One could posit a County of Toulouse that "pulls a Burgundy"- that is the Count of Toulouse brings together a large amount of land that straddles the French-Aragonese border, and then his daughter-heir marry into the Aragonese Royal family.
The County has enjoyed de facto independence for decades, under the rule of its independent minded counts. Occita has developed its own culture during the years of independent rule however, and when the Protestant Reformation (I know about butterflies, gimme a break) comes the Occitan nobility moves toward this new religious interpretation. The "Twenty Five-Years War" leads to eventual Occitan independence for what is referred to as the "Princes' Republic". Despite French and Aragonese claims on Occita the country has survived, due to its strong and very unique cultural and religious identity, surrounded as it is by Catholic powers.