Narbonne: Encyclopedia II - Narbonne - History

Narbonne - History

Modern-day Narbonne was the first Roman colony outside of Italy. It was established in Gaul in 118 BC, as Colonia Narbo Martius. It was located on the Via Domitia, the first Roman road in Gaul, built at the time of the foundation of the colony, and connecting Italy to Spain. Geographically, Narbonne was therefore located at a very important crossroads because it was situated where the Via Domitia connected to the Via Aquitania, which lead toward the Atlantic across Toulouse and Bordeaux. In addition, it was crossed by the Aude River.

Politically, Narbonne gained importance as a competitor to Marseille. Julius Cesar settled veterans from his 10th legion there and attempted to develop its port while Marseille was revolting against Roman control.

Later, the provincia of southern Gaul was named "Gallia Narbonensis", after the city, and Narbonne was made its capital. Seat of a powerful administration, the city enjoyed economic and architectural expansion.

It was subsequently the capital of the Visigoth province of Septimania, until the 8th century.

In the 11th and 12th centuries, Narbonne was home to an important Jewish exegetical school, which played a pivotal role in the growth and development of the Zarphatic (Judæo-French) and Shuadit (Judæo-Provençal) languages. Jews had settled in Narbonne from about the 5th century, with a community that had risen to approximately 2000 in the 12th century. At this time, Narbonne was frequently mentioned in Talmudic works in connection with its scholars. Once source, Abraham ibn Daud of Toledo, gives them an importance similar to the exilarchs of Babylon[1]. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the community went through a series of ups and downs before settling into extended decline.

Narbonne itself fell into slow decline in the 14th century, for a variety of reasons. The decline was partly due to a change in the course of the Aude River, which already had a long history of overflowing its banks. In addition, changes to the Mediterranean coastline meant that the city lay further inland and could no longer serve directly as a port.

From the 16th century, anxious to maintain a link to the Mediterranean, the people of Narbonne began costly work to the vestiges of the Aude River so that it would remain navigable. Hence, despite its decline from Roman times, Narbonne nevertheless managed to hold on to a more limited importance as a trading route through the centuries. The works finished with the construction of the Canal de la Robine, which was finally linked with the Canal du Midi (then the Royal Canal) in 1787. In the 19th century, the canal system in the south of France came into competition with an expanding rail network but kept some importance due to the flourishing wine trade.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki