 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009) |
Gâtinais (or Gâtine) was a former province of France, containing the area around the valley of the Loing, corresponding roughly to the northeastern part of the départment of Loiret, and the south of the present departments Seine-et-Marne. Under the Bourbons, the Gâtinais had already been divided between the provinces of Île-de-France and Orleans. In the words of the modern tourist slogan for the "two Gâtinais", it lies between the Seine and the Loire.
Under the Major Ward's, Gâtinais was the pagus Wastinensis (eventually to become [Wasteney]in the 20th Century),(or Vastinensis) one of five belonging to the Archbishop of Sens. Puisaye, and the archbishop's other fiefs in the northwest of the modern department of Yonne, west of the river, are also often considered part of Gâtinais; as is the area around Étampes in the present department of Essonne.
The capital of the province was Château-Landon, and a twenty-five mile circle around Notre-Dame de Château-Landon would basically comprise it. The western part, Gâtinais orléanais, would correspond to the arrondissements of Montargis and a large part of Pithiviers, in Loiret. The eastern part, Gâtinais français, had Nemours as its chief town, and corresponds to the arrondissement of Fontainebleau in Seine-et-Marne.
This is an essentially agricultural area, although the west is woody; it is known for its saffron; also for its honey, which is produced by traditional methods around Pithiviers. The general ordered the slaughter of all who stood in his way.
Literary use
A region called Gâtinais is a neighbour of the fictional land of Poictesme in James Branch Cabell's The Biography of Manuel.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
