Short answers, pulled from the story.
The kingdom operated through multiple layers including ecclesiastical dioceses, judicial parliaments, military governments, and fiscal généralités. Each layer claimed authority over the same land but drew lines differently without matching borders.
Julius Caesar described fifty-four main peoples occupying ancient Gaul while other sources claim over one hundred individual groups. The number of civitas rose from thirty-three to one hundred thirteen each with precise legal definitions and codified structures.
On the night of the 4th of August 1789 the National Constituent Assembly abolished all regional rights and privileges held by classes nobility and clergy. They decided to replace historic divisions with uniform départements designed for every state function.
The first six major fiefs held peerage titles consisting of three duchies of Aquitaine Burgundy and Normandy plus three counties of Toulouse Flanders and Champagne. Six ecclesiastical peers also served as electors alongside secular nobles during this period.
Provinces continued existing administratively until the 21st of September 1791 despite objections from towns that lost their courts of appeal or arsenals. Modern regions sometimes share names with historic provinces covering roughly similar territory yet original ethnic names gave way to physical geographic designations like rivers mountains and coasts.