Villers-Cotterêts
Encyclopedia
Villers-Cotterêtsis a commune
in the Aisne
department in Picardy
in northern France
.
via the RN2
facing Laon
. Its nickname Petite villa sur la côte de Retz means Little villa by the coast of Retz, as the town is situated next to the Retz forest which covers 130 km² (50.2 sq mi) of land.
Villers-Cotterêts is famous because of the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts
1539 signed by king Francis I of France
('François Ier') which made French
the official language in the kingdom instead of regional languages like Occitan and also Latin
.
In 1914, the British Expeditionary Force fought a rearguard action here during the Retreat from Mons. On 1 September, the British 4th (Guards
) Brigade who were covering the withdrawal of 2nd Division, came into contact with the leading units of the German III Corps
on the edge of woodland near Villers-Cotterêts. The brigade lost more than 300 men in the encounter, but were able to break away and continue the withdrawal.
The local château, known as Château de Noüe was built in the 16th century for Francis I and later got 18th century régence
decoration by Gilles-Marie Oppenordt
. The original château was built around 950 AD and was burnt to the ground twice before being rebuilt out of stone in the early 12th century. The front entrance is the only original remaining structure, which is listed with the Historic Monument Registry at the Beaux Arts. The château was purchased from the de Noüe family by Francis I to house his mistress Anne de Pissleux. The current owner is the Pepinieres du Valois, an agricultural venture.
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 Aisne
Aisne
Aisne is a department in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River.- History :Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Île-de-France, Picardie, and Champagne.Most of the old...
department in Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
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
It is located 80 km (49.7 mi) NE of ParisParis
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...
via the RN2
Route nationale 2
The Route nationale 2 is a route nationale in northern France.-History:The N 2 was initially defined in 1811 as route impériale 2, running from Paris all the way to Amsterdam via Brussels, Antwerp, Breda and Utrecht. The territory north of the present border with Belgium was removed from France in...
facing Laon
Laon
Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-History:The hilly district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance...
. Its nickname Petite villa sur la côte de Retz means Little villa by the coast of Retz, as the town is situated next to the Retz forest which covers 130 km² (50.2 sq mi) of land.
History
Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts
The Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts is an extensive piece of reform legislation signed into law by Francis I of France on August 10, 1539 in the city of Villers-Cotterêts....
1539 signed by king Francis I of France
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...
('François Ier') which made French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
the official language in the kingdom instead of regional languages like Occitan and also Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
.
In 1914, the British Expeditionary Force fought a rearguard action here during the Retreat from Mons. On 1 September, the British 4th (Guards
Brigade of Guards
The Brigade of Guards is a historical elite unit of the British Army, which has existed sporadically since the 17th century....
) Brigade who were covering the withdrawal of 2nd Division, came into contact with the leading units of the German III Corps
III Corps (German Empire)
The III Army Corps was a formation in the Imperial German Army. It was established in 1814 as the General Headquarters in Berlin and became the III Army Corps on April 3, 1820...
on the edge of woodland near Villers-Cotterêts. The brigade lost more than 300 men in the encounter, but were able to break away and continue the withdrawal.
Population
The inhabitants are called Cottereziens.Sights
Régence
The Régence is the period in French history between 1715 and 1723, when King Louis XV was a minor and the land was governed by a Regent, Philippe d'Orléans, the nephew of Louis XIV of France....
decoration by Gilles-Marie Oppenordt
Gilles-Marie Oppenordt
Gilles-Marie Oppenord[t] was a celebrated French designer at the Bâtiments du Roi, the French royal works, and one of the initiators of the Rococo, nicknamed "the French Borromini". He specialized in interior architecture and decoration, though he has been connected with the furniture of Charles...
. The original château was built around 950 AD and was burnt to the ground twice before being rebuilt out of stone in the early 12th century. The front entrance is the only original remaining structure, which is listed with the Historic Monument Registry at the Beaux Arts. The château was purchased from the de Noüe family by Francis I to house his mistress Anne de Pissleux. The current owner is the Pepinieres du Valois, an agricultural venture.
External links
- Tourist office website (in French)
- Historic society of Villers-Cotterêts (in French)
- The Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
entry on Gilles-Marie Oppenordt