Group

Septimania

Substate Defunct 458 CE – 1251 CE Capital Narbonne Languedoc-Roussillon France

Septimania is the western region of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis that passes under the control of the Visigoths in 462, when Septimania is ceded to their king, Theodoric II.

Under the Visigoths it is known as simply Gallia or Narbonensis.

It corresponds roughly with the modern French region of Languedoc-Roussillon.

It passes briefly to the Emirate of Córdoba in the eighth century before its conquest by the Franks, who by the end of the ninth century term it Gothia or the Gothic March (Marca Gothica).Septimania is a march of the Carolingian Empire and then West Francia down to the thirteenth century, though it is culturally and politically separate from northern France and the central royal government.

The region is under the influence of the people from Toulouse, Provence, and ancient Catalonia.

It is part of the cultural and linguistic region named Occitania that is finally brought within the control of the French kings in the early thirteenth century as a result of the Albigensian Crusade after which it comes under French governors.

From the end of the thirteenth century it is known as Languedoc and its history is tied up with that of France.The name "Septimania" may derive from part of the Roman name of the city of Béziers, Colonia Julia Septimanorum Beaterrae, which in turn alludes to the settlement of veterans of the Roman VII Legion in the city.

Another possible derivation of the name is in reference to the seven cities (civitates) of the territory: Béziers, Elne, Agde, Narbonne, Lodève, Maguelonne, and Nîmes.

Septimania extends to a line halfway between the Mediterranean and the Garonne River in the northwest; in the east the Rhône separates it from Provence; and to the south its boundary is formed by the Pyrenees.

Member Cities

Moran, J. (n.d.). Septimania. History Atlas. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://www.historyatlas.com/groups/septimania/

Menu

Related events