Departement de la Lozere.

Title

Departement de la Lozere.

Description

Decorative hand-colored map showing the Languedoc-Roussillon region with a magnificent border depicting the land and its people. There is also a map index on the left and right and a coat of arms in the top center.

ca. 1850

Artist

Lemercier / Levasseur (1838-1875)

Huge Parisian firm of lithographic printers founded by Joseph Rose Lemercier (1803-1887), who began as the foreman for Langlumé in 1825. Working on his own account from 1827, 1829-36 in partnership with Bénard association formed in 1837 according to IFF catalogue for Joseph Lemercier. The firm was still active in 1841.

Historical Description

Languedoc is a historical region in the south of France along the Mediterranean Sea. In the Middle Ages, Languedoc was a culturally and economically important area with wealthy cities such as Montpellier and Toulouse. The region was also a center of the religious movement of the Cathars. In the 13th century, the Catholic Church, together with the French king, launched the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars. After this war, the region lost its political independence and became more strongly integrated into the French kingdom. In the following centuries, Languedoc developed into an important agricultural area, especially for wine production. The region also became important for trade routes between the Mediterranean and the interior of France.