Angoulême History Geography Sights Economy Transportation

Angoulême (Iculisma) was taken by Clovis from the Visigoths in 507, and plundered by the Normans in the 9th century. In 1360 it was surrendered by the Treaty of Brétigny to the English; they were, however, expelled in 1373 by the troops of Charles VThe name Charles V is used to refer to numerous persons in history: Kings: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (also Charles I of Spain) Charles V of France Charles V of Naples Charles V of Sweden., who granted the town numerous privileges. It suffered much during the French Wars of ReligionThe French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between the Catholic League and the Huguenots from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598. In 1560, Catherine de Medici became regent for her young son Charles IX., especially in 1568Events March 23 Peace of Longjumeau ends the Second War of Religion in France. Again Catherine de Medici and Charles IX make substantial concessions to the Huguenots May 13 Battle of Langside: the forces of Mary Queen of Scots are defeated by a confederac after its capture by the Protestants under ColignyGaspard de Coligny ( February 16, 1519 August 24, 1572), Seigneur (Lord) de Chatillon, admiral of France and Protestant leader, came of a noble family of Burgundy. His family traced their descent from the 11th century, and in the reign of Louis XI, were i.

The countship of Angoulême dated from the 9th century, the most important of the early counts being William Taillefer , whose descendants held the title till the end of the 12th century11th century 12th century 13th century other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. Events Song dynasty loses power over Northern China The Kamakura Shogunate deprives the. Withdrawn from them on more than one occasion by Richard Coeur-de-Lionbronze, brandishes his sword outside the Palace of Westminster Richard I ( September 8, 1157 April 6, 1199) was King of England from 1189 to 1199. He was often referred to as Richard the Lionheart Coeur de Lion and Oc et No by the French, and Melek-Ric by, it passed to King John of England on his marriage with Isabel, daughter of Count Adhémar , and by her subsequent marriage in 1220 to Hugh X passed to the Lusignan family , counts of Marche . On the death of Hugh XIII in 1302 without issue, his possessions passed to the crown. In 1394 the countship came to the house of Orleans , a member of which, Francis I, became king of France in 1515 and raised it to the rank of duchy in favour of his mother Louise of Savoy . The duchy afterwards changed hands several times, one of its holders being Charles of Valois, natural son of Charles IX. The last duke was Louis-Antoine , eldest son of Charles X, who died in 1844.

2 Geography

Angoulême is located 83 m. N.N.E. of Bordeaux on the railway between Bordeaux and Poitiers.

The town proper occupies an elevated promontory, washed on the north by the Charente and on the south and west by the Anguienne , a small tributary of that river. The more important of the suburbs lie towards the east, where the promontory joins the main plateau, of which it forms the north-western extremity.

3 Sights

In place of its ancient fortifications, Angoulême is encircled by boulevards known as the Remparts, from which fine views may be obtained in all directions. Within the town the streets are often dark and narrow, and, apart from the cathedral and the hôtel de ville, the architecture is of little interest.

The cathedral of St. Pierre , a church in the Byzantine- Romanesque style, dates from the 11th and 12th centuries, but has undergone frequent restoration, and was partly rebuilt in the latter half of the 18th century by the architect Paul Abadie . The façade, flanked by two towers with cupolas, is decorated with arcades filled in with statuary and sculpture, the whole representing the Last Judgment. The crossing is surmounted by a dome, and the extremity of the north transept by a fine square tower over 160 ft. high.

The hôtel de ville, also by Abadie, is a handsome modern structure, but preserves two towers of the chateau of the counts of Angoulême, on the site of which it is built. It contains museums of paintings and archaeology.

4 Economy

Angoulême is a centre of the paper-making industry, with which the town has been connected since the 14th century. Most of the mills are situated on the banks of the watercourses in the neighbourhood of the town. The subsidiary industries, such as the manufacture of machinery and wire fabric, are of considerable importance. Iron and copper founding, brewing, tanning, and the manufacture of gunpowder, confectionery, heavy iron goods, gloves, boots and shoes and cotton goods are also carried on. Commerce is carried on in wine, brandy and building-stone.

5 Transportation

The main line of the Orleans railway passes through a tunnel beneath the town.

6 Miscellaneous

The famous Angoulême International Comics Festival takes place every year there.

Angoulême is the seat of a bishop, a prefect, and a court of assizes. Its public institutions include tribunals of first instance and of commerce, a council of trade-arbitrators, a chamber of commerce and a branch of the Bank of France. It also has a lycée, training-colleges, a school of artillery, a library and several learned societies.

Angoulême was the birthplace of:

Melin de Saint-Gelais ( 1487- 1558), poet
Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac ( 1594- 1654), author.
Marc René, marquis de Montalembert ( 1714- 1800), military engineer and writer
Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré ( 1789- 1854), botanist
Maurice Duverger (born 1917), jurist.

7 See also

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 Britannica

Cities, towns and villages of France

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1 History