Basse-Normandie
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Template:Infobox French Région Image:CarteregionBasseNormandie.jpg
Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy) is a region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie. The region includes three départements, Calvados, Manche and Orne. It covers 10,857 square miles, 3.2 percent of the surface area of France (Northcutt, 1996, p. 181).
The region's economy is heavily agricultural, with livestock and dairy farming, textiles and fruit production among its major industries. Iron ore is mined near Caen. Tourism is also a major industry. The region has direct ferry links to England (via the port of Cherbourg) and the beaches of Calvados were the site of the D-Day landings in June 1944. Basse-Normandie suffered badly during World War II, with many of the region's towns and villages being destroyed during the Battle of Normandy.
Regions of Lower Normandy include the Cotentin Peninsula and La Hague, Pays d'Auge, and the Bessin.
History
- Regions relating to Basse-Normandie: Gallia Lugdunensis, Neustria, and Normandy.
The history of the Basse-Normandie region concerns that part of Normandy termed Basse-Normandie (or "Lower Normandy") that was created in 1956, when the traditional region of Normandy, with an integral history reaching back to the 10th century, was divided into Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie ("Upper Normandy").
During the Roman era, the region was divided into several different city-states. That of Vieux-la-Romaine was excavated in the seventeenth century, revealing numerous structures and vestiges bearing testimony to the prosperity of the Caen region.
The region was conquered by the Franks in the 5th century.
In the 9th century, the Norman conquests devastated the region.
In 1066, William the Bastard conquered England, becoming William the Conqueror, or William I of England.
The victory of Tinchebray in 1106 gave Normandy to the Plantagenets. Nearly one hundred years later, in 1204, Philippe Auguste confiscated the region. Then, during the Hundred Years' War, the region was annexed by England.
The French regained the region from 1436 to 1450. By 1468, it was entirely under the control of the French monarchy.
The main thrust of Operation Overlord during World War II was focused on Basse-Normandie.
Culture
Normandy has its own regional language, the Norman language. This language is still in use today in Basse-Normandie, with the dialects of the Cotentin more in evidence than others. Lower Normandy has also been the home of many well-known French authors, including Guy de Maupassant, Marcel Proust, Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, and Gustave Flaubert. Notable Norman language authors connected especially with Lower Normandy include Alfred Rossel, Louis Beuve, and Côtis-Capel.
In terms of music, composer Erik Satie also hailed from this region. And in the visual arts, Jean-François Millet was a native of La Hague.
References
- Northcutt, Wayne; The Regions of France, A Reference Guide to History and Culture; 1996; Greenwood Press; ISBN 031329223X
- Some of the content of this article comes from the equivalent French-language Wikipedia article.
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