Quercy

Quercy (kĕrsē`), region and former county, SW France, now divided between Lot and Tarn-et-Garonne depts. Cahors is the chief city. It consists of arid limestone plateaus (causses), cut by fertile valleys of the Lot, Dordogne, and Aveyron rivers. Sheep raising is the chief activity in the causses; the famous Rocamadour cheese is made from sheep's milk. Of Gallo-Roman origin, Quercy (also known as Cahorsin) became (9th cent.) a fief of the counts of Toulouse. It was savagely contested during the Hundred Years War, after which it was united (1472) with the French crown and included in Guienne prov.

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Quercy

Historical and cultural region, southwestern France. The district was organized in Gallo-Roman times and was occupied by the Franks in the 6th century. It was contested by England and France throughout the Middle Ages. United with the French crown in 1472, it suffered severely during the Wars of Religion of the 16th century. It is well forested with oaks of the genus Quercus that give the region its name. There are vineyards around Cahors that produce rich red wines.