Bouffay

History

Origins with the the Lower Empire (Ve century)

It is extremely probable which there existed before the Roman conquest , a village Celte which already started to have an at the same time industrial vocation (one found in the Nantes area of the vestiges of a very flourishing industry of the Bronze) and commercial, where one exchanged there corn, hemp, wool, saltings of pigs, leather shoes and arnachements, tools and weapons bronzes some (or in Fer), against vases Greek S, carpets, jewels, oils and wine coming from the regions of the south.

It is not after the Roman conquest, at first century BC that the city of Condevincum was going to know the beginning of a true expension. This one then occupied a surface of 16 hectare, centered primarily on the district of Bouffay. And was delimited roughly:

in the south, by the the Loire (current alleys of Flesselles, of the Wetting room and the Maillard Port),
in the west and north, by the Erdre (current Course of the 50 hostages),
in the east, by the courses Saint-Pierre and Saint-Andrew.

It also should be specified that the courses of the Loire and Erdre were at the time much broader than they were it at the time of fillings in the Années 1930 - 1940.

Between IIe and the IVe century, Condevincum (of the Latin meaning “junction” ) was populated surroundings 20.000 inhabitants and comprised a forum located not far from the port (with the site of current Place of Bouffay). This one seemed to be decorated with Portique remarkably carved S and other monuments. The unit was then encircled of a wall of 1665 meters, built out of brick on a base of hardcores, thick of 4,50 meter to the maximum, and decorated several turns. Some Poterne S facilitated the entry in the city (vestiges best preserved at present remaining those of the Healthy-Pierre door, broad 2,55 m and long 8,70 m allowing the passage of a carriage).

As in much of other river cities, the Naute S of the Loire ( “nautae ligerici” ) trained a rich person and power Corporation of Armateur S which had the upper hand on the traffic of the Loire and held an important weight in the administration of the city.

The Christianisme appears in the Nantes area at the 3rd century, illustrated by the martyr of Saint Donatien, and its brother Saint-Rogatien towards 288. The Christian first santuaire in Nantes was dailleurs built outside the city, on the field family (with the site of current the Église Saint-Donatien). However, it will be necessary to await the edict of tolerance of the Emperor Constantin I {{er}} in 313, to see to be built the first Nantes cathedral, where the current building draws up. Nantes becoming very early the seat of a évèché in the mobility of the metropolis of Turns.

The Early middle ages (Ve century - XIIIe century)

After the fall of the Roman Empire of occident, Nantes knows one period of disorders and anarchy. Only the authority of the bishop of the city, Holy Felix Ier, ends up being essential, controlling the city practically only of 550 with 583. This last will leave the memory of an administrator except par, an advised diplomat and a large builder. Thus, not only one will owe him the completion of a splendid cathedral (for which it will make come from the marble of Italy), but also the digging of the channel which currently bears its name, in the south-east of the city, and which was intended to fight against the silting of the port (located at the level of current Place of Bouffay).

After the death of Felix, Nantes sinks again during a time of insecurity. Charlemagne will establish a Comté there, in order to fight against the Breton incursions . The competition between the count and the bishop was done then ceaseless.

This situation was not long in benefitting the Normand S which tackled first once the city in 843, that they plundered, massacring the population taken refuge in the cathedral and killing the Gohard bishop. Then of new raids took place in 853, 867, 886. The last of them, in 919, will empty almost Nantes of all its population, the Norman ones remaining on the spot during nearly twenty years. It will be necessary to await the arrival of the young person Duc of Brittany, Alain Bores-Torte in 937, to release the town of their influence.

This last will make of Nantes, finally released, the capital of its duchy. He was thus regarded as being the true founder of the medieval city.

According to the chronicles, the city was divided into three districts, of which one was placed under the administration of the bishop, the two others being managed by the duke and his comrades in arms. This cutting was going to cause interminable conflicts thereafter.

The old Gallo-Roman enclosure was forsaken and a strengthened tiny room was built around the episcopal district: it only sufficed for him to shelter the small urban community which reconstituted itself, by the contribution of a population of Serf S fugitive to which the duke had to grant a right asylum on his grounds.

After the death of Alain Bores-Torte in 952, Nantes was the theater of a fight of influence between the houses comtales: that of Nantes and that of Rennes. It was the latter, in the person of Conan I {{er}} '' the Wrong '', which was essential in 988.

It is him which will make build at the south-western end of the city (thus on the west coast of the “Place of Bouffay”), the palate comtal that one will indicate by the name of “Château of Bouffay”. The building initially set up seems it of wood, will keep its function until the construction of the Château of the dukes, then will become the seat of the municipal administration, before being shaven at the time work of town planning to the XIXe century.

The French revolution

The district counted one of the prisons of Nantes under the Revolution, the Prison of Bouffay. Jean-Baptiste Carrier, sent to Nantes to repress the Wars of the Vendée, establishes a revolutionary Tribunal there. It holds regularly of the speeches top of the pulpit of the church Holy-Cross and makes carry out executions with the guillotine on the place of Bouffay.

Internal bonds

External bonds

History of Nantes on Infobretagne.com

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