Bellegarde-en-Marche

Bellegarde-en-Marche (, literally Bellegarde in Marche; Auvergnat: Belagarda) is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France.

== History == Bellegarde is a bastide (fortified village) created in the 13th century, during the defence of the Limousin against the English who then disputed territory in Western metropolitan France (Guyenne). King Louis VIII, fighting against Henry III, the English king, decided to establish a forward military post in Bellegarde. It took its current name in 1892. It is the former capital of the Franc-alleu, a medieval free-trade zone at a crossroads between two powerful regions: Auvergne and Limousin. In the wake of Aubusson and Felletin, tapestry workshops were set up in the city during and after the Renaissance. Bellegarde was even considered for a time a "rival" of Aubusson and Felletin in this activity.