| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
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| Berry, former province, France |
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(b r ´) (KEY) , former province, central France. Bourges, the capital, and Châteauroux are the chief towns. Cattle are raised on the Champagne Berrichonne, a semiarid plateau that covers most of the region. The valleys of the Indre and the Cher rivers are rich farming areas. A part of Roman Aquitaine, Berry was made a county in the 8th cent., and was purchased (1101) by the French crown. In 1360 it was made a duchy. It was held as an appanage by various royal princes until 1601, when it reverted to the crown. |
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| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
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