Montpellier

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For other places named Montpellier or Montpelier, see Montpelier .

 

Montpellier

 Top to bottom, left to right: L'aqueduc Saint-l!ment, la "lace de l'#urope, la "lace de laom!die, l'h$tel de r!gion, la promenade du"eyrou, le orum, l'arc de Triomphe,lacath!drale Saint "ierre%

Coat of arms

 

Montpellier

Location within Languedoc-Roussillon

region &ho()

oordinate: *++.*+/0 +12.+3/#oordinat

e: *++.*+/0 +12.+3/#

Country France

Region Languedoc-4ouillon-Midi-"yr!n!e

Department 5!rault

Arrondissement Montpellier

Intercommunali

ty

Montpellier M!diterran!eM!tropole

Government

 • Mayor 6278*92727

"hilippe Saurel

Area 1%33 km2 628%; q mi

!opulation62782"

23,*1

 • Ran#  3th in France

 • Density *,<77=km2 682,777=q mi

$ime %one #T 6>T?8

 • &ummer #ST 6>T?2

 

'D&$(

I)&**+!ostal

code

+*8<2 = +*777, +*7<7,+*737, +*7;7

*levation <9828 m 62+9+;< ft6a@g% 2< m or 3; ft

 French Land 4egiter data, (hich eAcludelake, pond, glacier B 8 kmC 67%+3 q mi or2*< acre and ri@er etuarie%

" Population without double counting: reidentof multiple commune 6e%g%, tudent andmilitary peronnel only counted once%

Montpellier 6French pronunciation: &mDE%p%lGe, mDE%pe%lGe)H&8) Iccitan: Montpelhièr  &mum%peJK) i a city in outhern France% t i the capital ofthe 5!rault department% Montpellier i the 3th larget city of France, and i alo thefatet gro(ing city in the country o@er the pat 21 year% 0early one third of thepopulation i tudent from + uni@eritie and + higher education intitution that areoutide the uni@erity frame(ork in the city%&2)&+) Located on the outh coat of Franceon theMediterranean Sea, it i the third-larget French city on the Mediterranean coatafter Mareille and 0ice%

Montpellier in the 8th century

Montpellier i one of the fe( large citie in France (ithout any 4oman heritage andalo one of the fe( citie in outhern France (ithout a Nreek foundation%

Medieval period&edit)

n the #arly Middle Oge, the nearby epicopal to(n of Maguelone (a the maGorettlement in the area, but raid by pirateencouraged ettlement a little furtherinland% Montpellier, Prt mentioned in a document of ;31, (a founded under alocalfeudal dynaty, the Nuilhem, (ho combined t(o hamlet and built a catle and(all around the united ettlement% The t(o ur@i@ing to(er of the city (all,the Tour des Pins and the Tour de la Babotte, (ere built later, around the year 8277%Montpellier came to prominence in the 82th centuryQa a trading centre, (ith tradinglink acro the Mediterranean (orld, and a rich Re(ih cultural life that ourihed(ithin tradition of tolerance of Mulim, Re( and atharQand later of it"rotetant% William of Montpellier ga@e freedom for all to teach medicine inMontpellier in 8837% The city' facultie of la( and medicine (ere etablihed in 8227by ardinal onrad of >rach, legate of "ope 5onoriu H the medicine faculty ha,

 

o@er the centurie, been one of the maGor centre for the teaching of medicine in#urope% Thi era marked the high point of Montpellier' prominence% The city became apoeion of the Uing of Oragon in 827* by the marriage of "eter ofOragon (ith Marie of Montpellier, (ho (a gi@en the city and it dependencie a partof her do(ry% Montpellier gained a charter in 827* (hen "eter and Marie conPrmedthe city' traditional freedom and granted the city the right to chooe t(el@ego@erning conul annually% >nder the Uing of Oragon, Montpellier became a @eryimportant city, a maGor economic centre and the primary centre for the pice trade inthe Uingdom of France% t (a the econd or third mot important city of France at thattime, (ith ome *7,777 inhabitant before the Vlack eath% Montpellier remained apoeion of the cro(n of Oragon until it paed to Rame of MaGorca, (ho old thecity to the French king "hilip  in 8+*;, to raie fund for hi ongoing truggle(ith "eter of Oragon% n the 8*th century, "ope >rban ga@e Montpellier a ne(monatery dedicated to Saint "eter, note(orthy for the @ery unuual porch of itchapel, upported by t(o high, ome(hat rocket-like to(er% With it importanceteadily increaing, the city Pnally gained a bihop, (ho mo@ed from Maguelone in81+, and the huge monatery chapel became a cathedral% n 8*+2, RacqueXur etablihed himelf in the city and it became an important economic centre,until 8*38 (hen Mareille o@erhado(ed it in thi role%

After the Reformation&edit)

Ot the time of the 4eformation in the 8th century, many of the inhabitant ofMontpellier became "rotetant 6or 5uguenota they (ere kno(n in France and thecity became a tronghold of "rotetant reitance to the atholic French cro(n% n822, Uing Loui Y beieged the city (hich urrendered after a rude t(o monthiege 6Siege of Montpellier, after(ard building the itadel of Montpellier to ecureit% Loui Y made Montpellier capital of Va Languedoc, and the to(n tarted toembellih itelf, by building the "romenade du "eyrou, the #planade and a largenumber of houe in the hitoric centre% Ofter the French 4e@olution, the city becamethe capital of the much maller 5!rault%