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'Charolles' is a commune of the Saône-et-Loire ''département'', in east-central France.

Contents

Geography

History

Sights

Economy

Miscellaneous

References

Geography

Charolles is located at the confluence of the Semence and the Arconce rivers, 39 m. W.N.W. of Mâcon.

History

Charolles was the capital of Charolais, an old division of France, which from the early 14th century gave the title of count to its possessors. In 1327 the county passed by marriage to the house of Armagnac, and in 1390 it was sold to Philip of Burgundy. After the death of Charles the Bold, who in his youth had borne the title of count of Charolais, it was seized by Louis XI of France, but in 1493 it was ceded by Charles VIII to Maximilian of Austria, the representative of the Burgundian family. Ultimately passing to the Spanish kings, it became for a considerable period an object of dispute between France and Spain, until at length in 1684 it was assigned to the great Condé, a creditor of the king of Spain. It was united to the French crown in 1771.
Population (1906): 3,228.

Sights

The ruins of the castle of the counts of Charolais occupy the summit of a hill in the immediate vicinity of the town.

Economy

According to the Encyclopædia Britannica ''Eleventh Edition'' (1911):
:There are stone quarries in the vicinity; the town manufactures pottery, and is the centre for trade in the famous breed of Charolais cattle and in agricultural products.

Miscellaneous

Charolles was the birthplace of:

★ Louis Jacolliot (1837-1890), author

★ Michel Roux (born 1941), a French-born restaurateur working in Britain

References

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