Alsace History Flashcards
As of 2016, what regions comprise the Grand Est région of France?
Alsace
Lorraine
Champagne
Throughout the Middle Ages, Alsace was a province of what?
Holy Roman Empire
What brought France in direct conflict with the Spanish Habsburg house during the 15th and 16th Centuries?
The fact that it was a centralized nation state.
What rivalry catapulted the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) in Europe?
The French-Habsburg rivalry.
-went from from a localized German religious dispute into a general European war for political dominance.
What is the Treaty of Westphalia?
Concluded the war in 1648 and cemented France’s ownership of Alsace.
When did Germany gain control of Alsace after the Treaty of Westphalia?
Germany claimed the territory with Lorraine at the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871.
When did Alsace-Lorraine have a period of independence? How long did this last?
Gained independence as the abdication of Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm brought the end of World War I, but French troops quickly moved on Alsace-Lorraine and its capital, Strasbourg, and reincorporated the region into the country within a month.
Despite a short occupation by Nazi Germany in the early 1940s, Alsace remains French.
When does winegrowing in Alsace date back to?
The first millennium.
How many Alsatian villages were growing grapevines by the year 1000?
160
Why was winegrowing in Alsace demolishied?
Thirty Years War (1618–1648)
-the political instability of the following 300 years repressed the resurgence of the vine.
What can be attributed to the resurgence of winegrowing in Alsace?
French control following World War I
-yet many of the region’s current vineyards date to 1945 and after
What does the year 1945 mark in Alsace?
marks the beginning of a divergence in French and German winemaking styles; German wines remained classically sweet, whereas Alsace producers fermented to dryness for a more powerful and food-friendly wine.
When did Alsace achieve AOC status?
1962
