Comtat Venaissin

The Comtat venaissin (county venaissin ), usually abbreviated only as Comtat, was the name of a historic region around the city of Avignon in Provence in southern France. It comprised roughly the area between the Rhône, the Durance and Mont Ventoux. Avignon itself was never part of the Comtat and founded a separate county with its own right. Venaissin was probably named after his former capital Venasque, which was replaced in 1320 by Carpentras as its capital.

Emergence of enclave

After the collapse of the kingdom Arelat venaissin reached only to the Counts of Provence and then for more than two centuries to the Counts of Toulouse. 1229, after the end of the Albigensian wars, leaving Raymond VII, Count of Poitiers and Toulouse, in the Treaty of Meaux all his possessions on the left bank of the Rhône and thus venaissin the Pope, who at this time resided in Rome ( until 1309 in Avignon ). This donation confirmed in 1274 the French king Philip the Bold.

The venaissin under papal rule and its relationship to the Kingdom of France

Under Pope Clement V venaissin was elevated to county ( Comtat ), Pope Clement VI. bought in 1348 by Countess Jeanne de Provence, surrounded by the Comtat Avignon. The two counties together formed the united papal enclave; Avignon ruled a vice - legate of the Pope, venaissin a clergyman of a slightly lower rank, who bore the title of Rector. The inhabitants of the enclave paid no taxes and had no military obligations, what life in the Comtat made ​​more attractive than under the French crown.

Later French rulers sought to annex the region during disputes with the Holy See over again. 1663, 1668 and 1768-1774 were French troops in the Comtat. During the reign of Louis XIV and Louis XV. it was also the object of trade and tariff restrictions; 1734 forbade the king of France to the people of venaissin to plant tobacco or produce Indiennes (printed cotton fabrics with Indian patterns ).

Time of the French Revolution and annexation by the Republic of

The papal reign ended only with the French Revolution. Since 1785 there had been reformist aspirations. When it was in 1789 came as unrest in France, they asked Pope Pius VI to convene the Estates-General of venaissin who were the last time in 1596 met. ; this happened after some initial resistance of the Pope in April 1790. Several resolutions were passed, the venaissin a republican character gave (tax equality, abolition of class privileges, judicial reforms ), but at the same time renewed to the oath to the Pope, as the neighboring Avignon urged to France to join. Also venaissin took the driven from Avignon vice - legate. It came to armed conflict with Avignon, the intervention of French troops put an end to. 1791 opted residents in a plebiscite not authorized by the Pope for the connection to France.

Since 1793 the former Comtat venaissin together with the territories of Avignon and Orange, the Vaucluse department.

Until 1814, the Holy See, the result is not formally recognized and also protested against the fact that the Congress of Vienna in the restoration of the Papal States did not touch the question of its former southern French enclave.

The Jewish community of the Comtat venaissin

Already from the Roman period are known Jewish communities in the Rhone valley. The Jews of venaissin lived in a few, strictly closed streets ( " carrieros " in Provençal ) of the villages Cavaillon, Carpentras and L' Isle- sur -la -Sorgue and Avignon and developed their own Jewish culture without direct reference to the Sephardic ( southwest European ) or Ashkenazi ( Central and Eastern European ) Jews. The expulsion of the Jews from France in 1394 did not extend to under the Pope's protection ghettos, but the inhabitants were imposed discriminatory measures ( yellow clothes, special taxes, forced sermons ). With her sufferance, the " Jews of the Pope" served from a theological perspective the purpose of witnesses ( " test " ) for the destiny to be the one expected when one closes Christianity. It was not until the French Revolution brought the Jews equal status with the other citizens of France and the freedom of establishment.