Ligue

Ligue is a term with several related meanings in English and French. In French, ligue means a league or an association formed for a common purpose, and the word itself comes from Old French ligue, derived from Latin ligare, meaning to bind or to tie together. The concept emphasizes a binding of members under shared goals or rules.

Historically, La Ligue refers to Catholic League movements in France, formed during the Wars of Religion in the late 16th century to defend Catholic interests against Huguenots and political rivals. The most famous instance, the Catholic League, rose to prominence in the 1580s and 1590s and waned after political shifts, including the accession of Henry IV and the Edict of Nantes. The term has also been used in other European contexts to denote similar leagues or covenants.

In modern usage, a league is an organizational framework in which member teams or individuals compete on a structured schedule. Leagues establish governance, rules, scheduling, licensing, and competition formats; many employ promotion and relegation to create interconnected tiers. In French-language sports, Ligue is commonly used in the names of leagues, such as Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and other national or regional competitions.

As a unit of distance, a league is a historical measurement of length, typically defined as about three miles (roughly 4.8 kilometers), though exact values varied by region and era.