History of Charente

The Charente is a French department created in 1790 on geographical criteria (the upstream reservoir and average of the river Charente). During the historical period it had never yet had unit, neither policy, neither nun, nor legal. The cut between the Angoumois in the east centered by Angouleme and the Saintonge in the west centered on Cognac which existed already at the Celtes and perduré until the Révolution did not completely disappear besides.

Prehistory

Paleolithic

The territory currently corresponding to the Charente is populated at least since the Paléolithique means: to 26 km in the south of Angouleme, to Guards-the-Pontaroux on Right Bank of Voulton, the site of Quina delivered the fossil remainders of 27 néandertaliens, adults and children. At Saint-Césaire in Charente-Maritime at the day the cranium of a called néandertalienne “Pebble was put”.

The lithic Industrie of Quina gave its name to a particular facies of the Moustérien, Charentien of the Quina type.

The Paléolithique superior is also present at Quina, where Sagaie S and ornaments were found (in particular of the fox and wolf's teeth bored).

To Vilhonneur, the cave of the Face, discovered in 2005, also delivered paintings which are under study. This decorated Grotte delivered works of the Paléolithique superior including one negative Main realized with black painting, punctuations red and black and a parietal engraving which could represent an human being. It also delivered the remainders of a young adult gone back to approximately - 27.000, therefore a “Homme of Cro-Magnon” of the Gravettien.

On left bank of the Tardoire, the cave of the Wall cupboard delivers 15 millenia of history, with an occupation lasting of the Paléolithique means with the Solutréen (engravings of deer tribe, horses, Aurochs, bone of engraved eagles, pink sandstone lamp, wood of reindeers engraved).

The site of Rock-of-Be useful, located in the valley of the Rock (common of Sers) in one of the caves of cliff, delivered industries Aurignacien born as well as a burial containing three skeletons and of the carved planks of horses, bisons and ibexes, allotted to the Solutréen.

On the commune of Mouthiers-on-Boëme, the Abri-sous-roche of the Pulpit with Calvin is decorated of a plank of horses in round bump allotted to the Magdalénien. This culture is also present in the cave of Montgaudier, close to Montbron, which delivered a engraved stick of seals.

Neolithic

Time of the sedentarisation, the average Neolithic era is found in the circular strengthened camps of which most known is the site of the Matignons to Juillac-the-Cock. One found there polished axes, sickles, notched blades, grinding stones, ceramics, signs of basket making; the breeding holds to with it a great place with 71% of the osseous remainders which come from pets (oxen, pigs, sheep and/or goats).

The culture of Little-Richard who succeeds to him in is an evolution, characterized by very ornamented ceramics which one found in various camps, of which that of Merpins. By air location, one found many necropoles with circular and quadrangular ditches (Ars, Merpins, Cherves-Richemont…)

Then, with, Charente knows the culture chasséenne with its burials under dolmens. The Dolmen S very many in Charente, isolated or grouped, in the beginning are hidden under Tumulus. Oldest whose some vestiges remain in the forest of Boixe are dolmens in tolos. The others are either of Angoumoisin type, or, in Cognaçais, of Angevin type with an anteroom prédédant the funerary room. Let us quote those of Cognac (quoted of the dolmen), Châteaubernard, Saint-Brice, Saint-Extremely-on-the-Born, Saint-Germain-of-Confolens, Chenon, Luxé and area of Ruffec. Some tumuli was excavated without much result. .

Roman annexation with the Rebirth

Gallo-Roman Time

In 60 av. J. - C. the Santons agree to receive the whole of the people of the Helvètes which are under the threat of an invasion by the Germains. César which measures the double danger of this displacement of population and the reinforcement of Santons, invades them and the appendix in 58 av. J. - C., without meeting resistance. They answer the call of Vercingétorix, leave to 30.000, but arrive too late. Romanized Charente will be crossed by the “way fitted” the way Agrippa Lyon - Saintes and the “Boisné way” Périgueux - Saintes which take again a track préromaine. The North-South ways are Chassenon - Poitiers and according to the table of Peutinger Chassenon- Mansles - Aulnay as well as a way towards Mansles, Rom and Civray starting from the way Agrippa close to the theater of Bouchauds. These roads and the river, navigable of the sea until Angouleme, allowed an important trade. Cognac and Jarnac was large ports with warehouses with Merpins, Crouin and Chatenet.

The Angoumois becomes autonomous territory with the Bas-Empire but the city is qualified by Ausone isolated and solitary place. The villas will be numerous, mainly along the valley of the Charente, the establishments of legionaries also reprocessed (all the Coulonges and their characteristic land register). Important constructions are the rural sanctuaries of Chassenon, whose thermal baths are exceptional, the theater of Bouchauds and site of the Tern close to Luxé.

The christianization of Charente although begun as of the 3rd century by Holy Ausone since Holy, seems to have been late in Angoumois with as first Dynamius bishop whose Gregoire de Tours rents the attitude worthy at the time of the seat of Angouleme by the Vandales in 406. This disturbed period is marked by successive invasions. The Visigoths settle into 418, they are Christian but Arien S, and very romanized. They are driven out by the Francs. The first church of Angouleme is destroyed in 508 at the time of the seat of the city by Clovis.

Goths left traces only to Gourville, Merpins and Coulgens.

Early middle ages

Clovis installs a count and a bishop francs and it makes rebuild the church which becomes the first Saint-Pierre church and episcopal see. It is one period of peace with a weak installation of the Francs, with Bouteville, Sonneville, Ambleville, Herpes, Gensac-la-Pallue, places where necropoles were found, swords, belt buckles. The ground was in great fields worked by slaves (Cybard Saint repurchases 175 slaves into 558) and small and average properties. Charente is parcelled out in many strongholds, the most important seigniories were those of Cognac, Jarnac and Angouleme. In 565, a Waddon is mentioned as count de Saintonge. One also finds a Maraquier and a Nantin , named counts d' Angoulême during the 6th century

With 5th and 6th centuries christianization continues. It is the time of the hermits with locally holy Cybard, holy Amant, holy Fraigne and holy Goux. Angouleme would have counted five places of worship in its walls and as much in the faubourgs.
Then, whereas Charente belongs to the second Aquitaine become independent, it is the invasion of the Moors, pushed back in 732 by Charles Martel. Pépin the Brief undertakes the reconquest of Aquitaine and devastates the Angoumois in 766. In 768, to Saintes, it guarantees for Aquitanian the benefit of the Roman law. And in 769 Charlemagne gathers an army and remains with Mornac and Angeac before going to beat the revolted last. Under Charlemagne then within the kingdom of Aquitaine created by him in 778 for his/her son Louis the Piles, one period of calm lasts until in 838.
the only counts d' Angoulême known for this time are Turpion (839 - 863) then his/her brother Émenon (863 - 866).

After the edict of Compiegne in 1557 which condemns to dead the heretics, the wars of religion begin in 1562 in Charente by various massacres from Protestants, in particular in reprisals of confusions that those had perpetrated (abbeys of the Crown and Chatres, the cathedral of Angouleme after the catch of the city by the Protestants to quote only the most known monuments). At the time of the first wars of religion, the town of Cognac takes the weapons; it is reconquered in 1563 by Montpensier. In 1565, Charles IX passes there at the time of royal sound Tour de France (1564 - 1566). In 1570, the Peace of Saint-Germain, signed between the King Charles IX and the admiral Gaspard de Coligny, grants the Protestants four fortified towns, of which Cognac.

In Charente, the striking fact is the battle of Jarnac, on March 13rd, 1569, where Condé finds death. Part of the troops gathers on the bridge of Saint-Sulpice, event commemorated by an obelisk, before gaining La Rochelle. All this period is only one continuation of destruction and slaughters. It is thought that it is at that time that was buried the Trésor of Cherves. The edict of Nantes signed by Henri IV on April 13rd 1598 grants freedom of worship. Temples and communities exist then in all the boroughs of Charente, out of the walls.

It is then necessary to repair or rebuild the cathedral and the hundreds of ruined churches. In same time the convents multiply: Capuchin S, Récollet S, Tiny, Jesuit S, Carmelite friar S, Cordeliers, Ursuline S, Clarisse S, bénédictine S, settle in all the department.

The beginning of the 17th century is marked by revolts of “crunching”.

During the Sling, although Louis XIV, Anne of Austria and Mazarin stopped in Angouleme in 1650 to secure its fidelity, Condé enters in revolt, Rochefoucauld puts the seat in front of Cognac.

It is in 1643 qu ' is created the house Augier, one of the first commercial firms of the cognac.

Since 1664 the right to the Protestant worship is disputed, of the temples are destroyed and reformed the whose lord abjured faith are private of freedom of worship. The Dragonnades following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by the Édit of Fontainebleau in 1685 lead the Protestants either to convert, or to emigrate, especially in Germany, Suisse and in the “Nouveau World”, with the Canada and especially with the the Antilles. The economy of Charente will recover only more than one hundred years later from the loss of about half of its craftsmen. Those which remained constitute the church of the desert.

18th century with the creation of the department of Charente

It is one period of relative peace but it is difficult to recover of confusions, the massacres and the departure of the Protestants. Charente is mainly agricultural and produces primarily cereals. The Hemp, the truffles, the saffron, the meadows for the pasturage are of less importance. Cognaçais started to produce wine distilled in Eau-de-vie for export starting from 1630; production and the number of hectares (: 156000 hectares in 1780) are in increase in spite of the freezing of 1709 which obliges to replant. With the elections of April 1848, Charente elects four republican deputies and five right-wing candidates, and to those of December 1848 it gives for: 111338 registered voters and: 95027 voters: 90360 votes with Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte and only: 3168 in Cavaignac and: 1011 with Ledru-Rollin. Alfred de Vigny, which resides at Maine Giraud, presents it as follows: “Charente is only the one Vendée Bonapartist”. And in 1877, they are six deputies Bonapartists who are elected, the seventh being Auguste Duclaud, republican in Confolens. A by-election of 1888 is the occasion of very violent one confrontations because Paul Déroulède is presented. It is beaten initially then elected with the general elections of 1889.

At the beginning of the 19th century if the metallurgy develops, paper industry stagnates and the trade of the cognac decreases by half. Angouleme, industrial town with its foundry, its important and many paper mills, its various manufacture of which most known are the “Charente-native ones”, comfortable felt slippers, experiences a continuous development without specifically outstanding event.

The vine growing, principal activity of the area of Cognac as of the 17th century, allows thanks to the treaty on the trade of 1860, the constitution of important fortunes, visible with the very many castles and manors built or renovated at that time. The vineyard passes from: 50000 hectares in 1817 with: 116000 hectares in 1876. The crisis caused by the appearance of the Phylloxéra which destroys the vine stocks starting from 1875 causes the ruin and a Rural migration. The American seedlings, resistant to the disease, make it possible to reconstitute the vineyard later twenty years. During this period, the breeding develops, turned towards the meat to Charente limousine, or towards milk with the creation of dairies co-operative or deprived in all the department.

A dense rail network is built with the passage to Angouleme of the Paris - Bordeaux of the Compagnie of Orleans since 1852, of the Angouleme - Cognac - Saintes of the Compagnie of Charentes, (of which six of the eighteen larger transport aircrafts of actions are local companies of brandy trade) since 1867 and the small lines of the CFD (Departmental Railroads immediately brocardée like Compagnie Foutue D'avance)

In same time the traffic by diligences and navigation on Charente, after having exceeded the 50.000 tons per annum with the port of Houmeau in Angouleme, begin its regression

In 1917, the Mayoux husbands, teachers, publish the first pacifist booklet. They are considered for defeatism and are revoked teaching.

Charente regrets: 3565 victims including 249 shot, 345 deportees (377 returned), 910 victims in the army of the partisans, 156 victims of bombardments: 1835 soldiers and 70 necessary of the Service of obligatory work (STO) (in the two cases deceased or disappeared: thus on: 11785 prisoners of war, 738 did not return).

The post-war period is marked by the influence of Felix Gaillard, appointed, Guy Pascaud, senator, Pierre Marcilhacy, senator, Jean Monnet, the “father of Europe”, and François Mitterrand.

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