985: birth of a great town Montpellier (Monte Pestalario) owes its birth to a donation by the Count of Mauguio to Guilhem de Gellone in 985. The town grew rapidly and its merchants prospered by its favourable geographical location - the town was built close to the Roman road of Via Domitia to the north, to the salt route to the south and to the Cami Romeu, the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.
1180 In addition to its trade wealth, there was also its culture and university. In 1180, the lord of Montpellier, Guilhem VIII, gave permission to teach medicine without fear of punishment. Thus was founded the first medical school in Europe, where Rabelais came to study. And in fact tt was here that he found his inspiration for "Pantagruel".
The proximity of the Cévennes explains why Montpellier was much influenced by the Reformed Church. In the early 12th century the town was held by the Huguenots and Louis XIII came to liberate it in person.
14th century A hundred years later, Montpellier was the largest town in France after Paris. But the region was sadly decimated by the Great Black Death in the 14th century which killed off two thirds of the population. It took another century and the arrival of Jacques Coeur, the royal court banker and rich merchant who settled in Montpellier and restored the prestige of the town. Its growth took off again, as can be seen by the luxurious private mansions built by the rich merchants.
18th century The French Revolution left Montpellier fairly unscathed in spite of the guillotine which left a few heads rolling on the Royal Esplanade of the Peyrou.
19th and 20th centuries The town was not affected by the Industrial Revolution because it has always been a university town with a significant role in trade and finance. It was not until the 1960s that Montpellier started to be industrialised.
The arrival of 15000 Algerian French, who soon found their feet amongst the local population, combined with that of IBM which chose Montpellier for its biggest European site, gave the town new impetus and imparted to it an image of a French Silicon Valley.
Montpellier is now growing fast, as can be seen with the famous Antigone development, Port Marianne, the Millénaire business park, the Corum and the tramway which all help towards the economic and cultural growth of the town.
