Auvergne
COUNTS AND DAU- PHINS OF, a title which was, about the middle of the 8th century, conferred on Blandin, who served the Duke Waifre in his opposition to Pepin le Bref, founder of the Carlovingian dynasty.
The name figures through a great part of early French history.
AUXERRE (ōz-ar'), the chief town of the French department of Yonne, on the Yonne river, 109 miles S. E. of Paris , in a rich district abounding in vineyards.
It presents an imposing aspect from a distance, the most prominent feature being the noble Gothic cathedral, which dates from 1215. Auxerre was a flourishing town before the Roman invasion of Gaul. It was destroyed by the Huns in 451, and in 486 was wrested by Clovis from the Romans. The county of Auxerrois came finally in 1477 to the kingdom of France. The principal manufactures are wine (a light Burgundy), candies, chemicals and hosiery. Pop. about 25,000.