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The kingdom of France was organized into provinces until 1789, when the establishment of the départment
system superseded provinces.
The names of the former provinces are still used by geographers to designate natural regions, and several French administrative regions carry their names.
The meaning of “province”
French départments, their names, and their borders were chosen by the central government. In contrast, the existence of
provinces came from the droit coutumier (“customary
law”) and was merely certified by the state. A province, also called a pays (“country”), was
characterized by the laws that belonged to it. A province itself could encompass several other provinces. For example, Burgundy was a province but Bresse — another province — was nevertheless a part of Burgundy.
There is therefore no official list of provinces. The list of généralités, administrative subdivisions of the
kingdom, is often presented when one wants to establish the list of provinces on the eve of the French Revolution. The list below is much larger, encompassing provinces throughout French
history.
List of former provinces of France
Part of France in 1789
Not part of France in 1789
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