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76-786: Little is known about the early history of the Segovellauni. After 121 BC, their territory was annexed to the province of Gallia Transalpina by the Roman Republic . In 62 BC, their oppidum Ventia was destroyed by the Roman legate Manlius Lentinus during the revolt of the Allobroges . By the 1st century AD, the Segovellauni were part of the Cavarian confederation . They are mentioned as Sengalaunoì (Σεγγαλαυνοὶ; var. σεταλλανοι) by Ptolemy (2nd c. AD). A regio segovellaunorum

152-484: A forum was located, probably surrounded by a civil basilica , curia , a temple , etc., of which the location is unknown. To the south of the presumed forum site, between the Rue du Théâtre and Rue Vernoux the ruins of the thermae were discovered. This thermal water supply, and more generally that of the city of Valentia , was thanks to the numerous springs in the vicinity. The site of Valence still presents

228-532: A senatorial province governed by a proconsul . Emperor Diocletian 's administrative reorganization of the Empire in c.  AD 314 merged the provinces Gallia Narbonensis and Gallia Aquitania into a new administrative unit called Dioecesis Viennensis (Diocese of Vienne) with the capital more to the north in Vienne . The new diocese's name was later changed to Dioecesis Septem Provinciarum (Diocese of

304-474: A Roman military camp. Even under the Roman domination, the Allobroges tribe established themselves north of Isère, and repeatedly rebelled against the Roman occupation. The Battle of Solonion  [ fr ] was the last to take place, identifiable with the modern commune of Soyons ( Solo by Livy , Epitome 103) in 62 BC. The city of Valentia was established on a terrace on the left bank of

380-742: A dense network of streams and canals born of the overflow of water which escapes in sources at the foot of the terraces, forming, in the east, a curved line from the source of the Treuil up to the Fountain of Malcontents, and near the Rhône and the lower town, a quasi-parallel line to the river from the Saint-Pierre source until the descent of the Boulevard Gambetta . Thus, the Chony quarter (in

456-521: A fragment of the True Cross . The episcopal district also included housing for the canons, grouped around a court cemetery, and a round church, Notre-Dame-la-Ronde. At the beginning of the 9th century, perhaps before, the Roman wall was raised with walls constructed from pebbles . In 890, the widow of King Boso of Provence had their son, Louis III , crowned King of Provence in Valence. In 1029,

532-676: A golden age for the medieval city, materialised by the Maison des Têtes  [ fr ] and the Pendentif de Valence  [ fr ] . Founded on 26 July 1452 by the dauphin Louis, future Louis XI , the University of Valence grew quickly. Renowned professors from various countries, as Jacques Cujas forged its reputation by teaching the law, theology, medicine and arts. After his coronation, Louis XI confirmed its preference by mailing

608-546: A market in the town of Valence, in 1476, during his stay in the city and confirmed tax privileges for the city of Valence. This era ended abruptly in 1562 during the occupation of the city by the troops of the Protestant Baron des Adrets : All the religious buildings of Valence were partially or completely destroyed. François Rabelais studied at Valence in 1532, before settling in Lyon, a great cultural centre where

684-602: A mass of about a ton. This mode of hauling regressed at the end of the 15th century, to be replaced by hauling by horses, except for local hauling. The city, safe from the flooding of the river and protected by its ramparts, was a step on the road for pilgrimages to Compostela . Religious life flourished, the Saint-Apollinaire Cathedral was built as well as the Abbey of the canons of Saint-Ruf  [ fr ] . Two major characters vied for power over

760-595: Is a commune in southeastern France, the prefecture of the Drôme department and within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region . It is situated on the left bank of the Rhône , about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Lyon , along the railway line that runs from Paris to Marseille . It is the eighth-largest city in the region by its population and has 64,726 registered inhabitants in 2018 (132,556 inhabitants in

836-457: Is also attested by Pliny (1st c. AD). The ethnonym Segovellauni is a latinized form of Gaulish * Segouellaunoi ( sing. *Segouellaunos ), which literally means 'chiefs-of-victory'. It stems from the root sego- ('victory, strength') attached to the word uellaunos ('chief, commandant'). The Segovellauni dwelled in the valley of the Rhône river, south of the Isère river and west of

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912-554: The A7 and A49 autoroutes, the RN7 , Paris/Marseille TGV line , as well as the Rhône . In addition, the Valence agglomeration is equipped with a marina  [ fr ] , a trading port  [ fr ] , two railway stations ( Valence-Ville and Valence-TGV ) and an airport . Its business is essentially turned towards the sectors of agriculture , metallurgy , engineering and electronics . The commune, founded in 121 BC, after

988-474: The Allobroges were defeated by Rome in 121 BC, their territory was annexed to the Roman Republic, and the Segovellauni certainly knew the same fate. In 62 BC, they were associated with an unsuccessful revolt against Rome led by the Allobroges, for the troops of Manlius Lentinus were stationed in their territory, near a small oppidum named Ventia. According to Cassius Dio , the Roman army "so terrified

1064-793: The Archbishop of Vienne invested Guigues III the Old of the County of Viennois. It belonged to the family of the Counts of Albon, which held the region for decades, frequently occupying the county and the Diocese of Valence . The region still suffered the raids of the Saracens at the end of the 9th and the 10th century. The Rhône was sometimes presented as the border between the Kingdom of France and

1140-545: The Burgundians were masters of the Rhône basin at the end of the 5th century; the Valence people fell to the Frankish Kingdom in 533 AD. These successive invasions removed almost all traces of Romanisation. During this troubled period, the city converted its ancient walls into stronger fortifications: Roman gates were bricked up, thus doing away with the two main axes of the city and lasting restructuring of

1216-659: The Dauphiné , of which it forms the second largest city after Grenoble and is today part of the network of French Towns and Lands of Art and History . Formerly the duchy of Valentinois, it was ruled by the Duke of Valentinois , a title which is still claimed by the Sovereign Prince of Monaco , though he has no actual administrative control over the area. Monuments in Valence include the Maison des Têtes  [ fr ] , built between 1528 and 1532 by Antoine de Dorne,

1292-570: The Ferme Générale and redistributed the proceeds of his theft from it. After spending several days in the city prison, Mandrin was sentenced to death : It was conducted on the Place des Clercs  [ fr ] where the scaffold was erected, his death ensued on the breaking wheel . His body was exposed after his death, during three days, and many people flocked to pay him a last tribute, as his popularity increased. The death of Mandrin on

1368-719: The Goths under Ataulf besieged and captured the brother of the usurper Jovinus , Sebastianus , at Valentia on behalf of the emperor Honorius . In 440, Alans led by Sambida were given deserted lands in Valentia by the Romans. Three years later, Aetius settled the Burgundians in the region, under King Gondioc which became part of the Kingdom of the Burgundians . His son, Chilperic II , ruled Valence from 473 to 493 when he

1444-468: The Holy Roman Empire which made Valence part, until the 15th century, but it was especially a link between the countries bordering it. The Diocese of Valence, as the rival principality, the County of Valentinois and Diois, extended on both sides. It was also an important commercial axis, especially for salt, which would benefit the city which guards traces of the name of Rue "Saunière", formerly

1520-461: The Rhône river, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of the confluence of the Isère and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the Drôme . This geographical situation is understood by the crossing of several routes of transport and communications: The city of Valence, as many Gallo-Roman cities, received an orthonormal plan. The orientation of the urban streets network successively followed cadastres "A" inclined N, 12°30'E and "B", inclined N, 23°E, in

1596-466: The Saint-Apollinaire Cathedral , built between 1063 and 1099 under the leadership of Bishop Gontard and also the monumental fountain  [ fr ] designed by the architect Eugène Poitoux. The city has many historical monuments  [ fr ] , most of which are in Vieux Valence  [ fr ] . Inscribed on the list of floral towns and villages of France, Valence is one of

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1672-658: The Salyes who had ravaged its territory. The intervention of the Romans, from 125 BC, assured its safety but the war continued against the Allobroges , among whom the Salyes people had found refuge. In August 121 BC, the army of Quintus Fabius Maximus crushed them at the Battle of the Isère River (confluence of the Rhône and Isère ) according to Strabo ( Geographica , IV, 1, 11). Orosius noted that Gaius Marius , who

1748-535: The Sertorian War (80–72 BCE) against the breakaway state of former Roman senator and general Sertorius , Gallia Narbonensis was an important base for military activities. This was an important event in the Romanization of Narbonese Gaul, as it resulted in the Romans organizing the province. Control of the province, which bordered directly on Italia , gave the Roman state several advantages: control of

1824-597: The Vercors Massif , around the present-day city of Valence . This land, corresponding to the modern Valentinois region, was called the 'Island' by Polybius and Livy in their description of Hannibal's crossing of the Alps in 218 BC, for it was situated between the Rhône and the Isère, near the confluence of the two rivers. In the south, their territory stretched down to the Drôme river , or perhaps further south into

1900-531: The 1st century BC, the Segovellauni were absorbed into the civitas Valentinorum (or colonia Valentia ), founded under Caesar or Augustus . According to Stephen L. Dyson, a border land around their capital, Valentia (modern Valence ), seems to have been detached from the territory of the Cavari and given to the smaller Segovellauni by the Romans, since Pliny (1st c. AD) described the settlement as in agro Cavarum , whereas Ptolemy (2nd c. AD) had it belonging to

1976-418: The 4th century, Valentia faced many raids but the city within the ramparts retained its monumental adornments competing according to Ammianus Marcellinus ( Histoires , XV, 11, 14), with Arles and Vienne . At the dawn of the 5th century, the city lived in shelter of the ramparts erected under the late Roman Empire (still a visible construction in the 19th century). The Visigoths seized Valence in 413 AD;

2052-561: The Allobroges at bay. Like the Tricastini and Memini , they nonetheless lived as clients of the neighbouring Cavari as part of their confederation. The location of the pre-Roman chief town of the Segovellauni has been debated in scholarship, but it is traditionally ascribed to the oppidum of Malpas ( Soyons ), on the west bank of the Rhône. During the Allobrogian revolt of 62 BC, the Roman legate Manlius Lentinus stationed troops in

2128-465: The Allobroges of the plain to let the Carthaginians move across their territory. Possibly acting as a rearguard, Segovellaunian troops then escorted them until the Alps, where the Carthaginians were eventually left alone with the hostile Allobroges of the mountains, who were not part of the agreement. In his account, however, Livy specifically states that the two chieftains were Allobrogian. When

2204-599: The Gauls from pursuing the attack. The Roman legate then overran the Segovellaunian territory again and eventually destroyed Ventia. Gallia Transalpina Gallia Narbonensis ( Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne ", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Occitania and Provence , in Southern France . It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it

2280-745: The Rhône corridor a major north-south communication axis, linking with the new Roman possessions around the Mediterranean Sea . Many settlements were founded, including Valentia , a Latin name meaning La Vaillante [brave], La Vigoureuse [strong], in the territory of the Segovellaunes  [ fr ] . The town named Valença in Occitan ( Classical norm ), Valènço in literary Provençal and Valinço in local Vivaro-Alpine ( Mistralian norm ). The city of Massalia , long on good terms with Rome, asked it for help against

2356-468: The Segovellauni. Little is known about the early history of the Segovellauni. Since the 'Island' mentioned by ancient authors corresponds to their territory, some scholars have proposed that Brancus (or Braneus), the Gallic chieftain who allied with Hannibal and provided him with supplies and diplomatic protection in 218 BC, was actually Segovellaunian. In this view, Braneus may have found an agreement with

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2432-645: The Seven Provinces), indicating that Diocletian had demoted the word "province" to mean a smaller subdivision than in traditional usage. Galla Narbonensis and surrounding areas were incorporated into the Visigothic Kingdom between AD 462 and 477, permanently ending Roman political control. After the Gothic takeover, the Visigothic dominions were to be generally known as Septimania , while to

2508-538: The Valence plain. We know the decumanus of the city thanks to the discovery of a pavement and a sewer a few metres north of the city hall. The cardo of the urban network was the Via Agrippa that crossed the city in a straight line from the southern gate of the city to the old gate and Tower of Aion, north of the city, which later became "Tourdeon" (now destroyed). It was along the Via Agrippa that

2584-443: The capital of hauling along the towpath , because beside this advantage due to the wind, it was a one-day stop from Lyon, and a crossroads into the mountains. Finally, the rise of the Rhône was particularly difficult at Valence, which caused forced stops. Several Valentinois were specialised in the brokerage of haulers. The haulers pulled either a big boat or boat trains, with teams from a few dozen to several hundred men. Each man drew

2660-534: The city had been the capital of the Segalauni  [ fr ] , and the seat of a celebrated school prior to the Roman conquest. It became a colony under Augustus , and was an important town of Viennensis Prima under Valentinian I . It was the seat of a bishopric perhaps as early as the 4th century. In the 5th century, control of Valentia passed from the Romans to the Alans and other barbarians : in 413,

2736-549: The city of Massalia sided with the Pompeians during the civil war . After the war ended, the city of Massalia lost all of its independence and was fully subject to Roman rule. In 40 BC, during the Second Triumvirate , Lepidus was given responsibility for Narbonese Gaul (along with Hispania and Africa), while Mark Antony was given the balance of Gaul. After becoming Emperor , Augustus made Gallia Narbonensis

2812-522: The city: The Bishop and the Count of Valentinois . Economic growth translated into the development of towns, especially on the side of the Rhône: The Rivière (Riperia) said today, less poetically, as "Basse-Ville". The new city, north of the former Pomperi gate and Bourg-Saint-Pierre, formed around the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, which spawned the current commune of Bourg-lès-Valence . Elsewhere, on

2888-434: The control of the city they had won in the fifth century. These bishops were often in conflict with the citizens and the counts of Valentinois and to strengthen their hands against the latter the pope in 1275 united their bishopric with that of Die . The citizens put themselves under the protection of the dauphin , and in 1456 had their rights and privileges confirmed by Louis XI and put on an equal footing with those of

2964-460: The current commune of Bourg-lès-Valence ), were found remains of pipes that belonged to the aqueduct that brought water from the source of the Treuil to Valence. All around the current cathedral were discovered fragments of architecture probably belonging to a large temple. The city had entertainment facilities: The city was surrounded by ramparts from the early Roman Empire . This was constructed between 15 BC and 15 AD. In 1869, excavations to

3040-587: The disappearance of the County of Valentinois  [ fr ] , incorporated into the Province of Dauphiné  [ fr ] , the dauphin Louis II de Poitiers-Valentinois  [ fr ] may have imposed homage to the Bishop and Abbot of Saint-Ruf (free abbot, with immunity from Royal taxes and so forth): Valence was therefore incorporated into the province of Dauphiné. On the death of Louis II, who

3116-463: The east of the lower Rhone the term Provence came into use. (This list is based on A.L.F. Rivet, Gallia Narbonensis (London: Batsford, 1988), pp. 79, 86f.) 44°00′00″N 4°00′00″E  /  44.0000°N 4.0000°E  / 44.0000; 4.0000 Valence (city) Valence ( US : / v ə ˈ l ɒ̃ s , v æ ˈ l ɒ̃ s / , French: [valɑ̃s] ; Occitan : Valença [vaˈlensɔ] )

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3192-468: The eastern part of the area (French Provence , Occitan Provença ), now a region of France. By the mid-2nd century BC, Rome was trading heavily with the Greek colony of Massalia (modern Marseille ) on the southern coast of Gaul. Massalia, founded by colonists from Phocaea , was by this point centuries old and quite prosperous. Rome entered into an alliance with Massalia, by which it agreed to protect

3268-592: The first Roman road in Gaul, connecting Gaul to Hispania, and the Via Aquitania , which led toward the Atlantic through Tolosa (Toulouse) and Burdigala (Bordeaux). Thus, the Romans built a crossroads that made Narbonne an optimal trading center, and Narbonne became a major trading competitor to Massalia. From Narbonne, the Romans established the province of Transalpine Gaul, later called Gallia Narbonensis. During

3344-467: The further security of Gallia Narbonensis. The area became a Roman province in 121 BCE. The province had come into Roman control originally under the name Gallia Transalpina (Transalpine Gaul), which distinguished it from Cisalpine Gaul on the near side of the Alps to Rome. In this strip of land, the Romans founded the town of Narbonne in 118 BC. At the same time, they built the Via Domitia ,

3420-423: The inhabitants that the majority ran away and the rest sent ambassadors regarding peace. Just then the country population coming to their aid suddenly fell upon him; and he was repulsed from the wall, but ravaged the land with impunity" until Catugnatus , the leader of the Allobroges, came to their aid with some troops stationed along the Isère. Lentinus was nearly captured by Catugnatus, but a violent storm prevented

3496-696: The installation of a new barracks in the Rollin quarter, north of the Roman road. Charles IX passed through the town during his royal tour of France (1564–1566), accompanied by the Court and the nobles of the Kingdom: His brother the Duke of Anjou , Henri de Navarre and the Cardinals of Bourbon and Lorraine . It was in Valence that the saga of Louis Mandrin ended in May 1755, the smuggler who challenged

3572-534: The invasion of Gallia Narbonensis by the Romans , it moved quickly to become the largest crossroad behind Lyon . With its growing importance, Valence gained the status of Roman colony. Over the centuries, the town grew and grew. Today, many vestiges of the Middle Ages , Renaissance , but also from the 17th century, 18th century and 19th century are visible in the city centre. The city is historically attached to

3648-466: The land route between Italy and the Iberian Peninsula ; a territorial buffer against Gallic attacks on Italy; and control of the lucrative trade routes of the Rhône valley between Gaul and the markets of Massalia. It was from the capital of Narbonne that Julius Caesar began his Gallic Wars . Caesar rebuilt Narbo and built the cities of Forum Julium and Arles . Julius Caesar also granted many communities in Gallia Narbonensis citizenship. In 49 BC,

3724-399: The letters patent for the university on 12 October 1461. In March 1480, the King still supported his preferred university. The dauphin Louis made numerous stays in Valence where, as a sign of allegiance, he donated a gate to the city, the Saunière gate and a few houses nearby. It made for a "delphinal palace", later occupied by the religious order of the Recollects . As Louis XI, he allowed

3800-484: The library trade blossomed. A strategic location in the Rhône Valley, Valence had been militarised since its origin and had 7,100 inhabitants in the 1700s, who bore responsibility for housing soldiers. To reduce this burden a municipal deliberation was offered in 1714: a barracks was constructed in the current Rue Bouffier , a temporary camp which quickly became inadequate to accommodate the 12,000 men and 20,000 horses stationed there. The city invested 190,000 livres for

3876-406: The location of the modern Narbonne ), a Roman colony founded on the coast in 118 BC. The name Gallia Narbonensis most likely originates in the Augustan era. Its first recorded use was in a census conducted by Gnaeus Pullius Pollio . The Romans had called it Provincia Nostra ("our province") or simply Provincia ("the province"). The term has survived in the modern name of Provence for

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3952-506: The majority of the Rhone catchment. The western region of Gallia Narbonensis was known as Septimania . The province was a valuable part of the Roman Empire , owing to the Greek colony and later Roman Civitas of Massalia , its location between the Spanish provinces and Rome, and its financial output. The province of Gallia Transalpina ("Transalpine Gaul") was later renamed Gallia Narbonensis , after its newly established capital of Colonia Narbo Martius (colloquially known as Narbo, at

4028-434: The middle terrace, habitat outside-the-walls was associated with religious foundations: The commandery of the Hospitallers, the Tourdeon gate, the Abbey of Saint-Félix, the Saint-Sulpice gate, the Faventines Templar Commandery, the Benedictine Priory of Saint-Victor in the south near the former Via Agrippa and, perhaps, further to the south, a leprosarium whose memory is retained through the channel of la Maladière. After

4104-436: The name given to it is “the Island.” The Allobroges live close by, a tribe that in those days was already second to none of the Gallic tribes in wealth or reputation. They lived south of the Allobroges , north of the Helvii , Tricastini and Vocontii , east of the Vellavi , and west of the Vertamocorii and Tricorii . The Segovellauni were in control of a section of the Isère river mouth , from which they were able to hold

4180-407: The name of one of the four gates of Valence, the one which gave access to the south. The city also benefitted from its position at a point of change in the regime of winds in the Rhône Valley: In the Middle Ages, vessels ascended the river only by being hauled to the col, by sweat (by men). North of Valence, the rise could be done under sail (but not always). At the end of the 15th century, it was even

4256-407: The old provincial divisions. In the region, it was Largentière which called for a Fête de la Fédération on 23 August, Romans-sur-Isère in September, La Voulte gathered 12,000 National Guardsmen to the Champs de l'Étoile on 29 November. Valence invited the surrounding communities on 31 January and brought together 16,000 guards of 293 communes. The region had other celebrations of federation in

4332-416: The plain of Montélimar . It likely covered the Vivarais region west of the Rhône, between the rivers Eyrieux and Doux . ... [Hannibal] reached a place called the 'Island', a populous district producing abundance of corn and deriving its name from its situation; for the Rhone and Isère running along each side of it meet at its point. It is similar in size and shape to the Egyptian Delta; only in that case

4408-428: The posthouse, a cashmere of India (offered to the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament), a compass and a powder spoon (available at the Museum of Valence in 1862). He also met the future Cardinal Spina , who would negotiate on behalf of Pope Pius VII in the Concordat of 1801, on the same day. After the convening of the Estates-General , agitation and anxiety grew until the storming of the Bastille , news of which reached

4484-421: The powerful Gallic tribes to the north, especially the tribes known as the Arverni and the Allobroges . In the First Transalpine War (125–121 BCE), the Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus (later additionally named Allobrogicus) campaigned in the area and defeated the Allobroges and the Arverni under king Bituitus in the Battle of the Isère River . This defeat substantially weakened the Arverni and ensured

4560-643: The region around 20 July, causing hope but also increasing concerns of a reactionary plot of aristocrats. The Great Fear arose in the region of a rumor, and spread by degrees, at a blistering pace according to local networks, putting all the villages in motion for their defence. Once the peak of fear passed, a latent anxiety remained, the village communities realised that in an emergency, they were in fact isolated and practically reduced to their own devices. National guards were formed quickly, including in Valence, but communities found it insufficient, and they constituted local federations of mutual assistance, bypassing

4636-468: The rest of Dauphiné , the bishops consenting to recognize the suzerainty of the dauphin. In the 16th century Valence became the centre of Protestantism for the province in 1563. The town was fortified by King Francis I . It became the seat of a celebrated university in the middle of the 15th century; but the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 struck a fatal blow at its industry, commerce and population. The conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar made

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4712-422: The sea forms the base line uniting the two branches of the Nile, while here the base line is formed by a range of mountains difficult to climb or penetrate, and, one may say, almost inaccessible. On the fourth day’s march, he reached the Island. There, in the middle of the plains, is the confluence of the Isère and Rhone rivers, which run down from different Alpine ranges, enclosing a considerable amount of land; and

4788-514: The seventeen municipalities of the Rhône-Alpes region to be labeled "four flowers" by the Concours des villes et villages fleuris , i.e. the maximum level. The demonym corresponding to Valence is Valentinois , but " Valentinois " also designates a geographical area, and one of the old provinces of France , with its capital Valence having been part of the province of Dauphiné . The word valence comes from Latin valentia , meaning "strength or capacity". Known in Roman times as Valentia Julia ,

4864-403: The south of the old town revealed the existence of a monumental gate defended by two protruding towers. The façade, or at least the pillars which were observed during the excavation, was covered with a large piece of sandstone and adorned with a frieze of military trophies: shields, leggings and breastplates. Houses settled around the city, outside the city walls. The ancient port was perhaps on

4940-411: The territory of the Segovellauni, near an oppidum named Ventia. Although its location remains obscure, some scholars have proposed to identify Ventia with Malpas, which would explain why the Roman legates Lucius Marius and Servius Galba "crossed the Rhone" towards the territory of the Allobroges, itself located between the Rhône and the Alps, in Cassius Dio 's account of the events. In the second part of

5016-422: The territory of the current commune of Bourg-les-Valence. Numerous tombs were crowded at the exit of the city, along the tracks: Several burial grounds were discovered in the east and south of the ancient city. During the first centuries of the Christian era, Valence became an important road junction on maps and routes, and the late Roman Empire , this city retained its privileged position. However, as early as

5092-401: The then longest ever reigning Roman Catholic Church's 250th Pope Pius VI died here in exile from his Vatican, then within the 754–1798 Papal States, but now within the 1st Republic of France's created 1798–1799 Roman Republic. After some political intrigue covering more than two years, it will not be until December 24, 1801, that the then late pope's body will finally leave Valence and return to

5168-413: The town from local Gauls , nearby Aquitani , sea-borne Carthaginians and other rivals, in exchange for a small strip of land that it wanted in order to build a road to Hispania , to assist in troop transport. The Massalians, for their part, cared more for their economic prosperity than they did for territorial integrity. During this period, the Mediterranean settlements on the coast were threatened by

5244-443: The urban area ( unité urbaine ). The city is divided into four cantons . Located in the heart of the Rhone corridor , Valence is often referred to as "the door to the South of France ", the local saying à Valence le Midi commence ("at Valence the Midi begins") pays tribute to the city's southern culture. Between Vercors and Provence , its geographical location attracts many tourists. Axes of transport and communications are

5320-506: The urban network. The rural inhabitants settled on small hills of the plain, giving rise to a large number of villages: Montoison , Montmeyran , Montélier , Montvendre , Montéléger , etc. Around 800, a new Cathedral of Saint-Estève (of St. Stephen) was built instead of the baptistery , with a choir that was oriented to the west. It was constructed symmetrically to the Evangelist Church. It housed numerous relics: Those of saints Apollinaire, Cyprien, Corneille, Félix, Fortunat, Achillée and

5396-478: The wheel of Valence marked the end of his actions, but also the beginning of a legend, as the man had marked the minds of his contemporaries. Napoleon Bonaparte was assigned in the city from 1785 to 1786 in the La Fère artillery regiment. He made many future visits. He would indeed return repeatedly to Valence. It included crossing the city on 12 October 1799, during the return of the expedition to Egypt, and offered to his former landlady who came to welcome him at

5472-796: The winter and spring, culminating in the Fête de la Fédération of 14 July 1790, celebrated in Paris and simultaneously in 250 cities in France, including Valence. The university disappeared in 1792 to be reborn at the end of the 20th century. It is now in the 21st Century part of the Community Grenoble Alpes University . This community played another role during the final years of the French Revolution. On August 29, 1799, six weeks after his arrival at this community,

5548-507: Was sent by Rome to stop the Cimbri and the Teutons , had established his camp not far from the confluence of the Rhône and the Isère. The excavations on the upper part of the plateau of Lautagne (2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) south of the centre of Valence) revealed the presence of devices of a defensive nature dating from the 1st century BC: Thus the foundation of the city could have come from

5624-748: Was slain by his brother Gundobad . Chilperic's daughter Clotilde married Clovis , the King of the Franks , in 493. Clovis's son Childebert I attacked the Burgundians in 534, adding their territory to the Frankish Kingdom . The city then fell successively under the power of the Franks , the Arabs of Spain, the sovereigns of Arles , the emperors of Germany, the counts of Valentinois , the counts of Toulouse , as well as its own bishops, who struggled to retain

5700-693: Was the first Roman province north of the Alps , and as Gallia Transalpina ("Transalpine Gaul"), distinguishing it from Cisalpine Gaul in Northern Italy . It became a Roman province in the late 2nd century BC. Gallia Narbonensis was bordered by the Pyrenees Mountains on the west, the Cévennes to the north, the Alps on the east, and the Gulf of Lion on the south; the province included

5776-530: Was the last count, the Valentinois was sold in 1419 by his heirs, his daughter Louise de Poitiers (widow of Humbert VII de Thoire  [ fr ] and Villars) and close relatives to Charles, dauphin and King of France ( Charles VII ). The County of Valentinois was attached to the Crown of France  [ fr ] in 1424. The second half of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century were

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