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THE RENAISSANCE IN THE LANGRES REGION.

On a national level, the late 15th and early 16th centuries were a period of peace within the kingdom, with conflicts taking place abroad, particularly in Italy. Conflicts were taking place abroad, particularly in Italy, and this distance was not without consequences for the Langres region, located on the kingdom's eastern border. The inhabitants were able to devote their time - and their finances - to modernising defence and civil and religious architecture.

The emergence of a new elite.

This favourable economic climate led to the enrichment of a new social class: the bourgeoisie, and more specifically the haute bourgeoisie, who took up prominent positions in the judiciary and the financial world. This social elite gradually began to rival the aristocracy in terms of construction and the arts, helping to spread the new taste for Antiquity that had emerged at court throughout the country. At the beginning of the 16th century, this class was still poorly represented in Langres and the surrounding area. Indeed, the region did not feature among the bailliages and sénéchaussées of the kingdom until a royal edict in 1561.

Nobility and clergy.

The local lords played only a marginal role in the spread of this new courtly aesthetic. For them, it was primarily a question of modernising the defences of their medieval castles before considering any restructuring. The main gateway to Renaissance taste in the region therefore remained the religious sphere. The region is at the heart of a bishopric headquartered in Langres, with 843 parishes spread over 14,400 km².

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