History History

Traces of human presence can be found in the valleys of Gavaudun, Lède and Lémance. We know that man took refuge in the caves of Monsempron and that in the Mesolithic period, Sauveterre La Lémance is a land where his presence is known.

During the Bronze Age, the Agenais was already a land of crossroads with continental and Atlantic influences and techniques and cultures from the West and East.

We can see the first activities taking shape in Tonneins and Aiguillon. It is a succession of passages (Iberians, Celts...) and the Celts will settle on the plateau of the Hermitage and will make this place, Aginum, their kingdom.

The Celts allied themselves with Vercingetorix and helped him win the battle of Gergovia. Following the defeat of Alesia, Aginum becomes a city and is transformed with the Pax Romana. The theatre and other amphitheatres were built in the same way as in Rome. Militarily, Aiguillon and Le Mas d'Agen became strongholds and agricultural villas were built along the Garonne (Castelculier) or the Baïse (Moncrabeau).

Christianity brings its first martyrs like Saint Caprais and Saint Foy or Saint Maurin.

Rome fled, Clovis extended his territory to the present Aquitaine after countless battles.

The battle of Roncesvalles gave Aquitaine as a kingdom, amputated from Gascony, to Charlemagne's son.

Following the reign of the Dukes of Aquitaine, the region reverted to the daughter of William X, who brought it as a dowry to Henry Plantagenet when she remarried. In fact, when Eleanor became Queen of England, Aquitaine enjoyed three centuries of golden age under the English "flag".

We enter the era of the bastides, these new towns emblematic of the region and the castles like Bonaguil, a real jewel of this period. Trade was at its peak and the wines were in great demand by the British.

October 16, 1323 is the date of a major event in history which is explained in Lot-et-Garonne. Indeed, it is the incident of Saint-Sardos which will lead to the Hundred Years War. The French wanted to build a bastide in this town against the will of the English, sitting in Montpezat. King Edward II of England refused to pay tribute to Charles IV the Fair, the French sovereign. On October 16, 1323, the day set for the establishment of the new French bastide, the lord of Montpezat sacks the site and hangs the representative of the Capetians, he will be banished thereafter. The King of France refused to forgive him, confiscated the fief and sent his uncle, Charles de Valois, to occupy the country. Scuffles took place between the local officers and it was this incident that triggered a conflict that would last 100 years (1337-1453). Finally, on July 17, 1453, the French crushed the English at Castillon, Aquitaine became French again and Duras and Seyches, which were drained, were repopulated by people from Saintonge, Angoumois and Poitevin. Normal life resumed with economic activity and the region regained a certain wealth.

The marriage of Marguerite de Navarre, sister of François^I, to Henri d'Albret brought Nérac to the forefront and made it the centre of a court where Théodore de Bèze, Clément Marot and Clain crossed paths and where the ideas of the reform made sense.

It is the advent of Henri IV who lived in Nerac and who will promulgate the famous Edict of Nantes, peacemaker between Catholics and Protestants, in 1597. Gascony is then in the firmament.

The reign of Louis XIII will see the wars of Religion resurface and this king will fight to regain Nerac, Clairac or Monheurt and will destroy Tonneins except for the house of the ferryman.

With peace in place, sales of wheat, tobacco and plums increased in the region. However, the peasantry remains poor and the famine will partly trigger the Revolution that the country will know. The region will remain "relatively" distant from the events since only 7 people will be guillotined. There will be some uprisings and some popular riots. The refractory priests (they represented 60% of the clergy) will be chased, but none will be put to death.

The notables, Girondins for the most part, will be deposed by the Montagnard convention then will find their place only after the events of Thermidor and will abandon it only after the July Monarchy. They were loyal to Napoleon III (except Marmande and Villeneuve).

The department will advocate conservatism. The industrial revolution will not bring any development to the region. The textile industry continued to decline. The building industry decreased its activity, only the food industry developed. In 1850, the American competition will damage the wheat exports, and the vine will be destroyed by the phylloxera. This will be the great rural exodus: the countryside will empty, Agen, Villeneuve-sur-Lot Nérac or Marmande will see their population increase, as well as their administrative, craft and commercial activity.

Armand Fallières, a local boy, was elected President of the French Republic. Born in Mézin in 1841 and died in Villeneuve-de-Mézin in 1931, he was President of the French Republic from 1906 to 1913 and also held the positions of Minister of the Interior, Minister of Foreign Affairs, President of the Council of Ministers and President of the Senate. He is a political figure of the department.

After the First World War: Italians arrived en masse and began a wave of immigration to Lot-et-Garonne, particularly due to the development of arboriculture and market gardening. After the Second World War: Desertification increased, but rural activity was still maintained in the countryside.

The construction of the Deux Mers motorway and the TGV will open up the department and give it a certain visibility, still modest, which will develop since the rural Lot-et-Garonne has resolutely turned towards tourism.