Montmédy
Encyclopedia
Montmédy is a commune
in the Meuse
department in Lorraine
in north-eastern France
.
In 1221 the first castle of Montmédy was built on top of a hill by the Count of Chiny
. Montmédy became soon the capital of his territory - later it belonged to Luxembourg, Burgundy, Austria and Spain. The original castle was replaced with a fortress by Karl V in the 16th Century.
After Marville
and Stenay
had been occupied by the French, 30,000 soldiers, including King Louis XIV
, attacked Montmédy, whilst 756 were defending it in 1657. They held it for 57 days and surrendered only after the death of the governor Jean V of Allamont. The military engineer Vauban
advanced the outer fortifications, the moats and the walls after the siege of 1657.
During the French Revolution
in 1791, the fortress was the anticipated destination of King Louis XVI
and his family in their unsuccessful attempt to escape
from the growing radical republicanism of Paris
. The area at that time was overwhelmingly pro-monarchy. The royal party never arrived, however, because they were discovered en route at Varennes and escorted back to the capital city. The King had hoped to establish a counter-revolutionary military base of operations in the citadel from which he could reclaim the country. The citadel has also been used as a fortress during both World Wars.
Buildings, including a church, dating back to the 17th century can be found inside the citadel itself; it still is used as a place to live. Most of the buildings are derelict or already collapsed; some of them are still in use as tenements. An Office de Tourisme (Tourist Office) can be found in the citadel.
joins the Chiers
in the eastern part of the commune. The village lies on the right bank of the Chiers.
. The eccentric harpist and composer Nicolas-Charles Bochsa
(1789-1856) was born in Montmédy where his father Karl Bochsa was an oboist
belonging to the Army. Future President François Mitterrand
was stationed as a soldier at Montmédy in 1939.
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 Meuse
Meuse
Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
department in Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
in north-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...
.
Citadel of Montmédy
Chiny
Chiny is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg.On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers , had 5,021 inhabitants, giving a population density of 44.2 inhabitants per km²...
. Montmédy became soon the capital of his territory - later it belonged to Luxembourg, Burgundy, Austria and Spain. The original castle was replaced with a fortress by Karl V in the 16th Century.
After Marville
Marville, Meuse
Marville is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.An airbase built by NATO hosted fighter squadrons from the RCAF from 1952 to 1967.-Geography:...
and Stenay
Stenay
Stenay is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It was one of the last villages to experience fighting during World War I. Stenay was captured on 11 November 1918 by the American 89th Division under General William M. Wright only hours before the Armistice went into...
had been occupied by the French, 30,000 soldiers, including King Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, attacked Montmédy, whilst 756 were defending it in 1657. They held it for 57 days and surrendered only after the death of the governor Jean V of Allamont. The military engineer Vauban
Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
advanced the outer fortifications, the moats and the walls after the siege of 1657.
During the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
in 1791, the fortress was the anticipated destination of King Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
and his family in their unsuccessful attempt to escape
Flight to Varennes
The Flight to Varennes was a significant episode in the French Revolution during which King Louis XVI of France, his wife Marie Antoinette, and their immediate family attempted unsuccessfully to escape from Paris in order to initiate a counter-revolution...
from the growing radical republicanism of 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...
. The area at that time was overwhelmingly pro-monarchy. The royal party never arrived, however, because they were discovered en route at Varennes and escorted back to the capital city. The King had hoped to establish a counter-revolutionary military base of operations in the citadel from which he could reclaim the country. The citadel has also been used as a fortress during both World Wars.
Buildings, including a church, dating back to the 17th century can be found inside the citadel itself; it still is used as a place to live. Most of the buildings are derelict or already collapsed; some of them are still in use as tenements. An Office de Tourisme (Tourist Office) can be found in the citadel.
Geography
The river OthainOthain
The Othain is a long river in the Meurthe-et-Moselle and Meuse départements, northeastern France. Its source is at Gondrecourt-Aix, in the Woëvre. It flows generally northwest...
joins the Chiers
Chiers
The Chiers is a river in Luxembourg, Belgium and France. It is a right tributary to the river Meuse. Its total length is about 130 km.The source of the Chiers is near Differdange, in Luxembourg...
in the eastern part of the commune. The village lies on the right bank of the Chiers.
Notable people
A museum is devoted to the painter Jules Bastien-LepageJules Bastien-Lepage
Jules Bastien-Lepage , was a French naturalist painter, a style related to the Realist movement.-Life and work:...
. The eccentric harpist and composer Nicolas-Charles Bochsa
Nicolas-Charles Bochsa
Robert Nicolas-Charles Bochsa was a musician and composer.-Life:...
(1789-1856) was born in Montmédy where his father Karl Bochsa was an oboist
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
belonging to the Army. Future President François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
was stationed as a soldier at Montmédy in 1939.