Hesdin
Encyclopedia
Hesdin is a commune
in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France
.
to Montreuil, used to be the main thoroughfare of the town. In the 1950s, a circular route was created to help traffic flow. A second bypass was built in the 1980s, taking all through traffic well away from the town centre.
The Canche
river flows through the centre of Hesdin.
, vassals of the Counts of Flanders
until 1180. When Philip, count of Flanders gave Artois
as dowry to his niece Isabel de Hainault when she married Philip Augustus of France in 1180, Hesdin and the other seigneuries passed to France. Though subsequently the territory passed to the Dukes of Burgundy, Hesdin remained one of a handful of French strongholds, until in 1553 Emperor Charles V ordered the utter destruction of the old fortified town on a rise of ground and built the present town the following year, some 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the original site, on the banks of the Canche.
In 1639 the French laid siege
to Hesdin and under Louis XIII
, it was recaptured for France. Thus, though Hesdin has an ancient name and 16th century structures, there is no medieval town at all.
The most recent and resourceful book on the history of Hesdin is Promenades dans Hesdin by Regis Deparis (2004)
A good range of local produce can be purchased from the stalls in the surrounding streets.
Much information concerning the businesses, associations, events and important local contacts, can be found on the bilingual website Hesdin-Commerces.com in English or in French. Most of the towns artisans, boutiques and shops are represented on the website which was provided free of charge as an effort to boost commerce within the region.
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 Pas-de-Calais department 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
The N39, from ArrasArras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
to Montreuil, used to be the main thoroughfare of the town. In the 1950s, a circular route was created to help traffic flow. A second bypass was built in the 1980s, taking all through traffic well away from the town centre.
The Canche
Canche
The river Canche is one of the rivers that flow from the plateau of the southern Boulonnais and Picardy, into the English Channel. The Somme is the largest example. The basin of the Canche extends to 1,274 square kilometres and lies in the southern end of the département of Pas-de-Calais...
river flows through the centre of Hesdin.
History
Hesdin was a fief of the counts of ArtoisCounts of Artois
The counts of Artois were the rulers over the County of Artois from the 9th century until the abolition of the countship by the French revolutionaries in 1790.-List of Counts of Artois:*Odalric...
, vassals of the Counts of Flanders
Count of Flanders
The Count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders from the 9th century until the abolition of the position by the French revolutionaries in 1790....
until 1180. When Philip, count of Flanders gave Artois
Artois
Artois is a former province of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km² and a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras , Saint-Omer, Lens and Béthune.-Location:...
as dowry to his niece Isabel de Hainault when she married Philip Augustus of France in 1180, Hesdin and the other seigneuries passed to France. Though subsequently the territory passed to the Dukes of Burgundy, Hesdin remained one of a handful of French strongholds, until in 1553 Emperor Charles V ordered the utter destruction of the old fortified town on a rise of ground and built the present town the following year, some 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the original site, on the banks of the Canche.
In 1639 the French laid siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
to Hesdin and under Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
, it was recaptured for France. Thus, though Hesdin has an ancient name and 16th century structures, there is no medieval town at all.
The most recent and resourceful book on the history of Hesdin is Promenades dans Hesdin by Regis Deparis (2004)
Population
Places of interest
Hesdin is dominated by the central square, the Place d'Armes overlooked by the 16th-17th century town hall. The contemporary Church of Notre Dame was begun in 1565 and completed in 1685.Notable people
- Jacquemart de HesdinJacquemart de HesdinJacquemart de Hesdin was a French miniature painter working in the International Gothic style. In English, he is also called Jacquemart of Hesdin. During his lifetime, his name was spelt in a number of ways, including as Jacquemart de Odin.-Background:Jacquemart was a painter from Artois...
(c. 1355– c. 1414), miniaturist and painter to the duc de Berry - The Abbé PrévostAntoine François PrévostAntoine François Prévost , usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French author and novelist.- Life and works :...
, (April 1, 1697–1763), celebrated novelist known worldwide for his Manon LescautManon LescautManon Lescaut is a short novel by French author Abbé Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité . It was controversial in its time and was banned in France upon publication...
, was born in Hesdin. - Henri Titelouze de Gournay (1871–1933)
- Clovis Normand
- François DalleFrançois DalleFrançois Dalle served as CEO of L'Oréal between 1957 and 1984.He became the company's CEO after the death of its founder, Eugène Schueller, in 1957. He oversaw one of the most exciting periods of the company's history in expanding and internationalising the range of brands and managing aggressive...
- Jean-Louis CottignyJean-Louis CottignyJean-Louis Cottigny is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the north-west of France...
Miscellaneous
The best day to visit Hesdin is market day, Thursday, when a large range of goods can be purchased although the clothes and furnishing materials sold in the main square are not good value.A good range of local produce can be purchased from the stalls in the surrounding streets.
Much information concerning the businesses, associations, events and important local contacts, can be found on the bilingual website Hesdin-Commerces.com in English or in French. Most of the towns artisans, boutiques and shops are represented on the website which was provided free of charge as an effort to boost commerce within the region.