BOURBONNAIS was formerly a province of France, bounded on the north by Nivernais and Berri, on the south by Auvergne, on the east by Burgundy and Forez, and on the west by Berri. It covered approximately the same area as the modern department of Allier. Bourbonnais was a purely feudal creation, and did not correspond to any ancient division of territory. It included part of the land formerly held by certain Gallic tribes mentioned by Caesar—the Arverni, the Aedui and the Bituriges Cubi. It was later divided between Aquitaine and Lyonnaise. In the i8th century different parts of the province formed part of five dioceses, those of Bourges, Clermont, Autun, Nevers and Limoges. The principal towns of Bourbonnais are Moulins, the capital, and Gannat, Montlucon and La Palisse. The province has a military government with headquarters at Moulins. For judicial purposes it came under the Parlement of Paris.
See de Coiffier de Moret, Histoire du Bourbonnais, 2 vol. (1814-16) ; A. Allier, Histoire de l'ancien Bourbonnais, 2 vol. (1834-38) ; M. Fazy, Histoire des Sires de Bourbon ... et de la formation territoriale du Bourbonnais (1924).