County of Nice

The County of Nice (; ; Niçard ) is a historical region of France located around the southeastern city of Nice and roughly equivalent to the modern arrondissement of Nice. History Its territory lies between the Mediterranean Sea (Côte d'Azur), Var River and the southernmost crest of the Alps. Ligurian tribes populated the County of Nice prior to its occupation by the Romans. These tribes, conquered by Augustus, had become fully Romanized (according to Theodore Mommsen) by the 4th century, when the barbarian invasions began. The Franks conquered the region after the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, and the local Romance populations became integrated within the County of Provence, with a period of independence as a maritime republic (1108–1176). It was initially a semi-autonomous part of the ancient County of Provence.