Clermont-Ferrand in the context of "Battle of Gergovia"

Play Trivia Questions online!

or

Skip to study material about Clermont-Ferrand in the context of "Battle of Gergovia"

Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Clermont-Ferrand

Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area (aire d'attraction) had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 census. It is the prefecture (capital) of the Puy-de-Dôme département. Olivier Bianchi is its current mayor.

Clermont-Ferrand sits on the plain of Limagne in the Massif Central and is surrounded by a major industrial area. The city is known for the chain of volcanoes, the Chaîne des Puys, which surround it. This includes the dormant volcano Puy de Dôme, 10 kilometres (6 miles) away, one of the highest in the surrounding area, which is topped by communications towers and visible from the city. Clermont-Ferrand has been listed as a "tectonic hotspot" since July 2018 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<

👉 Clermont-Ferrand in the context of Battle of Gergovia

The Battle of Gergovia took place in 52 BC in Gaul at Gergovia, the chief oppidum (fortified town) of the Arverni. The battle was fought between a Roman Republican army, led by proconsul Julius Caesar, and Gallic forces led by Vercingetorix, who was also the Arverni chieftain. The Romans attempted to besiege Gergovia, but miscommunication ruined the Roman plan. The Gallic cavalry counterattacked the confused Romans and sent them to flight, winning the battle.

The site is identified with Merdogne, since renamed Gergovie, a village located on a hill within the town of La Roche-Blanche, near Clermont-Ferrand, in south central France. Some walls and earthworks still survive from the pre-Roman Iron Age. The battle is well known in France as an example of a Gallic victory.

↓ Explore More Topics
In this Dossier

Clermont-Ferrand in the context of Council of Clermont

The Council of Clermont was a mixed synod of ecclesiastics and laymen of the Catholic Church, called by Pope Urban II and held from 17 to 27 November 1095 at Clermont, Auvergne, at the time part of the Duchy of Aquitaine.

While the council is known today primarily for the speech Pope Urban gave on the final day, it was primarily a synod focused on implementing the Cluniac reforms, enacting decrees and settling local and regional issues. This also included the extension of the excommunication of Philip I of France for his adulterous remarriage to Bertrade of Montfort and a declaration of renewal of the Truce of God, an attempt on the part of the church to reduce feuding among Frankish nobles.

↑ Return to Menu

Clermont-Ferrand in the context of Chamalières

Chamalières (French pronunciation: [ʃamaljɛʁ] ; Auvergnat: Chamaleiras) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, central France.

With 17,276 inhabitants (2019), Chamalières is the fourth-largest town in the department. It lies adjacent to the west of Clermont-Ferrand and about 241 kilometres (150 mi) from Lyon.

↑ Return to Menu

Clermont-Ferrand in the context of Blaise Pascal University

Blaise Pascal University (French: Université Blaise-Pascal), also known as Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand II, was a public university with its main campus in Clermont-Ferrand, France, with satellite locations in other parts of the region of Auvergne, including Vichy, Moulins, Montluçon, and Aubière. On 1 January 2017, the university merged with the University of Auvergne to form the Clermont Auvergne University.

↑ Return to Menu

Clermont-Ferrand in the context of Gergovia

Gergovia was a Gaulish town in modern Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in the upper part of the basin of the Allier, near present-day Clermont-Ferrand. It was the capital of the Arverni. The city of Gergovia had strong walls and was located on a giant raised plateau surrounded by hills.

It was the chief town (oppidum) of the Arverni and the site of the Battle of Gergovia in 52 BC. The battle was fought between a Roman Republic army, led by proconsul Julius Caesar, and Gallic forces led by Vercingetorix. Caesar marched south with six legions to take the hill town of Gergovia. The Gauls won the battle, which led to increased cavalry support for Vercingetorix's campaign for future battles. This was a significant failure in Gallia for Caesar and the Roman army.

↑ Return to Menu

Clermont-Ferrand in the context of Gergovie

Gergovie (in auvergnat Gergòia; until 1865 Merdogne) is a French village in the commune of La Roche-Blanche in the Puy-de-Dôme département, a few kilometres south of Clermont-Ferrand.

It is situated at the foot of the Gergovie plateau, the official but disputed site of the Battle of Gergovia, where, near the Arverni oppidum of Nemossos (a sacred wood, in Gaulish), the Arverni and other Gallic tribes gathered under Vercingetorix's command to fight the Roman legions of Julius Caesar in 52 BC.

↑ Return to Menu

Clermont-Ferrand in the context of A75 autoroute

The A75 is an autoroute (motorway) in France.

Known also as la Méridienne, it is a developmental project aiming to speed up, and reduce the cost of car travel from Paris to the south of France. Apart from the Millau Viaduct, it is free for the entire 335 km (208 mi) between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers. It was not due to be finished until spring 2011, but was fully opened in December 2010. South of St. Flour there are views of the Garabit viaduct.

↑ Return to Menu

Clermont-Ferrand in the context of Rubber-tyred tram

A rubber-tyred tram (also known as tramway on tyres, French: tramway sur pneumatiques) is a development of the guided bus in which a vehicle is guided by a fixed rail in the road surface and draws current from overhead electric wires (either via pantograph or trolley poles).

Two incompatible systems using physical guide rails exist: the guided light transit (GLT) designed by Bombardier Transportation, and the translohr from Lohr Industrie (currently made by Alstom and FSI). There are no guide bars at the sides but there is a central guidance rail that differs in design between the systems. In the case of Translohr, this rail is grasped by a pair of metal guide wheels set at 45° to the road and at 90° to each other. In the GLT system, a single double-flanged wheel between the rubber tires follows the guidance rail. In both cases, the weight of the vehicle is borne by rubber tires to which the guide wheels are attached, which make contact with the road on concrete roll ways designed to minimise impact on the ground. Power is usually supplied by overhead lines, rechargeable batteries, or internal combustion engines where there are no overhead wires.

↑ Return to Menu

Clermont-Ferrand in the context of Puy-de-Dôme

Puy-de-Dôme (French: [pɥi dom] ; Auvergnat: lo Puèi de Doma or lo Puèi Domat) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2021, it had a population of 662,285. Its prefecture is Clermont-Ferrand and subprefectures are Ambert, Issoire, Riom, and Thiers.

Named after the Puy de Dôme dormant volcano, its inhabitants were called Puydedomois in French until 2005. With effect from 2006, in response to a letter writing campaign, the name used for the inhabitants was changed by the Puy-de-Dôme General Council to Puydômois; this is the name that has since then been used in all official documents and publications.

↑ Return to Menu