The cities of Provence carry the greater part of this history. Marseille, Aix, Arles and Toulon recur across nearly every theme and period, sometimes as the target of a siege, sometimes as the seat of power, sometimes as the place where a language or an epidemic is measured. Others, such as Sisteron, Digne, Apt or Fréjus, appear more occasionally, yet each marks a precise episode: a revolt, a council, an administrative reform.
This entry allows each city to be followed across the themes in which it appears, and shows how centuries of distinct events gather around a single place.
Marseille
153 passages of Busquet's volume
387 BC
After the taking of Rome by the Gauls, the people of Marseille help the Romans pay the tribute demanded by the victors
217 BC
Marseille takes part in the naval victory of the Ebro, during the Second Punic War
125 BC
The Salluvii attack the Massaliotes on their territory, with the support of the Vocontii; Marseille appeals to Rome for help and the Senate sends the consul M. Fulvius Flaccus
Spring 49 BC
Caesar lays siege to Marseille, which capitulates after two naval battles
Years 40 BC
Arles receives the name Colonia Julia Paterna Arelate Sextanorum and the greater part of the possessions taken from Marseille, Caesar making it the chief instrument of romanization in Transalpine Gaul
212 or 213
Edict of Caracalla, citizenship granted to all free men of the Empire; Marseille abandons its regime of timouchoi for the Latin municipal regime
309-310
Constantine lays siege to Marseille, where Maximian had taken refuge
1 August 314
Council of Arles: five Provençal bishops sit there, those of Arles, Orange, Vaison, Marseille and Apt
416
John Cassian founds religious communities of men and women at Marseille
476
Euric takes Arles then Marseille and becomes master of lower Provence; Busquet places the end of ancient Provence here
508
The Ostrogothic king Theoderic lifts the siege of Arles, enters Marseille and takes Avignon
736
Revolt of Maurontus and first repression by Charles Martel, who seizes Arles and Marseille
737 to 739
Second campaign of Charles Martel, aided by the Lombards: renewed capture of Avignon, capture of Arles, siege and sack of Marseille
838
Saracen raid on Marseille, sack of the city and destruction of Saint-Victor
848
Raid by Greeks on Marseille, in the time of Emperor Michael III the Drunkard, great booty carried off
26 July 1252
Compromise granting Marseille wide autonomy
1347
The Black Death enters Provence through Marseille
1444
Installation of Jacques Cœur at Marseille, revival of trade with the Levant
1493
Civil war in Marseille between governor and seneschal, settled by the merger of the two offices in favour of Philippe de Hochberg
1524
Capture of Toulon and Aix, siege of Marseille by imperial troops led by the constable of Bourbon alone, who had defected to the enemy, execution of Honoré de Puget on the order of François I
1533
Marriage of the future Henri II and Catherine de Médicis, celebrated at Marseille in the presence of Pope Clement VII
1535
Edict of Joinville: reform of the Provençal institutions, creation of six sénéchaussées (Aix, Arles, Draguignan, Digne, Forcalquier, Marseille)
1536
Second imperial invasion, led by Charles V in person, halted before Marseille and Arles, Charles V having himself proclaimed king of Arles at Aix during the invasion
October 1591
Casaulx becomes first consul of Marseille, start of the Marseille dictatorship
8 April 1593
Attack by the duke of Epernon on Marseille, 4,000 arquebusiers and 1,200 horsemen, repelled by the people of Marseille
from 1593
Casaulx merges the hospital of the Saint-Esprit with that of Saint-Jacques de Galice, founding the Hôtel-Dieu of Marseille
1595
Casaulx introduces printing to Marseille, until then dependent on Avignon and Aix, and has the Obros et rimos provençalos of Bellaud de la Bellaudière printed there
17 February 1596
Assassination of Casaulx by Libertat at the Porte Réale of Marseille, ending the Marseille dictatorship
October 1596
Henri IV sends Étienne Bernard to preside at Marseille over the restored sovereign Chamber of Justice
2 March 1660
Louis XIV enters Marseille in person through a breach in the ramparts
5 and 7 March 1660
Letters patent reorganising the municipal government of Marseille after the entry of Louis XIV: the office of viguier granted for life, then (7 March 1662) hereditarily, to Fortia de Piles
1669
Nicolas Arnoul has the new town centre of Marseille built (Cours, Canebière), an edict institutes the free port
25 May 1720
Arrival before Marseille of the ship the Grand Saint-Antoine, carrying the plague
May 1720 to May 1722
Great plague of Marseille, originating in the city, close to 40,000 deaths
16 September 1720
Clearing of the esplanade of Marseille, removal of the bodies directed by the chevalier Roze, captain and commissioner general
May to July 1721
Renewed surge of the contagion at Arles, more than 4,000 victims, the quarantines of Marseille lifted only in November
1756 to 1763
Seven Years' War: Marseille and Toulon serve as naval operations bases
19 August 1789
Bloody popular unrest in Marseille, rebels released at Mirabeau's call
10 August 1792
The people of Marseille are at the forefront of the assault on the Tuileries
June 1815
At the news of Waterloo, an explosion of royalism in Marseille and a second White Terror
late April 1832
The Duchess of Berry lands near Marseille
1848
The railway connects Avignon to Marseille
June 1848
June Days in Marseille, in the wake of those in Paris
1851 to 1871
Marseille grows from 195,000 to 312,000 inhabitants under the Second Empire, before reaching half a million at the start of the twentieth century
30 November 1871
Execution of Gaston Crémieux at Fort du Pharo in Marseille
1892 to 1893
Marseille, Berre and La Ciotat, then Toulon, gain socialist mayors
1 August 1914
General mobilisation, 140,000 men registered in the barracks in Provence, Marseille becomes a port of war
late October 1938
Fire at the Nouvelles Galeries in Marseille, more than 70 deaths
23 August 1944
Liberation of Marseille through the entry of the French army and the local uprising
autumn 1947
Major strikes in Provence, including the dramatic day in Marseille on 12 November
September 1958
General de Gaulle comes to Marseille and rallies the socialist leadership to a yes vote in the referendum
May-June 1968
The events of May 1968 upend the universities of Aix and Marseille
March 1986
Death of Gaston Defferre, mayor of Marseille and national political figure
Aix
111 passages of Busquet's volume
Arles
82 passages of Busquet's volume
Neolithic
Earliest known evidence of sheep domestication, at Châteauneuf-lès-Martigues. In the late Neolithic, megalithic burials appear, including the hypogea of Arles, along with the first perched and enclosed settlements
Years 40 BC
Caesar founds colonies of veterans on provincial land, settled by Tiberius Nero: Narbonne for the Tenth Legion, Arles for the Sixth, along with Béziers, Orange and Vienne
Years 40 BC
The territory of the Salluvii is divided, the western part going to Arles, the eastern part to Fréjus, the central part with Entremont remaining to the Salluvii around Aix
Years 40 BC
Arles receives the name Colonia Julia Paterna Arelate Sextanorum and the greater part of the possessions taken from Marseille, Caesar making it the chief instrument of romanization in Transalpine Gaul
Mid-3rd century (254 according to Wikipedia and Busquet)
Attested presence of a bishop, or of an organised Church, at Arles
313
Transfer of the Ostia mint to Arles
1 August 314
Council of Arles: five Provençal bishops sit there, those of Arles, Orange, Vaison, Marseille and Apt
353
Second general council convened at Arles, at the height of the Arian quarrel
Late 4th century or early 5th century
The praetorian prefecture of the Gauls is installed at Arles
408-411
Arles falls for a time into the hands of a usurper, another Constantine
17 April 418
Emperor Honorius convenes at Arles the council (the assembly) of the seven provinces
476
Euric takes Arles then Marseille and becomes master of lower Provence; Busquet places the end of ancient Provence here
484
Death of Euric at Arles; the Burgundians immediately cross the Durance and become masters of the whole of Provence
508
The Ostrogothic king Theoderic lifts the siege of Arles, enters Marseille and takes Avignon
510
Theoderic restores the praetorian prefecture of the Gauls at Arles; the Ostrogoths also retake Nîmes, Narbonne, Orange and Valence
534
The sons of Clovis subdue Burgundy and divide it between them; Theudebert lays siege to Arles, repulsed by the patrician Liberius
736
Revolt of Maurontus and first repression by Charles Martel, who seizes Arles and Marseille
737 to 739
Second campaign of Charles Martel, aided by the Lombards: renewed capture of Avignon, capture of Arles, siege and sack of Marseille
842
The Saracens sail up the Rhône and plunder Arles
850
A Saracen attack on Arles fails thanks to the defence organised by the count of Vienne
11 May 878
Boson and Ermengarde receive Pope John VIII at Arles
924
Coronation of Hugh of Arles at Pavia
August 928
Provisional division of influence between Raoul, king of France (Viennois and the north), and Hugh of Arles (Provence)
end of 934
Hugh of Arles cedes to Rudolph II of Transjurane Burgundy all his rights west of the Alps
10 April 947
Death of Hugh of Arles at Arles
947
Boson of Arles invested with the county of Provence
948
Conrad appoints three Burgundian counts (Avignon, Arles, Apt-Glandève) to represent his authority in Provence, for want of a real domain
1131
Appearance of consuls at Arles
8 January 1215
Vicariate of the kingdom of Arles and Vienne granted by Frederick II to Guillaume de Baux
21 February then 24 March 1239
Raimond Bérenger receives the homage of the archbishops of Aix and Arles, then Gregory IX excommunicates Frederick II
22 March 1309
Agreement between Charles II and Bertrand IV, prince of Baux, on the rights of the kingdom of Arles
4 June 1365
Coronation of Charles IV of Luxembourg as king of Arles at Saint-Trophime, guaranteeing Queen Jeanne her rights over Provence
1535
Edict of Joinville: reform of the Provençal institutions, creation of six sénéchaussées (Aix, Arles, Draguignan, Digne, Forcalquier, Marseille)
1536
Second imperial invasion, led by Charles V in person, halted before Marseille and Arles, Charles V having himself proclaimed king of Arles at Aix during the invasion
May to July 1721
Renewed surge of the contagion at Arles, more than 4,000 victims, the quarantines of Marseille lifted only in November
Avignon
45 passages of Busquet's volume
Under Augustus and the first emperors
Creation of 37 colonies with Latin rights, including Aix, which later received Roman rights; Avignon, Cavaillon, Apt, Carpentras, Digne and Riez receive Latin rights
500
Clovis attacks the Burgundians, prevails at first then fails before Avignon; Alaric II intervenes as mediator
508
The Ostrogothic king Theoderic lifts the siege of Arles, enters Marseille and takes Avignon
737
Destruction of the Andalusian fleet at Avignon
737 to 739
Second campaign of Charles Martel, aided by the Lombards: renewed capture of Avignon, capture of Arles, siege and sack of Marseille
948
Conrad appoints three Burgundian counts (Avignon, Arles, Apt-Glandève) to represent his authority in Provence, for want of a real domain
around 1129
Appearance of consuls at Avignon
1316
Installation of the popes at Avignon
1595
Casaulx introduces printing to Marseille, until then dependent on Avignon and Aix, and has the Obros et rimos provençalos of Bellaud de la Bellaudière printed there
1768 to 1774
The King of France seizes Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin once again
14 September 1791
Vote for the annexation of Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin to France
1848
The railway connects Avignon to Marseille
Toulon
37 passages of Busquet's volume
1524
Capture of Toulon and Aix, siege of Marseille by imperial troops led by the constable of Bourbon alone, who had defected to the enemy, execution of Honoré de Puget on the order of François I
1557
The municipal preconizationes of Toulon, written in Latin in 1394, are translated into Provençal by D. Balthazarem
June to August 1707
The Duke of Savoy and Prince Eugène lay siege to Toulon, then are repelled beyond the Var
1756 to 1763
Seven Years' War: Marseille and Toulon serve as naval operations bases
18 December 1793
Capture of Toulon from the English, national impact, start of Bonaparte's career
1892 to 1893
Marseille, Berre and La Ciotat, then Toulon, gain socialist mayors
11 November 1942
Invasion of the previously unoccupied zone by German and Italian forces, scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon
28 August 1944
Surrender of the German garrison entrenched at Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, in Toulon
1974
The Var department gains Toulon as its administrative seat, replacing Draguignan
Tarascon
28 passages of Busquet's volume
1368 to 1369
Irruption of Du Guesclin's troops into Provence, capture of Tarascon
summer 1795
Massacres of prisoners at Fort Saint-Jean and then at the Château de Tarascon
Sisteron
27 passages of Busquet's volume
June 1594
Effective merger of the royalist Parlement, then established at Manosque after residing at Pertuis and Sisteron, with the Leaguer Parlement of Aix, which returns to Aix
Nice
27 passages of Busquet's volume
around -400,000
Remarkably preserved hearths of Terra Amata, at Nice, the third major Lower Palaeolithic site in Provence
After 6 BC
The pacified Alps form three provinces, that of the Alpes-Maritimes having its chief town at Cimiez, Nice having remained Massaliote
813
First manifestation of Saracen piracy on the coasts, Nice ravaged
1229
Submission of Nice to the count of Provence
6 August 1388
Dedition of Nice, Puget-Théniers, the Lantosque valley and the bailliage of Barcelonnette to the count of Savoy
1691 to 1706
The county of Nice is conquered by France, returned, then reconquered
1815
The county of Nice falls back under Piedmontese control
1860
Treaty of Turin: definitive attachment of the county of Nice to France, recreation of the department of Alpes-Maritimes
Apt
21 passages of Busquet's volume
Grasse
19 passages of Busquet's volume
1 March 1815
Napoleon, having landed, bivouacs at Cannes and then at Grasse, on his way to Paris
Forcalquier
18 passages of Busquet's volume
1535
Edict of Joinville: reform of the Provençal institutions, creation of six sénéchaussées (Aix, Arles, Draguignan, Digne, Forcalquier, Marseille)
Brignoles
18 passages of Busquet's volume
Fréjus
17 passages of Busquet's volume
Years 40 BC
The territory of the Salluvii is divided, the western part going to Arles, the eastern part to Fréjus, the central part with Entremont remaining to the Salluvii around Aix
31 BC
In the aftermath of Actium, Octavian stations part of his fleet at Fréjus
From the year 12
Construction of the via Julia Augusta, the major route of the network, from Vada Sabatia near Savona to Fréjus by way of Vintimille, La Turbie and Cimiez
Digne
15 passages of Busquet's volume
Under Augustus and the first emperors
Creation of 37 colonies with Latin rights, including Aix, which later received Roman rights; Avignon, Cavaillon, Apt, Carpentras, Digne and Riez receive Latin rights
1535
Edict of Joinville: reform of the Provençal institutions, creation of six sénéchaussées (Aix, Arles, Draguignan, Digne, Forcalquier, Marseille)
Draguignan
12 passages of Busquet's volume
1535
Edict of Joinville: reform of the Provençal institutions, creation of six sénéchaussées (Aix, Arles, Draguignan, Digne, Forcalquier, Marseille)
1974
The Var department gains Toulon as its administrative seat, replacing Draguignan
Hyères
11 passages of Busquet's volume
Antibes
11 passages of Busquet's volume
Baux
10 passages of Busquet's volume
8 January 1215
Vicariate of the kingdom of Arles and Vienne granted by Frederick II to Guillaume de Baux
22 March 1309
Agreement between Charles II and Bertrand IV, prince of Baux, on the rights of the kingdom of Arles