the title escheated to the Crown centuries ago. Ecclesiastical authority is vested in the Archbishop of Tours. Although there is some manufacturing and commerce in Tours proper, the province is primarily agricultural.

FTS01 France Tours Troo

FTS02 France Tours Chateau-Renault

FTS03 France Tours Langeais

FTS04 France Tours Longue

FTS05 France Tours Amboise

FTS06 France Tours Tours, the Roman Caesarodunum, is the principal town of the Touraine, and the see of an archbishop since Roman times, two of whom have become notable saints, St. Martin of Tours (d.397) and St. Gregory of Tours (d. 594). There are several notable churches, and the town is a center of banking and trade.

FTS07 France Tours Loches

FVA00 France Valois -Valois is a county in central France, just north of Paris. Anciently a part of Gallia Begica, on the fall of Rome the area passed to the Franks. Over the centuries several families have been invested with the county, but all became extinct. The last line of counts was created only in the late 13th century, and in 1328 the reigning count ascended the throne of France, thereby once again extinguishing as independent line of counts in Valois.

FVA01 France Valois Coucy is a small, but prosperous fief a few days' ride north of Paris. In one of the most fertile regions of all France, Coucy also benefits from a good deal of trade. The present line of seigneurs has been in power for more than a century, and wield great influence from their castle, which has the greatest keep in France.

FVA02 France Valois Chantilly

FVA03 France Valois Villers-Cotterat

FVA04 France Valois Dammartin

FVE00 France Vermandois -Vermandois lies in the north of France, four or five days ride from Paris. In ancient times it was the home of the Vermandui, who were brought into the Roman world by Julius Caesar. Conquered by the Franks in the 5th century, it was constituted a county in the 9th, to help meet the threat of the Norsemen. It is under the religious authority of the Archbishop of Reims. The county has much commerce and industry, including clothmaking, and it is quite fertile as well.

FVE01 France Vermandois St Quentin

FVE02 France Vermandois Peronne

FVE03 France Vermandois La Fere

FVE04 France Vermandois Laon is the residence of a bishop.

FVE05 France Vermandois Craonne

FVE06 France Vermandois Roucy

FVE07 France Vermandois Soissons, for a time capital of the Franks, is an episcopal see, and the center of much commerce.

FVN00 France Vendome -Vendome is in west central France, about a hudnred English miles southwest of Paris. Anciently a part of Gallia Lugdunensis, it did not come under Frankish rule until the late 5th century. Created a county in the 9th century, it passed to the Angevin Plantagenet family in the 11th, and thus, when Henry II became king in England, to English dominion, to be regained for France early in the 13th century by Philip Augustus. Vendome is part of the archepiscopal province of Tours. The fief is overwhelmingly agricultural in character.

FVN01 France Vendome Vendome

FVN02 France Vendome Fontaine

FVN03 France Vendome Montoire

FVN04 France Vendome St Calais

FVN05 France Vendome Espulsay

FVV00 France Vivarais -The Vivarais lies in southeastern France, up against the Rhone River. Incorporated into the Roman world more than a century before Christ, it was overrun by the Burgundians in the 4th century, became part of the Frankish Kingdom in the 6th, but upon the division of Charlemagne's Empire became part of Lothringia, and then for a time the Arelate. It was finally united with France only in the early 13th century. Religious authority is rather confused in the county, as different portions fall under the Archbishops of Narbonne, Vienne, and Bourges. The province is primarily agricultural.

FVV01 France Vivarais St Chamond

FVV02 France Vivarais Tournon

FVV03 France Vivarais Le Puy, there is a bishop here, subject to the Archbishop of Bourges.

FVV04 France Vivarais Langeac

FVV05 France Vivarais Privas

FVV06 France Vivarais Joyeuse

FVV07 France Vivarais Langogno

FVV08 France Vivarais Viviers, a small city, is the comital seat for the Vivarais.

FVV09 France Vivarais Villefort

FVV10 France Vivarais Mende there is a bishop here, under the Archbishop of Bourges.

G0000 Naples Naples -Naples was founded by Greek colonists in the dim past. It came early under Roman rule, and prospered for centuries. Even the fall of Rome only somewhat dimmed the city's greatness, for it passed to Byzantine control in the sixth century, despite the fact that much of the rest of southern Italy was overrun by the Langobards. The advent of the Normans in the 11th century led to the gradual consolidation of all of southern Italy into the Kingdom of Naples, which eventually passed to the Hohenstauffen family, and achieved great levels of culture, prosperity, and civilization under the Emperor Frederick II. Unfortunately, that worthy had spent too many years disputing the temporal authority of the popes, and upon his death, the current pope authorized the French Angevin prince Charles I, brother of St. Louis, to assume the property, which he did in 1266, not without bloodshed. King Charles lost control of Sicily to Aragon in 1282, as a result of the extremely byzantine machinations of the Byzantine Emperor, who wished to curb Angevin ambitions in Greece. Nevertheless, the current dynasty of Naples decends from him. Ecclesiastical authority is quite diffused, as there are fully 20 archbishops in the Regno (Naples, Capua, Benevento, Brindisi, Bari, etc), not to mention a few places directly under papal authority (this is a consequence of the early co