History of Poitiers

the history of Poitiers goes back at least to IIe century before Jesus-Christ.

Antiquity

The city existed already on arrival of Jules César, in the form of a Gallic oppidum, named Limonum , which could mean muds . The Pictons being divided between the support for Jules César and that with Vercingétorix, the city had to undergo a seat in 52 av. J. - C. the chief of the the Andes, Dumnacos, gathering its warriors and Pictons anti-Romans, besieged the chief of the party of César, Picton Duratios. The intervention of the legates Caius Caninius and Caius Fabius obliged Dumnacos to raise the seat.

The Romans arranged the city at the 1st century of our era, equipping it with arenas which could accommodate from 20.000 to 30.000 people according to the estimates, several thermal baths, several aqueducts, including one fed with the source of Fleury, and whose course is still followed today by the control which leads water to Poitiers.

It is probable that at the second century of our era, the city was the capital of the province of Aquitaine. On the one hand it is known that Bordeaux was capital only with 3rd century, in addition no inscription mentions Saintes like capital at the second century.

At the 3rd century, a thick wall built with haste (it contained elements of temple, engraved stones) girds the city, which is reduced to the top of the headland. With 42 ha will intra muros , against for example 32 ha with Burdigala (Bordeaux), capital of the province, it acts however of one of more large surfaces girded of walls of ancient Gaulle. Only the cities close to Germanic exceed it: Trier with 282 ha, Mainz, Cologne and Metz.

Holy Hilaire évangélise the city at the 4th century. The foundations of the Baptistère Midsummer's Day go back to this time.

At the 5th century of the troops of federate Taifales and Sarmates were confined there.

The Middle Ages

See also: List of the bishops of Poitiers, List of the counts de Poitiers

At the time medieval, Poitiers benefits from its defensive site, and from its geographical location, far from the center of the frank capacity. This position often enables him to enjoy a relative autonomy, within the Aquitanian principality.

Early middle ages

Residence of kings Wisigoths, it accommodates Alaric II before the Bataille of Vouillé, in 507, where it is made beat by Clovis. The son of Charlemagne, king d' Aquitaine, makes build one of his four palates with Chasseneuil-du-Poitou.

Sit of one évêché since the 4th century, the city is also the capital of the county of Poitou, whose counts direct as from the 10th century an important principality gathering Poitou and Aquitaine.

The abbey Holy-Cross, first abbey of women, is founded by holy Radegonde at the 6th century, which escapes thus her husband Clotaire. It takes this name when the emperor Justin I {{er}} makes gift with the queen of a piece of the True Cross. It is also the time of Venance Fortunat, bishop of Poitiers and poet.

Strengthened boroughs are established around the city, always on the headland: around the abbeys (Holy-Cross, Saint-Hilaire abbey; Montierneuf, at the 11th century). At that time, one distinguishes the citizens , inhabitants of the strengthened city of the Romans, the middle-class , living the boroughs, and the rustici , or peasants, who lived on the headland, but in-outside protective borough. This distinction disappeared with construction from the medieval wall which girded all the intermediate headland, city, boroughs and spaces.

At the 9th century, the name of Grand-rue appears in the charters. It is the oldest trace of a street name preserved in Europe. This street corresponds to the line of weaker slope, and thus the least tiring, to assemble ford (current bridge) Saint-Joubert to the plate, and it is a route going back to the Age of Iron. Coarsely directed East-West, it was used as axis decuman with the orthogonal squaring of the streets at the time Roman. It is also in IXe century that the abbot Mellebaude makes build the hypogean Dunes.

The ninth century is also the time of the Normandes invasions: they arrive at Poitiers the first time in 853, are beaten into 855, then devastate it into 857. In 863, they burn Saint-Hilaire-the-Large and obtain a ransom of the city, which is burnt in 865. In 988, the count-duke Guillaume IV pushes back Hugues Capet which besieged the city.

Apogee of the counts de Poitiers

The counts de Poitiers ordered many work in their city. One can quote the church Midsummer's Day de Montierneuf, by Guillaume VIII of Poitiers; the castle of the counts, rebuilt after the fire of 1043 and embellished by Aliénor of Aquitaine; the new market, always by the Aliénor duchess. This one marries the king of France Louis VII. At the beginning of their reign, Poitiers is constituted in free commune. The royal couple reacts quickly, and the city is besieged and taken again without bloodshed.

Aliénor of Aquitaine made build a new wall at 12th the 6000 meters century long, enclosing all the headland. It was supplemented by two stoppings on the Boivre, which created permanent water reserves in the narrow valley. A communal charter was granted in 1199, and the first Beffroi of Europe was built. In 1282, the city sees its importance confirmed by the establishment of a Poids the king (kind of office of the Weights and measures) at the same time as the cities with the important fairs of Champagne, Provins and Troyes, and Albi.

The Hospitaliers of Midsummer's Day, which take over Templiers, install in Poitiers their large priory of Aquitaine.

The road of Saint-Jacques-with-Compostelle passing by Poitiers, the city accommodates many pilgrims, who make halt there to venerate the relics of holy Radegonde or Hilaire saint.

Poitiers between Capétiens and English

The marriages of Aliénor made pass Poitiers in the French royal field successively, then in the English possessions. Starting from its second marriage, Aliénor passes much from time to Poitiers. In 1170-73, it directs its principality there in an autonomous way. She dies there on April 1st, 1204. The city is taken by Philippe Auguste in August 1204.

To the 14th century, the city falls in prerogative with the third wire of Jean II the Good, the duke Jean Ier de Berry (silent partner of the Très rich hours of the duke of Berry ). It embellishes the medieval palate counts of Poitiers, by arranging the keep in particular there (known as turn Maubergeon ).

During the blackest hours of the War One hundred Year old, the city accommodated the royal Parlement in 1418. It is thus in Poitiers that Jeanne d' Arc was examined in 1429 by the Théologie NS (to rule on its voices) and by matrons (to check her Virginité) before receiving the command of the royal Ost. Benefitting from the royal favor and presence from many exiled Parisian scholars, Poitiers obtains the creation of a university in 1431. This one counts 4 000 students at the end of the 15th century.

With the printers and the booksellers revolving around the institution, the city becomes a intellectual, famous center for its Faculty of Law. Rabelais attended the city, Calvin preached there.

Of XVIe century to the French revolution

The city calms down little by little economically with the Rebirth, and gains an image of old-fashioned city, with the tortuous streets, which did not know to evolve/move. In fact, few changes take place in urban fabric at that time, with share the boring of the street of the Trench, and the construction of bridges which replace the old fords. Some private mansions are built with the Rebirth: hotels Jean Baucé , Smoked , Berthelot , in particular.

The poets Joachim of Bellay and Pierre Ronsard sympathize at the university of Poitiers, before going up to Paris. Only spirit of value which it produced after XVIe century, Descartes only speaks about it to disparage it.

The city draws its prosperity primarily from its administrative offices: royal justice, évêché, monasteries, and intendance of the general information. It is besides of the intendance that some evolutions come at the end of the XVIIIe century: the Viscount of Blossac, intendant of 1750 to 1784, makes arrange a garden of 9 hectares which bears its name, on an old waste ground, with shaded rectilinear alleys, open-air theater, and bandstand. It also makes cut down the wall of Aliénor of Aquitaine, and arrange boulevards on their site. These boulevards avoid with the main road connecting Paris to Bordeaux to penetrate in the old city. Always in the same preoccupation with a rationalization of the routes, the Pont-Neuf east builds in 1778.

Wars of religion

Calvin passes to Poitiers, where it is hidden of his prosecutors by converts (from where the locality the Cave with Calvin ).

In August and September 1569, the admiral de Coligny puts the seat in front of the city. Defense is organized by the duke of Own way, which was not yet the Gash and its brother the duke of Mayenne, but with artillery, it becomes easy to bombard it plate. The seat is raised on September 7th, when the advertisement of the attack of Châtellerault by the duke of Anjou comes from in Coligny.

As almost all the cities of the kingdom, Poitiers adheres to the Ligue after the assassination of the duke of Own way and to the advent of the king huguenot, Henri de Navarre. However, it is detached some rather quickly: when the governor member of a league dies at the beginning of 1591, its mayor replaces it, and its substitute sent by the duke of Mayenne cannot enter the city. But it is not joined the new king yet: like the majority of the kingdom, it is wait and see. A new seat takes place from June in August 1593 (Agrippa of Aubigné takes part in it), by the royal army (faithful to Henri IV). The conversion of the king, in July 1593, is not enough. The city joins only in June 1594, after the sacring in Chartres, then the entry of the king in Paris (February 22nd and March 22nd).

The Revolution in Poitiers

XIXe century at our days

XIXe century

At the XIXe century, many barracks are built, making of Poitiers a garrison town, far from the borders:

the district Aboville (instruction of the recruits) with the Dunes, is completed in 1878;
to him is attached the artillery park and the park with fodder;
the Dalesme district, arranged in the old monastery of Montierneuf;
barracks Rivaud (125 {{E}} regiment of infantry);
barracks Holy-Catherine, in an old monastery;
and finally the creation of a field of fire in Vouillé supplements the device.

The Second Empire modernizes the city somewhat, primarily at the time of the passage of the Railroad in Poitiers. The station is built in the old marshes maintained the Boivre. A slope was built to cross the cliff of thirty meters between the old center and the station (Solférino boulevard), with the outlet of which the prefecture was moved, in a new building of style Louis XIII (brick and chainings and openings out of white stone); the place of the prefecture was also built in this style.

The XXe century

See also the article Poitiers during the Second world war

Notes and references of the article

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