| Name | Loiret |
| Type | Département |
| Coordinates | 47.917°N 2.417°E |
| Located in | France |
| Also located in | Centre, France |
- source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
- source: Family History Library Catalog
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Loiret is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.
Its prefecture is Orléans, which is about southwest of Paris. As well as being the regional prefecture, it is a historic city on the banks of the Loire. It has a large central area with many historic buildings and mansions. Orléans Cathedral, dating back to the 13th century, was rebuilt after Protestant forces destroyed it in 1568. Loiret has two subprefectures, in Montargis and Pithiviers. It is famous for its several châteaux.
History
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Loiret is one of the original 83 departments that was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790 by order of the National Constituent Assembly. The new departments were to be uniformly administered and approximately equal to one another in size and population.
It was created from the former province of Orléanais which was too large to continue in its previous form.
The Loire Valley was occupied in Palaeolithic times as attested by numerous archaeological sites in the department. The Celts were here, bringing crafts and trades, and the Romans occupied the area after the Gallic Wars. They built roads and founded cities such as Cenabum, on the site of present-day Orléans, and Sceaux-du-Gâtinais. Around 451, the Huns invaded the region but were repelled before reaching Cenabum. The Franks reached the Loire and Clovis I reigned in the area. A time of peace and prosperity ensued during the reign of Charlemagne.
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