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History
Is this region too beautiful, too rich? That would explain why it has been invaded ever since history began. It was an integral part of the Roman Empire prior to occupation by the Visigoths in the 5th Century. Far from being the barbarians they are often discredited with having been, they developed agriculture and early laws. Their trace remains to this day – the regional phone book shows a surprising number of Alarics, Amalrics, and Alquiers. Also, place names ending in “ens” are of Visigoth origin. They were tolerant, allowing Catholics to worship in the region.
When the Francs passed the Loire, the church affirmed itself more strongly. However, from the 11th century onwards, it was Catholicism that took over. This belief came from Mesopotamia, and was adopted by local church leaders.
A prosperous era followed. Literary academia was invented in Toulouse with the Jean Floraux competition. Occitan poets and playwrights flourished. At the end of the middle ages, pastel, a plant used to dye cloth, became fashionable, and the region filled its coffers by exporting it. Agranat was exported via barge to ports as far away as London and Anvers. The same infrastructure was used to export goose feathers from the Gers, and wines from Ariège and Gaillac. This commerce failed in the middle of the 16th century, due to the wars of religion. House-to-house fighting put an end to any thoughts of export. The cruelty of the papists rivalled that of the Huguenots, and the plague swept through the region, reducing the population significantly.
The 17th Century saw the construction of the Canal du Midi, and agriculture took off once more, despite incessant wars which far-off Parisian kings decided to wage. The Occitan language, despite its promotion and encouragement, began to fall by the wayside. Gradually, France centralised, and the region lost its autonomy. It supported the revolution and remained republican well into the 19th century.
The 19th Century saw a major exodus from country regions towards towns. Ariège in particular lost a major proportion of its population to the industrial north.
Toulouse had its second hour of glory thanks to Aeropostale at the beginning of the 20th Century. The first commercial airline in the world was established out of Toulouse. Mermoz, Guillaumet, and Saint-Expupéry were the modern day ambassadors of the new technology.
The Spanish Civil War saw thousands of republican refugees flowing over the frontier to settle in Toulouse. Even if they carried the refugees’ sadness in their suitcases, they still managed to instil new blood and energy into the region.
Midi-Pyrenees today is divided between high-tech Toulouse and the deep countryside with its traditional agricultural products. Its feet are well and truly anchored in the soil, and its head is up among the stars.
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