Montlhéry
Encyclopedia
Montlhéry is a commune
in the Essonne
department in Île-de-France
in northern France
. It is located from Paris
.
Inhabitants of Montlhéry are known as Montlhériens.
. It was an old Gaulish site, called Mons Aetricus by the Romans
. Under the Merovingians it was owned by the church in Reims
, and in 768 it was given to the abbey of St. Denis in Paris. It was the site of a number of battles between the lords of Montlhéry and the early Capetian
monarchy.
The Montlhéry noble house was related to the Montmorency family
; Thibaud, the founder of the Montlhéry dynasty, was the brother of Bouchard II, the progenitor of the Montmorency house. Thibaud ruled from 970 to 1031 and was succeeded by his son Guy I, who ruled until 1095. Guy I's children married into other local noble families: his daughter Melisende married Hugh, count of Rethel, and another daughter Elizabeth married Joscelin of Courtenay. Through these marriages and subsequent Montlhéry participation on the First Crusade
, Guy I was the ancestor of the ruling dynasties of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem
and the County of Edessa
. Another daughter, Alice, married into the Le Puiset
family, and a son, Guy, became count of Rochefort
. Guy I was succeeded by Milo I, followed by Milo's sons Guy II and Milo II. In 1118, after many disputes with the rebellious lords, Louis VI of France
ordered the castle to be dismantled, and turned the town into a royal residence. Louis VI had himself been married to a granddaughter of Guy I, Lucienne of Rochefort, from 1104 to 1107.
After being absorbed into the royal domain, Montlhéry became part of the territory governed by the viscount of Paris. In the early 13th century, the French king Philip II (Augustus)
completely rebuilt the castle in the contemporary style, at a new site high above the town.
During the Hundred Years' War
, the town and the castle frequently passed between English
and French forces. On 16 July 1465, Charles the Bold
defeated Louis XI of France
at the Battle of Montlhéry
. The town was left in ruins by the Wars of Religion
, but it was rebuilt in 1591 under Henry IV
.
In the 19th century the tower was used for scientific experiments. In 1822, François Arago
calculated the speed of sound
there; a cannon
ball shot at the tower was observed from the Observatory of Villejuif
. In 1823, Claude Chappe installed a relay for the Paris-Bayonne
telegraph line. On 5 June 1874, Alfred Cornu tried to calculate the speed of light
between the tower and the Observatory in Paris.
During the Franco-Prussian War
, the town was occupied and pillaged by the Prussia
ns. It was occupied again by Germany
in 1940 during the Second World War.
Today Montlhéry is a Twin city
with Stetten am kalten Markt
. The current mayor
is Lucien Pornin.
The present 13th century castle, with its prominent donjon, succeeded a castle built in the 11th century, and an earlier foundation, built from 991 to 1015. The castle is a rectilinear pentagonal plan, with five surviving towers, one of which is much larger than the rest and serves as the donjon, forming the point of the pentagon, at the end of the ridge. A gate tower protected the entrance on the opposite site. Recent evidence suggests that there may have a second court or bailey
extending in front of the present gate, as well as a substantial chapel inside the presumed lower court. (48°38′6.17"N 2°16′20.61"E)
and Bruyères-le-Châtel
) is the site of an automobile
race track
, the Autodrome de Montlhéry
, established by Alexandre Lamblin in 1924. It is sometimes referred to as the 'French Indianapolis
', because it is laid out as a high speed oval
. Many speed records were set there within months of its opening, although today the racetrack has fallen into disuse and is also used for other purposes.
Montlhéry was also a market town
, which is remembered today in the Tomato Festival. The medieval tower is also a popular tourist attraction, which recently re-opened in 2005 after being closed for repairs.
, nicknamed Le Prince des Poètes lived there from 1921 until his death in 1960.
Remy Verdier
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 Essonne
Essonne
Essonne is a French department in the region of Île-de-France. It is named after the Essonne River.It was formed on 1 January 1968 when Seine-et-Oise was split into smaller departments.- History :...
department in Île-de-France
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
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...
. It is located from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Inhabitants of Montlhéry are known as Montlhériens.
History
Montlhéry lay on the strategically important road from Paris to OrléansOrléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
. It was an old Gaulish site, called Mons Aetricus by the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Under the Merovingians it was owned by the church in Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
, and in 768 it was given to the abbey of St. Denis in Paris. It was the site of a number of battles between the lords of Montlhéry and the early Capetian
Capetian
Capetian is an adjective, used to describe either:* The House of Capet, also called the Direct Capetians – the ruling family of France between 987 and 1328* The Capetian dynasty, a term applied to all direct descendants of Hugh Capet...
monarchy.
The Montlhéry noble house was related to the Montmorency family
Montmorency family
Montmorency, pronounced , the name of one of the oldest and most distinguished families in France, derived from the city of Montmorency, now in the Val-d'Oise département, in the immediate neighborhood of Enghien-les-Bains and Saint-Denis, about 9 miles northwest of Paris.The family, since its...
; Thibaud, the founder of the Montlhéry dynasty, was the brother of Bouchard II, the progenitor of the Montmorency house. Thibaud ruled from 970 to 1031 and was succeeded by his son Guy I, who ruled until 1095. Guy I's children married into other local noble families: his daughter Melisende married Hugh, count of Rethel, and another daughter Elizabeth married Joscelin of Courtenay. Through these marriages and subsequent Montlhéry participation on the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
, Guy I was the ancestor of the ruling dynasties of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
and the County of Edessa
County of Edessa
The County of Edessa was one of the Crusader states in the 12th century, based around Edessa, a city with an ancient history and an early tradition of Christianity....
. Another daughter, Alice, married into the Le Puiset
Le Puiset
Le Puiset is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France.-Population:-Medieval lordship:In the Middle Ages it was the site of a lordship within the County of Blois and Chartres. The lords descended from the counts of Breteuil, and often also held the position of viscount of Chartres...
family, and a son, Guy, became count of Rochefort
Rochefort-en-Yvelines
Rochefort-en-Yvelines is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.-References:*...
. Guy I was succeeded by Milo I, followed by Milo's sons Guy II and Milo II. In 1118, after many disputes with the rebellious lords, Louis VI of France
Louis VI of France
Louis VI , called the Fat , was King of France from 1108 until his death . Chronicles called him "roi de Saint-Denis".-Reign:...
ordered the castle to be dismantled, and turned the town into a royal residence. Louis VI had himself been married to a granddaughter of Guy I, Lucienne of Rochefort, from 1104 to 1107.
After being absorbed into the royal domain, Montlhéry became part of the territory governed by the viscount of Paris. In the early 13th century, the French king Philip II (Augustus)
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
completely rebuilt the castle in the contemporary style, at a new site high above the town.
During the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, the town and the castle frequently passed between English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and French forces. On 16 July 1465, Charles the Bold
Charles I, Duke of Burgundy
Charles the Bold , baptised Charles Martin, was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477...
defeated Louis XI of France
Louis XI of France
Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
at the Battle of Montlhéry
Battle of Montlhéry
The Battle of Montlhéry was fought between Louis XI and the League of the Public Weal on the 16th of July 1465 in proximity to Longpont-sur-Orge. It had no clear winner and therefore didn't decide the war.-Insurgency of the Vassal countries:...
. The town was left in ruins by the Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
, but it was rebuilt in 1591 under 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....
.
In the 19th century the tower was used for scientific experiments. In 1822, François Arago
François Arago
François Jean Dominique Arago , known simply as François Arago , was a French mathematician, physicist, astronomer and politician.-Early life and work:...
calculated the speed of sound
Speed of sound
The speed of sound is the distance travelled during a unit of time by a sound wave propagating through an elastic medium. In dry air at , the speed of sound is . This is , or about one kilometer in three seconds or approximately one mile in five seconds....
there; a cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
ball shot at the tower was observed from the Observatory of Villejuif
Villejuif
Villejuif is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:The name Villejuif was recorded for the first time in a papal bull of 1119 as Villa Judea, the meaning of which is still debated...
. In 1823, Claude Chappe installed a relay for the Paris-Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
telegraph line. On 5 June 1874, Alfred Cornu tried to calculate the speed of light
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
between the tower and the Observatory in Paris.
During the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, the town was occupied and pillaged by the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
ns. It was occupied again by Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1940 during the Second World War.
Today Montlhéry is a Twin city
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Stetten am kalten Markt
Stetten am kalten Markt
Stetten am kalten Markt is a municipality in the Sigmaringen district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Towns:The towns of Nusplingen, Frohnstetten, Storzingen and Glashütte are part of Stetten am kalten Markt.-History:...
. The current mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
is Lucien Pornin.
Château de Montlhéry
Ward (fortification)
In fortifications, a bailey or ward refers to a courtyard enclosed by a curtain wall. In particular, an early type of European castle was known as a Motte-and-bailey. Castles can have more than one ward. Their layout depends both on the local topography and the level of fortification technology...
extending in front of the present gate, as well as a substantial chapel inside the presumed lower court. (48°38′6.17"N 2°16′20.61"E)
List of lords of Montlhéry
- Thibaud of Montmorency (970-1031)
- Guy I of MontlhéryGuy I of MontlhéryGuy I was the second lord of Bray and the second lord of Montlhéry. He was probably the son of Thibaud of Montmorency, but some sources say that his father was named Milo. Thibaud may instead have been his grandfather....
(1031–1095) - Milo I of MontlhéryMilo I of MontlhéryMilo I the Great was lord of Montlhéry from 1095 until his death. He was the son of Guy I of Montlhéry and Hodierna of Gometz.The identify of his first wife is unknown. His second wife was Lithuise, daughter of Stephen, Count of Blois...
(1095–1102) - Guy II of MontlhéryGuy II of MontlhéryGuy II Trousseau was lord of Montlhéry. He was the son of Milo I of Montlhéry and Lithuise of Blois, and the elder brother of Milo II of Montlhéry. .Milo had the temperament of a warrior, and went on the First Crusade in 1096...
(1102–1109) - Milo II of MontlhéryMilo II of MontlhéryMilo II of Montlhéry was lord of Bray and Montlhéry, and viscount of Troyes. He was the son of Milo I the Great and Lithuise of Blois, and younger brother of Guy II of Montlhéry....
(1109–1118) - passes to royal domain of France
Economy
South of Montlhéry (on the communes of LinasLinas
Linas is a common given name among people of Lithuanian descent. It is the Lithuanian form of the name Linus which is derived from the ancient Greek name Linos that meant flax...
and Bruyères-le-Châtel
Bruyères-le-Châtel
Bruyères-le-Châtel is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France.-History:A nunnery was founded at Bruyères-le-Châtel by a noblewoman named Clotilde...
) is the site of an automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
race track
Race track
A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...
, the Autodrome de Montlhéry
Autodrome de Montlhéry
Autodrome de Montlhéry is an automobile racetrack, officially called L’autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, located across the towns of Linas Bruyères-le-Châtel and Ollainville, outside Paris in the southside....
, established by Alexandre Lamblin in 1924. It is sometimes referred to as the 'French Indianapolis
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
', because it is laid out as a high speed oval
Oval
An oval is any curve resembling an egg or an ellipse, such as a Cassini oval. The term does not have a precise mathematical definition except in one area oval , but it may also refer to:* A sporting arena of oval shape** a cricket field...
. Many speed records were set there within months of its opening, although today the racetrack has fallen into disuse and is also used for other purposes.
Montlhéry was also a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
, which is remembered today in the Tomato Festival. The medieval tower is also a popular tourist attraction, which recently re-opened in 2005 after being closed for repairs.
Personalities
Paul FortPaul Fort
Paul Fort was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. At the age of 18, reacting against the Naturalistic theatre, Fort founded the Théâtre d’Art...
, nicknamed Le Prince des Poètes lived there from 1921 until his death in 1960.
Remy Verdier