The Picardy is a French Région which gathers three departments: the Aisne, the Oise, the Somme.

Etymology

The etymology of the word Picardy is neither geographical, nor historical. The word appears in 1248, derived from the “Picardy” word i.e. “digger”. The Parisian ones called “diggers” all the farmers living in the north of the forest zones of Senlisis and the Valois (where the peasants were loggers), and in North one called “Picardy” all those which did not speak the Flemish : Arras, Boulogne, Calais, Tournai was “Picardy” cities; their students formed with Paris and Orleans the “Nation Picardy”.

History

See also: History of Picardy

The delimitations of old Picardy do not correspond to those of the three departments composing current Picardy. Only the totality of the Sum, the North-West of Oise and the north of Aisne constituted old Picardy (which integrated also the coastal part of the Pas-de-Calais). Indeed, the majority of Oise belonged to the crown of France. One then found there Vexin French in south-west (in opposition to Norman Vexin), Valois (in south-east) and the county of Clermont (in the center). In Aisne, Soissonnais also belonged to the crown. The remainder was moving Champagne duchy. Remain the North-East of the Oise which was évêché of Boundary-line.

On this territory, lived Belgian people of foreground during the Guerre of Gaules (Beauvais and Soissons).

At the Treated of Verdun of 843, Picardy is placed in the kingdom of France. Later, North is occupied by Burgundy (interview of Fibula) then, with the Flanders, by Spain.

At the time of the Massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (August-October 1572), the governor Longueville prevents the massacre of the Protestants there. At the beginning of the war of the League, the example of Montmorency-Thoré which takes Senlis (1589), pushes the noble Picardy ones to engage in the royal army, whereas the king Henri III does not have practically any more supports.

Picardy was a ground of battle fields and the way of the invasions (1914-1918, 1939-1945).

Administration

See also: District council of Picardy

Policy

See also: Political of Picardy

Geography

See also: Geography of Picardy

The area Picardy gathers three administratively departments: Aisne, Oise, Somme. It has as areas bordering the Nord/Pas-de-Calais Area in north, High-Normandy in the west, the Ile de France in the south and the Champagne-Ardennes in the east. The prefecture is Amiens.

Transport

See also: FOR THE THIRD TIME Picardy

Economy

See also: Economy of Picardy

Demography

See also: Demography of Picardy

Culture

See also: Culture of Picardy

One spoke there, except in his southern part, a regional language: the Picardy . The Picardy language (different from the “francian” of Île-de-France which was essential as national language) knows its apogee at the 13th century: he is spoken then in all current Picardy (except in the south of Oise and Aisne), in the current departments of the Pas-de-Calais, of the Northern (except the Flandres), part of the Belgian Hainaut (area of Mons and Tournai).

Starting from the beginning of the 19th century, the Picardy one is not any more spoken in the areas of the south about Beauvais, Noyon, Vervins. It remained however still very long-lived until in the years 1970-1980, even downtown. Today really remain, in the use and in practice, only of the words and some expressions, for the following reasons:

• modernization and mechanization (agriculture needing less arm),
• the development of the means of transport,
• school attendance made compulsory until 16 years (with school cycle finished or followed in college instead of being very mainly exempted exclusively locally, which caused a mixing or a linguistic levelling ),
• the rise in the standard of living, with the larger facility to leave on vacation or in weekend ,
• the systematic intrusion of television in the hearths.

Tourism

• Regional committee of tourism of Picardy

Sciences

• List of the birds of Picardy

Personalities related to Picardy

See too

Internal bonds

• the regiment of Picardy, 1st Regiment of Infantry (oldest of the regiments of the world, always in activity)
• the Picardy Community of communes of Champagne
• Park of Samara

External bonds

• Site of the Picardy Court of Appeal of Amiens
• Site of the District council
• D.C. Champagne

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