Bugey

The Bugey is a historical area located in the south-east of the France, between Lyon and Geneva. Its inhabitants are Bugistes or Bugeysiens (name fallen in disuse and used by the learned societies).

With the Bresse, the Dombes and the Country of Gex, Bugey forms the Département of Ain.

Geography of the area

It is delimited by the elbow of the the Rhone of the east in the south and the west, the river of Ain mark the Western edge. The borders of the northern part are prone to controversy. The baron Achille Raverat in his work published in 1867 on the valleys of Bugey defines the northern limit in Valserine, the generally accepted use is to incorporate the communes of the department of Ain in Bugey. Some distinguish the small area from Revermont but being located at the west of the river of Ain, it does not form part of Bugey. The border between Ain and the Jura is thus that of Bugey.

From a geomorphological point of view, Bugey is composed of a mountainous relief which is the southernmost prolongation of the the Jura. This solid mass continuous beyond the Rhone, in Savoy, and constitutes “Small Bugey” and which is from now on known like Savoyard Avant-Pays.

The culminating point of Bugey is the Grand Dovecote (1538m.). It is also one of the more high summits of the solid mass of the Jura.

Administration

Bugey belongs to department of Ain. It is divided into two distinct districts:

The 2 parts of Bugey gather each one approximately 80  000 inhabitants.

The most important cities are:

History

Origin of the name

The legend of Bugey tells that Bugia, partner of Beautiful, wire of Japhet, grandson of Noah, thus gave his name to Bugey:

Beautiful and Bugia having decided their departure, with the dispersion of the grandsons of Noah, Japhet advances in its turn to bless them and, by a wire, it suspends on the neck of its daughter-in-law a sachet in skin of gazelle. " Carry to it " , he, " say; J usqu' so that your glances embrace the country of the dream and the desire. There only, you will open it to spread the contents of it on the ground . It contains invaluable relics of the terrestrial Paradise and Arch, which will still add to the beauty and the richness of the country that you will have elected ". During months, Beautiful and Bugia in a nature hirsute, broussailleuse, without a flower, in the wind, the stones, sands went. However, one evening, almost exhausted, Bugia, climbing a mountain, stopped at the top and exclaimed: " Looks at! " Beautiful the face raised. Its face was transfigured suddenly. To its feet a valley extended on which, the heights of the blue sky the floods of precious stones of a splendid rainbow flowed. The valley was immense, fertile, charming. " It is here, Bel, which it is necessary to stop us. It is here that I wish to live ". " Yes " , known as Beautiful, " and we will call it of your name, Bugia ". And Bugia emptied the contents of the sachet, the seeds were spread on the ground, the stocks were inserted in the ground… and the next morning, Bugey woke up covered of vineyards, fruit trees, vine branches, cherries, ears of corn, of flowers, which filled up as of this moment this privileged ground.

More historically, since 1195, the term of will terra of beuzeis disappears to be transformed into beugeys in 1372 then in beugeis in 1613 for finally finding its current form in 1722.

Antiquity

One of the features of Bugey is the seniority and the permanence of the human occupation. The area offered to the man accessible caves, water, wood, game. Traces of beliefs remain in certain engravings.

The homo sapiens appears in Bugey during the final withdrawal of the large alpine glaciers to the paleolithic superior (20 000 to 12.000 years BC; Cave of Hotteaux with Rossillon) at the time when the conditions in Bugey were favorable to a human establishment. It is supposed that these tribes were originating in Asia. The azilien and the Neolithic era are known to us by axes and other stone tools polished, by the tangled up skeleton of the man of Culoz and by many stones with cups.

The settlement pre-Roman of the area is shared between people come from north such as Séquanes and Helvètes and from the people come from the south such as the Ambarres and the Allobroges. But Bugey really enters the history into 58 before J.C with the beginning of the Roman conquests carried out by the troops of Jules César. The romanisation was marked in the habitat, the communication networks, the vestiges of temples… Under the Roman period Bugey will know a formidable rise, as testify to it the density of the Gallo-Roman establishments as well as the remarkable development of the network of the Roman roads. That is explained by the privileged situation of Bugey, placed on the road of Italy and by its proximity with Lyon, then capital of Gaules. It is also at that time that the town of Belley appears, probably founded at the century of Auguste.

The names of the villages point out the Celtic or ligure roots but especially the presence of Gallo-Roman villas: the Latin suffix - acum coupled in the name of people owners of rural fields is frequent, in Bugey, it generally evolved/moved in ieu : Arbignieu, Colomieu, Peyrieu, Conzieu… a sub-prefect would have imposed on the 19th century the abandonment of X at the end of the names but only for the villages, of or the subsistence of X for the hamlets like Escrivieux.

The Middle Ages and Rebirth

During the dissolution of the Roman Empire, Bugey sees its deep valleys being used as passage in Alamands and the Burgondes. The Christian presence is concretized under Burgondes, then under the Francs, by the creation of the évêché of Belley in Ve or the 6th century. One century later, fallen to the capacity Francs, Bugey offers to the Buckwheats demolished by Charles Martel (734) an asylum in its mountains. It is with them that one allots the paternity of the suffixes of names of village in " oz" and " az" (Culoz, Contrevoz, Ordonnaz…). The stabilizing administration of Charlemagne succeeds the anarchy of the Lotharingie which generates feudality quickly.

From the 9th century, Bugey enters successively the second Royaume of Burgundy and the Saint Empire. Feudality, made up already well, will be reinforced and at the 12th century, benefitting from anarchy, lords laic and ecclesiastics take their independence; thus in Low Bugey, the bishops of Belley have many territories and villages; more in North, the Lords de Thoires appeared about 1086 on the edges of the Ain, found a dynasty which will last nearly four century; by extending their stronghold on most of High Bugey they are opposed violently to the priors of the Abbey of Nantua founded to the 7th century. At the 12th century, the settlement of the territory bugist accelerates and the population density becomes strong. Many priories are created, as well as many monasteries, like the abbey of St Sulpice (1130), Chartreuses de Portes (1115), Arvières (1132), Pierre Châtel (1383)…

Constituted around évêché of Belley, Bugey extends progressively from the conquests of the Maison of Savoy, with all the countries located between the the Rhone and Ain, including the Valromey, Michaille and the ground of Nantua. More to North, a page of the medieval history is turned in 1402: under the pressure of the duke of Burgundy Philippe Hardy which asserts suzerainty on the county of Montreal and makes invade the valley of Oyonnax, the last Lord de Thoire-Villars without descent is resigned to separate from its grounds of the bugey: it sells them to the duke of Savoy.

The annexation in France

In 1077, the count Amédée II of Maurienne had received from the emperor of the Saint Worsens, Henri IV, the confirmation of his rights on the seigniory of Bugey. The house of Savoy skilfully will extend its domination and will acquire the power that one knows to him. After ten centuries of devastation, Bugey, annexed to the County of Savoy, enjoys finally an unaccustomed rest under the reign of moderate and benevolent princes. It will remain in the orbit of the house of Savoy (except short French invasion of 1536 to 1559) until the Traité of Lyon in 1601 which attaches Bugey to France with the Bresse and the Pays of Gex. After more than 1000 years of common destiny with the Savoyard dynasty, the Rhone becomes a river border.

Old Mode

The 17th century is relatively difficult for Haut-Bugey (confrontation between Gris bugists and Cuanais comtois) and financially heavy for all France which supports the records of Versailles of the Sun king…

French revolution

The 18th century sees to be established the first industries, mainly textile, in Bugey. In the living rooms of Belley, one attends the emergence of the new ideas, those of the philosophers and the physiocrats. At the first hours of the Revolution, the lawyer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin is appointed Tiers state with the constituent Assembly where it represents the area of Belley. He takes part in the passionate debates concerning the creation of the department of Ain on January 25th, 1790. He is also the author of the Physiology of the taste! Bugey will be shaken by the revolutionary storm which saves neither castles nor religious buildings (Albitte).

The 19th century

The Napoleonean order supplements the administrative equipment of the department of Ain, by making of Belley a sub-prefecture on February 17th, 1800. After the Napoleonean wars, to which it pays a heavy tribute as men and silver, Bugey profits a little the agricultural revolution, and especially the Industrial revolution which goes, at the 19th century, to transform its face durably.

The Second world war

The first and second world war remain engraved in the memories bugists. Peyrieu sees to be built one of the first war memorials of France, thanks to the generosity of the American HOFF. After the armistice of June 22nd, 1940, the very close line of demarcation until November 11th, 1942 places Bugey on the side of the free zone (nonoccupied). " The army of the ombres" , organized since 1942 by the Delestraint general, offers to our memories blows glares and martyrs. November 11th, 1943, the maquis ravels out of weapons with Oyonnax. The monument of the Valley of hell located on the commune of Cerdon and inaugurated on July 29th, 1951, honors the 700 men of the maquis with Ain fallen so that France remains upright…

Population

The population constantly declined during the 20th century, in particular in the zones offset and mountainous, like during the disindustrialization of the valley of Albarine (years 60-80). The areas of the plain of Ain and the valley of the high Rhone have on the contrary considering their population to increase. The historical capital of Bugey is Belley. The " Country of Bugey" joins together 7 cantons (Belley, Champagne in Valromey, Hauteville, Lhuis, Saint-Rambert-in-Bugey, Seyssel and Virieu) as well as part of the canton of Brénod, that is to say 92 communes for a population of 43.361 inhabitants in 1990.

Aspect and tourism

Combes, peaks, plates but also slopes, castles and vaults are visible in the Country of Bugey. Brillat-Savarin described Bugey like " an English garden of one hundred carrées" places;. The landscapes are punctuated cascades, lakes and ponds, underlined by the serpentine ones of emeralds… The differences in landscape result in distinguishing two under-areas:

  • Haut-Bugey
    • Nantua
    • the Valley of Oyonnax (valley of the plastics)
    • Michaille
    • the plate of Retord
    • the mounts Berthiand

Gastronomy

economy

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