Villefranche-de-Rouergue
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Villefranche-de-Rouergue is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Aveyron département in southern France. Population (1999): 11,919.
[edit] History
At the end of the Albigensian Crusade from the northern "barons" against the southern Occitania on a religious pretext (fighting the Cathar heresy), the Count of Toulouse was defeated and concluded the treaty of Paris in 1229. By this treaty he gave the Rouergue county to his daughter who became the wife of Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of Saint Louis, king of France. Alphonse founded Villefranche on the place of an old village called La Peyrade in 1252.
During World War II, while Villefranche was occupied by Nazi Germany, the town received a large 13th Waffen SS Handschar (1st Croatian) division that was consisted mainly of Bosnian muslims and Croats. With Ferid Džanić as leader with Božo Jeleneko and Nikola Vukelić, one battalion staged a rebellion against the Nazis on September 17, 1943, (Villefranche-de-Rouergue uprising) but were soon suppressed and mostly executed on site. The few that escaped inspired the French resistance in Aveyron that had not been formed up to that event. In honor of the events that took place, after the war an avenue in Villfranche-de-Rouergue was named Avenue des Croates (Avenue of Croats).
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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