Valencians

Valencian is a French Ville , located in the department of the Northern in the Hainaut. It is crossed by the the Scheldt with its Confluent with the Rhônelle. It is sub-prefecture since 1824.

Its inhabitants are called the Valenciennois .

Geography

Localization

The city is located at 122 km of the North Sea (Dunkirk) by expressway and at 140 km of the mountainous point nearest (the Ardennes). Geographically to place it compared to its colleagues, Valencians is to 52 km of Lille - Lesquin (northern), 106 km of Brussels (Belgium), 280km of London (the United Kingdom), 200 km of Paris (Île-de-France) and 300 km of Amsterdam (Netherlands). The airport of Lille - Lesquin is at half an hour, that of Roissy Charles-of-Gaulle at one hour and half.

Valencians is located between two rivers: the the Scheldt, and the Rhônelle. To five minutes of the downtown area, the water level of the vineyard which extends on 54 hectares, offers a natural framework of relaxation and leisures. Moreover, with the proximity of the regional natural park, Valencians profits from an exceptional environment of 5.000 hectares of forest in the plain of the Scarpe and the the Scheldt.

History

The drawing of the city betrays without question its medieval origin . However, of very recent archaeological discoveries show a human presence on the site of the city to the Neolithic .

The Middle Ages with the French revolution

Valencians appears for the first time in a document reporting a sentence delivered in the year 693 by Clovis II, King of the Francs. At the time of the Treated of Verdun in 843, Valencians became a neutral city, at the border between the Neustrie and the Austrasie.

In 881, the Hainaut sees passing the Normand S. From 923, Valencian raises of the duchy of Low the Lotharingie, depend on the Germanic empire. Under the emperors Ottoniens, Valencians becomes the center of a walk at the border of the Germanic Empire. For this period, the files of the ground are still far from to have delivered all that they can still give…

In 1008, a Famine causes a terrible epidemic of Peste. According to the local tradition the Virgin Mary would then have unrolled around the city a cord which, miraculeusement, protected its inhabitants from the disease. Since then, each year, at the same time, the Residents of Valenciennes took the practice to achieve around the city this way, length 14 km: the turn of the Saint-Cord. Many a Count S followed one another, initially like Margrave S of Valencians and as from 1070 as counts of the Hainaut.

In 1285, the currency of Hainaut was replaced by the currency of France: the ecu. Valencians is a city in full activity, strong of its many corporations. Safe from its enclosure, a great number of convents develops, following the example the Dominican ones (of which the church was excavated by the Archaeological Service of the City, in 1989 and 1990).

At the 14th century Albert of Bavaria made build the tower of Dodenne, where still today, the bell sounds in the honor of Notre Dame of the Saint-Cord. At the 15th century, attached to the Burgundy Hainaut lost of its autonomy, but Valencian enjoyed incredible famous thanks to the noble characters whom it protected in its walls (the chronicler Georges Chastelain, the poet Jean Molinet, the painter miniaturist Simon Marmion, the Pierre sculptor of the Courtyard and the goldsmith Jerome de Moyenneville).

In 1524, Charles Quint makes his entry with Valencians. In 1552, Henri II king de France is combined to the Protestants against Charles Quint. In 1562, Valencians was the place of the first resistance against religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands, the " Day of Mals Brûlés" , when crowd released some Protestants condemned to die on roughing-hew it. After the Revolt of Gueux, in 1566, Philippe II, king d' Espagne, masses his troops with the door of Anzin in a fortress called “Redoute” which was then besieged by the Residents of Valenciennes in 1576. In 1580, Alexandre Farnèse, duke of Parma and Pleasure, conquered the city and Protestantism was extirpated. In spite of these various quarrels, Valencians remains under Spanish supervision.

In 1591, the Jesuit S create a school then make build the church Holy-Cross. In 1611, the frontage of the town hall is entirely rebuilt in the Renaissance style. At the 17th century the the Scheldt, was channeled between Valencians and Cambrai, fabric manufactures of wool and fine fabrics profited from it. To use wire of flax, the women are reflected to make celebrates it Dentelle of Valencians.

The French Armies besiege the city in 1656; (Vauban takes part without ordering]]). Defending the city, Albert de Mérode, marquis de Trélon, is wounded during an exit with horse. He dies of the continuations of his wounds and its body, buried in the Saint-Paul church, will be found at the time of the archaeological countryside of 1990. In 1677, the armies of Louis XIV take the city directed this time by Vauban and Valencians became French in 1678 by the Traité of Nimègue. The city became one of the principal French fortified towns of North, strengthened by Vauban.

Spent the Age of Enlightenment, the economic situation of Valencians is worsening until the discovery of the coal. The first well was dug with Fresnes in 1718 and the discovery of the bituminous coal in 1734 with Anzin formed the Company of the Mines of Anzin.

At the 18th century, the city is also famous for its Porcelaine. The manufacture which is established has as an obligation to supply its furnaces with the coal. In spite of the quality of its production, the company does not manage to live durably. Valencians, rich person of its talents is then called Athens of North, thus underlining his artistic radiation.

French revolution at 1914

In July 1793, at the time of the wars leaguing several European powers against the French revolution, Valencians was taken, devastated and occupied by troops britannico - Austrian ordered by the duke of York and the prince of Saxony-Cobourg. The city was taken again by the revolutionary armies only one year afterwards, in August 1794. In July 1795,1 year after the execution of Robespierre which however put a term at terror, the Valenciennes-native republicans guillotinnerent, under particularly contemptible conditions, 5 Ursulines nuns which underwent the last insults before their torment. After the Napoleonean epopee Valencian goes to the Bourbon S in 1815 for five years. Thereafter, the coal-mining industry and the sugar refineries find their expansion.

In 1824 Valencian becomes sub-prefecture. At the 19th century century, thanks to coal, Valencians had become a great industrial center, which had made of it the capital of the iron and steel industry of North.

The August 6th 1890, a law downgrades the city like places war. Of 1891 with 1893, the fortifications are demolished and the city is decorated with the Légion of honor in 1900.

Two World wars

The German army occupies the city in 1914. It is the British army and its Canadian body which delivers the city in 1918 after hard combat. Heroic feats of arms proceeded into 1918 notamnent those of the Sergeant Hugh Cairns to whom it city paid homage in 1936 by baptizing an avenue to his name.

The other personality of Valencians was Louise de Bettignies (born with Saint-Amand-the-Water), raises Ursulines of Valencians of 1890 to 1896, usually speaking four languages (of which German), it created and directed in 1915 the principal network of British information behind the enemy lines, this on nearly 60 km of face around Lille (see wikipedia). Stopped at the end of September 1915, captive in Germany, she died of ill treatments in September 1918 two months before the Armistice. She accepted the Victoria Cross government of her gracious majesty, for rendered services. It is estimated that it saved the life of almost a thousand of British soldiers thanks to information obtained, which was of a frightening precision. Thus, it made it possible to the English to carry out the first air raid of a train (that of Guillaume II, come to visit the face in Lille). The two planes sent not being equipped with adapted sights, the raid missed little its objective. German high command, based in Brussels, put then all its efforts to neutralize this cursed network which allowed to the English all to see and all to know on this part of the face. The arrest of Louise would be associated with the escape from Alexandre Szeck, young Austrian radio operator operator, exfiltré of Brussels in August 1915, making it possible English to put the hand on the secret code of the German diplomacy. This code exploited by the secret service of room 40 (" Room 40"), under the supervision of Sir Reginald Hall, will make it possible in January 1917 to translate the famous Zimmermann telegram, starting the entry in war of the in April 1917 United States.

May 10th, 1940, the city given up by its inhabitants left on the roads the exodus is delivered to plunderers of the French Army. A gigantic fire devours the heart of the city, fed in particular by a fuel depot. The German troops occupy then the city in ruins, the May 27th.

September 2nd, 1944, after bloody combat, the American troops enter Valencians and release the city.

Post-war period

At the approach of the 21e century and 3rd millenium, positive signs are set up fortunately: cultural highway network, TGV, auto industry, equipment, and especially the University. Initially antenna of Lille in 1964, then University center in 1970, become autonomous in 1979, the University of Valencians and Hainaut-Cambrésis, in its multiple diversified and powerful formations, accommodates thousands of students ready to invest themselves in a new regional rebirth.

Blazons and currency

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