ancient Aurelianum
City (pop., 1999: 113,126), capital of the Centre région , north-central France.
It was conquered by Julius Caesar in 52 BC and became an intellectual centre under Charlemagne . It was a major cultural centre in the Middle Ages and became a royal duchy under Philip VI in 1344. During the Hundred Years' War , the English siege in 1429 was relieved by Loire River in a fertile valley, it is important for market gardening, horticulture, and textile production.