Mortagne
Encyclopedia
Mortagne is a commune
in the Vosges
department in Lorraine
in northeastern France
.
It shares its name with the eponymous river
which borders the commune on its south-eastern side.
. The settlements in the commune are dispersed across various hamlets that include l'Orme, le Bout du Dessus, le Bout du Milieu and le Bout du Dessous. The commune is crossed by the little River
Mossoux, a tributary of the Mortagne
which itself feeds into the Meurthe
. Much of the valley here remains wild and uncultivated: the last farm on the route to the forest is called 'The End of the World'.
of the river. Earlier spellings have included 'Mortesna', 'Mortennam', and a patois
version, 'Moutone'.
For many years there was a widespread belief that the name was of Roman origin, related to the name 'Mauritania', being a reference to an encampment of a Moorish
regiment during the closing centuries of the Roman Empire
period: this belief is now discredited.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
department in Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
in northeastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It shares its name with the eponymous river
Mortagne (river)
The Mortagne is a long river in the Vosges and Meurthe-et-Moselle départements, northeastern France. Its source is at Saint-Léonard, west of the village, in the Vosges Mountains. It flows generally northwest...
which borders the commune on its south-eastern side.
Geography
The commune is positioned on undulating lower slopes of the Vosges MountainsVosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
. The settlements in the commune are dispersed across various hamlets that include l'Orme, le Bout du Dessus, le Bout du Milieu and le Bout du Dessous. The commune is crossed by the little River
Mossoux, a tributary of the Mortagne
Mortagne (river)
The Mortagne is a long river in the Vosges and Meurthe-et-Moselle départements, northeastern France. Its source is at Saint-Léonard, west of the village, in the Vosges Mountains. It flows generally northwest...
which itself feeds into the Meurthe
Meurthe River
The Meurthe is a river in north-eastern France, right tributary to the river Moselle. Its source is in the Vosges mountains, near the Col de la Schlucht in the Vosges département...
. Much of the valley here remains wild and uncultivated: the last farm on the route to the forest is called 'The End of the World'.
Etymology
the name of 'Mortagne' in the Vosges département is believed to come from the Celtic nameCeltic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
of the river. Earlier spellings have included 'Mortesna', 'Mortennam', and a patois
Patois
Patois is any language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. It can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects, and other forms of native or local speech, but not commonly to jargon or slang, which are vocabulary-based forms of cant...
version, 'Moutone'.
For many years there was a widespread belief that the name was of Roman origin, related to the name 'Mauritania', being a reference to an encampment of a Moorish
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
regiment during the closing centuries of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
period: this belief is now discredited.