Forez

Forez is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire département and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme départements.

The final "z" in Forez (French pronunciation: [fɔʁɛ]) is not pronounced in the Loire département; however, it is pronounced in the western part of the former province, essentially when referring to the correspondent Forez mountains (on the border between Puy-de-Dôme and Loire.

Franco-Provençal is the language that was historically spoken in the region.

The city of Montbrison, Loire is considered the historical capital of the Forez.

There are several early figures who are sometimes supposed to have been counts of Forez.