Glay, Doubs
Encyclopedia
Glay is a commune
in the Doubs
department in eastern France
. It is located in the Jura mountains
near the border with Switzerland.
as early as 888, and came under the control of the Holy Roman Empire
in 1034.
The village is first historically reported in the 12th century as a centre for glass making, and the name Glay comes from the French word for glass. Control of the area changed hands many times in the following centuries as the many small feudal regions constantly competed with each other for land, taxes and prominence. During the period 1200-1700 Glay was alternately ruled by cities and states that are now part of modern France (Montbéliard
), Germany
(Württemberg
) and Switzerland
(Neuchâtel).
In 1259 Marguerite of Montbeliard, daughter of Thierry III of Montbéliard (1205–1283) married the Grand Duke of Neuchâtel. Included as part of her dowry
were the seigniories of Blamont
(including Glay), Châtelot, Belmont
and Cuisance. Blamont was placed by the Lords of Neuchâtel under the protection of the counts and dukes of Burgundy to protect it from being taken back by Montbéliard once control had passed to later generations.
In his will Thierry III passed control of Montbéliard itself to the Countess Guillemette, his granddaughter. Since she had married a lord of Burgundy, the entirety of Montbéliard now came under the control of Burgundy, which outraged the other descendants of Thierry III, who had hoped to rule the area themselves. In order to avoid a war of succession, Renaud of Burgundy made some concessions. In the spring of 1283 he ceded to Thiébaud IV, Lord of Neuchâtel, the seigniories of Blamont (including Glay) and Châtelot, and guaranteed their status as being held by Neuchâtel.
At least twice in the century that followed Glay sought to free itself from the control of Neuchâtel by force of arms. Each effort was defeated.
In 1340 Thiébaud VI of Neuchâtel received the villages of Glay, Hérimoncourt
, Pierrefontaine, Seloncourt
and Villars-lez-Blamont as part of the dowry brought by his wife upon their marriage.
In 1383 Glay was part of the dowry (with many other local towns) of the wife of Thiébaud VIII of Neuchâtel. In the centuries that followed it was part of the ever-changing alliances, rivalries and wars between Montbéliard, the Duke of Burgundy, the Kingdom of France, the Swiss Confederation and Basel
.
In 1439 mercenaries who were not paid after the Treaty of Arras (1435) ended the war between King Charles VII of France
and Philip, Duke of Burgundy plundered the area.
In August 1474 during the Burgundian Wars
, following the devastation of Alsace
by Charles the Bold, the area was again heavily damaged in the fighting. After Charles' death at the hands of the Swiss in the Battle of Nancy
in 1477, the area around Glay came under the control of the Bishop of Basel, Jean de Venningen. The church returned the area to Neuchâtel in 1478.
By the early 16th century the power of the Lords of Neuchâtel was on the decline after Thiébaud IX failed to produce a male heir. After a struggle over succession marked by wars and lawsuits, on May 4, 1506 Duke Ulrich of Württemberg, who had also taken control of Montbéliard and held the title of Count of Montbéliard, bought all of Blamont, including Glay.
Because the German Dukes of Württemberg were Protestant, the area around Glay has since this time been Protestant, despite the fact that France overall is predominantly Catholic
.
During the Thirty Years War the area around Glay suffered tremendously. In 1635 alone the region was invaded by troops from both warring alliances and suffered from the plague and famine.
After a period under the control of Spain
, the region around Glay was occupied by the French in 1668 but handed back under the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
. France again conquered the area in 1674, and it was finally ceded to France at the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678. Control from the King in Paris brought heavy taxation that devastated the local economy.
In 1790, after the French revolution, the Department of Doubs was created, which includes the area around Glay.
When Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo
in 1815, border skirmishes broke out between French troops and those from various subdivisions of Switzerland as the latter tried to take advantage of the chaos in Paris. Although Glay remained within the areas controlled by France adjacent to the Swiss border, the area suffered still further damage.
In World War II
Glay was liberated by French forces in September, 1944, although some fighting continued in the region through November.
building codes. The closing was lamented as a loss to the Protestant communities of the area.
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 Doubs
Doubs
Doubs is a department the Franche-Comté region of eastern France named after the Doubs River.-History:As early as the 13th century, inhabitants of the northern two-thirds of Doubs spoke the Franc-Comtois language, a dialect of Langue d'Oïl. Residents of the southern third of Doubs spoke a dialect...
department in eastern 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 in the Jura mountains
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
near the border with Switzerland.
History
The area around Glay was part of BurgundyKingdom of Arles
The Kingdom of Arles or Second Kingdom of Burgundy of the High Middle Ages was a Frankish dominion established in 933 from lands of the early medieval Kingdom of Burgundy at Arles...
as early as 888, and came under the control of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
in 1034.
The village is first historically reported in the 12th century as a centre for glass making, and the name Glay comes from the French word for glass. Control of the area changed hands many times in the following centuries as the many small feudal regions constantly competed with each other for land, taxes and prominence. During the period 1200-1700 Glay was alternately ruled by cities and states that are now part of modern France (Montbéliard
Montbéliard
Montbéliard is a city in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department.-History:...
), 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...
(Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
) and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(Neuchâtel).
In 1259 Marguerite of Montbeliard, daughter of Thierry III of Montbéliard (1205–1283) married the Grand Duke of Neuchâtel. Included as part of her dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
were the seigniories of Blamont
Blamont
Blamont is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
(including Glay), Châtelot, Belmont
Belmont, Doubs
Belmont is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-Population:...
and Cuisance. Blamont was placed by the Lords of Neuchâtel under the protection of the counts and dukes of Burgundy to protect it from being taken back by Montbéliard once control had passed to later generations.
In his will Thierry III passed control of Montbéliard itself to the Countess Guillemette, his granddaughter. Since she had married a lord of Burgundy, the entirety of Montbéliard now came under the control of Burgundy, which outraged the other descendants of Thierry III, who had hoped to rule the area themselves. In order to avoid a war of succession, Renaud of Burgundy made some concessions. In the spring of 1283 he ceded to Thiébaud IV, Lord of Neuchâtel, the seigniories of Blamont (including Glay) and Châtelot, and guaranteed their status as being held by Neuchâtel.
At least twice in the century that followed Glay sought to free itself from the control of Neuchâtel by force of arms. Each effort was defeated.
In 1340 Thiébaud VI of Neuchâtel received the villages of Glay, Hérimoncourt
Hérimoncourt
Hérimoncourt is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Pierrefontaine, Seloncourt
Seloncourt
Seloncourt is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-Geography:Seloncourt lies from Montbéliard on the banks of the Gland, which flows into the Doubs River at Audincourt...
and Villars-lez-Blamont as part of the dowry brought by his wife upon their marriage.
In 1383 Glay was part of the dowry (with many other local towns) of the wife of Thiébaud VIII of Neuchâtel. In the centuries that followed it was part of the ever-changing alliances, rivalries and wars between Montbéliard, the Duke of Burgundy, the Kingdom of France, the Swiss Confederation and Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
.
In 1439 mercenaries who were not paid after the Treaty of Arras (1435) ended the war between King Charles VII of France
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
and Philip, Duke of Burgundy plundered the area.
In August 1474 during the Burgundian Wars
Burgundian Wars
The Burgundian Wars were a conflict between the Dukes of Burgundy and the Kings of France, later involving the Old Swiss Confederacy, which would play a decisive role. Open war broke out in 1474, and in the following years the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, was defeated three times on the...
, following the devastation of Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
by Charles the Bold, the area was again heavily damaged in the fighting. After Charles' death at the hands of the Swiss in the Battle of Nancy
Battle of Nancy
The Battle of Nancy was the final and decisive battle of the Burgundian Wars, fought outside the walls of Nancy on 5 January 1477 between Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and René II, Duke of Lorraine...
in 1477, the area around Glay came under the control of the Bishop of Basel, Jean de Venningen. The church returned the area to Neuchâtel in 1478.
By the early 16th century the power of the Lords of Neuchâtel was on the decline after Thiébaud IX failed to produce a male heir. After a struggle over succession marked by wars and lawsuits, on May 4, 1506 Duke Ulrich of Württemberg, who had also taken control of Montbéliard and held the title of Count of Montbéliard, bought all of Blamont, including Glay.
Because the German Dukes of Württemberg were Protestant, the area around Glay has since this time been Protestant, despite the fact that France overall is predominantly Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
.
During the Thirty Years War the area around Glay suffered tremendously. In 1635 alone the region was invaded by troops from both warring alliances and suffered from the plague and famine.
After a period under the control of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the region around Glay was occupied by the French in 1668 but handed back under the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668)
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle or Treaty of Aachen was signed on May 2, 1668 in Aachen. It ended the war of Devolution between France and Spain. It was mediated by the Triple Alliance of England, the Dutch Republic and Sweden at the first Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle...
. France again conquered the area in 1674, and it was finally ceded to France at the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678. Control from the King in Paris brought heavy taxation that devastated the local economy.
In 1790, after the French revolution, the Department of Doubs was created, which includes the area around Glay.
When Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
in 1815, border skirmishes broke out between French troops and those from various subdivisions of Switzerland as the latter tried to take advantage of the chaos in Paris. Although Glay remained within the areas controlled by France adjacent to the Swiss border, the area suffered still further damage.
In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Glay was liberated by French forces in September, 1944, although some fighting continued in the region through November.
Centre de Glay
In recent years the town had benefitted from the presence of the Centre de Glay, which was most recently a convention centre with a 120-room hotel designed to draw more visitors to the area. The facility was founded in 1823 by the Swiss minister Father Jacquet to provide vocational training to disadvantaged Protestant children from the area. It later sheltered a private college, and was converted to a conference centre in 1953. The Centre closed in September, 2004 for budgetary reasons, and because the older buildings did not meet current European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
building codes. The closing was lamented as a loss to the Protestant communities of the area.