Piedmont

Piedmont, or PIEMONT (Fr. pied, 'foot,' mont, 'mountain'), a former Italian principality, which now forms the north-west part of the kingdom of Italy, is by the Alps separated from Switzerland on the N. and from France on the W.; on the E. lies Lombardy, and on the S. Liguria and Genoa. It included the duchy of Monferrat and part of the old duchy of Milan, and now embraces the provinces of Alessandria, Cuneo, Novara, and Turin, and covers 11,389 sq. m., with a pop. (1889) of 3,297,157. For an account of its geographical features, see ITALY. From the end of the 12th century the name Piedmont was used as a collective title for the territories ruled over by the House of Savoy on the east side of the Graian and Cottian Alps; the history of the region will be found under ITALY, SARDINIA, SAVOY, and WALDENSES. See, too, S. Bntler's Alps and Sanctuaries of Piedmont (new ed. 1890).