Arques-la-Bataille
Encyclopedia
Arques-la-Bataille is a commune
in the Seine-Maritime
department in the Haute-Normandie
region
in northern France
.
, Varenne
and Béthune
, with the forest of Arques to the north-east. It lies 4 miles (6 km) southeast of Dieppe
at the junction of the D23, D154 and D56 roads.
; his nephew, William the Conqueror
, regarding it as a menace to his own power, besieged and occupied it. After frequently changing hands, it came into the possession of the English, who were expelled in 1449 after an occupation of thirty years. In 1589, its cannon decided the battle of Arques
in favor of Henry IV
.
Since 1869, the castle has been state property. The first line of fortification was the work of Francis I
; the second line and the donjon date back to the 11th century.
The church of Arques, a building of the 16th century, preserves a stone rood screen, statuary, stained glass and other relics of the Renaissance
period.
Just outside the town is the World War I
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
cemetery, designed by J R Truelove, the final resting place of 377 men of the South African Native Labour Corps.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
department in the Haute-Normandie
Haute-Normandie
Upper Normandy is one of the 27 regions of France. It was created in 1984 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for reuniting the two regions...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
Arques is situated near the confluence of the rivers EaulneEaulne
The river Eaulne is one of the rivers that flow from the plateau of the eastern Pays de Caux in the Seine-Maritime département of Haute-Normandie in northern France. The Eaulne’s source is at Mortemer...
, Varenne
Varenne River
The Varenne is a river of Normandy, France, in length, flowing through the department of Seine-Maritime and it is a tributary of the Arques River.- Geography :...
and Béthune
Béthune River
The Béthune is a river of Normandy, France, in length, flowing through the department of Seine-Maritime and it is a tributary of the Arques River. The French Sandre regulators however, consider the Béthune as the Arques for all its length.- Geography :...
, with the forest of Arques to the north-east. It lies 4 miles (6 km) southeast of Dieppe
Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
at the junction of the D23, D154 and D56 roads.
Main sights
The center houses a castle dominating the town, which was built in the 11th century by William of TalouWilliam of Talou
William of Talou was the son of duke Richard II of Normandy and Papia from Envermeu. His brother was Mauger, who became archbishop of Rouen in 1037...
; his nephew, William the Conqueror
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
, regarding it as a menace to his own power, besieged and occupied it. After frequently changing hands, it came into the possession of the English, who were expelled in 1449 after an occupation of thirty years. In 1589, its cannon decided the battle of Arques
Battle of Arques
This article is about the 1589 battle. For the Battle of 1303 see Battle of Arques .The Battle of Arques occurred on 15–18 September 1589 between the French royal forces of King Henry IV of France and troops of the Catholic League commanded by Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne during the eighth...
in favor of Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
.
Since 1869, the castle has been state property. The first line of fortification was the work of Francis I
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
; the second line and the donjon date back to the 11th century.
The church of Arques, a building of the 16th century, preserves a stone rood screen, statuary, stained glass and other relics of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
period.
Just outside the town is the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
cemetery, designed by J R Truelove, the final resting place of 377 men of the South African Native Labour Corps.
Cultural references
- Willa CatherWilla CatherWilla Seibert Cather was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours , a novel set during World War I...
's 1907 short story "Eleanor's HouseEleanor's HouseEleanor's House is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in McClure's in October 1907.-Plot summary:Harold Forscythe and his new wife Ethel are visiting the Westfields, who live in Arques-la-Bataille. Harold admits to Harriet that he is still in mourning over his late wife. Later,...
" is set in Arques-la-Bataille.