Duchy of Gascony: Map & History
The Duchy of Gascony or Duchy of Vasconia was a duchy located in present-day southwestern France and northeastern Spain, an area encompassing the modern region of Gascony.
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The Duchy of Gascony or Duchy of Vasconia was a duchy located in present-day southwestern France and northeastern Spain, an area encompassing the modern region of Gascony. The Duchy of Gascony, then known as Vasconia, was originally a Frankish march formed to hold sway over the Basques. However, the duchy went through different periods, from its early years with its distinctively Basque element to the merger in personal union with the Duchy of Aquitaine to the later period as a dependency of the Plantagenet kings of England.
Modern Countries Once Part of Duchy of Gascony
At its mapped extent, Duchy of Gascony covered territory in 2 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Duchy of Gascony's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Duchy of Gascony in Depth
History
Gascony was the core territory of Roman Gallia Aquitania. By the 2nd century this province was extended to include much of western Roman Gaul as far north as the Loire river. Thus, the name of the Aquitani came to be transferred to the territory of central-western France later known as the Duchy of Aquitaine. In 293, Diocletian re-created the original province of Caesar's Aquitania under the name of Novempopulania or Aquitania Tertia.
The Vascones were an Iberian people originally inhabiting a region between the Ebro and the southwestern Pyrenees during the Roman period, but by the end of the 6th century the Vascones defined a confederacy of native tribes with similar language and traditions on both sides of the Pyrenees who had not been culturally Romanized.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Duchy of Gascony (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Duchy of Gascony Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Duchy of Gascony appears, with the other states of the time.
Duchy of Gascony Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 56,472 km² in 780 CE.
Duchy of Gascony: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Duchy of Gascony exist?
Duchy of Gascony is dated to 768 CE – 1065 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of Duchy of Gascony?
The capital of Duchy of Gascony was Bordeaux.
How large was Duchy of Gascony at its peak?
At its peak in 780 AD Duchy of Gascony covered about 56,472 km².
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