History of Angers

This article treats history of Angers .

See also with “Anjou” whose history is closely related to that of Angers

Prehistory

The oldest trace of human occupation goes back to: 400000 years front J. - C. the vestiges become more abundant with the Neolithic (many polished stone axes).

The site of Angers is occupied as of this time since a Cairn (collective burial under a stone hillock) was found on the site of the current castle. It is estimated that this burial dates from years 4500/3500 before our era.

Protohistoire

A superb sword of the Bronze Age was discovered in the Maine.

Antiquity

With the O C, the Celtic people of the the Andes or Andécaves are established in the country, especially in the north of the the Loire, and its name gives him. According to the excavations carried out with the castle, the site of Angers was a Oppidum rather densément occupied at the end of the Âge of Iron. The texts, as for them, are dumb on the capital of the Andes. The name of Juliomagus (“the market of Jules”), undoubtedly old, is attested only at the 3rd century.

Populated at the beginning of craftsmen, the city takes then a more residential character. Our knowledge of the Gallo-Roman city is variable: some sectors were excavated with attention (place of the Republic, ENSAM, etc) and made it possible to discover Roman Thermes and domus perish-urban, but the nonaristocratic habitat (thus likely to be built out of perishable materials) is him less characterized and known; the Gallo-Roman network viaire as for him is regarded as well-known: the quadrangular grid is well attested. In the vicinity immediate of the current street of the Arenas rose formerly the Gallo-Roman arenas of Growan or Grohan , built in Angers towards 115 after J. - C.

With the invasions of the years 275 - 276 and the permanent state of insecurity of the surrounding countryside, the inhabitants are folded up on the highest point of the site (fine 3rd century-beginning 4th century) and are surrounded by walls which delimit only one surface of approximately 9ha (the Cité). It is still, in spite of the rehandlings, the most visible vestiges of the Gallo-Roman period. As much of cities, the agglomeration begins again with the name of the Gallic people which lived it: civitas Andecavorum , or Andecavis , origin of its current name.

The Middle Ages

The development of Christianity poses the stakes of a new extension. The first bishop is mentioned in 372 (some Defensor , still that were it to be only its civil title), at the time of the election of Martin with évêché of Tours.

The monastic life penetrates in Angers about the middle of the 6th century: the first abbey, Saint-Aubin, are devoted according to the legend by the bishop of Paris, saint Germain and are intended to shelter the tomb of Aubin. The abbey Saint-Serge, foundation of the kings mérovingiens Clovis II and Thierry III, follows in the middle of the 7th century.

In 845, is plundered by the chief Viking Hasting, then again in 852.

Starting from the Years 850, Angers suffers from its situation of Marche. Breton and Normands make so well reign the insecurity in the country which the count settles in 851 at the south-western end of the city for better supervising the river, with the site of current the château.
the same year, in September 851, Charles the Bald person and Erispoë, Breton chief, meet in Angers to sign the Traité of Angers which gives to the Brittany the countries of Rennes, Nantes and of Retz, thus fixing the frontier limits of the historical Brittany. Nevertheless, the city is invested on several occasions. This is why Charles the Bald person creates in 853 a vast walk border formed of the territories of the Anjou, Touraine, Maine and country of Sées and entrusts it to Robert the Fort (great-grandfather of Hugues Capet). Unfortunately, Robert is killed in a combat against the pirates with Brissarthe, in 866. In 870, the chief Viking Hasting takes the city and settles there, but encircled, it must capitulate. It takes again the city in 873. The emperor intervenes itself in to dislodge the Norman ones installed in Angers, but it is beaten by Solomon of Brittany. This one diverts Maine, which puts the dry drakkars, and removes a protection with the castle. Hasting negotiates its departure by offering a share of the spoils.

Not being able to hold themselves the country, the last Carolingians, counts d' Anjou, but especially counts de Paris then dukes of France, names Viscounts. Foulque Ier of Anjou was initially Viscount of Angers (before 898 - 930) and of Turns (898 - 909), and count de Nantes (909 - 919, then, after the invasion Norman of Nantes and Angers, confirmed count de Nantes until in 937). Towards 929, Foulque the Russet-red takes the title comtal and founds the first dynasty of the counts d' Anjou which restores little by little the calm one.

Foulque II of Anjou known as the Good , was count d' Anjou in Xesiècle, count de Nantes and duke of Brittany between 958 and 960. He was of the family of the Ingelgeriens and wire of Foulque I {{er}} '' the Russet-red '' and of Roscille of Loches.

To XIIesiècle, the county of Nantes is annexed to the Anjou, during one period of internal divisions of Brittany. Henri II Plantagenêt preserves it in its hand during more than 30 years (1156-1189).

In 1228, under the minority of Louis IX, Blanche of Castille decides to strengthen Angers, whose strategic position vis-a-vis the Breton ones and with their English allies is worth the qualifier of " to him; Key of the Kingdom ".

The acrostic joined on the name of Angers testifies to the importance of the city angevine:

has ntic key of France,
NR ecteté of suffering,
G arant against ennemys,
E pillar of asseurance,
R ecours of secourance,
S eccurity of amys.

In 1343, salt becomes a state monopoly by an ordinance of the king Philippe VI of Valois, which institutes the gabelle , the tax on salt. Anjou belongs to the countries of " large gabelle". The Anjou includes/understands sixteen special courts or " attics with sel" , of which that of Angers.

In 1356, the schools of Right, Medicine and Theology, famous in all Europe, are organized in University.

In 1364, Charles V gives his noble letters to the Université of Angers. In 1373, the duke Louis of Anjou order to the painter Jean of Bruges and to the Parisian liquid manure Nicolas Battles, six tapestries devoted to the Apocalypse of Midsummer's Day.

Rebirth

In 1551, Angers becomes the royal Seat of the principal seneschalsy of Anjou and présidial of the jurisdiction of Angers (1551-1790). The Anjou, the Maine and the Touraine join within a general information whose seat will be fixed at Tours. This Généralité of Turns reconstitutes the territory of “Large Anjou” of Foulque Nerra. Charles IX passes in the city at the time of royal sound Tour de France (1564 - 1566), accompanied by the Cour and Large by the kingdom: his/her brother the duke of Anjou, Henri de Navarre, cardinal of Bourbon and Lorraine. At this time, the catholics took again the things in hand in Angers: the catholic Puygaillard, filling the loads of governor of Anjou, the city and the castle of Angers is placed at the head of the municipality by the officers of the king, a middle-class militia maintains the order, and the bishop Bouvery sets up a “league angevine”.

The count de Montsoreau brings there the news of the Massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre at the end of August and directs there the massacre of the Protestants whose bodies are thrown in Mayenne. They are the aldermen who stop the massacres.

During this time, XVIe century sees developing Protestantism. The appearance of the first martyrs Huguenots with Saumur leads to the “day of the handkerchiefs” which was the premise of the civil war. Repression was ordered: cities and campaigns were disputed and devastated. The creation of the “League angevine” in 1567 found many partisans in Anjou. The abjuration of Henri IV is not enough to disarm the members of a league angevins constant by the Duc of Mercœur. In 1576, François d' Alençon, become duke of Anjou while having received Anjou in prerogative, Mister names Bussy d' Amboise governor of the duchy. It becomes thus ordering Château of Angers and governor of the Anjou. Frightening adventurer, Louis de Clermont, sior of Bussy d' Amboise, hold to ransom the area, with the head of a band cut-throats. Bussy is finally victim of its arrogance. The August 19th 1579, whereas it tried to allure the lady of Montsoreau, it is killed in the trap which the husband of this one had tightened to him, Charles de Chambes, count de Montsoreau.

In 1585, Henri III names the count Antoine de Silly, sior of Rochepot, governor of Anjou and the same year also names Pierre de Donadieu, sior of Puycharic, captain-governor of the Château of Angers. They remain faithful to king de France and fight by the force the catholic members of a league opposed to Henri III, then in 1589, with its successor Henri IV. King de Navarre the reward for their honesty by raising them with the dignity of knight of the Order of Saint-Michel in 1593 for Puycharic and knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit in 1595 for Rochepot. In 1596, Henri IV indicates Puycharic as Sénéchal of Anjou.

In 1598, the Édit of Nantes is prepared in Angers by Henri IV. March 6th with the April 12th 1598, Henri IV makes of Angers its one moment old capital. Vis-a-vis the a long time independent Brittany, Angers, located well at the steps of the kingdom, was a fortified town of importance held by its faithful Puycharic governor.

The sior of Rochepot, governor of Anjou and Puycharic lieutenant of the governor, organize with the local population and municipal officials, the reception and the stay of King de France.

Arrived at Angers, Henri IV multiplies the symbolic gestures to rejoin the catholics of member of a league spirit completely. He goes to the cathedral to hear the mass. He receives with knees, with the entry of the church, the blessing of the bishop. A few days afterwards, it follows the procession of the Branches, a palm with the hand and its collar about the Holy Spirit on the shoulders. Henri IV washes the feet with the thirteen poor with the episcopal palate and touches the patients of the scrofula on the square of the cathedral according to the royal tradition. Finally it poses the first stone of the convent of the Capuchins, always in Angers.

During this time the duke of Mercœur sends his wife, the duchess of Mercœur, in company of its representatives near king de Navarre, to negotiate its tender. Brittany raises itself against their duke and Mercœur loses several Breton fortified towns which rejoin the king of France, the last in date Dinan in which the population, helped by the Inhabitants of Saint Malo, shouts “Lives the king”, “public freedom Lives”. Henri IV refuses to accommodate the lady of Mercœur to Angers. It is driven back with the Bridge-of-C (southern suburb of Angers located on the Loire). Nevertheless it meets the mistress of the king, Gabrielle d' Estrées. The two women quickly put agreement for a marriage between the only daughter of Mercœur, Francoise with César de Vendôme, wire naturalness of the king and Gabrielle d' Estrées. After this interview, Henri IV lets himself convince by his mistress and finally agrees to receive in Angers, the woman of Mercœur, as well as the delegates sent by her husband.

Between two shooting parties, Henri IV prepares the rendering of the duke of Mercœur and the preparation of the edict of pacification. An agreement is signed with the emissary of Mercœur the March 20th: it gives up its government of Brittany with the help of an enormous amount of money, but must grant the marriage of his only daughter Francoise with César de Vendôme, wire naturalness of the king and Gabrielle d' Estrées.

The March 28th, the duke of Mercœur meets Henri IV with Briollay, at the duke of Rohan with which the king likes to drive out. Mercœur is thrown to the feet of the King and swears of him to be faithful. Duplessis-Mornay, friend faithful of Henri IV assists well with this situation operation by Mercœur. The king is not easily deceived and accepts this tender willingly. It is true that Mercœur still has military forces, in particular with the presence of two thousand Spaniards who camp with the Pellerin along the Loire and of five thousand others with the Blavet under the command of his ally Don Juan d' Aguila.

Mercœur is gone back from there to Nantes. The March 23rd a tax is raised to cover the expenses of reception for the reception of king de France. Meanwhile, Mercœur demobilizes its own troops.

The marriage contract is signed with the castle of Angers the April 5th 1598.

The king can then leave definitively Angers for Nantes the April 12th, leaving his great council to the convent of the Jacobins Angers to put the last hand at the drafting of the edict which will be signed in Nantes, probably on April 30th, 1598. Henri IV receives the ambassadors of England and of the United Provinces which try to persuade it to continue the war against Spain but king de Navarre makes a point of putting a term at so many years of sufferings, misfortunes and calamities in his kingdom, as Sully brings it back.

The May 2nd 1598, the Paix of Vervins is signed between France and Spain. The kingdom recovers all its possessions in the north of the country and the Spanish troops leave the Pilgrim and the Blavet.

At the time, the edict is not called “edict of Nantes”, nor even “edict of Angers” but “ edict of pacification ”.

The edict of Nantes sees the return of peace, by leaving Saumur with the Protestants, free of their worship (until the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685).

The Old mode

In 1611: Share attributions between prévôté and the seneschalsy of Angers. " By judgment of the Court in December 1611, the criminal lieutenant and prosecutor of Roy in the seneschalsy of Anjou and seat présidial of Angers, and the judges, lieutenants and prosecutor of Roy in prévôté of the known as place, bearing payment for the division of the exercise of their loads. Lu and published in the audiance of the aforesaid seats the mercredy 4 day of January 1612. With an ordinance made in the aforementioned seneschalsy of Anjou and seat présidial of Angers the mercredy fourteenth day of November to that the year for the execution and entretenement of known as the arrest".

In 1618, Old financial district in XVIesiècle, Angers became administrative unit under the direction of an intendant having full authority on the " subdelegated " of the six grounds of elections of the province of Anjou (Angers, Wallow, Beaufort, Castle-Gontier, the Arrow and Saumur). (Loudun being still under the authority of the governor of Saumur).

In 1619, Louis XIII which moved away his/her mother, Marie de Médicis, of the capacity and the Régence, gives him the government of Anjou. It settles in Angers in the Logis Barrault with its chaplain Richelieu.

In 1620 took place the Bataille of the Bridge-of-C, also known under the name of the " Drôleries of the Bridge-of-C " , between the partisans of the king Louis XIII and those of his/her mother, Marie de Médicis, that his/her son had drawn aside from the Régence three years earlier, and who tried to return to the capacity. By the defection of its principal noble, the troops of Marie de Médicis were soon without command before the combat. The royal army did not have any more but to disperse its infantrymen in a " drôlerie " general.

In 1649, Vis-a-vis the Famines, epidemics and with an increasingly excessive tax pressure, Angevins revolt against the heaviness of the taxes. It is the beginning of the Sling angevine. Repression by the royal troops is avoided of accuracy thanks to the intervention of évèque the Henri Arnauld. The figure of Henri Arnauld mark second half of the 17th century in the religious field. Initially abbot of Saint Nicolas's Day, this last is bishop of Angers of 1649 with 1692.

In 1652, the Duke of Rohan, governor of Anjou, takes makes and causes for the prince of Condé (called the Large Cop) fights about it against the king of France. Louis XIV and Mazarin send to the royal army assiégier Angers. The Duke of Rohan capitulates and avoids the bag of the city.

In 1657, the royal authority reaches the municipal level since the king names the mayor and the aldermen. Courts royal, présidiaux, and specialized rooms increase their competences at the expense of the seneschalsies.

The French revolution

November 11th 1789, the Constituent Assembly orders to the deputies old French provinces to act in concert, in order to set up a network of new departments of approximately 324 square miles, that is to say 6.561 km2 actuels.
meetings are held at once in the hotel of the duke of Choiseul-Praslin, deputy of the nobility of the Seneschalsy of Angers. About thirty deputies of the three provinces components the Généralité of Turns (Anjou, Maine and Touraine) present plan to reassign territories with the Poitou and to subdivide the field remaining in four departments, around the traditional capitals, Tours, Angers and Mans, and around the town of Laval, which would recover grounds of Maine and Anjou. Saumur wants to compete with Angers and is opposed to démentèlement of Anjou proposed by some deputy (Bourgueil and Castle-the-Vallière with the profit of Touraine, countries of the Arrow and Castle-Gontier excluded from the future department, etc…). The Resident of Saumur dreams to create their own department. Alas dissensions appear on their premises and the country of Loudun gives up creating a department with Saumur.
January 14th 1790, the National Assembly issues that " Saumur and the Resident of Saumur will belong to the department of Anjou ".
Integrated in the department of " the Mayenne-and-Loire " (future " Maine and the Loire "), Saumur tries to share with Angers the function of chief town. Having lost the part, the representatives of Saumur proclaim that the rotation between Angers and Saumur makes it possible to thwart the intrigues and the cabals which are born from the fixity…
on Monday, May 24 1790, they obtain 104 votes in favor of the rotation, but 532 votes decide in favor from a permanent headquarter in Angers. The new department is made up. The Constituent Assembly ratifies this structure on June 22nd 1790 and the King on June 25th 1790.

Contemporary time

In September 1939, Angers accommodates, in its walls and its hotels, the Polish government which left the Poland invaded by the German troops. The various Polish ministries settle in Angers like with the castle of Pignerolles (South-eastern of Angers). The Polish government in exile will officiate until June 1940, date on which France will be invaded in its turn by the troops Nazis.

In 1942, Angers becomes the regional center of Gestapo. Resistance and repression go hand in hand. 60 people are shot on the field of fire of Beautiful Beille.

In 1943, Kriegsmarin requisitions the castle of Pignerolles to Saint-Barthelemy-in Anjou to install its center of communication there. 6000 workmen build there 11 bunkers and of the hutments for nearly 1000 German sailors.

In the night from August 28th to 29th 1944, it is the first bombardment of the planes combined on the Saint-Laud district in Angers. There are 243 died. The final assessment for the area: 208 shot and 608 deportees for resistance.

In August 1944, Michel Debré is Commissaire of the Republic in Angers.

March 27th 1949, the general of Montsabert gives to the city the Military Cross with palm.

Blasonnement

Of mouths to the key out of money stake, the chief of azure charged with two flowers of gold lily

The town of Angers carries the weapons of the counts and dukes of Anjou, apanagists, of royal blood, as both indicate it Fleurs of lily. The key evokes the fortified town vis-a-vis the Brittany. The city is then qualified following acrostic:

has ntic key of France,
NR ecteté of suffering,
G arant against ennemys,
E pillar of asseurance,
R ecours of secourance,
S eccurity of amys.

Blasonnement of the city is described in a report/ratio with the mayor in December 1816 when it is announced that these weapons were present on an old currency struck in Angers with the corner of Charles I {{er}} of Sicily (1246-1285).

In 1987, the logotype of the city takes again the colors of the blazon according to the order of precedence Héraldique: the blue of the chief in top and red of the field in bottom. The has stylized symbolizes at the same time the force and lightness.

Currency

Antiquity: Assiuis conciliis (or consiliis)
Of 1434 with 1480 (reign of the King Rene, duke of Anjou): Of burning desire
In 1499: Ancient key of France
Since June 1987: Angers, quality

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