a feudal county in southern France that existed from the mid-ninth to the 13th century. The capital was the city of Toulouse.
Claimed by the English and French kings and the Papal States, the county of Toulouse was constantly at pains to defend its independence. Nevertheless, many of its towns prospered, including Toulouse, Narbonne, and Nimes, which engaged in extensive trade in the Mediterranean. In the 12th and 13th centuries the county extended its protection to the Albigenses. In 1229, however, as a result of the Albigensian Crusades, a considerable part of Toulouse was attached to the domain of the French king. The rest of the county was annexed in 1271.
a city and river port in southern France, situated on the Garonne River at the point where the Canal du Midi commences. Administrative center of the department of Haute-Garonne. Population (1968), 371,000; including suburbs, 440,000. Toulouse is a transportation and industrial center, deriving its energy from a hydroelectric power plant in the Pyrenees and from the gas field at Lacq. Its industries manufacture aircraft, munitions, chemicals, clothing, and footwear; other local products include foodstuffs and tobacco. The city, which has a university, founded in the 13th century, is also a national center for space research.
In antiquity, Toulouse was a Celtic settlement. In the fifth and early sixth centuries A.D., it served as the capital of the Visigoth kingdom; it later became the capital of the county of Toulouse, which existed from the ninth to the 13th century. The city emerged as an important trade and handicraft center in the 11th century. From the 15th to the mid-16th century it exported dye for wool fabrics to Spain, England, and the Netherlands. At Toulouse, in 1814, the Duke of Wellington defeated the forces of Marshal Soult. In 1871 a commune was proclaimed there, patterned after the Paris Commune; it lasted only for a few days. During World War II the city was occupied by fascist German troops; it was liberated by forces of the Resistance in August 1944.
Toulouse abounds in architectural landmarks. Prominent among them is the five-naved Basilica of St. Sernin, most of which was constructed between 1096 and 1250; it stands as one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture. Other important local churches dating from the medieval period are the Cathedral of St. Etienne, a Romanesque and Gothic structure begun in the 12th century and completed in the 16th century, and the Gothic church of the Jacobins, built between 1260 and 1315. These vie in architectural magnificence with the numerous Renaissance churches and palaces—among the latter the Hotel de Bernuy (1504–34, architects L. Privat and others)—as well as several baroque buildings and complexes. An outstanding example of the classical style is the town hall (1750–53, architect G. Cammas). Representative of the city’s modern architecture is the faubourg (incorporated suburb) of Le Mirail (1960’s, architect G. Candilis).
Among the cultural institutions of Toulouse is the Musée des Augustins, containing many specimens of French painting and sculpture.