Champagne (region)

Champagne (region), region of north-east France, including the departments of Marne, Haute-Marne, Aube, and Ardennes; and parts of Yonne, Aisne, Seine-et-Marne, and Meuse. A former province, Champagne consists mainly of an arid, chalk plateau and is world-renowned for the sparkling white wine to which it has given its name (see Champagne). Almost all exported French champagne comes from the area around the cities of Reims and Épernay. Sheep farming and the wool industry are also important sources of income and jobs.

During the early Middle Ages Champagne was a duchy under Merovingian rulers. Around the 10th century it became an hereditary estate known as the county of Champagne. In the 12th and 13th centuries it became famous for commercial fairs attended by merchants from all of Europe. The capital was Troyes. In 1314 Champagne became a province of the royal domain of France when the Count of Champagne, who had inherited the area, succeeded to the throne as Louis X, King of France.