Upper Burgundy

Upper Burgundy (also Transjurane Burgundy Bourgogne transjurane, also Transjurania) is the part of Burgundy north of the Jura mountains, that together with the western County of Burgundy from 888 formed the Kingdom of Upper Burgundy, encompassing both sides of the Jura mountains range. The adjective "upper" refers to its location further up the Rhone Valley as distinct from Lower Burgundy (Cisjurania) and also from the Duchy of Burgundy west of the Saône river. Upper Burgundy was reunited with the Kingdom of Lower Burgundy in 933 (see Kingdom of Burgundy), and merged into the Kingdom of Arles (Arelat).

Its area corresponds largely to western Switzerland (the parts west of the Brünig-Napf-Reuss line, including the Romandy, the cantons of Berne, Aargau and Valais) and French région of Franche-Comté, as well as adjacent parts of French départements Haute-Savoie and Ain, and the Aosta Valley which is now in Italy.

History

Transjurania originally was a duchy of the Carolingian Empire and part of Middle Francia under Emperor Lothair I after the partition by the 843 Treaty of Verdun. Upon Emperor Lothair's death in 855, his son Lothar II subsumed his portion of Upper Burgundy into his Kingdom of Lotharingia and when his brother Charles of Provence died in 863, also gained some northern districts of the deceased's kingdom. Transjurania was then ruled by Hucbert, a scion of the Bosonid dynasty, the younger son of Count Boso the Elder of Arles, and through his sister Teutberga brother-in-law to Lothair II. Hucbert however fell out of favour after Lothair II divorced Teutberga, was defeated at the Battle of Orbe in 864 and replaced by Count Conrad II of Auxerre from the Elder House of Welf, who from 866 ruled Transjurania as a margrave. When Lothair II died in 869, his realm was divided between his uncles Charles the Bald and Louis the German by the 870 Treaty of Meerssen.

Burgundy

Burgundy (French: Bourgogne, IPA: [buʁ.ɡɔɲ]) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of east-central France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Burgundy comprises the following four departments: Côte-d'Or, Saône-et-Loire, Yonne and Nièvre.

Historically, "Burgundy" has referred to numerous political entities, including kingdoms and duchies spanning territory from the Mediterranean to the Low Countries.

Name

Burgundy takes its name from the Burgundians, a Germanic people.

History

Burgundy was inhabited in turn by Celts, Romans (Gallo-Romans), and in the 4th century, the Romans who were then allied with the Burgundians, a Germanic people possibly originating in Bornholm (Baltic Sea), who settled there and established their own kingdom. However, Agathias identifies Burgunds (Βουρουγουνδοι) and Ultizurs as Bulgaric people of Hunnic circle tribes, near relatives of Cotrigurs and Utigurs. This Burgundian kingdom was conquered in the 6th century by another Germanic tribe, the Franks, who continued the kingdom of Burgundy under their own rule.

Ulmus parvifolia 'Burgundy'

The Chinese Elm cultivar Ulmus parvifolia 'Burgundy' is a small American development.

Description

The tree rarely exceeds 6 m in height, and has a broad, rounded form. The leaves are relatively large, dark-green, turning a deep burgundy in autumn. The exfoliating mottled bark is a rich orange-brown.

Pests and diseases

The species and its cultivars are highly resistant, but not immune, to Dutch elm disease, and completely unaffected by the Elm Leaf Beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola .

Cultivation

'Burgundy' is not known to be in cultivation beyond North America.

Etymology

Presumably named for the colour of its autumn foliage.

Accessions

North America

Nurseries

North America

(Widely available)

External links

County of Burgundy

The Free County of Burgundy (French: Franche Comté de Bourgogne; German: Freigrafschaft Burgund) was a medieval county (from 982 to 1678) of the Holy Roman Empire, within the traditional province and modern French region of Franche-Comté, whose very name is still reminiscent of the title of its count: Freigraf ('free count', denoting imperial immediacy, or franc comte in French, hence the term franc(he) comté for his feudal principality). It should not be confused with the more westerly Duchy of Burgundy, a fiefdom of Francia since 843.

History

The area once formed part of the Kingdom of the Burgundians, which had been annexed by the Franks in 534 and incorporated into the Kingdom of the Franks. The Empire was partitioned in 843 by the Treaty of Verdun, with the area west of the Saône river being allotted to West Francia as the French Duchy of Burgundy, while the southern and eastern parts of the former Burgundian kingdom fell to Middle Francia under Emperor Lothair I. This Middle Frankish part became the two independent entities of southern Lower in 879 and northern Upper Burgundy under King Rudolph I in 888, of which the County of Burgundy formed the western part.