Lyon
Toponymy

The name of the city has taken the forms Lugdon, Luon, and since the 13th century, Lyon.The Gallic Lugdun or Lugdunon that was Latinized in Roman as Lugdunum is composed of two words. The first may be the name of the Celtic god Lug (in charge of order and law), or the derived word lugon, meaning "crow" (the crow being the messenger of Lug), but might also be another word lug, meaning "light". The second is dunos ('fortress', 'hill'). The name thus may designate the hill of Fourvière, on which the ancient city of Lyon is founded, but could mean "hill of the god Lug", "hill of the crows" or "shining hill". Alternatively Julius Pokorny associates the first part of the word with the Indo-European radical * lūg ('dark, black, swamp'), the basis of the toponyms Ludza in Latvia, Lusatia in Germany (from Sorbian Łužica), and several places in the Czech Republic named Lužice; it could then also be compared to Luze in Franche-Comté and various hydronyms such as Louge.

Further down, in the current Saint-Vincent district, was the Gallic village of Condate, probably a simple hamlet of sailors or fishermen living on the banks of the Saône. Condate is a Gallic word meaning "confluence", from which the Confluence district gets its name.

In Roman times the city was called Caput Galliæ, meaning "capital of the Gauls". As an homage to this title, the Archbishop of Lyon is still called the Primate of Gaul.

During the revolutionary period, Lyon was renamed Commune-Affranchie (" Emancipated Commune ") on 12 October 1793 by a decree of the Convention Nationale. It resumed its name in 1794, after the end of the Terror.

Lyon is called Liyon in Franco-Provençal.

Roman Empire (Gallia Lugdunensis), 43 BC-286 Western Roman Empire (Gallia Lugdunensis), 286-411 Kingdom of the Burgundians, 411–534 Francia, 534–843 Middle Francia, 843–855 Lotharingia, 855–879 Lower Burgundy, 879-933 Kingdom of Arles, 933–1312 Kingdom of France (Lyonnais), 1312–1792 French First Republic, 1792–1793 Counter-revolutionary, 1793 French First Republic, 1793–1804 First French Empire, 1804–1814 Kingdom of France, 1814–1815 First French Empire, 1815 Kingdom of France, 1815–1830 Kingdom of France, 1830–1848 French Second Republic, 1848–1852 Second French Empire, 1852–1870 French Third Republic, 1870–1940 Vichy France, 1940–1944 French Fourth Republic, 1944–1958 France, 1958–present
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