Editing March (territory) (section)

===France===

The [[province of France]] called '''[[County of Marche|Marche]]''' ({{langx|oc|la Marcha}}), sometimes ''Marche Limousine'', was originally a small border district between the Duchy of Aquitaine and the domains of the Frankish kings in central France, partly of [[Limousin (province)|Limousin]] and partly of [[Poitou]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|pp=689–690}}

Its area was increased during the 13th century and remained the same until the [[French Revolution]]. Marche was bounded on the north by [[Berry (province)|Berry]], on the east by [[Bourbonnais]] and [[Auvergne (province)|Auvergne]]; on the south by Limousin itself and on the west by Poitou. It embraced the greater part of the modern ''[[département]]'' of [[Creuse]], a considerable part of the northern [[Haute-Vienne]], and a fragment of [[Indre]], up to [[Saint-Benoît-du-Sault]]. Its area was about {{convert|1900|mi2|km2}} its capital was [[Charroux, Vienne|Charroux]] and later [[Guéret]], and among its other principal towns were [[Dorat, Vienne|Dorat]], [[Bellac]] and [[Confolens]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=690}}

Marche first appeared as a separate fief about the middle of the 10th century when [[William III, duke of Aquitaine]], gave it to one of his vassals named [[Boso, Count of Marche|Boso]], who took the title of [[count]]. In the 12th century it passed to the family of [[Lusignan]], sometimes also [[counts of Angoulême]], until the death of the childless [[Count Hugh]] in 1303, when it was seized by King [[Philip IV of France|Philip IV]]. In 1316 it was made an [[appanage]] for his youngest son [[Charles IV of France|Charles]] and a few years later (1327) it passed into the hands of the [[family of Bourbon]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=690}}

The family of [[Armagnac (party)|Armagnac]] held it from 1435 to 1477, when it reverted to the Bourbons, and in 1527 it was seized by King [[Francis I of France|Francis I]] and became part of the domains of the French crown. It was divided into Haute-Marche (i.e. "Upper Marche") and Basse-Marche (i.e. "Lower Marche"), the estates of the former being in existence until the 17th century. From 1470 until the Revolution the province was under the jurisdiction of the ''[[parlement]]'' of Paris.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=690}}

Several communes of France are named similarly:
* [[Marches, Drôme]] in the [[Drôme]] ''département''
* [[La Marche, Nièvre|La Marche]] in the [[Nièvre]] ''département''