Occitan (; ; ), known also as Lenga d ' òc by its native speakers (; ), is a Romance language spoken in southern France, Italy's Occitan Valleys, Monaco, and Spain's Val d ' Aran: the regions sometimes known unofficially as Occitania.

It is quite similar to non-industrial variants of Italian ricotta, brull ( in Maestrat ), brossat ( in Occitania ), brocciu ( in Corsica ), or curd cheese.

Regional identification is most pronounced today in cultures linked to regional languages and non-French-speaking traditions-French language itself being only a dialect of Langue d ' oïl, the mother language of many of the languages to-be-mentioned, which became a national vehicular language, like ( in alphabetical order ): Alsatian, Arpitan, Basque, Brezhoneg ( Breton ), Burgundian, Corsu ( Corsican ), Català ( Catalan ), Francique, Gallo, Lorrain, Norman, Occitan, Picard, Poitevin, Saintongeais, etc., and some of these regions have promoted movements calling for some degree of regional autonomy, and, occasionally, national independence ( see, for example, Breton nationalism, Corsica and Occitania ).

In the south of France, particularly in Occitania and Roussillon, the cake, called gâteau des rois or royaume, is a torus-shaped brioche with candied fruits, very similar to the Catalan tortell.

Fife alone, or fife and drum, is also used in numerous European countries, especially in the South of France ( Occitania ): Languedoc and the county of Nice, and in Northern Ireland, where it is played as an accompaniment to the lambeg drum.

Auvergnat ( French name ) or Auvernhat ( native name ) is one of several varieties of the Occitan language spoken in Auvergne, which is a historical province in the northern part of Occitania.

Occitania is the southern third of France, a historical region where the modern Occitan language is still spoken.

A revivalist movement around the Felibrige and the Institut d ' Estudis Occitans is active in Limousin ( as well as in other parts of Occitania ).

Quite normally, as it is a town of West Occitania nicknamed Ovalie for the religion status of this sport there, rugby ( Rugby Union ) is the main sport in Castres.

Occitania (,,,, ), also sometimes lo País d ' Òc, " the Oc Country "), is the historical region in southern Europe where Occitan was historically the main language spoken, and where it is sometimes still used, for the most part as a second language.

Under later Roman rule ( after 355 ), most of Occitania was known as Aquitania, itself part of the Seven Provinces with a wider Provence, while the northern provinces of what is now France were called Gallia ( Gaul ).

Gallia Aquitania ( or Aquitanica ) is thus also a name used since medieval times for Occitania ( i. e. Limousin, Auvergne, Languedoc and Gascony ), including Provence as well in the early 6th century.

Thus the historic Duchy of Aquitaine must not be confused with the modern French region called Aquitaine: this is the main reason why the term Occitania was revived in the mid-19th century.

The names " Occitania " and " Occitan language " ( Occitana lingua ) appeared in Latin texts from as early as 1242-1254 to 1290 and during the following years of the early 14th century ; texts exist in which the area is referred to indirectly as " the country of the Occitan language " ( Patria Linguae Occitanae ).

The somewhat uncommon ending of the term Occitania is most probably a portmanteau French clerks coined from òc and Aquitània, thus blending the language and the land in just one concept.

Catalan is a language very similar to Occitan and there are quite strong historical and cultural links between Occitania and Catalonia.

In Thionville, nine years before he died ( 805 ), Charlemagne vowed that his empire be partitioned into three autonomous territories according to nationalities and mother tongues: along with the Franco-German and Italian ones, was roughly what is now modern Occitania from the reunion of a broader Provence and Aquitaine.

The team's logo displays the gold and blood-red Occitan cross, the symbol of Occitania, of which Toulouse is a historical capital.

A similar explanation is offered also for the same nickname as used by another Prince from Occitania, Arnaud Manzer, Count of Angoulême ( born 952-died 988 / 92 ) who also was a bastard.

This area corresponds in large part to Occitania ; that to say, the territory in which Occitan () — as distinct from the of northern France — was historically the dominant language.

The Albigensian Crusade had begun in 1209, ostensibly against the Cathar heretics of southern France and Languedoc in particular, though it soon became a contest between lords of northern France and those of the Occitania in the south.

The County of Toulouse was a territory in southern France consisting of the city of Toulouse and its environs under the Merovingians ruled by the Count of Toulouse, and the center of Occitania.

They belong to the larger Gallo-Romance group of languages, which also covers most of southern France ( Occitania ), northern Italy and east Spain ( Catalan Countries ).

The regions of Auvergne and Limousin are also a part of Occitania but are not normally referred to as southern France.

At the end of the Albigensian Crusade from the northern " barons " against the southern Occitania on a religious pretext ( fighting the Cathar heresy ), the Count of Toulouse was defeated and concluded the treaty of Paris in 1229.

Its aims include greater autonomy for the Occitania region of southern France.

The Albigensian Crusade, which led to the brutal slaughter of approximately 20, 000 men, women and children, Cathar and Catholic alike essentially destroyed the previously flourishing civilization of Occitania and brought the region firmly under the control of the king of France.

Toulouse was the capital of the former province of Languedoc ( provinces were abolished during the French Revolution ), the former Visigothic Kingdom and was the capital of the historical region of Occitania ( Southern France ).

The Albigensian Crusade, which led to the brutal slaughter of approximately 20, 000 men, women and children, Cathar and Catholic alike, essentially destroyed the previously flourishing civilization of Occitania and brought the region firmly under the control of the King of France, and the Capetian dinasty from north of France.

The manuscripts reflect an " international " European movement, with songs originating from Occitania, France, England, Scotland, Aragon, Castile and the Holy Roman Empire.

In France, there are groups calling for devolution or full independence for Occitania, the Basque Country, Alsace, and Brittany.

The great tournaments of northern France attracted many hundreds of knights from Germany, England, Scotland, Occitania and Iberia.

He was born in the Limousin, part of Aquitaine, Occitania, France.

Just as the word ' teknival ' was formed by merging the words ' tekno ' and ' festival ', teknivals in different countries are referred to by abbreviated names, such as the aforementioned Czechtek, and also Poltek ( Poland ), Slovtek ( Slovakia ), Southtek ( South Germany ), Bulgariatek ( Bulgaria ), Rotek ( Romania ) Helltek ( Greece, Hellas in Greek ), Dutchtek ( Netherlands ), Easttek ( East Germany ), U-Tek ( Ukraine ), Northtek ( Canada ) and Occitek ( Occitania, South France ).

The term can be applied to the Francization of the German-speaking inhabitants of Alsace-Lorraine after this region was reannexed by France following the First World War, to the Flemings in French Flanders, to the Occitans in Occitania, as well as to Basques, Bretons, Catalans, Corsicans and Niçards.

Women in Christian Spain and Southern France, those regions part of the Visigothic Kingdom ( 418 – 721 ) and its various successor states ( Asturias, León, Castile, Navarra, Aragon, Aquitania ( Occitania ) and Languedoc ) Visigothic Law and Roman Law combined to allow women more rights then their contemporaries would enjoy until the 20th century.

For many centuries, the Occitan dialects ( together with Catalan ) were referred to as Limousin or Provençal, the names of two regions lying within modern " Occitania ".

Nowadays, linguists use the terms Provençal and Limousin strictly to refer to specific varieties within Occitania, keeping the name Occitan for the language as a whole.

* Root of the name for the Occitan language or for its territory, Occitania.

Despite two hundred years of suppression by successive French centralist governments and the official prohibition of the language at school, in the administration and in the media, Occitan and Occitania have never ceased to inspire poets and authors.

Actually, the terms Lenga d ' Òc, Occitan, and Occitania appeared at the end of the 13th century.

Most people of this county came from Occitania and Italy and so the Occitan language was spoken.