The People of Provence Are Not at All Like the People of Alsace

The traditional division of the french kingdom was into its 39 provinces. The boundaries of these provinces, which range wildly in size, were rooted in the old feudal domains. Feudalism was by nature a transactional political system where every one agreed to bind themselves to a set of mutual obligations. But after louis the fourteenth had done his thing, the intendants also acquired quite a bit of political power at the expense of provincial governors.