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Montpellier
KNOWLEDGE OF Montpellier
The history of Monte pestelario is a story of twists and turns that highlights the two essential characteristics of this fascinating city: ambition and intelligence. A former trading post for spices, place of pilgrimage and centre of learning in the fields of medicine and law, Protestant fief then Royal capital of the Languedoc region, Montpellier’s strategic position in the heart of the Mediterranean basin has ensured it constant prosperity. Now the prefecture of the Hérault département, it’s a city that never ceases to amaze!
From Modest Beginnings...
Montpellier is very much a young upstart of a city when compared to its venerable roman neighbours of Nîmes and Narbonne. The first settlement dates back to the late 10th century and passed into the hands of the Guilhem family who remained the city’s rulers until the early 13th century. Situated south of the roman road, the via Domitia, and close to well-travelled salt and pilgrim routes, the early settlement grew rapidly in the 11th century as it became a favoured halt for pilgrims. At the end of the 12th century the now flourishing city was enclosed by city walls of which the Tour des Pins and the Tour de la Babotte are still visible remnants.
...to a Medieval Metropolis
A prosperous trading centre between Northern Europe, Spain and the Mediterranean, the 13th century saw the city reach something of an apogee as it passed under the tutelage of the King of Aragon, whose kingdom extended across what is now Northern Spain and Catalonia, and subsequently the Kings of Majorca. Reputed as a centre of learning particularly open to Jewish and Islamic thought, the established Schools of Medicine and Law received recognition as a University by Pope Nicholas IV in 1289. Sold to the kingdom of France in 1349, Montpellier was for a while considered the second most important city in the kingdom. However, the latter part of the century was a sombre one, during which successive plagues accounted for the death of over a third of the population. Nevertheless, by the 15th century the city had recovered economically, notably through the flourishing of the nearby port of Lattes and the mercantile genius of the royal treasurer Jacques Coeur, whose name is still honoured by the city.
From Modest Beginnings...
Montpellier is very much a young upstart of a city when compared to its venerable roman neighbours of Nîmes and Narbonne. The first settlement dates back to the late 10th century and passed into the hands of the Guilhem family who remained the city’s rulers until the early 13th century. Situated south of the roman road, the via Domitia, and close to well-travelled salt and pilgrim routes, the early settlement grew rapidly in the 11th century as it became a favoured halt for pilgrims. At the end of the 12th century the now flourishing city was enclosed by city walls of which the Tour des Pins and the Tour de la Babotte are still visible remnants.
...to a Medieval Metropolis
A prosperous trading centre between Northern Europe, Spain and the Mediterranean, the 13th century saw the city reach something of an apogee as it passed under the tutelage of the King of Aragon, whose kingdom extended across what is now Northern Spain and Catalonia, and subsequently the Kings of Majorca. Reputed as a centre of learning particularly open to Jewish and Islamic thought, the established Schools of Medicine and Law received recognition as a University by Pope Nicholas IV in 1289. Sold to the kingdom of France in 1349, Montpellier was for a while considered the second most important city in the kingdom. However, the latter part of the century was a sombre one, during which successive plagues accounted for the death of over a third of the population. Nevertheless, by the 15th century the city had recovered economically, notably through the flourishing of the nearby port of Lattes and the mercantile genius of the royal treasurer Jacques Coeur, whose name is still honoured by the city.
Chapi